How to Position Your Film for The Biggest Award Shows

In this masterclass and workshop, experienced film publicist Steven Raphael will share his valuable insights on how to best position a film for consideration at festivals such as Cannes and get them nominated for award shows like the Oscars.

Steven Raphael has a long career of developing successful campaign strategies targeted at both award seasons and theatrical distribution for films such as POOR THINGS (winner of four Oscars), ANATOMY OF A FALL (Oscar and BAFTA winner), A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (eight Oscar nominations), THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD (two Oscar and BAFTA nominations), and many more.

On Friday, May 8th, Raphael will give a masterclass in which he shares his insights from the recent Oscar campaign for The Girl With the Needle. The masterclass is open to all, but participants in the workshop on Saturday, May 9th, are automatically registered for the masterclass, as the workshop builds directly on it.
The workshop offers an in-depth exploration of strategies for positioning a film in both the global and U.S. markets to ensure the best possible chances at awards and festivals such as the Oscars and Cannes.

Program:

Friday, May 8
Masterclass — 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Masterclass with Stephen Raphael, where he shares his insides from the Oscar campaign of Girl With the Needle. Followed by a Q&A.

Saturday, May 9
Participant Workshop — 9:00am - 4:00pm
Workshop for film professionals who wishes to take a deep dive into how a film is best positioned at Cannes and the Oscars. The participants will learn how they position themselves in the foreign language market as well as the US.

Main themes

Overview of Theatrical Marketing & Distribution
  • Theatrical marketing strategies
  • Publicity, media, and social media
  • Current distributors in the industry
Publicity & Promotions
  • National vs. regional publicity
  • Grassroots outreach
Festival Landscape
  • Overview of major festivals: Cannes, Venice, TIFF, Telluride, NYFF, Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca
  • How festivals impact distribution and awards strategy
Case Study: AWARDS CAMPAIGN: THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE

Past Campaign Examples:

  • Emilia Pérez
  • Joyland
  • The Quiet Girl
  • The Worst Person in the World
  • Flee
  • Quo Vadis, Aida?
  • Girl With The Needle
Discussion of the timeline; Cannes through Academy Awards Evening

Current Film Examples:

  • Frankenstein
  • Train Dreams
  • Left-Handed Girl
  • Late Shift
  • Homebound
Creative Materials
  • One-sheet
  • Trailer
  • Broadcast clips
  • Key set photos
  • Production notes / EPK
  • Website development
  • Media buying essentials
Understanding Your Team
  • Producer representatives
  • Publicists
  • Agents & managers
  • Festival programmers
Real-World Application
  • Practical questions and scenarios from industry experience

What will you learn?

  • Film Marketing
  • Positioning Films for the U.S. Marketplace
  • Publicity & Word of Mouth
  • Competitive Landscape
  • Festival Positioning
  • Theatrical Distribution Opportunities
  • Sales & Awards Campaigns
  • Workshop Topics

Who is the course for?

The masterclass is for everybody interested in strategies for positioning a film for awards and festivals. The Workshop is targeted industry professionals, who wish to gain deeper knowledge on how to position their films on both US and global markets.

Application process:

Sign up via Billetto

Workshop participants, who work professionally in the Danish film industry, can apply for financial funding from the Danish Film Institute’s pool for continuous training and competence development. The funding is for those, who work or have worked professionally in the Danish film industry and the people who have a relevant education in film production. The institute funds course fees up to DKK 25.000. The next deadline is February 4th 2025. Read more here.