Fake it ’til you make it… as a film festival artistic director
In a piece that first appeared in Encore, Melbourne International Film Festival’s Michelle Carey tells us how.
What does the artistic director of a film festival do?
An artistic director is responsible for the entire presentation of the festival. This encompasses the festival’s vision for cinema, program structure and film selection, and how that program is communicated to the public. At a more detailed level, you are responsible for systems and policies around film and guest negotiation, liaising with international sales agents and distributors, watching lots of films and attending festivals and generally being tapped into the national and international film world, culturally and production-wise.
What skills do you need to be good at the job?
