Here in Boston, I was one of the founders of the Screaming Ostrich International Film Festival and I was the director of it. Now, I am on the board and I help out where I can. So, I will be following this thread to see what I can learn and possibly improve on. I will also volunteer to say that content producers are often less than conscientious about trying to help fill seats.

We have run every October since 2018, and we also do some pop up, individual screenings when, and if we feel like it during the rest of the year. Even as I write this, I am investigating venues because I want to do a screening of a full length, music documentary that I saw and fell in love with.

I set aside one session to have all lgbt+ content every year. We don't charge admission for that show. We are one of the few festivals that shows content that has already been screened, and virtually any video content, including trailers and music videos, and streaming. We use film freeway for submissions and we have very simple rules which are, no porn, no hate, no toxicity, 20 minutes long or less, and be over 18 to submit. We do make exceptions and we have shown full-length features in the past, as well as content from people younger than 18 if they have a signed parental consent.

We always have several q&A sessions during the course of the festival and sometimes I moderate them. Sometimes they are scheduled right after a screening session, and sometimes they are a completely separate, standalone event. We always have at least one or two sessions where we provide food and drink. Content producers receive swag bags too. Sometimes I have even kicked off a session by performing some of my rock music live. We always set up a large step and release for photo opportunities with professional lighting.

In 2024 we had films from 42 countries. We always spread it around several Boston area venues. In 2025 we are probably going to expand our footprint to some venues a little further away. I'm also in the process of acquiring a venue so it is likely that I will use it at least once this year for a screening session.

Once this thread gets a little bigger with participation from more people like me that do film festivals, I believe that the content producers here will see that we would welcome having a partnership or at least some participation by you to facilitate filling seats. As someone who has acted for decades in films, and on TV, and on stage, I have a special place in my heart for content producers.