What does the course cover?
- Strengthening your business model: strategic planning; researching and pitching to corporate sponsors; crowdfunding; growing your festival
- Building audiences: engaging young people and hard to reach audiences; taking advantage of social media and digital platforms to drive ticket sales and deepen audience engagement
- Maximising professional relationships: building relationships with journalists to generate press coverage; negotiating with sales agents to secure film rights; strategic partnerships with other festivals to save money and increase impact.
“Immensely inspiring...The implications will resonate for weeks, months and years to come.”
How is it taught?
The course is taught through talks from film industry experts, practical workshops focusing on participants’ own festivals, participant-led discussion on the major challenges and opportunities facing festivals today, plus one-to-one advisory sessions with course leaders and speakers.
Three days of intensive training is followed by two days of discussion, networking and screenings at the Motovun Film Festival. Participants become members of the European Film Festivals Network for long term information sharing and collaboration.
You can read about last year’s course here.
"Thoroughly enjoyable, at the same time completely informative and inspiring. Thank you."
Speakers
The course will be led by David Sin, Head of Cinemas at the ICO and our inspiring collective of international film industry experts will include:
- Peter Belsito, Independent Film Festival consultant (previously worked for WITHOUT A BOX and IMDb)
- Mikael Fellenius, CEO, Göteborg International Film Festival
- Allison Gardner, Co-director, Glasgow Film Festival
- Bridey Lipscombe and Cat Turner, Founders of creative agency Native LDN
- Mindaugas Morkunas, Head of Festival Development, Vilnius International Film Festival
- Louis Savy, Director, Sci-Fi London Film Festival
- Charlie Phillips, Marketplace Director, Sheffield Doc/Fest
We look forward to announcing more speakers in the coming weeks!
Fees
€570 / £582*
Part Scholarship: €365 / £373*
Full Scholarship: €160 / £163*
* Sterling rates include VAT
Fees include three full days' training plus two days' film screenings and networking; full accreditation for Motovun Film Festival; six nights' accommodation; transport to and from the airport; breakfast, lunch and refreshments on the training days; social evenings; course materials; membership of the European Film Festivals Network forum for six months after the course. Please note that fees do not include flight costs.
“I am coming away with a revived passion for what I do”
Go to:
Further information
If you have any questions or would like to discuss whether the course is suitable for your needs, please email sarah.bourne@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk or call +44 (0) 20 7636 7120.
Funded by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union and the British Council. In partnership with Motovun Film Festival. With the support of Vilnius International Film Festival.