Teasers, trailers... whatever we call them, they are first and foremost a specific form of advertising designed primarily for the television medium. No reputable film festival can do without marketing, and given their focus on film experiences, it is clear that proper promotion should also be done through audiovisual formats. Moreover, the festival is a connoisseur’s event - the vast majority of viewers will eventually watch some of the festival films sooner or later via linear TV, HbbTV, streaming platforms, or any other channel available today.
Festival trailers and teasers on mainstream television are the very first step to drawing attention to a film showcase and discovering gems that viewers might not have otherwise considered.
The award that sucks
The festival trailer is inseparable from KVIFF. It is actually a kind of short film, but it is also meant to serve as a promotion of the festival. There is nothing special about it, many film festivals around the world have one. Yet, KVIFF is unique in this respect; the premiere of the trailer is always eagerly awaited, especially because it always features a domestic or foreign star who has received the main prize of the festival’s president in the past. The common leitmotif of all the trailers since the 43rd edition is the fact that the award sucks, and so year after year the Crystal Globe winners come up with different creative ways to make better use of it.
And there have been many over the years. In addition to the living and non-living stars of the Czech film industry, such as directors Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Miroslav Ondříček and Otakar Vávra, or actors Josef Somr, Jiřina Bohdalová, Iva Janžurová and Zdeněk Svěrák, global acting superstars have also made their festival cameos. Harvey Keitel and Danny DeVito were the first to do so, and last year it was Johnny Depp (who is a bit of a special case - he turned down the festival’s president’s award due to sexual harassment allegations, and the trailer with him was filmed in colour for the first time, not just black and white). But there were others... Andy García, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Jude Law and Mel Gibson.
And this year, Benicio del Toro will join their ranks. The trailer will premiere at the opening gala of this year’s KVIFF on 28 June.
It’s not that the pre-2008 festival trailers were bad, they just weren’t that unique. That changed with the concept, which was created by advertising directors Ivan Zachariáš and Martin Krejčí. All the trailers have in common that they are usually filmed under a time constraint, which requires their creators to be flexible enough to travel to the other side of the world to meet busy stars. But what they also have in common is that both domestic and foreign actors and filmmakers are glad for the opportunity to be the protagonists of a KVIFF trailer. This correlates with the acclaim KVIFF has received in the showbiz world - foreign guests who visit it praise it for its intimate and friendly atmosphere. The nature of these promotional trailers underlines this atmosphere.
Johnny Depp in a new trailer; Source: Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary; redistributed from cool.iprima.cz/Video: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival - Johnny Depp (2023)
From a marketing point of view, this is a perfect way to draw attention to a film festival in a small country in the middle of Europe that is still relatively small in size, albeit international. It may come as a surprise that even iconic global festivals can’t often match the originality of the Karlovy Vary trailer. Its concept is unique in the world. But it doesn’t hurt to take a closer look at what the real competition is like.
If it’s not for you, don’t go there
The Argentine capital Buenos Aires has already had its film festival for this year. The Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI) takes place every April and is an essential item in the calendar of all lovers of independent filmmaking. The organisers of this film showcase know very well that the work they present here is definitely not for everyone. And this logic is also reflected in the regular festival trailers, which are full of absurd scenes and situations. With the slogan “If it's not for you, it's not for you”, they make it clear that those who profess the classic Hollywood mainstream will come up short here. Two examples. In the 2007 trailer, we follow a group of friends, one of whom has a painting, but the viewer cannot see it. At the insistence of the others, he reveals the motif, saying it is the saddest picture in the world. It is a cat in a cowboy hat and with a pipe. This leads to a group cry for most of the participants, but one of the group doesn’t understand at all. That is the one for whom BAFICI probably isn’t intended. In another trailer, from 2008, we follow a group of co-workers philosophizing about how great it is to have a moustache. Fairly soon afterwards, they identify a traitor in their ranks who has a stick-on moustache. Again, he doesn’t belong to BAFICI. In conclusion, it’s a way to make fun of their niche focus and draw attention to their festival at the same time. It works all the better because only those who will have no problem spending a few days immersed in the world of indie films can really tune in to the level of this humour.
Video: Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema - Clarence (2007)
Video: Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema - Tomsellecks (2008)
How not to fall through the net
If you are heading to the Land Down Under to see films, chances are your journey will lead you to the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). It is one of the largest, longest running, and oldest film festivals in the world – it is also part of the big four, enjoying the pride of being placed alongside its older festival siblings held in Venice, Cannes, and Berlin. With such prestige, it is only logical that only the best films make the cut. This has also become the main theme of the marketing campaign for the 2011 edition. Although the MIFF team has produced a number of trailers, the one featuring two lowly potato peelers trying to make the final festival line-up certainly deserves attention. They have a problem with their film being too boring, so they try to come up with a quick and effective solution. Will it help if they murder someone? Or is it better to show their nipples? The situation will eventually call for a last-minute professional stand-in - but will an international movie star manage to catch the attention of programmers of the colossal MIFF? Either way, the unifying element present in KVIFF trailers is missing at MIFF. Thematically and in execution, the trailer is quite different every year.
Video: Melbourne International Film Festival - The Potato Peelers (2011)
Indie films among the Mormons
If you are looking for a reason to choose Utah out of all fifty American states to visit, that reason is the Sundance Film Festival. The film festival, which will soon celebrate 50 years since its inaugural year, is also the largest showcase of independent film in the United States. But Sundance’s concept of independent film has relatively changed over time - today, it is primarily a celebration of those directors who can operate and make a living outside the confines of the Hollywood studio system. But it is still a challenging event that is certainly not for everyone, although in recent years especially, Sundance winners have later boasted some Academy Awards. Regular festival trailers follow the same structure, which is essentially based on the nature of the independent festival. It is usually some mixture of fast-paced psychedelic audiovisual and text sequences that leave you with mixed feelings. So they have a lot in common with the experience of an indie film. What does that mean? That the final interpretation is entirely up to you and the feelings this presentation evokes in you. Because the right film speaks to each viewer a little differently.
Video: Sundance Film Festival - Italo (2020)
Ski-slope festival
If you move across the North American border, you will find the Canadian equivalent of the independent Sundance Film Festival. The Whistler Film Festival (WFF), which takes place every December at a small ski resort, certainly does not sound like something that could compete with any major festival. But the opposite is true, the WFF is slowly becoming Canada’s most prestigious showcase for independent film, and film in general. It is basically a mini-Sundance. That the team behind the WFF knows what it is doing is evidenced by the successful marketing campaigns that always manage to draw the attention of filmmakers from all over the world to a godforsaken town in British Columbia for a few weeks. The 2011 Unexpected Stories campaign was particularly appreciated. Again, a bit of a confirmation that you can never be sure what to expect in indie film. These festival trailers serve up classic clichéd narratives from various film genres, only to surprise the viewer with an unexpected twist that turns these patterns completely on their head. They simulate the pleasure of the unexpected that is associated with attending independent and amateur film festivals. No commercial conventions, just absolute creative freedom. Just about what you would expect from a film festival held in a city of less than 15,000 people.
Video: Whistler Film Festival - Gangster (2011)
Video: Whistler Film Festival - Princess (2011)
And one on the beach for a change
Isn’t it weird that none of the festivals mentioned are in California? In that case, wait for the Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF)! It is special because it is primarily focused on lifestyle films, and the structure of the competition categories reflects that. You will come across family films, documentaries, and films about music, and, given the venue, a rather rich segment of surf films. And then, of course, there are plenty of celebrities and novel festival trailers. These may not be tied together by a unified narrative, but they have an idea that is certainly not to be denied. The one from 2016, for example, is a downright horror masterpiece, and the premise that no matter where we are and whoever we are, someone is always watching us is terrifying even without the brilliant visuals. A year earlier, the NBFF trailer focused on a still controversial topic - namely, that many filmmaking virtuosos are living among us, but no one has yet discovered them. The festival thus aims to act as an imaginary sieve, giving space to both established names and newcomers who still have a stellar future ahead of them. On-screen, this separation of the wheat from the chaff is symbolised on a colour palette oscillating between vivid colours and black and white. In short, NBFF always comes up with some food for thought.
Video: Newport Beach Film Festival - We're Being Watched (2016)
Video: Newport Beach Film Festival - Know New Art (2015)
On either sides of the pond
When you head back across the ocean to rainy Great Britain and visit the aptly named Raindance Film Festival, you will find that its concept is not too different from the American one. Again, it is a highly independent environment that is often only for hardened viewers; but on the other hand, you will find that they espouse similar values here too. The 2016 trailer builds precisely on the idea that some talents are still waiting to be discovered - which is, of course, one of the prerogatives of film festivals. And at other times, like in 2008, it was again about capturing classic themes we all know well from trashy films and turning them on their head. In this particular case, it is about humanising zombies, which is a strange enough concept in itself, made even stranger by the marketing team at Raindance. See for yourself.
Raindance Film Festival - Zombie Love (2008)
Nothing wrong with routine
All of the above examples differ from the average. What is the average, you ask? For example, the trailer for the 56th New York Film Festival (NYFF), which certainly does not offend but probably does not particularly delight either. It is actually a montage (very skilfully done, it should be noted) of footage from the various films in competition at the festival. This is classic craftsmanship... and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.
Video: New York Film Festival - 56th New York Film Festival | Trailer
But if you are in charge of promoting a prestigious film festival, you are probably trying to add some value. There is no mistaking that trailers for these types of events are an overlooked but immensely important discipline. And a demanding one. Firstly, you have to capture the very essence of the festival in a limited space, and secondly, you know that you certainly don’t have all of Hollywood by your side, which means a lack of funds for a major splurge. In short, less is usually more in this case. As you can see from the above examples, what works best is what sets your festival apart from the mainstream. It is better to be honest and not take yourself too seriously. After all, festivalgoers have a different blood type running through their veins than the audience at the multiplex.
