Yves here. When he was in Oz, Sydney had an excellent three -day film festival duration of his winter. I guess that returned after Covid. Can readers point out to other important film festivals that do not receive the same level of attention that Cannes and Sunday, despite being important meetings?
By Damon Orion, writer, journalist, musician, artist and teaching work has appeared in Revolver, Guitar World, Spirituality + Health, Classic Rock and other publications. Read more or his work at Damonorion.com. Produced by Local peace economy
A 2020 study conducted by the Institute of Psychology, the researcher of the Academy of Sciences of Russia, Tina Kubrak, is one of the many reports that show that films can powerfully influence attitudes in factors such as sexual orientation, transnity, Yyy the Yyyyya Los Yya Los Yyaya those of Gental.
The ability of cinema to expand consciousness can lead to social change. For example, according to the Sompi Korean pop culture website, the film DoganiReleased in 2011, he directly inspired the National Assembly of South Korea to impose stricted sanctions for sexual abuse and led to the closing of a school where they were being abused of minors.
Meanwhile, in 2016, The Guardian pointed out that a year after the premiere of the 2013 Sunday Film Festival Black fish—In documentary that led the problematic breeding program of the ORCA of Seaworld to the public consciousness: atendance at the San Diego branch of the theme park, Plummeted in 17 percent, the shares of the company fell by more than 50 percent and the Jim Atchison CEO. “The effect of the film on the park was the internship: the profits fell 84 percent between 2014 and 2015 as sales and assistance collapsed,” The Guardian said. A little more three years after the movie premiere, SeaWorld suspended its playback program.
Other filmmakers have used their influence by destructive means. Loyola University of Chicagos Mary F. Brown has cited the 1935 Pro-Nazi movie Triumph As an example of “the powerful effect can have the media to create and strengthen attitudes and belief systems.” Meanwhile, the global education network that faces the story and ourselves has indicated that the 1915 film The birth of a nation “‘Incalculable’ give me to black Americans creating a justification for Nejudice, racism and discrimination during the decades of continuing, African American and immigrants.”
Given the ability of this means to disseminate information, consciousness of form, influence opinions and lead the population, it is difficult to exaggerate the importance of filmmakers whose intention does not accumulate due to external influences and commercial interests.
“The true freedom in the cinema is still rare,” says Bryan Wendorf, co -founder and artistic director of the world’s oldest underground film festival, the Underground Chicago Film Festival (Cuff). Founded in 1993, this non -profit organization of Chicago, Illinois, shows films that “do not pursue algorithms, prestigious or aesthetic platforms of distributors”, but which “exist for someone necessary To do them, “says Wendorf.
Because it is not affiliated with any other organization, the festival is free to establish its own criteria for programming. “In a culture of relentless qualification and film sand paper, dust is a place where movies can still be strange, handmade, personal, noisy, broken, hilarious and heartbreaking, all on the same reel,” says Wendorf. “We are not here to calm the public. We are here to wake them up.”
Wendorf defines “underground” how “the work made ask for permission-ulber with any tool that is available and driven by personal urgency, political resistance or artistic obsession. It is rough edges, hybrids, hybrids, hybrids, hybrids, [and] Gender-fluid. Reject the Polish for his own good. These are films that break the rules, or better yet, ignore them completely, and they or come from communities that existed outside or dominant narratives, counted from the inside, not as tourists. The subway has always been a shelter for unheard of, the rebel and not categorizable. From there comes the most urgent and exciting work. “
Wendorf attributes Cuff’s longevity to the stubbornness and clarity of the purpose of his staff. He says that the festival’s programming voice has been consistent through changes in places, associations and non -profit status. “We are not trying to grow for the sake of growth. We are not turning to the panels of the industry and red carpets. The sleeve exists for filmmakers and the public who care about cinema as an art form and cultural discomfort. That keeps us underway.”
Cuff is part of an extensive list of independent film festivals in the United States. The Bive Name Besijnes Festivals such as Tribeca, Sundance, Telluride, the Austin Film Festival, the Film and TV Festival SXSW, the Santa Fe International Film Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival, the United States is home to events such as the San Franco Festival Festival and the Citizenen Festival.
Slaldance is a festival founded in 1995 in Park City, Utah, by filmmakers whose works were rejected for their inclusion at the most prestigious film festival in that city, Sundance. “In Slaldonce, we have recognized an inherent need for a viable platform for these fiercely independent filmmakers that could not have connections to obtain places coveted in industry laboratories and finance along the most traditional development paths,” says the festival’s website.
In a 2022 interview for Backstage, the president and co -founder of Slaldance, Peter Baxter, said the festival “has shown that when it comes to discovering talent and launching races, independent and base communities can do so.”
A 2020 blog from the Tongal content creation platform contrasted the Slam Dance with Sundance. “Sunday is still the king of American film festivals, and for a good reason,” the piece said. “But in a year when HBO, Hulu, Disney+and Searchlight premiered with that precious Sunday Glow and Netflix only possessed 11 Sunday films before the festival, as we suspect that we suspect that we simply call the festival.”
When describing Slaldance as “an antidote” A “the ambivalence” of Sunday, the blog explained that the old festival “invites its filmmakers to schedule the festival the following year (a tradition that contributes huge to the independent integrity of the program).”
In 2025, Slaldance moved to Hollywood. The same year, Sundance announced that Boulder, Colorado, would be his new home from 2027. Sunday and Slaldance have issued statements that these relocations will expand their ability to support independent filmmakers.
According to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Tallin, published in PLOS One Journal in 2024, a growing “gender equity” is carried out at festivals around the world. “[F]The summer program has become more thematically diverse, and the inclusion of films by the creations of women has increased between 2012-2021, ”said a Phys.org article on the study. The research even more pointed out the importance of these independent festivals festivals [and] Aligning with the public interest in the support of a diverse cultural sphere. “
Like the United States, Canada is rich in independent films exhibitions. In addition to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which Wikipedia has cited the most popular festival in the United States, there are events such as the Victoria Film Festival, Reelworld, Calgary Underground Film Festival, Imaginative Festival (Lás, Festival, Presentation, Present, Present, Present, Period Festival, Festival, Festival, Festival, Festival, Festival, Festival, Festival, Festival, Festival, Festival, Larginen Largineivetive, St. John’s Women’s Film Festival, the Canadian Independent Film Festival (Cuff) and the Montreal Independent Film Festival (MIFF).
Another independent film festival held in Montreal, Québec, is the Du Nouveau Cinéma Festival (FNC). Seventh row, a platform for lovers of films and filmmakers, calls FNC “a large zero zone if you are looking for movies outside the rhythm that could have been about populist film festivals.”
“Unlike other stars film festivals such as Toronto Tiff, the FNC is more driven by the director,” said the Montreal Gazette in 2023. seats.
