SIFF questions

1. What time is your interview scheduled and who will you be talking with when you call/skype?
   I do not yet have a scheduled interview time. I have contacted Carl, Mary, Jessica Marx (head of the press office) and the SIFF press office. Carl has been in Toronto, though he also apparently has a reputation for rarely responding to emails and voicemail. This is why I decided to go through his press office, though I have still heard nothing. My plans are to call on Monday when the SIFF office is open, and to ask who may answer some questions I have. I get the feeling that asking Carl some of these questions may be similar to asking President Obama how the electoral college works, and I think I can get these answers from someone a little lower on the totem pole. I have also found 2 other local Seattle film festivals that may be more beneficial to Visions, as one of them is a youth festival, and the other is very local and edgy. They are NFFTY and Local Sightings. 
2. Who started it and who runs it?
     SIFF was co-founded by Dan Ireland and Darryl MacDonald in 1976, and it's now run by Carl    Spence and Mary Barcarella (co-directors.)
   

   
   

3. What is the mission of the festival/conference? (copy and paste the first paragraph)
   
   

   SIFF's mission is to create experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world. It is through the art of cinema that we foster a community that is more informed, aware, and alive.

   
   
4. How does this compare with their actual programming choices from the past two years? Be specific in describing what they program (mode, categories within mode, niche, Political? Global? Local? Gender? Sexuality? Race? Any themes that you see? etc...)
   
   

   SIFF offeres a wide array of films, whether they differ by country, topic, medium, etc,. which is true to their mission. It truly is an international festival, with last year's festival showing numerous films from 6 continents. (Antarctica really needs to get their shit together.) While the website lists many 'genres' that within themselves include social issues, there is a social issues genre that reaches 100 films--tackling just about anything. (The first film listed deals with the possible suicide of over 100 women in the Iraqi Kurdistan if they are not presented with eligible suitors) I think in this sense, their mission statement is well-informed and accurate. Though I do think SIFF has a definite tendency to only focus on 'slick' films from around the world, and could be missing the freshness and perspective that may come from graduate-level student films.

   
   
5. Where is the event?
   In Seattle, hosted in theaters around the city. More recently, they have started reaching out to a few theaters in some of the surrounding suburbs, as well.
   
6. When is the event? (Give dates from last year if not current)
   May 15th- June 8th, 2014.
   
7. How do you submit? Snail mail, online, withoutabox, through their site, etc...
   Snail Mail or withoutabox. 
8. When are the deadlines to enter? Early? Reg? Late?
   

   Early: October 7th, 2013

   Regular: November 4th, 2013.

   Final: January 6th, 2014. 

9. How much does it cost to enter?
      The entry fees vary by date of submission, and film duration. Entry fees start at $30 for shorts   submitted early, and go up to $95 for a feature film submitted late. The submission fee is waived for films that have 50% or more of their film footage shot in Washington state.
10. Who’s eligible, what are the guidelines to enter?
    As far as I can find, everyone is eligible to enter. Some of the guidelines are as follows:
    

    Completion Date:Films must have been completed no earlier than January 2013.

    Presentation:

    Selected films must be made available for Festival presentation in DCP, 35mm, or HDCAM. Filmmakers whose films are selected must deliver their film in an acceptable final presentation format, please let us know if you do not have one of these formats. Failure to provide the film in an acceptable format may result in the film being dropped from the Festival. No exceptions.Language:Foreign language films must be made available with the original language soundtrack and English subtitles. 

    Prior Screenings:Entries may not publicly screen in Washington State or be televised anywhere in the US before June 30, 2014. Theatrical runs following presentation at SIFF may be excepted from this.

    
    

    Prior Submissions:If you wish to resubmit a film previously submitted to SIFF, you must reapply paying the full fee.FutureWave Submissions:The FutureWave Youth Shorts competition accepts short films made by youth 18 years of age or younger at the time of submission.

    
    

    A different entry form is required. 

    Submission Regulations: 

    Deadline:

    All film submissions must be shipped prepaid and packed in proper containers to arrive at the SIFF offices by the posted deadlines.

    Format:

    All films must be submitted on DVD (NTSC preferred, PAL accepted), or via a secure online link, such as Vimeo. Do not put multiple works on the same DVD.

    Premieres:

    Please be aware that in all categories, World, North American and US Premieres are preferred. However, a Washington State Premiere is required; films must not have previously screened in Washington State.

    DVD Labeling & Shipping:

    Preview DVDs must be clearly labeled with the film title, running

    time, and contact information (including name, address, and phone number). International shipments must be accompanied by a commercial invoice (containing the film’s title, running time, format [color or b&w], value of shipment, and sender’s name and address). SIFF will not handle any customs clearances. All preview DVDs shipping from outside the U.S. must be sent with the following declaration: “Free entry claimed under #724.12 (960.60). U.S. Tariff Act. No commercial value, for Festival use only.”  

11. Is there a Student category?
    SIFF offers what they call FutureWave which features films by youths under the age of 19.
12. What formats do they except for jurying? DVD, Vimeo, Flash drives?
    DVD or vimeo.
13. What formats do they except for exhibition/screening?
    DCP, 35mm, or HDCAM
14. How many films screened at the festival last year?
    455 (74 countries represented)
15. How long is a typical shorts block or paper presentation block at their event?
    ~90 mins
16. How many films or papers do they program per block?
    It depends on the duration of the films, but it ranges from around 7 to 14.
17. How do people register to attend? Is there a cost to attend as a guest?
    There are numerous membership opportunities that provide you with a certain number of free tickets, but the biggest emphasis is on passes much like Cucalorus. The biggest pass (at full price) is $2850 (discounted down to 1700 if you buy before January!) They also offer ticket packages (Cinematic 6-pack), as well as day of tickets (though they tend to sell out.)
18. Look at sponsorship page and see what businesses, grants and private entities give money to the
    event. Figure out how many of each kind and note any leads that might be useful to us.
    SIFF has hundreds of sponsors that they break into categories like hospitality, media, community, etc,. Some of these include Starbucks, HBO, CityArts, Scarecrow Video, the Stranger, Seattle Times, etc,. They definitely focus on local organizations, which we can take into consideration for Visions. I don't think there are many leads we can get from these SIFF sponsors, though I do think their emphasis on local companies will lead us in the right direction here in Wilmington.
19. What are their sponsorship levels and incentives for each level? 
    Title Sponsor (350,000+ with 3 year commitment)
    Presenting Sponsor ($100,000+)
    Premiere Sponsor ($50,000+)
    Producing Sponsor (25,000+)
    Supporting Sponsor (15,000+)
     The incentives are endless, ranging from different levels of on-site promotion, media&online, exclusive access to events, etc,. The incentives even include a dedicated facebook mention for all but the supporting sponsors. The Title Sponsor has a 30 second pre-film brand advertisement, and is the exclusive special event and festival award sponsor, as well as has logo inclusion in SIFF television advertisements.
    
20. Did they have a kickstarter or indiegogo? What incentives did they have for each level of donor?
    SIFF does not have a kickstarter or indiegogo that I could find, though numerous films hoping to play at SIFF do. SIFF offers "memberships," which work similarly to donors. The levels range from "Enthusiast" ($55) to to Premiere ($10,000+) Benefits for premiere include:

    • Two Platinum Festival passes OR one Platinum Plus Pass
    • Two year-round passes to SIFF Cinema 
    • Lifetime membership to IndieFlix 
    • Invitation for two to the SIFF Awards Brunch
    • Access to the Festival Hospitality Suite for one evening
    • Private tour of SIFF Cinema
    • Invitations to private receptions
    • Upgrades to Platinum Plus Festival Pass ($500)                                                         Benefits for an Advocate membership (in the middle, at $500) include:

    • Two three month SIFF Cinema Passes 
    • Six Festival tickets
    • Priority invitations to free screenings
    • Discounted tickets at SIFF Cinema and the Festival
    • Recognition in the Festival catalog
    • Complimentary Festival catalog
    • Complimentary Festival poster
    • Popcorn punch card
    • One Year subscription to Seattle Met

21. What kind of non-traditional film/video events have they had before? Things like Installations,
    'Visual Soundwalls,' VJing etc.
    SIFF offeres a range of events in which they expand film screenings, panels, and presentations, though there isn't much that I can find in terms of instillations and VJing. 
22. Are there ways in which they have expanded the typical film screening event? How have they
    branched out from sitting in a dark room in front of a screen? 
    This is where SIFF really excels. They often mix screenings with galas and after parties, they have musical tributes, a "secret film festival" where you pay for a ticket without knowing what you're going to see (and you can't tell anyone about it after,) they play silent films with an accompanying band to play, they even have a flyfilm event, which is similar to our video race, though it's specifically for filmmakers, and they have a week instead of an hour. They also offer numerous panels on different topics.