Can the Film Festival Sector Survive Online Streaming.

Film festivals are a prominent feature of the entertainment industry around the world and come in many formats. The emergence of online streaming for films has had an impact on movie theatres with regular closures common. Can the film festival format survive changing consumer preferences and their desire to attend movie theatres.

The film festival sector has had to change and evolve in recent years to survive in an ever-changing landscape for film audiences. Organisers of film festivals have had to adapt to a fast moving and changing environment by altering how they pitch their events to attendees and what they offer. A higher emphasis on cultural experiences and creating networking opportunities are increasingly being used to drive demand for film festival attendance. 

Film Festival Roots. 
In the early part of the 20th century films and the movie theatre were the most common form of film consumption. The introduction of low cost colour television in the 60s and 70s had a marginal impact on movie theatre attendance due to the exclusive distribution of films to the theatres with long delays before release to TV networks. During this period the film festival format was very popular and often used to promote new or alternative indie ‘arts’ films. It was also use by fans of niche genres to feature exclusive screenings in a movie theatre setting. If a festival was featuring alternative indie international films, it was often seen as an opportunity for distributors, agents and financiers to buy and sell film rights, make deals and form collaborations. 

Emergence of Online Streaming. 
The ability to stream movie content online has only been possible since the introduction of high bandwidth internet connections from around 2007 when Netflix launched their subscription service. Other streaming platforms have joined the market including Amazon, Apple, Disney, HBO, Hulu and Paramount. The COVID pandemic has accelerated streaming consumption which also significantly impacted negatively on physical movie theatres. Film distributors are now more likely to launch new films straight to streaming services or significantly reduce the time from theatre showings to online platforms. 

Adaptation to a New Environment. 
Film festival organisers are adapting to this new consumption environment by creating hybrid models for their events. Far from competing with streaming platforms many festival organisers have created partnerships and collaborations with them to create new offerings. New independent international and arts films curated for a film festivals can be streamed simultaneously increasing overall global reach. Alternatively, festival organisers can grant exclusive streaming rights to a specific platform for later distribution which makes physical attendance more attractive. The newer film festival format is shifting to more than just screenings with the addition of Q&A sessions with artists, directors and producers plus presentations and numerous networking events. This attracts people from the film industry to attend knowing they are events where deals can be made. 

Future Developments. 
The smaller niche film festival format is still popular with some audiences where movie goers get to experience alternative or older films in a theatre setting in their original format. Organisers usually run these events over a week having hired a suitable movie venue and obtained permission to screen selected films. The industry focused film festivals look like they will continue to thrive by providing access for industry professionals to new and exclusive content for distribution on streaming services. 

For festival organisers planning their next event using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Image by geralt via Pixabay

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