Film Festival 101 Course - International Children's Media Center

So...why was my film rejected?

Get the inside story on how professional film juries are conducted, and how they make decisions. Discover why some films are rejected and others are accepted in this hands-on jurying course developed by the co-founder of Facets Film Forum.

Course Fee: $600.00

Course Length: 12 weeks

Times: Tuesdays/Thursdays, 6:30 – 9:30PM, Saturdays, noon-6:00pm CST

Location: Online – Zoom

Instructors: Nicole Dreiske, Michelle Zaladonis, Lomai, Sarah Falkiner

Review our Registration & Refund Policies before purchasing.

Learn best practices in jurying and curating top tier film festivals. You’ll take a deep dive into festival “selection criteria” before jurying, rating and discussing hundreds of films. As a professional film festival jury member, you’ll deliberate to reject or program each entry, then move on to creating mastheads and other curating materials. Registration is limited.

Whether you’re a filmmaker, a film critic, or an aspiring festival founder you won’t want to miss this!

Requirements: Students will participate in the course via Zoom using a computer or laptop. Prior experience in film production, screenwriting or criticism is required.

Class Materials: All class materials are included and will be emailed to registered students.

Praise for Film Festival 101

I was able to improve my film writing and criticism skills by jurying the film submissions and creating mastheads and curriculum by the end of the course. I also gained a greater perspective of film’s significant cultural impact by discussing the films with the other course members.

I've been able to refine my critical thinking and film analysis skills during the Festival 101 course. I was able to rate films objectively without personal bias, I developed an eye for films that would be good for other people even if they aren't for me, and I was able to express clearly and thoughtfully my opinions on films we've watched.

This course offered a lot of valuable skills and allowed me to see both excellent and less than excellent examples of what good filmmaking looks like. I learned what to be aware of within my scripts that will connect with, or alienate, audiences and how exactly to get my point across effectively in my work.