We’ve started scheduling the Festival, and only have a few slots left to fill. Earlier I had expressed uncertainty regarding the timing of a given submission. However, now I realize that its much better to get a film in as close to the deadline as possible, or earlier. For the past two weeks we’ve been looking at submissions with a much more limited range of consideration than that with which we started. Now we’re asking ourselves two questions: 1) Is this work better than those we’ve invited? and/or 2) Does it fill a gap in the current programme? Its just not enough that a film is good, at this point, where that might have been the case earlier in the process.
We have more than 1800 screeners in the office, and given the hundreds of films screened at other events, we’ll have considered more than 2000 documentaries for this year’s Festival. Here’s a top ten list of submissions by country of production, features and shorts combined:
USA 507
Canada 381
Germany 122
UK 113
Australia 78
France 73
Netherlands 73
Israel 72
Italy 58
Spain 51
The next two weeks are my least favourite of the year. Not only are all the deadlines hitting (confirming and scheduling the programme; note writing; publicity), but filmmakers and other suppliers are being notified of declinations. As the above numbers would indicate, we’re the bearers of bad news much more frequently than good news. I’ve been doing this long enough to know how important it is, especially to independent filmmakers, to get the validation of a festival presentation. That, and I’ve been doing it long enough to know many of these people personally.
Yuck, is all I can say. Its especially difficult knowing that 20-30% of the work that will be declined is easily interchangeable with many films which we’ll screen. Yes, we could present an entire other festival, with pride, from the work we’ve not selected for Hot Docs 2009. This is one of the reasons certain events become bloated. Its hard to say “no” to good work. But, I wonder if burying a film in a baggy programme, maybe in a lousy slot, is more beneficial than being disciplined. We’ve gradually expanded Hot Docs from about 80 new features four years ago, to what will likely be some 120 features this year. That’s big enough.
The year before I started programming documentaries for TIFF, they showed 9 feature docs. The year I left, we showed more than 30. It was rewarding to know that docs had carved out some significant real estate in one of the world’s premiere events…but I also recall feeling that at that number some good work was being lost, needles in a haystack, especially considering there were over 250 dramatic features to compete against. Berlin seemed to have slightly fewer docs this year, Sundance (at 45 nonfiction features) the most yet. Tribeca, I hear, will have a trimmer programme, but SXSW will present over 60 feature documentaries this year. Given the odds, any filmmaker rejoices at being selected to these major events. However, be vigilant about scheduling and venues….that’s the most important indication of how a festival feels about your work. Not just have they invited it, but have they given it a good slot? Does your film have a reasonable chance to get some love in a crowded, competitive environment?
So, along with scheduling, this week I’ll be writing personal notes to many people, some of them friends, confirming that we haven’t selected their work. Many many others will get a form letter. As I’ve mentioned before, Piers Handling, my programming mentor, told me articulating why a work wasn’t selected was one of the most important parts of the job, as important as championing that which is presented. My approach leans toward explaining the process, and avoiding any direct critiques of individual works. That’s a dead end, as I’ve learned the hard way. My hope is that given the integrity and transparency of our process, and the overall quality of the programme which will eventually be announced, that our decisions are accepted with some grace. And, in fact, that’s the case…most of the time.
Better news is that soon I can start writing about the films that we’ll actually show. We start making programme announcements on March 10, and our entire programme will be released on March 24.