Checklist
Avoid Costly Mistakes Before You Submit Your Film
Submitting to film festivals shouldn’t feel like guesswork, so get your free film submission checklist. This one-page checklist helps filmmakers quickly sanity-check their submission strategy before they waste time, money, or premiere opportunities
What This Checklist Helps You Do
- Make sure your film is actually ready for festivals
- Avoid common submission mistakes that lead to instant rejection
- Understand whether a festival is right for your film
- Submit with clarity instead of panic
- Save money by submitting smarter, not wider
No fluff. No hype. Just the essentials every filmmaker should check before clicking submit.
What’s Inside (Simple & Practical)
The Festival Submission Readiness Checklist covers:
- Before-you-submit reality checks
- Materials festivals actually look at
- Strategy red flags that cost filmmakers money
- A final gut-check to avoid panic submissions
It won’t tell you where to submit – It will tell you whether you should.
Who This Is For
This checklist is for you if:
- You’ve finished (or nearly finished) a short or feature film
- You’re overwhelmed by FilmFreeway and festival options
- You don’t want to waste hundreds of dollars guessing
- You want to approach festivals strategically, not emotionally
If you’re serious about festivals, then this is your starting point.
Who It’s From
Anthony Straeger
Film Festival Curator • Filmmaker • Consultant
Author of: An Independent Filmmaker’s Guide to Preparing and Submitting to Film Festivals & Reading the Warning signs on FilmFreeway
I’ve sat on both sides of the submission process as a filmmaker and as a festival programmer. I’ve paid my money and my dues and learnt a great deal along the way. This checklist reflects the most common mistakes I see again and again.
Want the Full Strategy?
This checklist helps you avoid obvious mistakes. The complete submission system, including how to research festivals, plan submissions, and build a real strategy, is in my book:
Reading the Warning Signs on FilmFreeway ll Available here → [2nd February 2026]
