Okay, so I’ve been meaning to hit up some cool film festivals, you know, experience the whole scene. I finally decided to do some digging and figure out which ones are worth the trip. Here’s how I went about it.
First Steps: The Wide Net
I started by just, you know, Googling. I typed in stuff like “best film festivals,” “top film festivals worldwide,” “must-visit film festivals” – you get the idea. I wanted to see what the general consensus was.
I opened a bunch of tabs – articles, blog posts, lists, the whole nine yards. I didn’t dive deep into any of them yet, just skimmed to get a feel for which festivals kept popping up.
Narrowing it Down: My Criteria
After the initial scan, I had a massive list. Time to get picky. I thought about what I actually wanted from a film festival:
- Variety: I didn’t want to be stuck with just one genre. I wanted a mix of indie flicks, documentaries, maybe some international stuff.
- Location: Let’s be real, part of the fun is traveling! I wanted a festival in a place I’d actually enjoy visiting.
- Timing: I had to consider my own schedule, obviously. When could I actually take time off?
- Vibe: Some festivals are super formal, others are more laid-back. I was leaning towards something more casual.
Deep Dive: Research Mode
Armed with my criteria, I went back to my list. I started eliminating festivals that clearly weren’t a good fit. For example, if one was only focused on horror films (not my thing), it was out. If another was in a city I’d already visited, I crossed it off. I was ruthless!
For the remaining festivals, I started doing some serious research. I checked out their official websites, looked at past programs, read reviews from attendees, and even watched some trailers of films that had premiered there.
Making the Choice (and Booking!)
After all that digging, I finally settled on a few that really stood out.I am going to keep those to myself.
It was a bit of a process, but totally worth it. I feel like I actually know what I’m getting into, and I’m super excited! Now, time to start planning the actual trip…
