Heather Brittain

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Film Festival Insider

Heather Brittain

Actress. Filmmaker. Film Festival Insider.

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theheatherbritt

🎬 Helping indie filmmakers navigate the festival circuit
🎟️ Festival Programmer | Founder @filmfestinsider
📰 Variety Featured
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Right now, while you’re reading this, a programmer

That’s a wrap for me on HollyShorts 2026. (But it’

That’s a wrap for me on HollyShorts 2026. (But it’s still happening through Sunday so if you’re in town, definitely stop by!)🎬
Grand prize wins, world premieres, incredible films, and conversations I’ll be thinking about for a while.
If you’re an LA filmmaker and you miss it this year — put it on your calendar for next year. It’s worth it.
See you at the next one. 💌

#hollyshortsfilmfestival #filmfestivalinsider #filmfestivals #filmfestivalstrategy #indiefilm

I just spent the last week at @hollyshorts - one o

I just spent the last week at @hollyshorts - one of the top Oscar-qualifying short film festivals in the world - and I was there in the best possible way. Supporting clients who showed up and delivered.

@lisasteadman won the @stage32 Grand Prize on Opening Night. Her film @taintedloveshort opened the festival to a packed room.

@arbyrnes had his world premiere as a Made in LA finalist. His film Viewfinder was nominated for the Made in LA Award.

I work with independent filmmakers on festival strategy - helping them figure out where their films actually fit, how to position their work, and how to turn a festival run into real career momentum. Nights like Opening Night at HollyShorts are why I do it.

Another standout event was a panel on the relationship between novels and screenplays - which connected directly to a project I'm producing right now. @variety covered it this week: director @christiankangbachini wrote the novel for Haunting Skies after agents pushed rewrites that weren't serving his story. He said no, published it independently, and it's now an Amazon bestseller. The film is moving forward on his terms — and I'm on board as producer.

If you're doing festivals with your film and want strategic support - feel free to shoot me a DM, or hit one of the links in my bio!

#hollyshorts #filmfestivalstrategy #indiefilm #filmfestivals #filmfestivalinsider

Day 2 at HollyShorts left me feeling inspired. Aft

Day 2 at HollyShorts left me feeling inspired.
After an exciting Opening Night - where my client @lisasteadman short film @taintedloveshort won the @stage32 Grand Prize and kicked off the festival with a fantastic block of films - today’s highlight was attending Beyond the Pages, a terrific panel hosted by Jean Vallesteros @jeanbooknerd .
A big thank you to Jean and the incredible author panelists - Mary Ting, D.J. MacHale, Angela Corbett, Clarissa Jacobson, Bradley Beaulieu, Angel Payne, and Lauren Kate - for such an engaging conversation about the relationship between novels and screenplays.
One of the ideas that really resonated with me was that, for many filmmakers, writing a novel isn’t a detour - it’s simply another path to getting the movie made. There isn’t one “right” way into this industry, and sometimes the story itself tells you what medium it wants to live in first.
Looking forward to another few days of great films, great conversations, and meeting more talented filmmakers.
And a special shoutout to my client @arbyrnes , whose beautiful short film Viewfinder has been nominated for the HollyShorts Made in LA Award. If you’re at the festival, don’t miss it - it screens Wednesday, August 19 at 12:00 PM as part of the Made in LA block.

#hollyshorts #filmfestival #filmfestivalinsider #filmfestivalstrategy #filmfestivals

I posted a reel the other day. Asked filmmakers to

I posted a reel the other day. Asked filmmakers to comment FREEWAY if they wanted the link.

My phone was blowing up.

Every comment is a filmmaker who didn’t know their FilmFreeway page was a pitch. And it was costing them.

Filmmakers are catching on.

Don’t let your next submission go in blind.

Comment FREEWAY below. 🎬

#filmfestivalinsider #filmfestivals #filmfestivalstrategy #filmfreeway #filmfestival

I’m in the middle of reviewing submissions for our

I’m in the middle of reviewing submissions for our 2027 festival right now.

And I’ll tell you what I see before I press play on your film — because most filmmakers have no idea this is happening.

Your FilmFreeway page lands in front of me before your screener does. And it’s either telling me this filmmaker is serious, or it’s not. That impression follows your film into the screening room whether you know it or not.

It’s not just newer filmmakers either. Some of the most experienced filmmakers I see have the most incomplete, unprofessional project pages. Which tells me nobody ever showed them what a programmer actually looks at.

FilmFreeway is a marketplace. Your page is positioning your film — whether you’re doing it intentionally or not.

I built Freeway Fixr™ because I kept seeing strong films get passed over for reasons that had nothing to do with the film. Five lessons. Both sides of the table. Less than the cost of one wrong submission.

You really can’t afford another wrong submission.

Comment FREEWAY below, and I’ll send you the link. 🎬

#filmfestivalstrategy #filmfestivals #filmfestivalinsider #filmfestival #indiefilm

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the U.S

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the U.S. premiere of my client Lisa Stedman’s short film, tAInted Love, at LA Shorts International Film Festival—an Oscar®, BAFTA, and Canadian Screen Award qualifying festival.

It was a packed house, a strong block of films, and tAInted Love was a clear standout. It was fantastic hearing the audience respond throughout the screening, and wonderful to finally experience the film on the big screen.

Congratulations, @lisasteadman ,on a terrific premiere. I’m so excited to see where the rest of the festival journey takes this film.

One of the most rewarding parts of what I do is helping filmmakers build a thoughtful festival strategy, then getting to celebrate moments like this alongside them. There’s nothing quite like watching months of planning culminate in a room full of people connecting with a story. 🤍🎬🤍

#filmfestival #filmfestivalinsider #festivalstrategy #filmfestivals

Online film festivals exploded during COVID for a

Online film festivals exploded during COVID for a reason — the world needed connection and they delivered it.

But here’s what most filmmakers don’t account for when they’re chasing laurels from an exclusively online festival: you’re submitting your film into a fish bowl. Someone might fish it out. They probably won’t remember who put it there.

Your film is a very expensive business card. And handing a business card to someone in person — making eye contact, having a real conversation — is categorically different from dropping it into a pile.

The connections you make in the room with other filmmakers. The live audience reaction when that jump scare actually lands. The moment someone remembers you and not just your film.

That’s what online-only festivals can’t replicate.

I was on the Film, Tech & Finance podcast with Kostantinos Kovanis breaking down exactly why in-person festivals are still where careers are made — and what filmmakers need to understand before they submit.

Full episode linked on my blog at FilmFestivalInsider.com. 🎬

#filmfestivalstrategy #filmfestivalinsider #filmfestivals #festivalstrategy #indiefilmmaker

FilmFreeway is a marketplace. And most filmmaker

FilmFreeway is a marketplace.

And most filmmakers are treating it like a filing cabinet.

Right now I’m reviewing submissions — and I’m watching it happen in real time. Talented filmmakers. Strong films. Submission packages that are quietly undermining everything they worked so hard to create.

The frustrating part? They don’t see it. And no one is telling them.

What’s obvious to someone who has sat on both sides of the submission table is completely invisible to the filmmaker on the other side of it. Until it isn’t.

That’s the moment everything changes.

I built Freeway Fixr™ for that moment. Five video lessons that show you exactly what programmers notice before they press play — so your submission package finally works as hard as your film does.

This is the foundation of your entire festival run. Get it right.

Link in bio. Or comment FREEWAY and I’ll send it straight to your DMs. 🎬

#filmfestivalstrategy #indiefilmmaker #filmfreeway #filmfestivalsubmissions #filmfestivalinsider

Filmmakers are out here building their entire fest

Filmmakers are out here building their entire festival strategy like this… 
and no one is questioning it.

“You can use the filters on FilmFreeway to find festivals that are a good fit.” 
“Look at films similar to yours and submit to those festivals.” 
“Look for festivals that are IMDb qualifying.”

It sounds logical. 
It feels like you’re being strategic.

But none of that actually tells you how your film is going to land in a programming room… 
or if the rooms you’re choosing are even right for your goals and your film.
And that’s the part that determines everything.

Because festivals are not selecting films based on filters, labels, or surface-level similarities.

They’re programming for tone, audience, timing, identity, and how a film fits into a much bigger conversation.

Most filmmakers aren’t lacking effort.

They’re making decisions based on signals that look credible… 
but don’t actually mean anything when it comes to selection.

So the strategy ends up feeling scattered. 
Inconsistent. 
Hard to trust.

If that’s been your experience, it makes sense.

You’ve been given tools… 
but not the framework for how to use them.

If you want support building a strategy that actually fits your film, I have resources for every stage of the process.

You can explore more at filmfestivalinsider.com or send me a DM if you’re not sure where to start.

#festivalstrategy #filmfestivals #filmfestivalinsider #filmfestivalsubmissions

There are moments in life that remind you why you

There are moments in life that remind you why you started.

Walking the Croisette. Sitting in packed theaters. Listening to filmmakers share stories they’ve spent years bringing to life. Watching audiences react. Feeling the energy of thousands of people who still believe that cinema matters.

This week in Cannes was one of those moments.

I came to support two incredible filmmakers whose work was showcased on an international stage. I left with something even greater: renewed faith in storytelling and the people brave enough to pursue it.

Behind every screening, every award, every premiere, every red carpet photo is years of uncertainty, sacrifice, rejection, persistence, and belief.

That’s the part people don’t always see.
But standing in Cannes, surrounded by artists from every corner of the world, I was reminded that great stories continue to find their way forward because people refuse to give up on them.

Feeling grateful. Feeling inspired. Feeling excited for what’s next.
The future of independent film is in very good hands.

🎬❤️

#CannesFilmFestival #filmfestivals #WomenInFilm #festivalstrategy #FilmFestivalInsider

Cannes has a way of reminding you why stories matt

Cannes has a way of reminding you why stories matter.

I spent the past week at the Cannes Film Festival supporting two Film Festival Insider clients, Ellen Ancui and Tatiana Blackington James, whose films were selected for the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase, presented in partnership with Gold House.

Watching their work screen alongside so many thoughtful, moving, and beautifully crafted films was a privilege. The level of talent in this showcase was extraordinary, and I left inspired by the filmmakers who are shaping the future of independent cinema.

The week brought even more reasons to celebrate.

Both filmmakers also screened as part of the Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase, where Tatiana received the award for Best Screenplay and Ellen received the Jury Award. Seeing their work recognized on an international stage was incredibly rewarding.

Beyond the screenings and events, what stays with me most are the conversations.

Conversations with filmmakers from around the world. Conversations about craft, persistence, audience, funding, rejection, success, and the stories people feel compelled to tell.

No matter where someone came from, the language was the same: a belief in the power of storytelling.

I attended fascinating panels, including IndieWire’s discussion on short films and career pathways, watched remarkable films, and finally experienced a screening at the legendary Lumière Theatre—one of those moments every film lover dreams about.

But perhaps my biggest takeaway is this:

For all the challenges facing independent filmmakers today, there is an incredible amount of talent, passion, and determination out there.

The future of filmmaking feels bright.
And after a week like this, it’s hard not to feel optimistic about what’s ahead.

#CannesFilmFestival #filmfestivals #WomenInFilm #festivalstrategy #FilmFestivalInsider

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