I've made a decision with regard to my filmmaking: I'm no longer going to submit to film festivals until I have the sort of film that would actually benefit from one. What does that mean?

Over the course of the past year and submitting two films to a handful of festivals I've been stricken with the unshakeable feeling that I'm somehow being duped. $40 here, $70 there might not sound like much to some, especially when it comes to investing in a film career, but for me that's a lot. I simply can't justify submitting a film to a festival when I have other bills that need to be paid.

I'm not making this decision out of frustration from my films not being selected. The rejections haven't really bothered me. I'm making it out of a frustration with the system in place.  Film Freeway is a great resource and makes the submission process easy as pie, but I don't think the film festival system caters to no budget, truly independent cinema like mine. Perhaps my films just aren't very good - that's fine, I can deal with that. What I can't deal with is being just another paying customer, someone who supplies these festivals with support without getting anything in return (save Dances With Films who actually gave me some great feedback for This Is Love).

I have the nagging suspicion that my submission fee is all that matters to this system, and the merit of my films doesn't factor into anything. I don't want to be one of a thousand other hopefuls desperate for validation, hoping to get it for the right price. I want to make films and then have those films be seen by people. That's all I want. And that brings me to the other aspect of the festival submission process that I've simply grown tired of - you cannot share your films online until they've been accepted or rejected.

My most recent short, Hamlet Prepares, has been collecting digital dust for months as I await my next rejection when all I've really wanted is to post it on YouTube for all to see.

This decision to stop submitting is in alignment with my values. I do not think art should be exclusive. It should be readily available to all for free. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to make films when I'm inspired and then simply publish them on YouTube and share them with anyone and everyone who's interested. I'll do this without designs of getting "internet famous", instead producing work simply because I must. My goal is to then have a body of work I can proudly point to at some point in the future to someone who might be able to help me get ahead in the film world. A way of saying, "Look at what I can do".

If you'd like to see what I can do follow me on YouTube @TimKailCreates:

https://www.youtube.com/@TimKailCreates

But even if that day never comes, I can at least say I dedicated myself to the art life, and gave people something interesting without strings attached. This is the same model I use to produce my weekly podcast, The Work Of Wrestling. It's ad-free, there's no subscription, it's all just there, for everyone, for free, every week.

It may sound like I'm giving up, but I actually feel like I'm doubling down on myself. I'm rejecting a system that doesn't work for me, a system that's not in alignment with my values nor my interests. I've been toiling away in obscurity for the past several years believing in the power of Film Freeway and the power of film festivals, sinking money into an experience that's neither fun nor conducive to my creative spirit.

So no more. 

My next film, a sci-fi short titled 2060 is underway. When it's done, I'll publish it on YouTube and share it here for you to see.

Thanks for reading.