10 Film Festivals Everyone Should Know
If you’re not a major film buff, it can be easy to ignore news coming out of the festival scene. You might also miss out on some of the most worthy movies around. While glitzy fests like Cannes are cool, lesser-known events are happening all the time, and they might feature your next favorite flick, no matter what kind of movies you’re into. At Green Label, we are definitely serious film fans, so we decided to look at 10 international fests that you should know about. Some are certainly low profile, but given the caliber of the fare they showcase, they should be on everyone’s radar.
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival — Toronto, Canada
You’ve probably heard of the Toronto International Film Festival, but if stuff like cinéma verité is your thing, you should be paying attention to Hot Docs, the biggest documentary fest in North America. Each year, the festival screens 180 titles from around the world. Naturally, it also hosts conferences and workshops geared toward documentary filmmakers. So if that’s what you want to do, Hot Docs is where you want to be.
A3C Festival — Atlanta, GA
Yeah, we’ve all seen Style Wars, Krush Groove and 8 Mile, but if you know hip-hop, you’re well aware that the movies chronicling the culture go well beyond famous titles like those. A3C — which stands for “All 3 Coasts” — is one of biggest hip-hop festivals in America. In addition to hosting a plethora of shows each year, it also screens plenty of feature films, documentaries, shorts and more. If it’s rap-related, it’s probably here.
International Skateboard Film Festival — Los Angeles, CA
Given how far skateboarding videos have come, it only makes sense that the International Skateboard Film Festival exists. Over the years, the fest has showcased everything from conventional skate titles to documentaries and commercials by people like Ty Evans, Jacob Rosenberg and more. And hey, if ever you hear someone say that skate videography doesn’t take talent, remind them that Spike Jonze, the guy behind some of the most enduring skate videos ever, won an Oscar this year.
Fantasia International Film Festival — Montreal, Canada
Are you into genres like sci-fi, fantasy and horror? Do you dig foreign features? Then Fantasia up in Montreal is something you should check out. Every summer, the festival screens dozens of movies that you may not be able to see elsewhere. They’re definitely not for everyone, but if you absolutely have to be the first to see something like Curse of Chucky, you know where to go.
South by Southwest — Austin, Texas
By now, you know that SXSW is pretty much the most important music festival and conference in America. In addition to a ton of bands, the event also showcases cinema of all sorts. This year alone, the fest screened titles like Chef, The Mend and The Grand Budapest Hotel, the director of which, Wes Anderson, was on hand for a Q&A afterward.
Snowboard on the Block — Denver, CO
Snowboarding videos have come a long way from the days of VHS camcorders and VCR-to-VCR editing. For proof, look no further than Snowboard on the Block, a fest held in Denver each year. All the major players in snowboarding come through to showcase the projects they’ve put plenty of time into. If there were ever a film festival to get you psyched for the season, this would be it.
MAGFest — National Harbor, MD
If you’re into video games, you’ve probably heard of MAGFest, an event that was launched in 2002. Since then, the festival has grown to include a film component. As you might have guessed, the movies — including shorts, documentaries and more — focus on gaming culture. You can be certain that you won’t catch many of these titles in theaters.
Sundance Film Festival — Park City, Utah
For indie filmmakers, Sundance is the big one. A laundry list of directors we know and love got their break at this fest — Robert Rodriguez, Darren Aronofsky, Paul Thomas Anderson and many, many more. Everything from Garden State to Bones Brigade: An Autobiography has screened at the event, too. If you’re a budding filmmaker with big dreams, a breakthrough at Sundance can set your career in motion.
Tribeca Film Festival – New York, NY
New York City is nothing if not a cinematic place. The Tribeca Film Festival — founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff — proves as much. This year, the fest screened Time Is Illmatic, a documentary on the making of Nas’s immortal debut album, which turned 20-years-old in April. If that’s not New York, we don’t know what is.
Ann Arbor Film Festival — Ann Arbor, MI
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is one of the oldest film festivals in North America. Since 1963, it has been screening movies of the experimental and independent varieties. That means that people like Andy Warhol, Gus Van Sant and even George Lucas have shown some of their early work there. How many other avant-garde fests can make the same claim?
If you’re not a major film buff, it can be easy to ignore news coming out of the festival scene. You might also miss out on some of the most worthy movies around. While glitzy fests like Cannes are cool, lesser-known events are happening all the time, and they might feature your next favorite flick, no matter what kind of movies you’re into. At Green Label, we are definitely serious film fans, so we decided to look at 10 international fests that you should know about. Some are certainly low profile, but given the caliber of the fare they showcase, they should be on everyone’s radar.