And the Oscar goes to…
It is really cool to be nominated or win at film festivals. I did enjoy 4 nominations and a win last year. But the one side of the story you don’t hear from me is the amount of rejections i get, before i make it a win. I had to learn that lesson at my first attempt with my film “Regular Jobs“. I thought ‘Regular Jobs‘ was a pretty good job done. And since it was my first ‘real film‘, i shot it all across the global film circuit. With high expectations, i waited. There is a minimum 6 months wait for the festivals to announce the final list. Then it comes, the pile of rejections, some with kind words, some harsh. You don’t really get it. How can that be?
In 2012, everyone is a filmmaker (like everyone is a photographer, dj, graphic designer, real estate shark, … all the cool jobs are taken), the amount of films that reach a film-festival is an unbelievable 2000+. Sundance film festival claimed that they recieved 10,000 entries last year !!! So, your film is the tiniest needle in the hay stack. There are two key factors that can get you into the ‘second sort‘ – The film look (professional kind) or a bloody good plot (where poor filmmakers like me has a shot). Forget about lobbying, it ain’t worth it if it isn’t the Oscars, Cannes or Sundance.
A rejection from a film-festival (or anywhere) can induce damage to your ego, self-confidence, and you might never work again. But if you train to take blows, you can pull yourself up, and hold out the next round.
Watch this video below with Steven Spielberg and his expectations about his brilliant film, The Jaws. This is every filmmakers story which you don’t get to see.
