Going to the movies has always been a communal experience, almost magical at times. An opportunity to escape with our heroes, identify with characters, and share new ideas. And while festivals present the ultimate in art film celebration, most struggle to survive as businesses. Yet, miraculously, their number continues to grow.

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It's important for festivals to recognize that their audience is their customer. Often times, this is overlooked. Marketing and Public Relations are two line items not seen as hard costs, and are therefore reduced when it comes to budget cuts. Bside has developed the ultimate solution, the most comprehensive web solution to ensure festivals maximize their relationship with their audiences. Festival audience members have the opportunity to create personalized schedules, rate and review films, and establish blogs. The Bside Community enhances audience participation. And as a nice bonus, filmmakers appreciate the opportunities to use the tools to generate buzz for projects.

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Most film festivals support emerging artists one way or another. Many spotlight new talent, alongside the masters, or have sections devoted to first time directors. HATCHfest takes the support of aspiring filmmakers to another level. HATCH has developed a year-round program dedicated to the mentorship of new artists. While they do support a variety of crafts (photography, architecture, fashion, music and design), cinema is the through line. Their core program during the annual festivals is the Groundbreakers, a collection of innovative talents, their projects competing for special awards.

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While the Atlantic Film Festival excels in traditional categories and put forth a relaxed atmosphere throughout, it has two other initiatives that were generating a buzz of their own: Strategic Partners and Inspired Music. Beyond the three major Markets (Cannes, Berlin, AFM), few fests successfully take an active role in coordinating meetings between industry professionals, matching producers, buyers, projects and talent. AFF's Strategic Partners program was one of the best, certainly in terms of organization and productivity. In a relaxed environment, more than 600 meetings were held over the course of the fest. The result was a comprehensive Strategic Partners catalogue, the establishment of many relationships and the start of many deals. Count on this program to build momentum year after year.

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Since the early 1990's film festivals have been growing at an exponential rate. As festivals forge ahead into a second decade of strong expansion, there must be greater collaboration and communication amongst its industry professionals and the organizations who work with festivals. Structured and open communication is critical if the growth and effectiveness of festivals can be sustained.

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Based in Hollywood, Very Short Movies (VSM) is quickly becoming a premiere brand associated with quality short movies and a primary vehicle through which emerging filmmakers' careers are started. VSM is proud to announce the Very Short Movies Festival to take place March 8 to 11, 2007 at the Egyptian Theatre. The Egyptian Theatre is a major Hollywood landmark and the permanent home of the American Cinematheque.

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