Navigating the Film Festival Circuit w/ Jon Fitzgerald
December 4, 2025 · 51 min
Why listen
A festival founder explains the real strategy behind turning submissions into a film career.
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In this episode
- How to build a custom submission plan based on your actual goals
- The difference between top-tier, regional, and destination festivals
- How to get on programmers' radar before you submit
- Why real distribution often happens outside the biggest festivals
About this episode
In this episode, Jeff Everett sits down with Jon Fitzgerald — filmmaker, festival founder, former AFI Festival Director, and president of Cause Pictures — to break down the real strategy behind submitting to and succeeding on the film festival circuit.
Jon shares how he co-founded Slamdance after being rejected by Sundance, and how decades of festival experience have shaped his expertise in submission strategy, credibility building, audience targeting, and festival networking.
Together, Jeff and Jon explore how filmmakers can identify their goals, design custom submission plans, understand the differences between top-tier, regional, and destination festivals, and avoid the traps of meaningless awards and low-impact screenings. They also discuss strategies for getting on programmers’ radar, hospitality considerations, and how real distribution often happens outside of Sundance-level events.
Jon closes with insights into today’s evolving indie landscape — emphasizing that while Hollywood feels uncertain, independent filmmakers have more opportunity than ever if they’re willing to think entrepreneurially and creatively about screenings, audiences, and post-festival life.
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About Indie Filmmaking: Truth & Reality
Film school taught you how to make a movie—this show teaches you how to get it financed and distributed. In bite-sized 20-minute episodes, filmmaker and distribution expert Jeff Deverett gives you the real-world advice film schools leave out.
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