An Insider Look at Film Festivals

Part 2 of an Interview with Linda Barry

Linda Barry has done Guest Relations for several film festivals, including most recently the San Diego Asian Film Festival. In the second part of her two part interview with letsschmooze.com, she talked about the different kinds of festivals and what makes a successful festival.

Letsschmooze: In addition to Guest Relations, you’ve also been doing some fundraising for festivals. Walk me through how that works.

Linda Barry: You ask. Okay, basically, it depends on your community. San Diego’s my home town. The woman who runs that festival is very media savvy. So we had a meeting and we sat down and said, “who can we ask for money, who do you think would be helpful to us.” What happened last year was I ended up getting all this free stuff, and so now I went back to approach these same people and said okay now can you add a check to that? So it’s just basically going out and asking. Just like raising money for a film, except your product is a festival. You let them know that this is a great festival, there’s a lot of people from L.A. coming down, look at all these great reviews we have, look at all these people we’re helping, this is a good thing for our community, we throw great parties, your name’s going to be everywhere.

Letsschmooze: What percentage of a festival's budget comes from that kind of money vs. tickets, grants, etc.

Linda Barry: I’d say about 40%. Yeah, we’ve had some really good corporations come out and write some checks. You know, it depends. I think with all due respect to our director - she’s awesome, she’s just a savvy businesswoman and a go getter. And, it depends because I hear about all these other start-up kind of festivals and they’ve gone down. And I know there was a couple in San Diego where it was just, the people running it didn’t even know what they were doing. And that’s the thing, you’ve got to have good leadership. So, [the San Diego Asian Film Festival is] going to go far. But yeah, she definitely is the asset. And I’ve kind of taken my cue from her.

Letsschmooze: What do you think are elements that make a successful festival?

Linda Barry: Okay, good leadership, good programming, people who have film backgrounds who definitely are savvy, you know, film savvy. Having the film commission behind you doesn’t hurt. The San Diego film commission was behind [The San Diego Asian Film Festival]. I know in San Francisco, too, they’ve got the city behind them. And definitely some industry people on your board of directors. It’s wonderful to have board members who can pull strings, get the guests that you need, get your speakers. So it really starts at the top. And of course, good volunteers. When it finally happens you have to have good people ‘cause those are the people that are running the thing. If you have losers, forget it. And that’s what happens half the time. You get these stupid idiots who are there just to go see free films. And I think they make it bad for the filmmaker, too, because they’re not in the know. We had that experience. We had these idiot slackers who were hanging out in the lounge just drinking up all the booze and people would come in and they’d go, “uh, we can’t help you.”

You need good operations people. Yes, that’s paramount. Good projectionists. You better pay them. They better be real. And also a good operations manager. I worked with this one guy who just kicks ass. And that’s all he does is just freelances at all the different festivals, all the big ones, all the small ones. And he charges a lot of money. He can get it because everything runs on time, he knows how to get the Q and A going, when to stop it, when to start it. You need a good person like that. People overlook that.

That’s what happened at Sundance for years, and they always had problems at the library theater. I mean it was just inevitable. There was just going to be problems. And they finally hired a projectionist from the Smithsonian and that’s all he does. He just does Sundance and Toronto and that’s it. And they pay him big bucks and he flies out every year and never had a problem. But it makes all the difference and the filmmakers are so happy.

Letsschmooze: What do you think of the trend of big festivals only wanting premiere films?

Linda Barry: To a certain extent it’s kind of cool if you can pull that off. I mean, I know Sundance is like that, and that’s kind of a bummer for the filmmakers since they want to screen everywhere else and what are you going to do? I think it can be a good thing but…

Letsschmooze: Does it hurt smaller festivals?

Linda Barry: I think it does. Definitely. Where else are you going to get your films? I mean, everybody’s waiting for the biggies and then, you know, you get them second. So I don’t know.

I think it’s a hard one. ‘Cause the cool thing is that when you’re at a festival and you’re seeing it for the first time and it’s like, wow, this is neat. I guess for a big festival, yeah, it works, but for everybody else I don’t think it should apply.

Letsschmooze: What are the differences between a big festival like Sundance and a smaller festival like Mill Valley?

Linda Barry: I like Mill Valley because to me it’s one of the better programmed festivals in the country. It’s a nice blend of industry and independent. But it’s small enough, and that’s what’s nice. For instance, we had a screening of Clerks right after it left Sundance and all the buzz was coming out. I remember it was 10 in the morning, packed house, and afterwards Scott Mosier the producer says, “anybody who wants to have a cup of coffee with me, I’ll tell you how I made this movie on nothing.” And there was a handful of us and we all did. We all sat around a table, about twelve of us. He sat there chain smoking and we’re all drinking coffee and I was taking copious notes. I don’t think you could do that at Sundance, you know? I mean, it was just so nice and intimate and personal. And that’s I think what the advantage is. Access.

Letsschmooze: And how about the difference between the themed festivals versus the general festivals?

Linda Barry: Well I know with the San Diego Asian, even though it’s for Asian themed or Asian filmmaker, director, producer, whatever, it depends on the quality of material. I was really amazed the second year with what they do. For a small festival it’s amazing. The screenings, the programming is excellent. They treated the filmmakers like gold. I mean, they put you up. You have access to all the press, parties. I guess it helps that the Executive Director’s a local personality TV-wise, so she knows everybody. So it’s very well covered. And a lot of people from L.A. come down. So they’ve had some filmmakers there that have moved on and it’s really helped them.

Letsschmooze: Are there specific types of films or filmmakers that you think are more suited to those types of festivals, or do you think any one you get into is worth going to?

Linda Barry: No I think it’s more small, character driven stories. You know, that’s what Sundance says they’re all about. I tend to disagree now. I mean how many films go in there with distribution deals already in place? It’s changed a lot.

I think on a smaller festival you don’t see as much bullshit. Sundance is its own animal.

Letsschmooze: It’s not the same as it was 10 years ago.

Linda Barry: It’s not! It’s getting bigger. Although I hear South by Southwest is what Sundance was a dozen years ago. Everybody tells me that’s the festival to go to. Plus with the music it’s a nice blend. No I think it’s just good storytelling. No special effects, none of that. Just a good story. I think that’s what we all want. It’s all universal.

Letsschmooze: So you think there’s not that much of a difference in programming between festivals?

Linda Barry: I don’t think so. I don’t see it.

Letsschmooze: But are there different types of things filmmakers could or should expect to get out of the different types of festivals?

Linda Barry: You know what, it’s interesting, I know a filmmaker that went to Sundance, first film, feature. She wasn’t in the competition. If you’re not in dramatic competition, you’re kind of [overlooked]. I’ve had a couple friends who ran into that experience. And they went in thinking, “Oh good, we’re here!” And you have to create your own hype, because they’re not going to do it for you. So she was completely let down. She was so angry and felt alienated. And then she was telling everybody, if you go, and you’re not in that dramatic competition, you better honk your own horn, throw your own parties, do your own thing, because no one’s going to know you exist. And it’s true. It’s very true.

Letsschmooze: Do you think that’s different with the smaller festivals?

Linda Barry: Oh, smaller festivals, for instance, San Francisco International, they treat the filmmakers like I could not even believe. And these were the same filmmakers I saw at Sundance which was kind of like, “Oh, your screening, who are you? Oh, yeah, 4:00, okay, yeah, go get a muffin or something.” I mean they were excellent filmmakers but just because they’re not in the competition and getting the hype, they’re pushed off to the side. But then these same people would come to San Francisco International and it’s like, “Oh, welcome, we have all these interviews lined up, all these dinners set up.” What they do, which is a nice thing, they take a group of filmmakers and every night there’s a different restaurant, one of the four star restaurants in San Francisco, and the filmmakers all get to meet each other. And that’s a nice thing, I think, because that seems to be the one thing that a lot of filmmakers want, to meet the other filmmakers. And I think on the smaller scale they do that. It’s nice.

I heard from this one filmmaker who did an excellent short film, he had a really good experience in San Diego, he goes to Chicago and they were like, “Can you please leave?” I mean they cut his Q & A off at two questions, “can you please leave? We need to make room for this other, totally hyped film that everybody’s been talking about.” And he was like, “well, but, can’t we just answer two more?” “Go out to the lobby.” He was like, “Oh my god, I can’t believe this.”

Check out the San Diego Asian Film Festival web site for more information on the festival.