Hi, I’m a filmmaker whose short film has been invited to festivals in different countries. One thing I’ve noticed is that many festivals in Europe and Asia usually provide at least a few nights of hotel accommodation for invited guests.
But a lot of North American festivals don’t provide accommodation at all — even medium-to-large festivals.
I understand if small festivals can’t afford it. But these festivals receive thousands of submissions, and submission fees in North America are often expensive.
So I’m genuinely curious: are filmmakers just supposed to be happy their film got selected? Most short filmmakers don’t get screening fees either. If a festival invites filmmakers as guests, shouldn’t accommodation be part of that?
Maybe I’m expecting too much. I’ve just noticed a huge difference between regions while traveling to festivals, and I honestly wonder why.