Rating: 
Summary: DO NOT ATTEND A FILM FESTIVAL WITHOUT READING THIS BOOK
Review: Okay, you've just shot the greatest independent movie since "Reservoir Dogs" and now all you have to do is submit it to the Sundance film festival, sit back and watch a bidding war break out, right? Wrong, in fact you're not even half way there according to "The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide," written by Chris Gore, the former editor-in-chief of Film Threat magazine.In the carnival-like atmosphere of a film festival the best work often loses valuable publicity to inferior submissions with well-orchestrated, colorful marketing campaigns. By reading the series of exhaustive interviews that Gore has compiled in this book filmmakers can quickly grasp the amount of preparation necessary to, if not succeed, at least ensure that their work will be seen by the important people. Everything is covered here, there are "Dos and Don'ts" for designing a one-sheet poster, there is a chapter on "guerrilla marketing" for filmmakers with no publicity money, there is even a list of the ten best lines to use to crash an industry party. Independent director Arthur Borman shares a fascinating account of his meteoric rise to success then failure and then success again after entering the feature film, "And God Spoke" into the Toronto and Sundance film festivals. There are plenty of other books on the market that point out the pitfalls of filmmaking, Gore's is the first that clearly defines the perils that await the ignorant at film festivals. The unfortunate truth is that there are plenty of good films that get accepted to places like Sundance that nobody knows about or ever sees. Even for those who are simply planning on attending their first festival as a spectator this book is required reading. Having been to the Telluride Film Festival myself I found contributing writer Mark Altman's account of it right on the nose. His glowing description of Telluride made me wish that I had an all-access pass to attend it next Labor Day weekend. The bottom line is if you want to maximize your experience at a film festival, "The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide" is a must-read.
Rating: 
Summary: Needs an update
Review: The first half of this book contains generic film-festival information (on applying to and attending festivals, a diary from the "Blair Witch" makers, etc.) which contains some good material. The meat of the Guide, though, is the series of entries about hundreds of specific festivals making up the second half. And here, the age of the book (published in 2001) becomes a problem. Putting it bluntly, if you bought this book as research material for submitting your own film to festivals, you'll find a lot of festivals listed here that simply don't exist anymore, as well as much out-of-date information about those festivals still in existence. Needless to say, it also lacks any mention of the many festivals that started after this book went to the printer. After three years, Gore really needs to update this or, better yet, make it an annual.
Rating:
Summary: Needs an update
Review: The first half of this book contains generic film-festival information (on applying to and attending festivals, a diary from the "Blair Witch" makers, etc.) which contains some good material. The meat of the Guide, though, is the series of entries about hundreds of specific festivals making up the second half. And here, the age of the book (published in 2001) becomes a problem. Putting it bluntly, if you bought this book as research material for submitting your own film to festivals, you'll find a lot of festivals listed here that simply don't exist anymore, as well as much out-of-date information about those festivals still in existence. Needless to say, it also lacks any mention of the many festivals that started after this book went to the printer. After three years, Gore really needs to update this or, better yet, make it an annual.
Rating: 
Summary: USELESS, SELF-SERVING, AND TRIVIAL
Review: This book has no real info of value and too much self-serving info that has no value. How to stand in a line? How to eat popcorn? It's either common sense or it's mind-bendingly trivial. Whew, what a waste.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent guide filled w/great info and humor.
Review: This is probably the best guide to film festivals on the market. It gives you everything you need to know along with a good dose of humor. Nice to see a guide that doesn't take itself so seriously. Buy this over the old-fashioned, boring, kiss-ass one by Variety. If you buy this book, you actually have a chance of getting your film seen.
Rating:
Summary: Funniest and best book ever on exploding film fest scene!
Review: Ultimate film fest guide Chris Gore, the founder of Film Threat magazine, has finally published his much anticipated "essentialcompanion for filmmakers & festival goers." The WVIFF is listed on page 231, along with the Wine CountryFilm Fest, the Washington, D.C. Filmfest, and is across the page from two Virginia film fests. The book isvery current and well-produced, including good lists of festivals by month and genre. His lists of the bestbars and best breakfast places are interesting, and his "power invitation list for festival screenings and parties" is worth the price of the book. Lone Eagle, a new Hollywood based film industry publisher, createdthe book. Gore ranks Sundance and the Toronto Film Fest as two of the most important. Every film personand video fanatic should own this book. Although Gore no longer publishes "Film Threat" (the best film mag ever), he does send out a free weekly mag, which is also a must for all videophiles.-from "Film Nuts",Graffiti magazine, Charleston,WV
Rating:
Summary: Funniest and best book ever on exploding film fest scene!
Review: Ultimate film fest guide Chris Gore, the founder of Film Threat magazine, has finally published his much anticipated "essentialcompanion for filmmakers & festival goers." The WVIFF is listed on page 231, along with the Wine CountryFilm Fest, the Washington, D.C. Filmfest, and is across the page from two Virginia film fests. The book isvery current and well-produced, including good lists of festivals by month and genre. His lists of the bestbars and best breakfast places are interesting, and his "power invitation list for festival screenings and parties" is worth the price of the book. Lone Eagle, a new Hollywood based film industry publisher, createdthe book. Gore ranks Sundance and the Toronto Film Fest as two of the most important. Every film personand video fanatic should own this book. Although Gore no longer publishes "Film Threat" (the best film mag ever), he does send out a free weekly mag, which is also a must for all videophiles.-from "Film Nuts",Graffiti magazine, Charleston,WV
Rating: 
Summary: It looks like a magazine!!
Review: What's with all the advertisement strewn all over the 3rd edition? I have the 2nd ed. and wanted to upgrade to the new one, but found so many obnoxious magazine-style full-page ads that it looked like a copy of Cosmo, and put it right back on the shelf. They should discount the price with all that ad revenue. No complaints about the 2nd edition- I think I'll stick with it.
Rating:
Summary: Good info, Fast, funny Read
Review: When I attended my first film festival last year, I went to movie, but I felt like I couldn't find where all the action was. Then I read this book and I realized that there's a lot more to film festivals than that. I recommend this book for the serious filmmaker who wants to know more that just Festival dates and deadlines. This book has information on all the other happenings of a festival too. That's the stuff I wish someone would have told me before I went. Believe me, I'll never go to a festival again without remembering the tips in this book.
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