Tiff Bell Lightbox, downtown Toronto. Home of the Toronto International Film Festival (Photo: Jeremy Chan/Getty Images)
Are you the kind of person who has a passion for film and movies, to one day make your very own? I know I am. Well, you can share your very own creative ideas through participating in film festivals! “What exactly are film festivals?”, you might ask. Film Festivals are events held throughout the year bringing together people like you to celebrate and embrace the art of Filmmaking! There are even competitions held for amateur filmmakers, so you can get out there and share your vision.
Film Festivals may be looked on as fun little events. But the more you get to see these festivals and get involved in them, your perspective on the art of storytelling changes, for the better! Big film festivals like Toronto International feature guest celebrities who come and talk about their own journey and process of making their films. Even by watching other participants’ entries, you will open up a whole new world of perception.
For anyone who loves this field (hobby or career), go for it! Like I said, the more you do this stuff, the better you understand the world around you. The truth is, we cannot see the world fully until we see it through everyone’s eyes. Over the many years, filmmaking has become the modern way of storytelling through such entertainment. These Film Festivals are designed to fuel the ever growing community of filmmakers!
Any and every type of event when we get the chance to see movies, short films, shows, anything like that, it is noticed how different each one is. Every screenwriter or cinematographer has his or her own vision, their own way of interpreting the big screen.
The point of all of this is to learn. Allow yourself to see outside of the kinds of things you’re used to. It is not only fun, it changes your mindset to be more insightful, to read between the lines!
Now, film festivals are not always going to be the most useful tool out there for what I just said, but it’s a heck of a start! And even if you don’t come up as the number one winner with the cash prize and perks, that’s okay! It’s better to fail your first time, than not at all. Like all things, it’s a learning experience, and you're going to screw up and in the process try and learn new things.
So, I encourage you movie buffs and cinephiles out there, do the research, find the pricing, and make your next big step in the world of filmmaking.