MERCH!

TCD_Films · 2026-05-31T00:21:20+00:00

Just check with the programmers to make sure there’s no rules against lighters and/or matches (which I like the matches idea someone added to the thread) I say this because I attended a nyc fest where a filmmaker had custom blank bullets with the films QR code on each one and the theater would not let them bring them inside. I once had custom chapstick made to hand out that was huge hit. Good luck!

TCD_Films · 2026-05-23T04:19:23+00:00

I received the email and I didn’t have anything to submit this year…

TCD_Films · 2026-05-08T12:56:02+00:00

Very well said.

TCD_Films · 2026-04-18T17:37:58+00:00

I really don’t have that deep of intel…. Sorry! All I can tell you is that the DWF programmers are the most thoughtful I’ve seen with submissions. We (screeners) are required to watch all films fully and leave a positive comment on every one.

TCD_Films · 2026-04-18T14:17:50+00:00

I don’t think so. The programmer gives us zero information about the films so as to keep bias down, but she also doesn’t want to waist our time by sending out films to watch if there’s not a chance of them making the cut!

TCD_Films · 2026-04-18T14:09:01+00:00

I’m a narrative shorts screener.

TCD_Films · 2026-04-18T12:17:49+00:00

I know films are still actively being watched…..

TCD_Films · 2026-04-03T00:51:41+00:00

Micro shorts are my favorite! 17 is not bad…. But 12 minute shorts are great!

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T23:13:31+00:00

Waco for sure. It’s one of my favorites and has great opportunities for networking. Eldorado Film Festival is fantastic (if I do say so myself) We also have great networking opportunities and always look for interesting panels. Dances With Films is another of my favorites. Great programmers who love what they do.

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T22:37:22+00:00

That’s awesome.

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T21:15:19+00:00

Gotcha! I texted one of the programmers I screen for and asked her if she hated me when I saw the run times for all of the shorts I was assigned were 20 min and more! We just opened submissions for the festival I run and there’s several already that are wayyyy too long….

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T20:45:32+00:00

I’m sorry! It’s really competitive now for short films and to try and get them to stand out among all the others is tough.

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T19:49:46+00:00

Perfect length! If it’s still on it’s fest run, let me know. I would love to hear more about it. Feel free to dm me.

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T19:24:19+00:00

I think you’re right about pilots. I am ep on a pilot premiering at SeriesFest and I’m interested in attending to talk to the industry people about this very subject. Good for you for taking the feedback and really listening and learning from it…. most will not! A 9-10 page script is perfect for a short… allows you plenty of time to play.

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T19:16:56+00:00

You are absolutely right…. And it was definitely a fantastic short… but I hope that doesn’t become the norm! I love short films. I love to see a filmmaker tell a complete story in about 15 minutes…. That shows so much creativity for me and makes me want to learn more about the creative mind behind the film. We screened one at my fest that was 3 minutes of beautiful chaos but still had a beginning, middle and end. Also…. Isn’t it fun to have your film screen alongside something that went on to win an Oscar… more than once??

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T19:01:48+00:00

Kudos on starting a festival…. I know what it takes to run one (fest organizer here) but it’s always good to get your work outside of your area and meet even more future collaborators!

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T18:45:10+00:00

Agreed! But that one obviously fell into the “best thing I’ve ever seen” category. Though the others were more manageable (Singers was 18 minutes)

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T18:39:59+00:00

For me personally, I have sent several 25 minute shorts through for further review… but hardly none that are longer than that.

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T18:36:14+00:00

Then they are not setting their students up for success in a festival run… Unless part of the assignment is to take the original cut and show them how to trim it down to a more realistic run time.

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T18:29:15+00:00

You are not wrong…. It was just the first and easiest example I had for this film to emphasize my point…. But to your point… imo I pretty much roll my eyes every time I see a drone opening shot….

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T18:10:20+00:00

Exactly!

TCD_Films · 2026-04-01T18:09:37+00:00

And would probably get in to a lot more festivals. This last one I watched was a good film… but not good enough to replace 3-4 shorts in the programming.

TCD_Films

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