I’ve never been to a really large festival like Sundance or SXSW, but I intend to go someday regardless of whether or not my film gets in. I see the merits of showing up, meeting people, listening to others, sharing your work, and more importantly - learning from the experience. I have been to a few smaller but respectable festivals, such as the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (going on right now) through the efforts of Nehal Shah - and also through screenings of IFHY, and the efforts of Zak Forsman & Sabi Pictures. I haven’t however, been to a film festival for a film I that wrote/directed besides Blue in Green, and that was at Beverly Hills Film Festival which at the time proved to be forgettable experience for all the Blue in Green filmmakers involved. I want White Knuckles (a film recently completed by Sabi Pictures that I directed) to be the first film that gets in… i.e. the “good Festival experience”… but my expectations have certainly changed.

Before it used to be about ‘selling’ – whereas now it’s more about ‘sharing’. Because of DIY, the emergence of nano-budget interdependent filmmaking, and following the developments of sites like New Breed and the Workbook Project, you could say that my film festival expectations have changed fundamentally. Again, perhaps it’s in part because of web resources recently that point to a real “nexus” of thought forming on the internet that will shape our cinematic future (as we help shape it).

The continued growth and evolution of technology seems to open great possibilities of connecting filmmakers to their audience (”fans”), and connecting all of us to each other while creating quality films. White Knuckles is a beautiful film waiting to be seen by a larger audience, with performances of a life-time and a collaborative approach to the creation of the story and characters (and I always thought the film would play well at festivals). Perhaps it still might but I used to expect the kick-start for the film would be a festival acceptance. Now I’m prepared to take some, if not all my eggs out of the festival basket as White Knuckles begins its festival rounds. Officially or unplugged - I still plan to attend with my film in hand and meet others and see their works of passion.

SIDE NOTE: If a major studio saw the film at a festival and wanted to make a certain offer under certain conditions I would have to seriously consider it - but I don’t see that as the goal anymore (just a fantastical notion). I now take the more chill position of: ‘it really doesn’t matter if it doesn’t happen here - there are other avenues.’ That’s how I’ve come to manage my expectations for the first festival for this film. I’d much rather become friends with the fans of the film that want to talk about it – than to make a deal with someone I don’t know for ‘ownership’ on something that I am hoping to learn how to make-self sustaining anyway.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW THE ENTIRE PANEL DISCUSSION ON “MANAGING EXPECTATIONS ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT”.

KEVIN K. SHAH is an American-born Indian director, producer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He has worked industry jobs ranging from marketing executive to behind-the-scenes producer, and has also worked outside the business as a dog-walker, tree-planter and middle school art teacher. Kevin has written a variety of scripts, made dozens of studio documentaries and produced a few feature films he finds deeply meaningful. Over the years he has also published poetry, photography and creative fiction in literary magazines. Kevin is a world traveler, activist, humanitarian, pacifist, environmentalist and a vegan. He watches very little television.