In this Cannes edition of IndieWire’s “What No One Tells You” series, we gathered a panel of international experts to discuss short films and the practical realities filmmakers face trying to get their work seen, featuring experts who are actively shaping the ecosystem.
Panelists at the American Pavilion, presented by IndieWire, included the duo behind the Oscar-winning short film “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh; two shorts specialists from the international distribution and production company Salaud Morisset, Grégoire Féron, and Emilie Boulay; along with Kickstarter head of film strategy, Taylor K. Shaw-Omachonu.
There are many different types of shorts and motivations for making a short film, but there’s one thing the world of streaming hasn’t changed: A good short film strategy starts with film festivals.
“The festival circuit is where the film will have its life,” said Singh. “It’ll meet its first audiences. Hopefully, other programmers will see it. It’ll start to get a little buzz. Maybe you will be able to sell the film in a territory, such as in France, which still pays for films, whereas getting a U.S. streamer to buy a short film is rarer.”
Strategizing which festival to premiere at is important, and the answer isn’t the same for every film. The 36-minute “Two People Exchanging Saliva” was too long for many of the major festivals, which is why Musteata and Singh were fortunate that Barry Jenkins selected it as one of the seven shorts shown at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival. According to Féron, who has worked on hundreds of short film festivals, length can make a difference.
“ I see the difference when a film is longer, because short films are programmed in blocks of four to six films, and a 30- or 40-minute-long film might take the slot of two shorts,” said Féron.
While festivals aim to showcase the best short films, they often program blocks of shorts to run alongside one another, with a thematic or tonal throughline. Musteata’s big piece of advice: Apply early.
“You need to apply to film festivals when they open, not in the middle, not at the end,” said Musteata. “Because if a programmer loves your film, they will program around it, and they will create a group of films that is in response to your film. Whereas if you’re applying in the middle or in the end, you now need to be slotted into the program of a different film or a different theme.”
In Europe, short filmmaking is far better supported than in the U.S., and is viewed (and funded) as an invaluable step in developing future directors. That’s why European companies like Salaud Morisset not only help films get funded and sold, but also serve as a “festival distributor,” a role that both Boulay and Féron have worn.
Explained Boulay, “Our goal is to really give as much visibility as possible to short films and bring them to as many large audiences as possible.” Added Féron, “A festival distributor is the person who’s going to take care of the distribution of the film on the festival circuit. The thing is, there are a lot of festivals that require a lot of time, energy, and network-building, and they make a huge difference for a film. The strategy is very important to build.”
In the U.S., where the same level of infrastructure and support for short filmmakers doesn’t exist, many have to build a community around a film, which often starts at the crowdfunding stage. While on the panel, Shaw-Omachonu discussed how she’s worked with short filmmakers to leverage Kickstarter to get a film made and into top U.S. Festivals. One key piece of advice: Don’t assume social media is the answer.
“For shorts, the way that you build an audience is to start with creating a mailing list,” said Shaw-Omachonu. “Your social media following does not actually matter. What matters is that you know that you have an engaged audience that includes people that know you that will support you.”
While on the panel, the group also discussed the sales market for short films: who’s buying, and whether streaming has created new opportunities for shorts to become profitable.
You can watch the full panel at the top of the page.
