Should I spend money traveling to a festival that isn't communicating/ how organized should you expect a film festival to be?
Hi
my film was accepted to a film festival I would like to go to, which includes international travel for me. It's a pretty major selection for the film and I have been trying to get info from them such as:
- Does the festival have any accommodation partners I could reach out to book where I stay? Or volunteers that offer hosting?
- Does the festival offer any support (in kind or financial) for visiting filmmakers?
- Are there any other events for filmmakers, such as talks or industry gatherings, that are recommended I take into account when deciding for how long to come?
I have emailed the programing team, the head of hospitality, sent an insta DM, not all at once of course, but with anywhere between 5-10 days apart, and have been waiting on info for weeks now (was accepted at the start of April)- so far, crickets, with the promise of info coming soon.
Took me almost 4 weeks to find out when I was screening because my film had been accidentally logged as "notified" when I had not been....
And flights are getting more and more expensive...
So I wanted to know if this is common? Do most festivals only let you know the schedule and what to expect when getting closer to it's start date?
Is it a good idea spending the better part of 1.5k traveling to a festival that isn't communicating?
What I'd like to achieve from the festival:
- watch my film with an audience (not yet happened)
-make some contacts/ try and and network
- have a great time with fellow filmmakers
- see some interesting films
But I'm worried that this is a massive festival and I will just get lost in all of it, with little time to plan ahead or guidance from organizers, and I'll end up spending tons of money on something that wasn't worth it.
Any advice is most welcome.