ACTING & FILM SCHOOL

Film Festivals Love Short Films

The thesis films of the March program were outstanding but the majority of them were around 25 minutes. It got me thinking about film festivals and how much they’ve changed over the years. When I was a student, the idea was to shoot a 25-30 minute film to prove to producers that you could be trusted with a television show or feature film. However, the festivals are so inundated with entries these days, that my gut tells me with every minute you add to your film, you decrease the likelihood of being accepted. I have no proof for this, other than the fact that my son’s 90 second movie got into 20 festivals, including some biggies. And, although, his film was cute, there was nothing about it that warranted such a big reception, other than the length. So film students beware! These days, the shorter, the better!

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By Claude Kerven, Chair of The New York Film Academy Filmmaking Program