INSIDE PROXIMITY: Film Festival How-To with Sev Ohanian, Terra Potts & Paola Mardo

If you’re an emerging filmmaker, this episode is for you! IN PROXIMITY host and first-time filmmaker Paola Mardo sits down with Proximity Media founder Sev Ohanian and Chief Marketing & Operations Officer Terra Potts to answer your questions about navigating film festivals. Before he was a producer on SINNERS, Sev co-wrote and produced the award-winning film SEARCHING, which premiered at Sundance and was the subject of a bidding war. Other films he has produced and sold at festivals include Ryan Coogler’s FRUITVALE STATION, RESULTS, and THE INTERVENTION. Terra is a veteran film marketing executive with indie and studio film experience, leading campaigns for movies like JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH and CRAZY RICH ASIANS before coming to Proximity Media. Paola shares her learnings from her film “tour” with her debut short film VETERANO, a proof-of-concept for a crime thriller feature which she co-produced along with director/writer Patrick Epino. Together, Sev, Terra, and Paola give their take on film festival submission, strategy, networking, and selling, plus how to handle both acceptance and rejection while keeping your moviemaking dreams alive.

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(05:45) Pro tip: Don’t wait ‘til you have a film — just go!
(10:39) The importance of film festivals today
(15:38) Planning out your festival strategy
(18:57) The secret to a great distribution pitch
(20:25) Choosing which festivals to attend
(25:19) The do’s and don’ts of submitting to film festivals
(26:44) That time Sev made a FRUITVALE STATION poster
(37:37) How to network at film festivals
(41:41) The best next steps after your film premiere
(47:24) How to handle the anxiety of festival rejection
(53:55) Prox Recs

IN PROXIMITY IS A PRODUCTION OF PROXIMITY MEDIA
Host, Director, Producer: Paola Mardo
Executive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian
Theme Song and Additional Music: Ludwig Göransson
Co-Director and Director of Photography: Patrick Epino
Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Ken Nana
Editors: Patrick Epino, Ken Nana, Ben Caloza
Motion Graphics Designer: Apollo Baldoz
Associate Producer and Sound Recordist: Celine Mendiola
Production Coordinator: Joy Woo
Production Assistants: Ben Caloza, Joshua Flores
Social Media Coordinator: Alexandria Santana
Production Intern: Briana Tolentino