Always going forward – interview with Kathleen McInnis

Kathleen McInnis is a Film Festival Strategist and Publicity Consultant, specializing in World Cinema, Documentary and Short Films. She offers flexible fee structures, personalized service and expert guidance to films using the festival circuit as their launch. McInnis is currently the Film Curator and Director of Industry Programming at Palm Springs ShortFest. In 2014 she attended Off Camera Festival in Cracow where she gave a lecture on festival strategies.

I've heard what you said about the festival strategies in your workshop, but what kind of strategy would you recommend for an emerging filmmaker actually? For instance: I have done the film, it’s in the can, or on the disc, and now I’m looking for the right festivals to present the work.


This is a very good question and it’s complex too. The thing I suggest first for a filmmaker: Process it in three months' chance. When you finished the film, you made a list of what you want from your festival experience for yourself. And how you think your film will help you to achieve it. You look at the calendar. You seek for what are the best festivals, the greatest chance to give you what you want.

So – as for a filmmaker - my list of priorities is: I really want coverage in trade publications on my film. I really need a trade review. I need to sell my film. I look at the calendar and what deadlines I have to fulfill. Where the trade industry attends and they review from that screening. Where I have the chance to be in competition. Where is the festival? I have the chance to have it. This is how I would narrow the number of 5 thousand festivals.
You mentioned that the film’s life is very short, usually 18 months. And what if the festival holds you waiting to be selected? Each one requests an international premiere, or at least worldwide premiere. I talked to the Warsaw Film Festival director and he said that actually at this stage it doesn’t matter whether the film is a virgin or not. It will be verified later.

Yeah, we all do that homework, yeah. I would check the rules, if my voice will speak to them. Very closely check the rules about premieres in competition. If I see that I prioritize them right away. If I have three of them with a world premiere, I submit to all three. But the moment I will receive a first message I inform the others right away: I’m going to this festival, I’m going to accept, please take me out of your consideration. Because I’m giving away my world premiere at this moment. If the festival wants you so much, they will let you know that the premiere status doesn’t matter, but you have to tell them first. For instance, you make the submission in June, and the festival is in September. By July you will know the answer. In the next period you will have another deadline.

So basically the Google strategy: Don’t ask for permission, say sorry and ask for forgiveness.

Don’t ask for permission, right. But the moment you receive the note you have to send them the news right away. Immediately. You can’t say ‘sorry’ later. You must admit at the moment you’ve been accepted. It’s quite popular, actually. I worked on it with Toronto and Venice. Venice demands a world premiere, Toronto only North America. So Venice comes first in that order. Once I get invited to Venice I have to tell the others about Venice. If Venice invites me, Toronto might invite me too, but Telluride doesn’t need a world premiere so you can go to Telluride. Toronto demands a North American premiere, so it’s not available. Toronto can make decisions.

That leads to another question. You mentioned that everybody is in constant contact in the industry. Do you have some kind of black list for specific filmmakers who do some nasty things?

I’ve never seen an official list, but we talk a lot, we are friends. Every time I see them we talk. We are frustrated by people who don’t behave very well or who don’t work in the system. There is no official list, though. We really want to engage with filmmakers, we love them and want to help them. If they’re not very nice it is bad to have a relationship.

What are the most common filmmakers’ errors, which troubles programmers the most?

The most troubling - not telling the truth about the film. Programmer has spent so much time watching the film, fighting to get it to the festival - that’s a big commitment. And if the filmmaker wasn’t truthful about the premiere status or about availability or anything that prevented the film from playing… I think the biggest mistake filmmakers make is summiting the film too soon. The film is not ready, not done, but they’re rushing. It needs more time.

I’ve heard about the practice of sending the working version. But it is like watching the preview of the film. And then eventually the filmmaker might send some other film.

That’s not good. Stop rushing to meet festival deadlines. Don’t do it. Finish the film. Festival will be there for you. Tell the story the best way you can. Take time to find its own voice. And then submit. Quit rushing. Once you submit you cannot submit the next year. And when you submit too early and the final version is different it's not good either.

After the filmmaker is sending the film to you with the metric: name of the actors, crew, the length and premiere status. Do you do your own research? Where was it shown at some other festivals before?

Yeah, we do it all the time. We need to verify permission, awards, everything. If it doesn’t match we call the filmmaker and ask for explanations. If it makes sense – it’s fine. If not we move to another film.

At the beginning of your presentation you mentioned countries like Azerbaijan. Is there an issue about diversities? Would that film be more in consideration for you than, for example, from Poland?

I want more countries to be represented. The quality still has to be high. It’s more about storytelling. But I probably forgive a little when it comes from a country that is emerging, the country that has no film culture and industry is not strong, resources are small. I’m more forgiving. But I still have some audience I have to satisfy. So it’s more about the story.

What about the language issue? Is it better for you to screen the films in English as much as possible? Audiences in the States don't like to read subtitles.

Not at all. It’s not a true generalization. Our audience loves our foreign films. Everything is subtitled. We all want more countries, they all wait for subtitles. In other countries they don’t like to read, but in our community we don’t think twice.

What if the filmmaker doesn’t attend the film festival? Is it worse for him or for you?

That’s a good question. I think it’s worse for them. They don’t get the benefits. We really want them to come. The reason is not to screen the film, but to engage with filmmakers, so we really want them. If some of them can’t come, we have lots of them, so we will be fine. But they miss a lot of networking, industry, master classes, screenings, relationships. We try to help them as much with tickets.

Few times I was asked to represent a filmmaker who was not able to come. Is it better to send anybody from the crew to speak for the film?

Festivals are very director-driven, but sometimes directors can’t come. We have a producer or DOP, who will speak for a film.

What if he asks some other filmmaker to represent him only in case he will win something?

Sometimes it happens. Maybe he is lucky to work on another film. It’s OK. Not ideal, but OK.

Could you tell me something about specific time slot requirements?

People from Europe tend to make longer short films and it’s a problem for us. It’s difficult to play it, to find some room for them.

For example Warsaw Film Festivals have different screening rooms for different formats. In the States you have NTSC, not PAL. How do you deal with this?

We now play from DCP. NTSC is difficult to transfer because it gets dark. We ask filmmakers to take time and do it correctly on their responsibility. Because we want to show the film in the highest possible quality. And the filmmaker has to give it to us, he has to take care.

Is it then difficult for a filmmaker to prepare different versions for different events?

It’s not happening all the time, but it’s a part of finishing the film process. They need to have this availability, anywhere they want to send the film. It’s part of the delivery process. So if you want to show it in countries that play PAL they don’t have to. But if you want it to play in the DCP, which helps in quality of exhibition, there are different ways to prepare it for different countries. Filmmaker doesn’t know about the environment. It’s important for post production to prepare the film to be played on any continent. There has to be a global version. There is an exception, however. If you only want to play it On-line on the Internet, then you don’t have to worry about it. If you only want to play it online as a final product. If you never take your film to the theater and you don’t care, you don’t have to worry as much. Deliver it one way. But most people want it in the theater.

How much impact gives the previews - proofs from other festivals? Would you like to show the film that recently made some buzz?

Good question too. If I have two films and I love them both, and one is played a lot and one is fresh, I would take that one with not so much exposure. Because I want this opportunity. Both strongly made, well done - if they’re equal I want the one which wasn’t played so far by many other festivals. Because I want to make a discovery, give someone an opportunity. The first has had some chances, I want to give the other as well. Assuming I like them both. Sometimes there are films that everybody knows about. You know your audience wants to see them, but sometimes you can’t care. Especially if it's a smaller audience, everybody wants it first.

Finally, you mentioned that ending the film is actually only the beginning. What is the festival beginning of?

The beginning of the next project. The experience that you had is not the end at all. The festival experience is only part of the long range trajectory and beginning of your next project actually. That’s how I look at it. You’re looking forward, ahead. The industry will look for the next project, you will look for the festival forward for your supporting encouragement. You will look to other friends as your network for the next film. You’re constantly scanning around and looking at the horizon. Always going forward.


Check out the Telelecture What only shorts can do with Kathleen on Berlinale 2016

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