In reaction to the COVID-19 outbreak, many film festivals are exploring moving their programming online this year. As a filmmaker being asked to put your work online in this context, here are some questions you should ask of yourself and each festival before you agree.

Film festivals are a vital part of the independent creative ecosystem. Our team at Seed&Spark has had the opportunity to attend hundreds of film festivals — as filmmakers, serving as jurors and programmers and teaching our workshops — and over the years, we’ve had conversations with hundreds of programmers from festivals of all sizes. And we noticed something: festival directors and programmers are just as passionate and dedicated to films as the filmmakers themselves. But filmmakers primarily regard them as key gatekeepers in the journey of seeking and building an audience.

A list of film festivals for 2020 to help you plan your year.