Olivia Hadjiioannou on the importance of filmfestivals.com and the awards she received

Choosing the right film festival to submit to is often a daunting task as there are thousands of festivals around the world.



"I started submitting to film festivals last year, because the videos and music I make are experimental and avant-garde – using contemporary film and new wave animation techniques—many thanks to state-of-the-art software from the developers at Mettle.

But finding the right festival to submit to needs research. You need to find a legitimate festival that will not only celebrate your work but also connect you to your audience and help you network with other filmmakers.

It may be the past experience the founders have at previous festivals in Cannes and Sundance that made it possible for them to create an atmosphere for the festival that matched the excitement of the Festival de Cannes. While staying at the Eden Hotel and Spa in Cannes, I met industry professionals over breakfast and other red carpet film makers staying at the hotel. In Cannes, you mingle with industry professionals in tuxedos and gowns from 8 in the morning. Connections with creatives I could not have made if it weren’t for being in Cannes for FRFF at the time.

Olivia Hadjiioannou