There is a particular kind of silence in a room just before a film begins. Phones go dark, someone whispers a last comment, and then the first image fills the screen. For a filmmaker who has spent months or years on that image, it is everything. For the people who organised the screening, it is the moment all the planning pays off.
From 2016 to 2020, iChill Productions ran the iChill Manila International Film Fest from our own venue in Manila, with our founder Kuya Manzano as festival director. Films arrived from all over the world, in every genre and with every kind of message. Our January 2018 edition alone screened more than 60 films over two weeks, on two screens across the upper and lower floors, for an audience of around 300 people, and gave 25 awards.
We are not a giant festival, and that is exactly why our lessons may be useful to you. If you want to plan a film festival or a screening event in the Philippines, whether it is a one-night community screening, a school showcase or a full international festival, here is what we learned behind the scenes.
Start with your purpose
Before dates, venues or posters, decide why your festival exists. Is it to showcase local filmmakers? To bring international cinema to an audience that rarely sees it? To build a community around a genre, a cause or a language? A clear purpose answers many later questions for you: which films to select, which awards to give, who to invite and how to describe the event.
Our purpose was simple: to open a small, welcoming door between filmmakers from around the world and audiences in Manila, in a space where people could watch, talk and stay for coffee afterwards.
Choose the right scale
It is tempting to plan big. Resist it for your first edition. A focused programme that runs smoothly will win you more goodwill than an ambitious one that runs late.
Decide early:
- How many days the event will run.
- How many screens or rooms you will use.
- Roughly how many films you can programme.
- The size of the audience you realistically expect.
Our festival grew edition by edition. As Kuya wrote after the January 2018 edition, each time we tried to be better at organisation and marketing. That is a healthy way to grow.
Plan the calendar backwards
A festival has a long tail before the first screening. Work backwards from your opening date and set milestones for:
- Opening the call for entries.
- The submission deadline.
- Selection and notification of filmmakers.
- Programme announcement and ticketing.
- Technical checks of every film.
- Opening night.
- Awards announcements and follow-up.
Leave more time than you think for selection. Watching dozens of films properly, and with respect, takes many hours. Running two editions in some years, as we did in 2017 and 2018 with January and mid-year festivals, only works if the calendar is very well organised.
Set clear submission rules
Filmmakers appreciate clarity. Your call for entries should state:
- Which categories you accept, such as shorts, features, documentaries and animation.
- Maximum running times.
- Accepted formats and languages, and whether subtitles are required.
- Submission deadlines and any fees, stated honestly.
- How and when selected filmmakers will be notified.
- What selection includes: screenings, laurels, awards or certificates.
Online submission platforms make it easier for filmmakers worldwide to find you and send their work. Whatever you use, keep communication friendly and prompt. Many filmmakers submit to dozens of festivals, and they remember the ones that treated them well.
Selection: watch everything properly
Selection is the heart of a festival’s identity. Build a small, trusted selection team, agree on criteria, and make sure every submitted film is watched carefully. Criteria might include storytelling, craft, originality, performances and how well a film fits your programme.
Think about the audience experience too. A programme that mixes drama, comedy, documentary, animation and something unexpected keeps a room engaged across a long evening.
Awards that mean something
Awards give filmmakers something to celebrate and share, and they give your festival a story to tell. Our January 2018 awards list included Best Overall Film, Best Feature, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Actor, Best Script, Best Photography, Best Sound Design, Best Art Direction, Best Documentary, Best Animation and Best Music, alongside more playful honours such as Most Poetic, Most Controversial, Most Original, Audience Favorite and even Best Smile.
Mixing serious craft awards with a few warm, personal ones suits a community festival. Whatever you choose, make sure each award is judged fairly and announced clearly, and provide laurels or certificates filmmakers can use in their own promotion.
The venue and the technical side
A screening is only as good as its projection and sound. Before the festival:
- Test every film file on the actual equipment, in the actual room.
- Check aspect ratios, subtitles and audio levels.
- Keep backup copies of every film on separate drives.
- Plan seating, sightlines, ventilation and lighting.
- Prepare a running order with exact times and changeovers.
Using two rooms, as we did in 2018, lets you run more films and give audiences a choice, but it doubles the technical work. Make sure each room has someone responsible for starting films on time.
Building an audience
Filmmakers want people in the seats. Start promoting early, and give people reasons to come:
- Share trailers, stills and short notes about selected films.
- Highlight local filmmakers and invite them to attend with their friends.
- Partner with schools, film groups, cultural organisations and embassies.
- Create moments worth sharing: Q&As, opening-night gatherings and awards nights.
Our Marketing & AI Content team can help you plan this kind of promotion, from copy to visuals.
Hospitality and atmosphere
Small festivals win hearts through hospitality. Greet people at the door, introduce films with a few warm words, make space for conversation afterwards and thank filmmakers personally. Looking back on 2018, Kuya wrote that the best part was the smiles, the comments and the messages from audience and filmmakers. That feeling is what brings people back to the next edition.
After the festival
The work does not end when the lights come up. Publish your awards list, send laurels and certificates, thank your partners and volunteers, and share photos. Then sit down with your team and write honest notes on what to improve. Our January 2018 festival conclusions are an example of a simple, public wrap-up.
A quick festival checklist
- A clear purpose and a realistic scale.
- A calendar that works backwards from opening night.
- Clear submission rules and friendly communication.
- A careful selection process.
- Fair, meaningful awards.
- Tested projection and sound, with backups.
- A promotion plan that starts early.
- Warm hospitality and a proper wrap-up.
How iChill can help
If you are a festival, a cultural group, a school or a brand planning screenings, we can help with programming, filmmaker communication, technical planning, promotion and running the event on the day. Learn more on our Film Production page, see the festival in our Portfolio, and if you need to cast a film of your own first, read our guide on how to cast actors for a film or ad in Manila.
Planning a project? Tell us about it
Tell us about the screening or festival you have in mind, the audience you hope to reach and the dates you are considering. We would love to help you create that silence before the first image.