Where do you think are good places to look to meet execs (producers, development execs, financiers, agents, managers, etc - basically people with power to get a script made) at film festivals?
All film festivals with a preference to the big ones (Cannes, TIFF, Sundance).
With and without a pass.
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Attending a film festival just to watch other folk's films - in & of itself - ain't gonna really do you much good. Networking with some of the filmmakers MAY be of some value to you (particularly locals) - but realistically, not much. I think your best bet is to attend any of the screenwriting seminars presented by the festivals - particularly those presented by those in the business. I used to host annual screenwriter's seminars where I brought in working Agents, Showrunners & Producers th speak to the business of filmmaking. The Agents loved it because it gave them an opportunity to 'scope' out the crowd. Two agents I brought in wound up repping 3 or 4 writers (that's how my Agent found me).
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I met some awesome mentors at the WGA offices, East and West.
Friend of mine attended the "Produced by Conference in NY" last year. I think a day pass is like $700. He met a multiple Oscar-winning writer-director and he asked him to mentor for a short movie. The Oscar guy showed up on-set and helped us shoot.
There are only a few festival that get actually get exec attendance; Sundance, Cannes, TIFF. and a few others. But the truth is, very few Executives with green-light power "roam" around festivals, go to parties, and mingle. They're in for their premiere, then out in the space of a few hours.
To meet them, you need to get on their calendar. In order to get on their calendar, you've got to meet someone who can actually get you on their calendar.