Attending a major film festival can seem like an unattainable dream: the glitz and glamour, the red carpets, the exclusive access. But did you know that, in most cases, you can just go to one?
Even the most prestigious fests are usually open to the public, giving regular folks the chance to experience great cinema outside the multiplex and meet filmmakers and like-minded fans. The cost of travel and lodging can be a hurdle, but there are hacks you can use to save money. Here’s our guide to everything from getting inside to maximizing your time.
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Tickets and passes
No matter the size of the fest, there’s usually some kind of public access option available. For example, the Sundance Film Festival and the Venice, Berlin, and Toronto International Film Festivals will either sell individual tickets or offer tiered packages that allow you to attend a fixed number of screenings. The Cannes Film Festival is more exclusive; but it does offer a Three Days in Cannes Pass for movie lovers aged 18–28, as well as a Cinéphiles accreditation for students and film enthusiasts willing to plead their case.
Depending on which fest you attend, you’ll either have a designated date to choose all your screenings by, or you’ll have to wake up early to make your daily selections. This may sound daunting, but don’t worry. The exhaustion is part of the fun, especially when you’re spending your days shuttling between theaters to watch movies your average cinemagoer hasn’t seen yet—and in some cases, films most people might never see.
Big-ticket premieres and major studio releases are the first to sell out, so you may not get the chance to watch the movies you’ve heard about beforehand. But think of this as a blessing in disguise: Obscure titles from non-Western countries often make for incredible discoveries. And though you’ll find information about each entry on the festival’s website, it can be an adventure to simply walk into a movie cold. Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone—especially near the end of the festival, when buzzier titles inevitably screen again.
Besides, studio projects with red carpet premieres will be widely available sooner or later, which isn’t always the case with niche or experimental films. If you’re really desperate to catch the latest Hollywood offering before anyone else, there’s usually a standby line for sold-out screenings. For festivals with online ticketing, keep refreshing the page in case an attendee drops out at the last minute.
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Travel and lodging
Start by doing your research. If a festival is being held outside your country of residence, find out whether you’ll need a visa to travel there. Of course, that’s not an issue if the event is taking place in your home country. And if you want to keep it local, most major cities hold smaller fests dedicated to specific genres or cultures.
Once you have tickets in hand, check whether the fest you’re attending offers exclusive access to flight and hotel discounts. Check out the organizer’s website for more details—and if there’s a topic that isn’t covered, most will have a dedicated email address for inquiries.
If you’re traveling on a budget, you may not want to spring for a fancy hotel room. Odds are there will be plenty of others in the same boat, so browse social media for people looking to share a room. There are Facebook groups dedicated to connecting film fest attendees, including communities for Cannes and Sundance; you may need to submit a request in order to join.
Bunking at an Airbnb, Vrbo, or Booking.com property can be a smart way to save money, provided you reserve early enough. Even if it’s a tight squeeze, you’ll be spending most of your time at screenings and events anyway.
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If you’re attending screenings back to back, make sure to double-check their locations. Some festivals, like Venice, are limited to a single complex, while others take place across multiple destinations. (Sundance, for example, currently holds screenings in both Park City and Salt Lake City.) Some even provide free buses to shuttle attendees between locations. Volunteers on the ground can answer any questions you may have about travel, screenings, and other specifics.
Bring plenty of snacks if you don’t have time for proper meals in between screenings, and be sure to stay hydrated. That said, you don’t have to spend the entire time watching movies. The downtown areas of the cities where Sundance, TIFF, Cannes, and SXSW take place are hotbeds for mingling and outdoor dining.
Festivals are also great places to meet people with similar personal and/or professional interests. Keep your ear to the ground for parties and other gatherings at sponsored pavilions; there, you can rub elbows with actors, filmmakers, and fellow enthusiasts.
Yes, film fests are about cramming as many screenings into your calendar as possible; but they’re also social events where people connect over their shared love of cinema.
This story originally appeared in the Sept. 5 issue of Backstage Magazine.