Submitting to Film Festivals? FilmFreeway's GM On Scams, Fees, Marketing & the Platform's Future

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FilmFreeway's new General Manager, Matt Toigo, sits down with Directors Notes for an exclusive, no-holds-barred interview. DN's MarBelle asks the questions that filmmakers and film festival directors have been wanting answers to for years.

In this comprehensive interview, we cover:
🚨 SCAM FESTIVALS: The new ID verification system, first-year festival payout rules, and how FilmFreeway is working to protect filmmakers.
💰 FEES: The reason behind the activation & relisting fees, marketing costs, and how FilmFreeway actually makes its money.
🔮 THE FUTURE: New features, marketing tools for filmmakers, and the platform's promise to improve transparency.

🔗 Links:
Read the full interview on Directors Notes: https://directorsnotes.com/2025/08/28...
FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/

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** VIDEO CHAPTERS **
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:15 Matt's background as a developer
00:03:09 Running FilmFreeway as someone without a film background
00:04:33 The size & structure of the FilmFreeway team
00:05:19 FilmFreeway's responsibility as the dominant film festival submissions platform
00:08:42 Accusations of enshittification
00:12:33 How FilmFreeway makes its money
00:15:08 FilmFreeway's marketing services & the belief that it's 'pay to play'
00:16:51 How many film festivals are listed on FilmFreeway
00:18:25 FilmFreeway Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals List
00:19:59 FilmFreeway festival reviews
00:21:39 Scam festivals on FilmFreeway
00:27:39 Film festival activation & relisting fees
00:29:45 Awards/Laurel mills
00:32:12 Unreliable Vimeo analytics
00:35:52 Better film festival filtering options
00:37:28 FilmFreeway's Future: DCPs, Marketing & New Tools
00:39:10 Matt Toigo's #1 Tip for Filmmakers & Film Festivals
00:41:07 Beyond Submissions: FilmFreeway's New Vertical Plans
00:44:16 A direct message to the FilmFreeway community
00:46:00 Adding new awards bodies lists

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