Keith Richards said it best: “If you gotta think about being cool, you ain’t cool.”
The 25 rare birds on our 2017 Coolest Film Festivals in the World list come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing holds true about them all—they have a certain something that makes attendees not want to leave. Be it perfect programming or insane all-night ragers, these fests distill everything that’s fun about making and watching movies, bottle up that funk, and slow-pour it into a flaming celluloid shot glass for your pleasure.
As in previous years, we got a little help from our friends in assembling this tasting menu—eight friends, to be exact, whose roles in the industry run the gamut: writer-director, podcast host, programmer, publicist, producer. Their anecdote-filled nominations helped us piece the following together—and every year, the list acts as a reflection of what each panel truly values in an experience. 2017’s trends? One: Venues really matter, be they open-air piazzas or some of America’s most iconic picture palaces. And two: A little celebrity never hurts, with famous festival board members like Ben Stiller, Alec Baldwin and John Waters giving some of these events their stamps of approval.
So where do your priorities lie? Would you rather be dancing with a Serbian princess after taking in a Tarkovsky retrospective, screaming out film karaoke with a hundred of your new closest friends, or skinny-dipping in a freezing lake after 24 solid hours of avant-garde cinema?
Don’t worry, it’s OK to pick “all of the above.” – Greg Hamilton and Kelly Leow
2017 Panel of Cool
Janicza Bravo is the writer-director of Lemon (opening August 25, 2017, courtesy of Magnolia Pictures), the short “Gregory Go Boom,” and episodes of FX’s Atlanta, HBO’s Divorce and Netflix’s Love series. She was raised on an army base in Panama City and currently lives in L.A.
Michelle Carey is the artistic director of Melbourne International Film Festival in Australia. She is also a programmer for the long-running Melbourne Cinémathèque, and serves as film festivals editor at the online film journal Senses of Cinema.
Jeremy Chilnick is an Emmy-nominated writer and producer. He is co-founder, partner and COO at Morgan Spurlock’s production company, Warrior Poets. His most recent credits include the documentaries The Pistol Shrimps, Vlogumentary, Rats and The Eagle Huntress.
Justin Chon has worked as an actor for over 15 years. As a writer-director, his first feature film, Man Up, was distributed by Lakeshore Entertainment. His latest project, Gook, opens in select theaters on August 18, 2017, courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Greg Hamilton is a MovieMaker contributor, film curator and member of the board of directors at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, OR. He recently served as programming director for the Julien-Dubuque International Film Festival. He is the director of the upcoming documentary short “Thou Shall Not Tailgate.”
Adam Kersh is the co-founder of the PR and digital marketing firm Brigade, where he heads up the publicity division. He has executed marketing and publicity strategies for hundreds of films, series and clients, including Sean Baker’s Tangerine, the Duplass Brothers’ Togetherness, Andrew Haigh’s Weekend and others.
Violet Lucca is the digital producer of Film Comment magazine and host of The Film Comment Podcast. She regularly contributes writing to Sight & Sound, The Village Voice and Brooklyn Magazine. Her short film, “Victoria’s Secret,” screened at AFI Fest in 2007.
Jeff Orlowski is an Emmy-winning filmmaker and founder of Exposure Labs. His latest documentary, Chasing Coral, continues the momentum of his previous environmental doc feature Chasing Ice (2012). In 2016, Orlowski was named the inaugural Sundance Discovery Impact Fellow for environmental filmmaking.
The 25 festivals await! Continue reading.
Read previous Coolest Film Festivals in the World lists: 2016, 2015 and 2014.
The Festivals
BAMcinemaFest / New York City, NY / June 2018
“Killer programming. Curation at its finest. A New York premiere at a historical venue. What more could you ask for?” says a panelist, who concludes: “Every day of this festival is choice.” That venue is the 150-plus-year-old Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), which also hosts the Migrating Forms showcase we’ve featured on previous editions of this list. Beyond the circuit hits fresh off Park City and Austin, this year—the BAMcinemaFest’s ninth—hosted the world premiere of Jim McKay’s En el Séptimo Día, and the North American premiere of James Kienitz Wilkins’ Common Carrier—two films, like many others in the slim line-up, by Brooklyn-based creators. You know what they say: Watch local.
Cartagena Film Festival / Cartagena, Columbia / March 2018
FICCI (that’s Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias) is a hub for Ibero-American film, offering a work-in-progress lab, producers forum and salon under its Puerto FICCI banner. At 57, this is the oldest film festival in Latin America, but also one of the liveliest. Its annual Cine en los Barrios program brings films to non-traditional settings—hospitals, churches, jails—all across Bolívar. “In the beautiful hills of Cartagena’s Old City, seeing films and mixing with fellow cinephiles is a true pleasure,” says a panelist. “Cartegena is an antidote for the winter blues. The white sand beaches are the perfect break from the darkness of the theaters.”
Chicago International Film Festival / Chicago, IL / Oct. 12-26, 2017
“I had one of the best weekends of my life at Chicago International Film Festival a couple years ago,” says a panelist. “There is something reinvigorating and pure about a regional film festival, which can help reinstall your passion for cinema.” Like many great festivals, however, CIFF is part of a larger complex of programming that is much more than just one weekend: Other year-round events put on by parent organization Cinema/Chicago center on youth filmmakers, television, education, international cinema… all of which draw upon the windy city’s cultural riches.
Eastern Oregon Film Festival / La Grande, OR / Oct. 19-21, 2017
Celebrating its eighth year in the bosom of Eastern Oregon’s Blue Mountains, EOFF seems, on the surface, about as far away from “cool” as you can get—but maybe that’s the secret. With a 13,000-odd population, the tiny city of La Grande has quietly fostered a hand-crafted festival that delivers quality and a wide-open sensibility without much hubbub. From the cozy confines of the Granada 3 Theatre to the down-home events that highlight the festival’s slender selection, there is an undeniable love of good independent cinema with a healthy dose of hospitality and who-knows-what-might-happen intimacy.
Fantastic Fest / Austin, TX / Sept. 21-28, 2017
“It feels unfair to have two Austin-based organizations on here twice,” notes a panelist (see SXSW, below), “but if you are a diehard fan of genre, very few programs are as good as Fantastic Fest. It’s always weird in the best possible way.” Fantastic Fest is a film nerd’s dream gone sideways. When you aren’t taking in the best in genre movies, there are more crazy events than you can shake a stick at. Putt-Putt golf party? Check. Star Wars drinking competition? Check. A pre-screening meal serving up the unlikely delicacy of Nutria (i.e. giant swamp rat)? Sure. Whatever floats your boat.
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival / Durham, NC / April 5-8, 2018
With almost 20 years of documentary films in its rear-view mirror, Full Frame continues to set the standard for nonfiction festival coolness. “This is probably one of the best places to actually watch documentaries,” says a panelist. Fantastic programming, Southern hospitality and a commitment to education help set this documentary oasis apart from the rest. It doesn’t hurt to be a qualifier for the PGA and Academy Awards either. “If you can’t make Sundance, this is the easiest way to see some of the top films of the year. See a film, get some food, and go across the hall to watch another film.”
Hamptons International Film Festival / The Hamptons, NY / Oct. 5-9, 2017
It’s known as an awards predictor, and no wonder: Eight of the past nine eventual Best Picture winners have graced Hamptons International Film Festival screens. Yet atmosphere at the festival is far from stuffy and serious. Its fun conversation series Winick Talks at Rowdy Hall serves up coffee, breakfast and intimate chatting, and you’ll likely run into board co-chair Alec Baldwin at some of the parties over Columbus weekend. In honor of the festival’s 25th anniversary in 2017, its 25 Years: 25 Films series plays alumni films from The Piano to The Cove at various venues throughout the year.
I Mille Occhi / Trieste, Italy / Sept. 12-21, 2017
This festival in Trieste is so “off the grid,” says one panelist, “I practically felt I had to enter with a secret handshake. But once there, it is a very warm, hospitable and eccentric – i.e. very Italian – festival where the curator intros are sometimes longer than the films.” At I Mille Occhi—which translates to “the thousand eyes,” a reference to a 1960 Fritz Lang film—cinema nerds watch intellectually provocative programming that draws from all decades to explore pertinent socio-political themes. Now in its 17th year, the festival bears a mission to ignite cinephilia in younger generations—so all screenings and events are free—and hosts a “wonderful array of guests from past and present eras.”
IndieLisboa / Lisbon, Portugal / May 2018
“Lisbon’s indie film festival marches to the beat of its own drum,” says a panelist. Seeing that this year’s event featured a beatboxing battle, parties in a tastefully ramshackle apartment-come-club, and DJ sets in the catacomb beneath a high school, we tend to agree. As for the movies, IndieLisboa plays “a very hand-picked selection of films popular with the city’s young crowds,” and “each year pays tribute to a number of ‘Indie Heroes’ through lovingly curated retrospectives.” It also has an extensive series of kid-oriented screenings and events called IndieJúnior, as well as a gonzo films section of sorts, evocatively called “Mouth of Madness.”
International Short Film Festival Oberhausen / Oberhausen, Germany / May 3-8, 2018
Once again, age proves cooler than youth. Sixty-four-year-old Oberhausen is one of the oldest festivals in the world, but it’s “a small festival with only a small number of screens,” so “you can pretty much attend most screenings and events, and always run into friends and never feel alone.” Our experts love the “interesting panels and guests,” “surprising selections” and “interesting themes—like ‘social media before the internet’” at this shorts showcase, which has played films by the likes of Martin Scorsese, Michel Gondry, Ousmane Sembène and Roman Polanski. While you’re in town, check out the Gasometer Oberhausen—a gas container converted to an arts exhibition space.
Jeonju International Film Festival / Jeonju, South Korea / April 2018
“Unforgettable,” raves a panelist about this ambitious 18-year-old affair. “A four-hour taxi ride from Seoul, detouring through a nocturnal countryside intermittently dotted with glowing red crosses—let’s not forget South Korea is one of the most Christian countries in the world—is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the delightful curiosities to be found at this little South Korean festival, much lesser known than its bigger Busan brother. The program is always interesting, a mix of Asian indies, Korean premieres, experimental films and rarities from all over the world.”
Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival / Jerome, Arizona / Sept. 8-10, 2017
The youngest festival on our list, JIF&MF perhaps hasn’t ironed out all its kinks yet, but it’s lined up all the ingredients for a wonderfully unique experience. Based in Jerome, Arizona, a ghost town and artist colony looming over a historic copper mine, the festival also holds events in nearby Clarkdale and Cottonwood. The coolest venue of all, though, has to be the Wicked Wild West Cinema Train—an actual four-hour train journey through canyons, complete with film screenings and musical performances on board. Throw in a local wine competition (the Verde Valley area is considered Arizona’s answer to Napa), and you’ll be making films as an excuse to attend the extracurriculars.
Küstendorf International Film and Music Festival / Drvengrad, Serbia / January 2018
Situated high in the mountains outside of Belgrade at a rustic resort that once served as a film set, is one of the coolest international film festivals in the world you’ve never heard of. “At Küstendorf, time stops. You are absorbed with watching incredible international films, partying relentlessly, and listening to film masters tell their stories,” says our panelist. Serbian auteur and two-time Palme d’Or-winner Emir Kusturica presides over the party, drawing in cinema luminaries like Johnny Depp, Alfonso Cuaron and Andrei Konchalovsky for retrospectives and open panel discussions. With a focus on awarding new international talent, the fest is the perfect venue for the next generation of student filmmakers.
Locarno Festival / Locarno, Switzerland / Aug. 2-12, 2017
If you define “cool” as “forward-thinking, innovative and thought-provoking,” Locarno should probably be at the top of your must-attend list. A panelist explains: “Offering up the finest of what’s far too often reduced to ‘slow’ or ‘hybrid’ cinema, Locarno is at the cutting edge of contemporary film. The retrospectives and ambitious new films (in the Concorso Internazionale and Signs of Life sections) that appear here often travel worldwide afterward—and deservedly so.” Festival-goers enjoy outdoor screenings in the Piazza Grande, which holds a whopping 8,000. It’s breathtaking: “the best of Italian and German Switzerland, nestled between the Swiss Alps and the picturesque Lago Maggiore.”
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival / Los Angeles and Orange County, CA / April 2018
Attend LAAPFF and you’ll get a tour of some of SoCal’s most interesting screening venues, from Hollywood’s beloved Egyptian Theatre to the spanking new CGV Buena Park, the funky Downtown Independent and a slew of traditional and converted spaces around L.A.’s Little Tokyo neighborhood. “LAAPFF programs diverse, unique Asian films from around the world that one might not be able to catch at other festivals,” says a panelist, who’s attended the festival for the 16 years. The 2017 edition played 184 films in a total of 33 different languages. Also served up: interactive media, a reflection on the L.A. riots, and the fest’s annual Conference for Creative Content.
Maryland Film Festival / Baltimore, Maryland / May 2018
The personal touch is strong with this one. Outside of your standard new indie hits, Maryland Film Festival celebrates the tastes of its community with special programming: board member John Waters presents a film of his choice each year (last year it was Noel Marshall’s Roar), as does the fest’s annual guest host (who has ranged from Henry Rollins to activist DeRay Mckesson). The festival has just moved back into the renovated Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway complex, home to the 1915 Parkway Theatre—an appropriate setting for “[one of] the most important festivals in the U.S. for American independent filmmakers,” one that’s “helped launch the careers of under-the-radar filmmakers like Stephen Cone, Josephine Decker and Anna Biller,” notes a panelist.
Miami Film Festival / Miami, FL / March 9-18, 2018
Home to beaches, Barry Jenkins and the Borscht filmmaking collective, Florida’s made a strong showing in recent editions of this list. This year, MFF is repping the Sunshine State. “Like the city it takes place in, MFF brings the best of the United States and Latin America together. The parties, food and atmosphere are unparalleled,” says a panelist, who adds that “the experience of seeing a film at the Olympia Theater—a silent-era movie palace that’s truly grand—will make you feel sad to stream for years to come.” Watch out, though, there’s a small caveat: “Your ability to take full advantage of the festival depends on the traffic.”
Midnight Sun Film Festival / Sodankylä, Finland / June 13-17, 2018
Time becomes immaterial in Sodankylä, just above the Arctic Circle, where during the first weeks of June the sun never sets. Accordingly, films screen round the clock at this more-than-a-little-surreal festival. You might stumble into a 4 a.m. screening in the circus-like Big Tent that serves as the main venue, or attend a concert presenting scores by Bernard Herrmann, Ennio Morricone and others in the town church. This “cinephile’s dream,” a panelist says, runs not just on solar power but also “lots and lots of booze”—though “in the unlikely event you grow tired of drinking or watching films, you can enjoy an authentic sauna, then hop into one of the area’s many lakes.”
Montclair Film Festival / Montclair, NJ / April 27 – May 6, 2018
“Stephen Colbert can be found at this festival often,” observes a panelist, “which is awesome!” The resident talk host held conversations with guests John Turturro and Bill Nye at MFF this year—and we suspect he enjoyed this edition’s panel discussion on “fake news,” too. Other board members at this starry little event include J.J. Abrams, Laura Linney, Patrick Wilson, Jon Stewart and more, but it maintains a small-town coziness. “The main theater where we screened, the BowTie Cinemas Clairidge Cinema, is home to many great independent films,” says our panelist. “The venues and overall festival are very intimate.”
Nantucket Film Festival / Nantucket, Massachusetts / June 20-25, 2018
Nantucket, as one panelist points out, is “one of the only festivals in the country to put an emphasis on screenwriters.” Indeed, the festival puts on a glitzy awards ceremony for screenwriting honorees, hosted by board member Ben Stiller, and partners with Screenwriters Colony to offer a month-long residency for a chosen few. Other fun programs include a Late Night Letters event (i.e. live readings of letters to and from famous people) and an All-Star Comedy Roundtable. Plus, Nantucket in the summer—sandy dunes, delicious food, no stoplights. Do we really need to convince you?
New Orleans Film Festival / New Orleans, LA / Oct. 11-19, 2017
Overflowing with a wealth of culture, food and music, there is no other city quite like New Orleans. With that in mind, you might think that NOFF would get lost in the mix. Not so, says one of our panelists. “The festival is in the middle of everything; it’s very much folded in [to the city]. Hog out on food and film and music all within a few blocks.” That energy bubbles up with fantastic nightly parties, celebrity visitations and very little pretense. “There’s nothing like riding a streetcar to see your film, and their after-parties set the bar for U.S. film festivals,” says another panelist.
Sheffield Doc/Fest / Sheffield, United Kingdom / June 7-12, 2018
This nonfiction festival pushes the boundaries of how documentary can be presented. Beyond the top-notch films, masterclasses and conversation panels you’d expect from a festival of its caliber, Doc/Fest has rolled out innovative features like the Doc/Player—a digital library, available to all pass holders, of doc titles in search of distribution. There’s also Alternate Realities, an augmented and virtual reality program comprising a summit, exhibition, arcade and market (this in addition to other events like the well-known MeetMarket). Need a break from all that reality, alternate or otherwise? Head to the bar “that seemingly stays open forever… Sheffield has offered some of the best festival nights I can’t remember,” says a panelist.
South by Southwest / Austin, TX / March 9-18, 2018
It may be the 200,000 pound King Kong of Austin—with corporate swag, long lines and copious studio influence—but Texas’ festival kingpin still continues to impress the independently minded. “My favorite thing about this fest is the audience. They show up literally and figuratively. Turnout is great and the way that they are engaged is unlike anywhere,” says a panelist. Another puts it this way: “While the interactive portions have begun to feel like they’ve overtaken the film portions, there are still very few experiences better on the festival circuit than seeing your film’s name on the marquee of the Paramount Theater.”
Telluride Mountainfilm Festival / Telluride, CO/ May 25-28, 2018
Some festivals preach to their respective choirs, but others, such as Mountainfilm, integrate a fine mix of documentary cinema that engages the whole viewer spectrum. “This is a one-of-a-kind film festival for adventure lovers and environmental film enthusiasts,” opined one of our panelists. It’s also “a magical destination, deep in the heart of Colorado, with beautiful mountain scenery surrounding the town on all sides.” The festival has been championing films that address environmental issues since 1979, and has grown through a well-curated mix of human interest and environmental outreach. It counts author Cheryl Strayed as a regular speaker, along with a monumental lineup of filmmakers and environmental advocates.
Vienna International Film Festival / Vienna, Austria / Oct. 19 – Nov. 2, 2017
Under two decades of leadership from current director Hans Hurch, the Viennale is the “perfect size,” with movies playing at “single-screen cinemas with distinct personality.” Yet the fest’s biggest strength might be the richness of its line-up—programming which “appears to have a portal into the taste-centre of my cerebral cortex,” says our panelist, who cites an edition that featured spotlights on Will Ferrell, Jerry Lewis, Louis Feuillade and Jacques Rivette as an example. Last year, notables such as Kenneth Lonergan, Abel Ferrara, Luc Dardenne, John Carpenter and Patti Smith had work featured (and seeing a Patti Smith concert in Vienna’s historic center, in autumn, might be the coolest thing you’ll ever do). MM
Illustrations by Sonia Lazo. This article appears in MovieMaker‘s Summer 2017 issue.
Read previous Coolest Film Festivals in the World lists: 2016, 2015 and 2014.