Budget, logistics, and vision—film festivals are dreams powered by spreadsheets.

PART 2

By Ercument Akman

Under the dazzling lights of a film festival stage, Uncle Sam, in his iconic suit with the star-spangled top hat, stands proudly at the podium. Filmmakers, guests, and friends from the Turkish community look on. To his left, a screen plays a montage of Turkish films, while flags of both the US and Türkiye frame the backdrop.
If you repeatedly see this in a dream. You can do something about it.

Option 1: Screen Turkish Films
Prepare yourself by volunteering for local events, speaking with people who have organized similar events before, meeting tech and support professionals, as well as marketing and design experts. Identify local media writers and seek out online film news people.
Initially target a single film, a film weekend, or a film week. This will help determine interest, volunteer support, availability of financial sources, and a venue that is not only available at prime time but can be established as a reliable location for an annual event. You can find films by searching online and attending other festivals.
Your community usually wants to see feature films. If you have industry connections, you can target documentaries, experimental films, niche films, or short films. Reach out to independent filmmakers and film distributors to find films. If you plan workshops to encourage filmmakers in your community, a festival is an excellent venue for exposure and recognition.
Identify your target. Never underestimate the importance of marketing with upfront research and select the right media to reach your target audience through word of mouth.
Provide clear information about each film, the program, and unique events or guests. Consider creating a (mobile) website to help attendees navigate the screenings and keep track of their favorite films.

Budget Budget Budget
Now it is time to curb your enthusiasm. The last thing you want is to get overwhelmed by expenses, unreliable cash flow, and lack of good bookkeeping.
Budget:
◗ Forecast demand.
◗ Make a realistic projected revenue. Estimate costs to match the revenue.
◗ Find and secure sponsorships, including those from the Turkish Government’s cultural initiatives. Partner with local businesses or organizations that share your vision. Explore grant opportunities and use the local municipality’s options for cultural initiatives. Seek individual financial support with pre-sales and donations.
◗ Hire for the critical roles if not limited by the budget, and volunteer the rest. The selected venue can provide all tech help.
◗ Logistics are an essential part of any event, and you will need to plan everything from ticket sales to catering. Plan for food and merchandise only if they provide additional funds to your bottom line.

Venue, My Venue
Determine the attendance level to select the appropriate venue capacity. Booking a venue costs money and requires a long-term commitment.
The success of your film screenings needs the right venue with the right amount of space and digital screening equipment. The venue must be accessible to your audience and be able to accommodate all the needs of your festival.
For the first few years, run your annual event before trying something more ambitious.

Option 2: A Film Festival
You will not be ready to start a Turkish film festival unless you assemble a larger team and meet regularly for a year or two to secure funding, plan films and events, and strategize with a larger budget in more expensive venues. The planning will be similar to Option 1 and may include additional options.
Identify your special focus. Every film festival has a name. Find a name available for your location. Buy the web location and secure hosting.
Select a time when other film festivals are not running. It is also a clever idea to keep close to the dates of similar events to be able to share and secure rights to similar films. Make friends with the founders and organizers of similar festivals in North America.
Do you want a competitive event with awards? A juried selection is cost-prohibitive, including accommodations and honoraria. Public popular voting to select a winner adds enthusiasm when the festival is non-competitive for the first few years.
Contact distributors/film makers months before your event. A festival with awards can increase interest in submissions and film goers. However, this can work against you. Most directors with new films do not want to reduce their chances by submitting to new festivals for premiere screenings. Look for one- or two-year-old films with no previous screenings in North America. Establish several entries that will be accepted. Depending on entries, plan for one day, a weekend of 2-3 days including Friday, or the whole week.

Festival Marketing
Marketing your festival is crucial to attracting audiences and generating buzz around your event.
The easiest way to build an online presence is to utilize social media. This is the perfect place to highlight what your film festival is all about and attract the right audience. But do not forget about local media outlets, and other marketing channels to spread the word about your festival. Consider partnering with other organizations to help promote your festival and offer discounts or promotions for early bird ticket sales.
Word-of-mouth is never enough. Post teaser announcements about the event online with dates and venue.

Option 3: An Online Film Festival
You attempted to create a festival and concluded that it is not feasible without substantial funding and securing a booking at a popular venue in a convenient location.
Not everyone is a film buff. They can see and pay for a Turkish film if the screenings are spaced over two months for a 6 to 10-film series.
Listen to Netflix chief Ted Sarandos saying cinemagoing is “outmoded and the streamer is saving Hollywood.” An online program could be an alternative for those in your community who are accustomed to streaming and no longer attend films in cinemas.
You need an exciting event to launch an online festival. It is only possible if you secure a film with a director and/or an actor in attendance, with the help of Turkish NGO or government funding as part of an organized tour to major metropolitan areas, with cost sharing from local Turkish communities.
At this point, after the launch of this one film (one hopes for an Academy Award nomination) as a gala event, you can schedule online screenings with affordable single or series subscriptions during a limited 60- to 90-day period.
What do you think? Which “Option” is double? Check Part 1 of this article in the May issue and share your ideas with friends. Drop us a line if you still see a Turkish film dream.
See you at the movies. ■

Find more articles in the oldest blog about Turkish cinema since 2006: turkfilm.blogspot.com