Are your movie-buff friends leaving you in the dust when they start talking about unfamiliar topics? Fret not! Here is a primer on a few major international film festivals. Who knows? You might eventually end up an enthusiast yourself.
Cannes Film Festival
If there is one film festival that you should know, it’s this. The Cannes Film Festival is the world’s most prestigious film festival. The event is held every May, in Cannes, France (specifically, the French Riviera). Its highest prize is the Palme d’Or, which is presented to the festival’s Best Director.
Cannes is a very important venue for producers to introduce and market their films to distributors from all corners of the globe. The festival has also become important to European films, as it is said to promote the idea that “European cinema is art cinema”.
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival is the world’s oldest international film festival, started in 1932 as part of the Biennale di Venezia contemporary art festival. It’s held every year on the island of Lido in Venice, Italy, usually in early August or late September. The Venice Film Festival is also one of the most prominent film festivals in the world. Its top honours are the Golden Lion or Leone d’Oro, which is bestowed to the event’s best film, the Silver Lion, given to the best director, and the Volpi Cup for the festival’s best actor and actress.
Berlin International Film Festival
When your friends say “Berlinale”, they’re talking about the Berlin International Film Festival, which is one of most prestigious and perhaps the most-attended film festival in the world. During the 2011 festival, the Berlinale had 484,860 theatre visits. The event is held every February in Berlin, Germany.
Coinciding with the Berlinale is the European Film Market, a trade fair for the film industry, which brings together film buyers, distributors, producers, financiers and all manner of industry professionals.
Toronto International Film Festival
This event’s claim to fame is its sheer number of films. Held in Toronto, Ontario during every September, the Toronto International Film Festival, or TIFF, is a public film festival that screens over 300 films from over 60 countries. TIFF is said to be the most important film festival, second to Cannes, and is known to generate Oscar buzz.
Sundance Film Festival
If there is one Holy Grail for independent filmmakers, it’s Sundance. Since the independent filmmakers don’t have large budgets like Hollywood studios do, the Sundance Film Festival is where they go to promote their movies. Winning an award here gives a film free publicity and exposure to major film studios.
Held in Park City, Utah every January, Sundance began as the Utah/United States Film Festival in 1978, which was well before actor Robert Redford got involved. When the festival moved to Park City in 1985, the Sundance Institute, a non-profit organisation established by actor Robert Redford, took over the event’s operations.
In 1991, the event was officially renamed the Sundance Film Festival—after Redford’s popular Sundance Kid character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
