1001 Positively True Stories of An Indie Filmmaker

Hollywood Black Film Festival

Some folks are asking themselves, “Why is Angelo getting excited about being accepted to the Hollywood Black Film Festival when he’s been spouting all this stuff about film festivals?” You might be wondering if you’ve missed an important blog in which I segued into festival euphoria. You might be asking yourself, “What gives?”

I’d love to answer your question.

1. Nowhere in any of my rants and ravings will you see that I’ve condemned all film festivals. Why? Because all film festivals aren’t screwed up. In fact, most are pretty okay but many have policies that are screwed up.  What I find to be anti-independent film is a festival that routinely receives 300 times more film submissions than they have of film screening slots. That’s just ridiculous. And then to boast those results adds a back-hand slap to the bitch-slap you just received. What’s anti-independent is a film festival that knows in advance what its “theme” will be, yet doesn’t divulge that information to the general public for fear of losing…you guessed it, submission fees. What’s anti-independent is a film festival that was bottle-fed off the blood sweat, tears and perseverance of independent filmmakers, but have now become regional ads for celebrity endorsed films. You know what film festivals I’m talking about. I’m speaking about Sundance and South By Southwest to name two. AFI is another huge culprit. So is Toronto. And forget about Cannes. But regional film festivals– those small local film festivals that embrace the dynamics of what it is to be indy, and love filmmakers for having the heart to pursue their dreams, those are the festivals that I like. Those are the festivals that are valuable to the filmmaker and to his next three films.
2. The Hollywood Black Film Festival was my last ditch effort. I have literally gone 0-10 or thirteen with this film. It was too “good looking” for one underground festival and too “nameless in talent” for a bazillion others. Then of course, it wasn’t flashy enough for the Newport Beach Film Festival and their yacht parties. Broken Hearts Club was submitted to: Zero Film Festival, Palm Springs International, Sundance. Slamdance, Toronto, SXSW and a few others I can’t even remember now. HBFF was the last one. Period. I wasn’t going to submit the film to any more film festivals, unless they were free submissions. With all this in mind you might see how and why it’s exciting to get accepted to a film festival on what was surely my last festival.
3. Am I bitter? Hell yeah! But I’m more bitter with myself for falling for the BS once again. My eyes have been opened. Unlike other film festivals, the HBFF wanted my film because it was good and I am black. Am I offended? Hell no, it’s a black film festival. I encourage you out there to find your niche local film festival too. Whether the niche is LGBT, Latino, Woman’s, Asian, Indian – whatever – that’s who you support with your film because every niche is ripe with an interested audience for your film.

I told my wife something a few days before I received notice about the festival. I told her if I got into the festival I knew exactly how to make it pay off for me. I only needed the opportunity that the festival would present. Then, a miracle. I was in.  Truth be told, the festival saves me money I would have otherwise spent for a certain phase of my distribution plan. Now I have a local screening of my film…in Beverly Hills.

I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t have afforded it otherwise.