5 reasons to go to a film festival (and my AFF coverage!)

Did you know there are over 9,000 unique film festivals worldwide? I know. I was shocked myself when I found out. 

So why attend a film festival anyway? And what does one do there? These are all things I intend to find out at the Austin Film Festival this week!

After a failed attempt to attend the Sundance Film Festival last year and a disappointing experience at the San Antonio Film Festival a few months back (which is a story for another time), I've been anxious to finally have my official film festival experience.

I put together a list of reasons to attend a film festival. To some, watching movies for days on end and hanging out with other film nerds, sounds like a nightmare, but I couldn't be more excited! I'll be sharing my coverage of my favorite films from AFF along the way.

5 REASONS TO GO TO A FILM FESTIVAL

1. Discover up and coming talent

Just think, there are Spielbergs, Tarentinos, and Nolans out there that haven't even been discovered. One reason to attend a film festival is to see what kind of up and coming talent is out there. So many famous filmmakers got their start at film festivals, so you never know who you might discover!

2. Meet other film nerds!


I'm excited to meet some other people who are as weird about film as I am :)

3. Pre-screenings

Most of the larger festivals will either premier studio films or at least show pre-screenings of studio films before they hit theaters. I'm not feeling too adventurous since this is my first time, so I'll primarily be watching the more well-known films at AFF.

Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour

4. Explore a fun city or neighborhood

Austin is a great city. I already spend quite a bit of time there, but I can't wait to explore the city some more and bounce around from film to film. And the best part is my husband is going to be my film buddy and go to most of the showings with me. 

5. Hear from the creators

Unfortunately I'll only be attending AFF for the films this year, but in the future I hope to spring for the badge and attend the panels. There are all sorts of great panels and interviews with filmmakers where you can hear from industry experts and get behind the scenes info.

In case you're wondering here are the top 10 festivals in the world. And here's an even more extensive list of festivals that are worth the entry fee.

Here's my line up of films I'm planning on seeing at the festival so far. Stay tuned for updates!

MY AFF SCHEDULE

10/26 - Lady Bird

10/27 - Permanent

10/28 - Shorts Program 15: Animated Shorts

10/29 - The Current War

11/1 - Darkest Hour