Private, Interactive Zoom class with a top producer and distributor - plan your film’s festival and market strategy!

Receive a downloadable Festival and Market Strategy Planning Worksheet!

10 Spots Available - 2 Spots Remain!

Flexible payment plans available at checkout. Questions? Email edu@stage32.com.

Film festivals and film markets are powerful tools when used correctly, and career-ending traps when misunderstood. Many filmmakers spend years making a film only to submit blindly to festivals without a strategy, unintentionally aging their project out of distribution consideration. Others skip festivals entirely and go straight to distribution, only to wonder why their film launches quietly with no momentum, press, or buyer excitement.

One of the biggest challenges you can face is not understanding the difference between a film festival and a film market, and how each serves a different purpose. Submitting to the wrong festivals, misunderstanding premiere status, or allowing a film to circulate too long on the festival circuit can severely limit distribution opportunities. On the other hand, bypassing festivals altogether can strip a film of credibility, visibility, and leverage.

This two-part class teaches you how to strategically use festivals and markets together, not randomly, to support distribution, sales, and long-term career growth. Drawing from real-world experience attending major international festivals and markets, students will learn how to build a smart, intentional festival strategy for the year that aligns with where their film actually belongs and what they want it to achieve.

Your Stage 32 educator, Michelle Alexandria, brings more than two decades of hands-on experience navigating the global festival and market landscape as both a producer and distributor. She has attended the Cannes Film Festival for over 20 years and has worked extensively within the Marché du Film, while also participating in major international and U.S. festivals including Berlinale, Sundance, SXSW, and many others. As President of Light Year Pictures, a Producers Guild council member, advisory board participant, and longtime festival judge, she understands how films are evaluated, programmed, sold, and positioned and she uses that real-world insight to guide filmmakers toward smarter decisions.

This interactive Stage 32 class is held on Zoom and goes substantially more in depth than a Stage 32 webinar. Best of all? As soon as you sign up you will be linked on email with your Stage 32 Educator and given a questionnaire to fill out and send back to them. You will have access to your Educator for the duration of your class by email to ask them any questions you have about your craft or career - it’s like having a mentor on demand! And, if you can't make a live session, don't worry! All class recordings will be available 48 hours after each session and you will be able to view them in your Library on your Stage 32 profile. Finally, you can expand your network with like-minded creatives - you'll have a dedicated lounge for interactive support and discussions with your fellow classmates!

PLUS! You will receive the following handouts the help you:

• Festival and Market Strategy Planning Worksheet

• Festival vs Market Overview: What Filmmakers Need to Know

Praise for Michelle's Education With Stage 32:

"I can't say enough good things about Michelle! Talk about a woman who knows her stuff. I highly recommend all writers, producers, and directors take a course with her to hone their craft and propel their careers." - Kaitlin L.

“There's so much to learn about the craft and business of working in this industry and I'm grateful to have Michelle's expertise in guiding me through it.” - Nick S. 

"Michelle Alexandria proves to be an excellent guide cutting away at the barriers, self or industry created. Stellar webinar, she provides selflessly a deep knowledge, her experiences towards acquiring interest from the least expected sources, helps streamline efforts towards gaining the optimal financial support and guiding products towards audiences. Going to “throw clay onto the wheel” with confidence. Kudos, highly recommend!" - Jen K

Session #1: Festivals Vs Markets And Building Your Strategy

“Where Does My Film Actually Belong?”

This session focuses on understanding the ecosystem of festivals and markets and building a realistic, goal-driven festival plan for the year.

Topics Covered:

• The difference between film festivals and film markets
• How major festivals and markets function
• Understanding European festivals and markets such as Berlinale
• Premiere status, exclusivity, and why they matter to buyers and distributors
• How films lose value by aging out of the festival circuit
• Choosing festivals based on your film’s genre, budget, and goals
• Creating a realistic festival submission budget
• Using submission platforms like Film Freeway strategically rather than emotionally
• Q&A with Michelle 

Assignment: Create and account with Film Freeway and then create a personalized festival and market strategy for your film covering a 12-18 month period, including priority festivals, market attendance, and budget allocation.

Session #2: Leveraging Festivals For Distribution And Career Growth:

“How to Turn Festivals into Real Momentum”

This session focuses on what happens after submissions and acceptance, and how to use festivals and markets to support distribution, sales, and future projects.

Topics Covered:

• When festivals help distribution and when they hurt it
• Attending festivals strategically, when it’s worth traveling and when it’s not
• Using festivals to create excitement, credibility, and press
• Navigating festivals with or without a sales agent
• Understanding who is actually at festivals and markets, and why
• Turning festival screenings into meetings, relationships, and next projects
• Common mistakes filmmakers make after acceptance and how to avoid them
• Q&A with Michelle 

Assignment: Create a festival action plan outlining what you will do before, materials to create, and during, and after a festival or market to maximize value.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 class will be booked on a first-come, first-served basis. The opportunity to work this closely and for this long with an expert in the field is an incredibly unique and valuable opportunity. If you are interested, please book quickly. Once the spots are gone, they’re gone for good.

• This is an intimate, in-depth, practical, and detailed class held on Zoom where you will be interacting with your instructor.

• This class consists of 2 sessions roughly two hours in duration and offers significantly more in-depth content than a standard Stage 32 webinar.

• ***Your instructor will be available on email during the entire duration of the class to answer any questions you have about your project.***

• To stay motivated and inspired you will have access to a dedicated Stage 32 Lounge post where you can meet, connect and communicate with your fellow classmates throughout the length of the class and beyond. Let Stage 32 help you find your tribe!

• Can't make it live? Don't worry, each session will be recorded and you can watch it on demand at your convenience. 

• You will be held accountable to take the lessons from each week and move your work forward.

• Payment plans are available at checkout through Shop Pay

• Filmmakers preparing to submit a completed film to festivals and wanting a smart submission strategy

• Directors and producers in post-production planning their festival and distribution timeline

• Indie creators who want to understand the difference between festivals and film markets and how each benefits their film

• Filmmakers who’ve submitted before but didn’t get the results, traction, or industry attention they expected

• Producers looking to maximize premiere status, press potential, and buyer interest

• Creatives who want to avoid costly mistakes like over-submitting, mis-timing, or aging their film out of the circuit

• Anyone serious about building a long-term career strategy—not just getting into festivals, but leveraging them for real opportunities

Praise for Michelle's Education With Stage 32:

"I can't say enough good things about Michelle! Talk about a woman who knows her stuff. I highly recommend all writers, producers, and directors take a course with her to hone their craft and propel their careers." - Kaitlin L.

“There's so much to learn about the craft and business of working in this industry and I'm grateful to have Michelle's expertise in guiding me through it.” - Nick S. 

"Michelle Alexandria proves to be an excellent guide cutting away at the barriers, self or industry created. Stellar webinar, she provides selflessly a deep knowledge, her experiences towards acquiring interest from the least expected sources, helps streamline efforts towards gaining the optimal financial support and guiding products towards audiences. Going to “throw clay onto the wheel” with confidence. Kudos, highly recommend!" - Jen K