2017 was a year of film festivals for Moth to Flame. It was our first time “touring” our film, My Heart – Ya Albi. Though we did go to a few festivals for our previous films, “A Bird’s Nest” and “Two Roads,” it was definitely not to the extent that we have (and continue to) with My Heart – Ya Albi. We are thankful for the incredible response to the film and all the incredible awards we have won, the cool parties we have attended, and most importantly, the awesome people we have met.

You hear horror stories of filmmakers that submit to a lot of film festivals, but don’t get into any, or even worse, people who discover that some festivals don’t even watch their films despite taking their submission fees. The costs add up. Yes, it seems like $50 here and there is no big deal, but in the end, touring your film is a numbers game. You have to submit to a lot of festivals to get accepted to a few and that ends up being thousands of dollars down the drain.

So as a new year begins and we are yet at a crossroad as to what film festivals to submit our precious, very minimal festival funds to… here are some of the festivals we have enjoyed the most in 2017.

New Orleans Film Festival is the perfect combination between prestige and caliber (Academy Qualifying), without the snobby click feel. They did a great job including many intimate party events that provided plenty of networking opportunities. Everyone there had that southern charm and were very nice and easy to talk to. I chatted up one of the actresses from Mr. Robot and Glow, Sunita Mani like it was no big deal. She was extremely nice and personable, no ego whatsoever.  I felt like the filmmakers wanted to support each other and if you chatted with someone about your screening time, more than likely, if they did not already have definite plans, they would try their best to make it to your screening.

Our Louisiana Shorts block was sold out and jammed packed. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to do the typical Q&A due to a lack of time trying to get everyone through the door, but towards the end of the night, there was a sweet party that most of the filmmakers try to attend and we had plenty of opportunities to chat then.

What’s even greater is that the festival really takes care of their filmmakers. They put up the filmmakers at really nice hotels where all of the action is so you do not really need a car unless you just want to go and explore the sites, which Uber easily solves that. The location is prime and easily accessible to the French Quarter and other tourist spots. The film schedule is busy, yet not overwhelmingly so that if you decide to take a break to do other stuff, you do not feel like you are completely missing out on a million films. And, for the most part, if there is a film that you couldn’t see, the filmmaker is more than likely in attendance and they are more than happy to provide a screener link. That was what I was most impressed about, the attendance rate by the filmmakers was one of the highest I have seen at a festival. Most people were there!

I am not a party person, but I really enjoyed the parties that NOLA FF hosted. They were in all different areas showcasing the different sites of New Orleans. I have been to NOLA many times prior, but I felt like I got to see parts of NOLA that were off the beaten path and not your usual French Quarters touristy areas. The adult beverages poured freely and the company plentiful. I met a lot of great filmmakers and caught up some of my NOLA filmmaker friends. The environment was relaxed, you can dress up if you like, or not… nobody cares. They are all just there to have a good time and meet other people.

Submit your film to NOLA FF and definitely plan to attend if you get in. You won’t regret it.

We have participated in the Film Prize for 4 years now and it keeps getting bigger and better. The experience at this festival is so unique and very different from anything we’ve ever been a part of. This festival is ALL about the filmmakers. I mean, there are only 20 filmmakers they showcase and everyone must watch every film in order for their voting to count, which guarantees that most screenings are packed. The worst feeling for a filmmaker is having no audience. The quality of films at the film prize continues to increase each year and the number of available events to participants keeps increasing as well. Now, there is a tent with live music, food cooking demos, and more. The VIP lounge for the filmmakers and VIP badge holders ensures that you never go hungry and the festival puts you up in a very comfortable hotel that can usually fit your crew, if you get creative (ha).

This year, we had the honor of screening or Film Prize short, Shakespeare on the Range, and received the Founder’s Circle Prize for a $3,000 grant to be used towards our Film Prize short this year!

I love this film festival. Even if we did not have a film in the festival, this is definitely one of those events that we would come back to visit. The 5-hour drive from Austin to Shreveport is definitely worth the weekend long of fun. Again, this is a festival filled with really cool people. We’ve made lifelong friends with many of the veteran filmmakers. You develop a true relationship that carries on beyond the film prize. The films are a good representation of “top notch” work, so it is quite common for us to run into each other (unplanned) at various film festivals. We follow each other’s work, ask each other for advice on festivals to attend (or not) or even advice on our own films, and collaborate on future projects. Very few festivals do you make these lifelong relationships. After 3 days of non-stop shenanigans Q&As, meet and greets, parties, you end up feeling like you have known some of these people for a long time. Now, take these Film Prize veterans and have them come together every year, and it is almost like summer camp. We are all excited whenever the Film Prize comes around so that we can see each other again.

Viva La Film Prize! Submit your films. Anyone who wants to participate must film and premiere their short in Shreveport, Louisiana in order to be consider. That’s the only catch! And you could even win $50,000!

This was our first year attending the Austin Revolution Film Festival and we had a great time. There is no better feeling than being able to screen for your friends and family living in your hometown. Austin Revolution provides plenty of opportunities to meet up with those in the community and to have them come to your screenings. My favorite screenings happened at the Alamo Drafthouse, but the events happening at the hotel, such as the panels and award ceremony, were a great way to meet other filmmakers.

The people who run the Austin Revolution Film Festival do a great job with marketing and providing as much PR for the filmmakers and events. As a result, many of the events have a great turn out. I really enjoyed that they provided a bottle of champagne if you chose to premiere your film at the festival. It is little details like this that make the experience special.

We really loved the unique awards they gave out. The cool belt buckles and flasks that are such a good representation of Texas and the awesome plaque awards for the specialized awards. This was a film festival that worked out well for us as Austinites. We received a lot of great local recognition and finally got to screen our film to our community. For those who are not able to make it into SXSW or Austin Film Festival, the Austin Revolution is a great alternative to getting your film seen.

So those are the top film festivals that we attended in 2017. The festivals on our list ranked high in overall experience as a filmmaker. Our experience can be summed up in the following criteria:

1. How the filmmakers were treated (hotel accommodations, good events, etc)
2. The quality of films shown
3. The quality of networking opportunities

Hope this helps out when you decide upon what festivals to submit to or attend in the future!