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Self-distributing filmmakers often face the challenge of procuring funding to support their film’s campaigns - particularly if their goal is to inspire social change. It’s a long-term game and money often isn’t seen until months or even a year after originally sought after.
However - when that money comes in, you’d better be ready!
Early this year, First Generation directors Adam and Jaye Fenderson were offered a grant to finance a 7-10 city screening tour across low-income high schools in New England. Their film follows four high school students seeking to be the first in their family’s to attend college in which their struggles and lessons learned are documented along the way. The goal of our New England screening tour was to educate students on the college application process and inspire them to pursue higher education - regardless of their financial situation.
The First Generation screening tour should have been a breeze. The grant was awarded midway through the school year and included a list of interested schools. What could go wrong?
By the time the grant was officially approved, it was already late Spring and the end of the school year was right around the corner. We had yet to receive the foundation’s list of interested schools - leaving us with only 16 days to schedule 10 events with zero hosts before the end of the year. With minimal guidance from the grant foundation, we researched low-income cities with programs that would need the film the most but were least likely to be able to afford the license. However, the screenings still proved incredibly difficult to book. Not only were we asking high school faculty members to organize an event in two weeks, but we were also competing with nationwide standardized testing.
Despite these overwhelming obstacles, the tour was a great success and First Generation played at 8 schools in 8 cities. In the end, it was a wonderful opportunity to participate in something that can profoundly shape the futures of so many students and educators.
There is much to be learned from this experience, so we want to share it with you! Here are the factors that allow for a successful screening tour:
In addition to everything stated above, you need a good film. At Picture Motion we only work with films that we believe have an interesting and compelling story, and truly have the potential to drive social change. And we definitely found that with First Generation.