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Does SIFF screen films before selecting them for the festival? Or do you base decisions off of trailers and written descriptions?

The reason I ask is because I've seen a few films at SIFF over the years that seem like they were chosen based on the later, not the former.

For instance, last year "The Penitent Man" sounded amazing in the written description on the SIFF site, and I think I remember the trailer looking great. Plus it had Lance Henriksen, who is generally a great character actor. The film itself though was amazingly bad, with a plot "twist" that was obvious within the first 15 minutes of the movie, and some painfully bad acting (although not by Mr. Henricksen). I left the theater trying to rationalize how the film had ended up in the festival, and I still can't figure it out. My only theory is that like me, the SIFF staff were lured in by the great summary of the film, and didn't get a chance to see the final (mediocre) product.

So how are films selected, with a full viewing first, or based on a review of the description and trailer?

Scalpel asked in SIFF about 1 year ago | Report
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    Clinton McClung

    We do indeed watch everything, not all of us, but usually at least three programmers (with occasional films being selected by Carl & Beth, our head programmers, and some of our other collaborators). There's more about that process here:
    http://questionland.com/questions/20382-what-criteria-in-addition-to-critics-approval-get-a-film-added-to-a-program

    "The Penitent Man" was certainly one of the more divisive films last year, but there were some people who really liked it (at least according to the reviews on our website). I personally didn't champion the film, but understand what it was going for - a scifi think piece that was all about conversation, and not so much about the plot. It was also locally produced, and part of our mission is to spotlight local filmmakers. I will say that it was a more rewarding film experience for those who stayed for a Q&A with the director.

    But the truth about any festival is that there will be one or two films that are total head-scratchers. I've visited a lot of festivals over the years, and there is always one program where I am left wondering why it was chosen. That is what makes festivals different from seeing regular theatrical release films. Festivals tend to represent films that have something unique about them that may (or may not) appeal to audiences. Truth be told, you never know until you see a film with an audience what the reaction will be - and no two audiences react in the same way.

    Clinton McClung answered in SIFF about 1 year ago | Report
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