Four producers who are premiering films at the 2023 Tribeca Festival gathered at The AT&T Untold Stories Lounge at Spring Studios in New York City to give insight into their individual journeys of getting their films premiered at Tribeca Festival.
The event was presented by the Documentary Producers Alliance, moderated by the DPA Regional Representative, Justin Levy, and featured Beth Aala (Producer of Uncharted), Jane Wagner (Producer of Break The Game), Sara Nodjoumi (Producer of A Revolution on Canvas), and Tom Davis (Producer of The Fourth Wall). Each film’s journey is different of course, but the producers shared great knowledge of the process from the first rough cut to how one can have their own film premiere at Tribeca.
Jane Wagner shared an important aspect of the festival submission process: waivers. Submitting to multiple festivals can be very costly, but Jane shared that some festivals will offer waivers for low-budget films or films of interest – all it takes sometimes is reaching out. This can be extremely beneficial for especially low-budget films.
The biggest takeaway from the panel was that collaboration is key. In order to have a successful film, teamwork and collaboration between the director and across various production departments is essential for the film’s overall potential. For more renowned festivals like Tribeca Festival, there is huge competition with the number of submissions the festival receives each year. Often, even going to the festival to network can be your most significant move into connecting with future collaborators with whom you may one day premiere a film at the festival.
Check out the rest of our coverage from the 2023 Tribeca Festival!
