Sundance’s Little Dirty Secret: How NYU’s Elite Grip is Crushing Indie Dreams
By FIW staff The Sundance Film Festival bills itself as the ultimate stage for independent cinema, a supposed democratizer of storytelling where fresh, diverse voices can break through. But scratch the surface, and you’ll find a glaring farce:
Response from The Omladinski Film Festival Sarajevo
In response to the recent post “Omladinski Film Festival Sarajevo: Mounting Allegations of Non-Payment, Intimidation & Financial Mismanagement”, the festival sent us the following response: Dear colleagues, In response to the article
Friss Hús Budapest Short Film Festival – a statistical abnormality
Film Industry Watch recently received the following anonymous email: Dear Editors, As this year’s edition is Hungarian Friss Hus Budapest Short Film Festival’s first as an Oscar-qualifying festival, it might be important to shed some ligh
Tatino Films – coming soon
This report is a preview of a soon to be released investigation into Tatino Films, its influence in European cinema, EU public financing, network of influence and methods of operations, which influences the entire European film and global industry ec
Film Festival Jury Favoritism and Prior Connections
Film festivals strive for impartiality, but there have been notable instances where jury members awarded prizes to directors with whom they had prior connections. Below are documented cases and patterns, organized by type of connection, along with ho
SUNDANCE IS DEAD: A Downward Spiral of Failing Standards
Was looking at the Sundance narrative shorts line up for 2024. Out of the 34 films. 14-15 of the directors are prior Sundance or BIG 5 alumni. Some of the rest include Emmy winning writers making their directorial debut, established music video direc
Berlinale Invites Greek Director Vasilis Kekatos, Sparking Industry Outrage
In a move that stunned the Greek film industry, the Berlin Film Festival has invited director Vasilis Kekatos to premiere Our Wildest Days, his first feature, at the festival. This invitation follows the director’s failure to secure a slot at Canne
MEXICO – Festival Corruption, Buying Oscar Qualifying Awards
We’re publishing the following email as it was received: “I am an independent filmmaker with 6 feature films made, and I am [not] surprised by your statement about corruption at film festivals, because in Mexico it is regrettable. In Mexi
Flickerfest Australia – Alleged Misconduct
We received the following email, we’re posting it as is. Please note that this is a non verified claim and should be treated as such, but these are the type of stories that we often hear about, from all over the world: “I was meant to be
How Medium sized Festivals Grovel to the Big Boys, by Selecting the Same Films
If you’ve ever wondered why the same films are selected again and again by many different festivals, selections which are often not justified by their artistic merit, and despite the enormous amount of films which are produced each year, this a
Alleged Munich Film Festival bias in award selection process.
Thanks to readers contribution, a seasoned producer with over two decades of international experience has informed us of malpractice and bias in the Munich Film Festival film selection process. The Berlin and Rome-based professional, whose work inclu
2nd Annual $5000 Grant: Supporting Graduation Films in Post-Production with Anonymous Submissions.
Film Industry Watch is thrilled to offer an annual Post Production Grant of $5,000 to support film students worldwide in completing their graduation projects. This grant is tailored to assist with post-production and related costs. For this grant, a
CASE STUDY: Cannes and Festival Sponsorships
As mentioned in our article addressing the BFI London Film Festival we have highlighted a significant issue: in 2021, 19 films funded by the BFI dominated the lineup, severely limiting opportunities for independent filmmakers. This situation undersco
Sundance Charges $ but Not Watching All Submissions (unless you’re Obama’s daughter)
In yet another case underscoring industry-wide issues of lack of transparency and unfair practices, a recent report suggests that the Sundance Film Festival may not be reviewing all of film submissions, despite charging filmmakers up to $80 per entry