Film festivals: More than just a place to win awards

Acorn Staff Writer


Michael Picarella

Michael Picarella

Many filmmakers enter film festivals to get their movies seen by Hollywood executives and to win awards. Showing your film on the big screen for the first time is a thrill indeed. But there’s something else about film festivals that’s very important and should not be overlooked: Meeting and networking with other filmmakers.


I recently attended the Chicago Film Festival in downtown Chicago. "1 2 3," a full-length movie that I wrote and directed, was accepted and screened at the landmark Biograph Theater where the famous bank robber John Dillinger was gunned down during Prohibition. The connections I made with other writers, directors and producers were the most important part of my trip.


There are a great deal of young filmmakers and film students who believe that once they have a film made and it’s been accepted into a festival, their job is done. In reality, their work has only just started. The the greatest thing about meeting other filmmakers is that you can begin planning for future films you might wish to make.


Arriving at the festival, my producer, Steven Napolitan, and actors Jared Adams and Brian Napolitan began to create a "buzz" about "1 2 3." We put up posters, left invitations all over the city, and spoke with dozens of people and invited them to our screening. Once "1 2 3" played, our direction of attack changed.


We released information regarding a new movie we plan to shoot in August called "Punchcard Player." We spoke with many other filmmakers and learned how they overcame obstacles to production, such as cost and financing. We also managed to make some great connections with members of the Screen Actors Guild, which opened the door for the future casting of "Punchcard Player." We also touched base with possible future investors.


I hadn’t seriously considered applying for film festivals internationally, but after meeting a German filmmaker I learned that foreign films are often featured as special attractions simply because they come from another country. In order to give your film higher status, worldwide exposure seems necessary.


Film festivals also have their infamous "after-parties" where directors, writers, producers and members of the press meet in different locations to discuss the material being shown. Filmmakers who returned to their hotels after the day’s screenings missed out on the best part of the festival if they didn’t attend these parties because this is where the real business of filmmaking takes place. Because the parties started late at night and continued well into the morning, sleep became a luxury.


I had never been to Chicago and during the early part of the day I wanted to see the city. Then I watched movies and went to the after-parties, only to wake up and do it all over again!


It was worth it, though. I was in Chicago for six days and our movie received a great response. I met some great filmmakers, learned some tricks of the trade and acquired information and talent for my next film. And, I visited a great city with some wonderful history. We went to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field and saw my favorite painting, "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper, at the Art Institute of Chicago.


"1 2 3" will also be showing in other film festivals, including one in Hollywood and one in San Francisco.


The movie is about a 19-year-old boy, Jared Adams, who tries to keep his three girlfriends from finding out about each other. In documentary style, the filmmakers pry into Adams’ lifestyle using hidden cameras and hidden microphones to capture his dilemma on tape. Adams’ secret becomes more and more difficult to keep as sundry conflicts and pitfalls develop. It’s only a matter of time before the girls learn about Adams’ secrets, or before he finds just one true love.


For information about this or future independent films from Michael Picarella and Napolitan Productions, call toll free at 877-561-FILM.




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