Customer Reviews

Official Rejection - Rejection Collection Edition

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just caught this amazing and brutally honest doc at the Hell's Half Mile Film Fest in Bay City, Michigan. And having worked the fest circuit with two features now, I can say this film rings so true that's it's almost painful to watch in places (and I mean that in a good way).

This is the indie filmmaker's life, this is our humiliation, this is our reward, this is our freakin' angst! OFFICIAL REJECTION plays like the film companion to Chris Gore's Film Festival Guide. It covers the life (and sometimes death) of mainly one feature as it aims for Sundance, then reevaluates. As it aims for Slamdamn, then reevaluates. As it aims for SXSW, then...well you get the picture. And it's not all doom and gloom. (Well, ok, there is a film fest meltdown that has to be one of the most uncomfortable moments I've ever seen on film.) But...there is a (somewhat) happy ending here.

If you have any plans to make a film, watch this movie! Learn from it. These are the rules of film festivals. Realize that you will not be the exception.

I love OFFICIAL REJECTION. It is my life. If you are a filmmaker (or are close to any filmmakers), it is your life too!

As a fan of films and a filmmaker myself, I found this film incredibly honest and entertaining. Many people are totally unaware of what independent filmmakers go through after they shoot their film. Many great films never see the light of day. This film takes a real look into the film festival circuit and shows the good with the bad. A total inspiration to all the filmmakers out there who have a dream!

Awesome film not only for filmmakers but for all of those people who tell filmmakers they need to submit to Sundance. I wish I had 100 copies of this film so everytime I heard that I could hand this copy to them. Great job! Informative, funny and entertaining.

This movie is fun, cleverly done and filled with wit. Among the humorous thread that runs throughout the movie are moments of intense drama when one festival goes horribly wrong. And moments of sadness, especially in the scene where the director's lovely wife is interviewed followed by a heart-wrenching narration.

Make sure to get the Rejection Collection Edition. It has a lot of extra stuff that make the experience all the more fun.

We've seen alot of movies ABOUT making movies - the shenanigans of Hollywood. Egos, celebrites, etc. But these usually revolve around the studios, and in making or trying to make the movie. Check out any episode of Entourage.

But never before has anyone shown what happens at the ground level, in the trenches of the little independent filmmakers. What I knew about Sundance I learned from watching Entertainment Tonight, and what I thought was that anyone could make a movie and, if it was good enough, get it shown there. Be discovered.

Um, reality check, please!

I'm not a filmmaker (just a fan), and I thoroughly loved this movie. Hysterically funny and completely heartbreaking. You definitely don't need to be "in the know" - all you have to do is appreciate what it's like to have a dream, any dream, and the strength to try and see it thru.

Buy this movie. Now. You won't be sorry.

The double DVD has commentaries, interviews, deleted scenes. A good companion to the Chris Gore "Survival Guide".

Chris Gore's Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide Fouth Edition: The Essential Companion for Filmmakers and Festival-Goers (Chris Gore's Ultimate Flim Festival Survival Guide)

I read about the film in an enewsletter that I receive - I bought it for my boyfriend as we are both filmmakers. Its great for entertainment but its also an education.

So you decided to risk it all and make an independent film on credit cards and cash advances from your loved ones. They all tell you they love it, and you're convinced it's your calling card to film world fame. First, of course, you've got to get the word out and the way to do that, usually, is to let it play the festival route. Submit to Sundance, of course, and Slamdance, second best, and after that there's hundreds of others all too happy to take your entrance fee before giving a cursory look at your baby. The problem is it's a buyer's market. You and several thousand others are competing for the same slots at the same festivals. So the chances you'll get in where you want are slim, even if you really have something good.

"Official Rejection" leads you through the process, step by step, as the filmmakers put together their passion project and got rejected from all but a few minor festivals that didn't have the clout to seriously spread the word about their film. It's a sad story - and sometimes sounds like sour grapes when they insinuate a bit too strongly that the reason they didn't get in is that those who did must have done something illicit. I'm not convinced, based on what they showed of their film, that it is the kind of film that would make an easy fit at Sundance, and there's a good explanation within the film why it didn't get in to Slamdance. Sure, sometimes connections make a difference - and I don't see any way around that. I know, however, a large number of filmmakers who got their projects seen at Sundance and swear it was a complete surprise and that all they did was apply.

Still, that's not the focus of the doc and where it's valuable is that it provides a quick and amusing and informative look at the festival experience, a poorly understood put pivotal side of independent filmmaking. Chris Gore (author of Chris Gore's Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide) is featured prominently in the interviews, and there are sound bites from lots of other filmmakers, both known and unknown. This would be a nice companion to Independent's Day, which focuses on filmmakers who "made it in" to Sundance and on the creation of Slamdance as an alternative.

I couldn't agree more with others who have said that all film students should see this movie. If you want to understand film festivals, or if you want to simply feel better about getting rejected for the movies that you've made, this movie is a must.

The movie is very informative on the arduous Film Fest circuit. It'll open you eyes but it won't get you accepted. That's up to someone else in a higher position.