The Doctor Is In: ‘Film Festival Doctor’ Rebekah Louisa Smith on what it takes to play film fests

They’ve assembled their actors, said “Action!” and “Cut!” and gone through a potentially lengthy post-production process. For some directors, getting their film made is a substantial part of the battle; for others, it’s smooth sailing to the edit bay.

But ultimately, every director wants their film to be seen by an eager audience—and often, that can be just as challenging as getting the film made in the first place. Entering the fray of the film festival circuit can be a brutal gauntlet, and without a careful strategy and approach, there’s the potential for heartache, wasted money and missed opportunity.

So for directors needing help getting their film seen, picking up the phone and calling Rebekah Louisa Smith, Ph.D. (a.k.a. the Film Festival Doctor) might be the best way to get their opus off the shelf. With surgical precision, Smith devises the right strategy so a director’s film is screened by the right people at the right festivals.

It’s not just about playing Sundance or Tribeca, or being Oscar-nominated, although some of her past clients can claim that; it’s about helping directors see what they created differently, yielding better results as they get their film to the perfect audience.

A cinematic calling

Smith at the Waco Independent Film Festival

While Smith knew she would work in film and TV since she was young (her father worked in television as an engineer), she remembers the movie that changed everything for her at age 13.

Pointing over her shoulder to a poster of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction on the wall in her Dallas home, Smith says, “I thought, ‘This is the best film ever made.’”

Tarantino’s 1994 hit gave rise to Smith wanting to make a career of studying the director. Her higher education journey culminated with a Ph.D. in Film and Audience Studies from Aberystwyth University in Wales. Her thesis? “Tarantino’s Audiences - Exploring Cult Fan Appreciation.”

However, after a successful thesis defense and receiving her degree, Smith wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next. She loved to research but didn’t want to lecture. Deciding she would finally break into the film business, she was asked to co-produce the Abertoir Horror Festival—Wales’ most successful horror film festival.

After a season of producing festivals, she quickly turned her attention to the filmmakers on the other side of the submissions.

“I was always asking filmmakers what they liked and disliked about film festivals,” Smith says. “Everyone was saying a similar thing, you know, ‘Great to get here, but it’s hard to get in, and how to figure out how to get in.’”

Since Smith deeply understood how people program festivals and how films fit into a lineup, she decided to create a service that could help filmmakers get their films into festivals, and develop a plan and strategy to help them do so.

Smith shares her strategic gift with industry peers

Is there a doctor in the house?

At the start of Smith’s consultancy business in 2010, there was only one prominent festival consultant in the industry. Naturally, her business experienced quick growth, taking her from Wales to London, from London to L.A., and from L.A. to where she now resides in Dallas.

During those past 14 years, the filmmaking and film distribution landscape has changed significantly, increasing the need for consultants like Smith.

Sure, there are 6,266 active U.S. film festivals and 7,915 international festivals listed on FilmFreeway, the main way that film festivals receive submissions in the digital age, but with the proliferation of digital filmmaking tools (who can’t try their hand at filmmaking now that everyone can shoot in 4K using their smartphone?), there are just more people submitting to the same number of slots.

According to Smith, Sundance receives around 10,000 short film submissions and screens around 50 to 60. She explained that even shorts-specific festivals like HollyShorts receive over 6,000 submissions, and only 400 short films are selected. However, despite these odds, a film festival is critical for a film and the filmmaker’s future career.

“Film festivals screen films for their audiences to discover, to meet new filmmakers, and for the filmmaker to make connections,” Smith says. “That could be distribution, or more people seeing the film and more opportunities for their career.”

So if an indie filmmaker has such stiff competition and tough odds, but knows they have to apply to film festivals, what are they to do?

Smith signing a copy of her book Born to Do It: Becoming the Leader of a Business Niche Using Powerful Spiritual Techniques

That’s where Smith’s strategy comes in. Her first line of attack is to learn the goals of the filmmaker in question and not to use the “submit and see” or “spray and pray” approach (which is what many filmmakers applying without professional guidance do by default). She uses an approach informed by her work in programming festivals and her Ph.D. research on audience analysis.

“So it’s one of those things where you have to unpack the film and figure out who the audience is and which festivals match that,” Smith says. “So say it’s a horror film—okay, is it a horror film [that can] break out of the genre film festival circuit? Has it got a story that’s original and unique enough for a mainstream audience?”

Smith further explained that if a film can’t break out of the niche, then it could thrive in its niche and push the boundaries on the types of perspectives people see in film. She highlighted that some festivals specifically seek submissions from diverse filmmakers, including people of color and female and non-binary directors.

“Are the actors in that category as well? Because that could be a big thing too because there are types of festivals for that,” Smith says. “So really look at every single angle and figure out which festivals could accommodate your particular film.”

Born to Do It

Despite this strategic approach, there will inevitably be times when a filmmaker faces rejection. While Smith strongly encourages her clients to detach emotionally from what they’ve created and consider it a “product” (a tough feat), she also urges them to get curious about the rejection.

“Say there is a pile of rejection letters on the table or [rejection] emails. The first thing I say is, what can we learn from this and turn it into positive? What are the patterns from these rejections?” Smith says. “We’re not going into every single festival, but it’s important to understand, when the rejection comes in, to accept it, assess it and then think, ‘Right, how can this help us move forward?’”

Smith’s attitude of acceptance is derived in part from her spiritual practice. As someone who uses meditation, affirmations, vision boarding and manifestation in her own work since 2013, she’s found her calling in encouraging her film clients to do the same. She recommends her clients read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, as well as meditate using resources from meditation coach and filmmaker Jessica Graham. Smith has even written a book that incorporates spirituality into business. Born to Do It: Becoming the Leader of a Business Niche Using Powerful Spiritual Techniques weaves Smith’s spiritual practices into sound business advice for those in creative and non-creative work alike.

And in her personal career, she’s found great success with these techniques. When asked what’s on her vision board for the year, she remarked that the Oscars were a major component of it—and has already seen great success. So far in 2024, she’s qualified six films for the Oscars, two features and four shorts. Plus, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences asked if it could feature the transcript of a documentary feature film in its library though it was still playing the festival circuit, to which Smith wholeheartedly said yes.

Even though her vision board is coming true, Smith doesn’t do what she does for the acclaim, but for the joy and love of the craft.

“I love being the Film Festival Doctor. I love working as a festival strategist,” Smith says. “And the reason I love it is because I know where to place films, and I know how to read between the lines of festivals. I never, ever want to produce or direct; other people can do that. What I do best is getting the film seen—my unique gift that I give to filmmakers and to the industry.”

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To learn more about Rebekah Louisa Smith, Ph.D.’s work or to buy her book, visit thefilmfestivaldoctor.com or follow her on Instagram @rebekahfilmdr.