Rarely in recent decades has the festival circuit been as disrupted as it has in the past 12 months.
Festival regulars are hopeful thatincoming artistic director Tricia Tuttlecan breathe new life into the event.
Positive changes are already afoot.
Papis Loveday holds a sign with the inscription “No Racism! No AFD!” on the red carpet with Pheline Roggan on the opening night of the BerlinaleHannes P Albert/picture alliance via Getty Images
Longtime Berlin Film Festival programmer Lorenzo Esposito admits that this year was more difficult than usual.
There are many social issues and contexts that impact the way you approach a film.
The IFFR was one of only a few festivals not dented at some stage by the Israel-Palestine conflict.
I find it short-sighted to force a festival to take sides like that.
Festivals are meant to be spaces for different voices and opinions.
Without conversation we wont go anywhere.
It is becoming harder to generate publicity, reviews and sales at festivals beyond a few select titles.
How many international arthouse films are finding homes in the UK, for example?
Thats little consolation for filmmakers and distributors, however.
With the international sales model evolving over time, markets are becoming less fundamental for setting up projects.
Many festival-watchers are assuming the highly anticipatedJokersequel will choose Venice as its launchpad, for example.
Netflixs film slate for later this year certainly seems lighter on Oscar hopefuls than in previous years.
There is more and more focus on Cannes, says Goodridge.
Many of the tentpole arthouse films are going to Cannes.
Goodridge posits: Cannes has always been clever because it understands the value of American cinema at a festival.
Venice also understands that.
Longtime independent film PR and rep Charles McDonald agrees: Cannes is where everyone wants to go.
That can be a problem for other festivals.
Cannes benefits because there is such a concentration of media there.
That said, even Cannes has taken its lumps this year.
The festival is dealing with a series of protests from festival workers who are unhappy about their employment contracts.
With France experiencing a new wave of MeToo allegations, Cannes was almost dragged into the fray.
Ultimately, the expose didnt materialize, and this years Cannes has passed off without major incident so far.
But whether there will be a 32ndremains very much in doubt.
But when the federal budget was announced, Hot Docs got nothing.
One of the winners was the Toronto Film Festival itself facing major financial issues.
It is really concerning.
We feel that, just attending the festival alone.
It is so high and its getting higher.
The deadline for a decision is October 1.
That approach can boost viewership overall but lowers on-site attendance, reducing vibrancy and economic impact.
After the move to June, You saw press coverage fall off a cliff, the sales agent maintains.
Its not the only festival that should consider a date shift.
He says TIFF would do itself a favor by moving a week later in September.
Despite the array of challenges, it isnt all doom and gloom in film festival world.
Virtually every single screening had a line outside of Alice Tully Hall.
Audiences know they can eventually see those offerings on TV.
Klainberg says Film at Lincoln Center also runs lean.
We have like a $16-and-a-half million budget, compared to Sundance or other organizations, she says.
We do a lot with a little.
The Sundance Institutes expenses for fiscal year 2023 ran $49.3 million, according to just-released federal tax filings.
Revenues were $45M, resulting in a budget deficit of $4.3M.
Revenue streams havent turned.
2023 was also the first year that there was no federal or state Covid aid.
So, the real cliff happened in 23.
The inauguralRound Top Film Festival launchesin Texas this November.
The long-runningMargaret Mead Film Festival in New York, shuttered by the pandemic, just made its return.
And theres also hope in the example of Full Frame.
The documentary festival in Durham, NC came back this April for the first time since the pandemic.
Jacobson summed up the feelings about that festivals return.
Its great to see Full Frame back in action, he said.
They were dearly missed.
