Wilmington, NC – MovieMaker today announced that Cucalorus Film Festival has been named to its annual list of 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee, celebrating festivals that serve moviemakers and audiences in some of the most intriguing destinations in the world. Cucalorus has landed on the list for a record breaking 12 years in a row.
MovieMaker, a film magazine and website based in Los Angeles, compiles its annual list based on surveys, filmmaker testimonials, and visits to festivals, among other factors. Key considerations include how much assistance a festival provides to traveling filmmakers; recent premieres at the festival; opportunities to meet distributors, fans, fellow filmmakers and press; and whether festivals are Academy-qualifying.
“This is really the ultimate compliment,” shared Chief Instigating Officer Dan Brawley. “We work so hard to make sure that filmmakers are getting a fair shake and that filmmakers aren’t being exploited by the thousands of festivals out there looking for films. There are so many great fests on this list, it’s really humbling to be considered such a valuable opportunity for filmmakers.”
MovieMaker editor Tim Molloy offered, “Cucalorus goes against a lot of the criteria we use for creating this list: It doesn’t give out awards, it isn’t Academy qualifying, you won’t take home any prize money. But what Cucalorus does better than almost anyone is build intense love and loyalty among its die-hard attendees, perhaps because it doesn’t pit them against each other. It’s a nurturing, affectionate, (sometimes goofily) fun festival that deeply values people and celebrates their differences, while supporting their dreams. It earned a spot on our list through sheer love of film and filmmaking, and the courage to blaze its own glorious path.”
“Since we’re all eager to travel, we gave extra points this year to festivals in magnificent destinations we might never visit if not for an excellent film festival. And we weighed whether those festivals make travel easy and affordable for filmmakers,” said MovieMaker editor-in-chief Tim Molloy. “Also, you caught us — there are over 50 festivals on this list. We very enthusiastically endorse every single one of these festivals, and decided it wouldn’t be right to force tie-breakers just to get to an even 50.”
https://www.moviemaker.com/50-film-festival-worth-the-entry-fee-in-2022/
Here’s the list of MovieMaker’s 2022 List of Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee, in alphabetical order:
American Black Film Festival
Atlanta Film Festival
Austin Film Festival
BendFilm Festival
Bentonville Film Festival
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
Blackstar Film Festival
Brooklyn Film Festival
Calgary International Film Festival
Camden International Film Festival
Catalina Film Festival
Cinequest Film & VR Festival
Cleveland International Film Festival
Cucalorus Film Festival
Edmonton International Film Festival
Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival
Fantastic Fest
Female Eye Film Festival
FilmQuest
FIN Atlantic International Film Festival
Florida Film Festival
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Galway Film Fleadh
Hamptons International Film Festival
Heartland International Film Festival/
Indy Shorts International Film Festival
Hollyshorts Film Festival
Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
IndieLisboa International Film Festival
Indie Memphis Film Festival
Julien Dubuque International Film Festival
Locarno Film Festival
Louisiana Film Prize
Mammoth Lakes Film Festival
Miami Jewish Film Festival
Micheaux Film Festival
Nashville Film Festival
Nevada City Film Festival
New Orleans Film Festival
Oberhausen International Short Film Festival
Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ Film Festival
Portland Film Festival
San Luis Obispo International Film Festival
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
SCAD Savannah Film Festival
Slamdance Film Festival
Tallgrass Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
Warsaw Film Festival
Whistler Film Festival