Acorns

Terrible and expensive place to screen. For the submission fee of $70, you get a room with a couple of chairs and none of your posters nowhere to be seen. We were also “lucky” enough to have our screening scheduled against the opening party of the festival. Needless to say that nobody had any idea we were showing, besides our friends.
Also needless to say, that there was no effort from the festival organizer to put any attention to our film, because our time slot was in competition with the film crew, that paid huge money to the festival publicist.
During the closing ceremony, we struggled to find parking place, because place dedicated to VIP only was not for us. The parking attendant laughed when we asked and said : “Well, are you a celebrity?” Foolish of us to think that since our film was at the festival, we might have been the VIPs. At that point, we were so upset, that we approached the organizer Ms Leslie La Page to find out what exactly happened with our screening, our posters and her festival. She was very busy standing around carrying a baby, I guess her son…
Upon our approach, she started looking very uncomfortable, claiming she is very busy and cannot talk to us. We did mention we emailed her earlier with no feedback. She started getting more upset, looking for any way out. We left. We didn’t bother to attend award ceremony, that was dedicated to people, who paid thousands of dollars to receive her award.
How does this woman sleep at night? Scamming filmmakers of their money, taking their promotional materials and trashing them right away? If this woman is really a mother, I feel very sorry for the children she will raise. Nothing good comes from family of thieves, liars and con artists. Avoid this place if you are a serious filmmaker. If you film is no good, this place might be a great for you, because for few thousand $, you can buy attention, great screening time, publicity and award. No respect though. That you can only buy with good film.

@CropCircleQueen
hi, we had a terrible experience as well! I will also write the review what film were u with ?

Acorns

Avoid this festival. It could not have been worse. Absolutely no publicity, and the only way anybody attended was because the filmmakers got them there. Suggested publicist was a waste of money for all who got a good rate with absolutely no results. Festival director single handedly selects awards and the the grand prize winner was HORRIBLE — but it was the only film with anyone recognizable in it, and it was used as the showcase for the so-called opening night, which followed a day of unattended films, with no parking available anywhere in sight for the people who did come. All events were badly produced, with misinformation about what they were and no attention to making them friendly or interactive. Pity the poor filmmakers who came from afar. There was absolutely nothing of value supplied. This festival could be a showcase for how not to have one.