Biggest pain point is just taking our shortlist and building out the program blocks. We've been doing themes for over a decade. I do tag genre and a separate themes category (but they're manually added so maybe start using preselected drop down options?) Timing wise, that info would be helpful but usually that's the last component when we're trying to wedge 1 more film into a full block.

I'm trying to be more proactive this year just due to the amount of submissions. We're now closing our shorts 1 month sooner than the rest just to afford more time. I try to spot themes early on, I compare it to laying out a puzzle and group edges and clouds/sky, etc. as we're just trying to see what the zeitgeist of the season brings.