Call for Participants
Online Training Session: Festival Strategy & Alternative Distribution
Helps early-career filmmakers position their work within the global festival and distribution ecosystem. Covers audience design fundamentals, festival strategy, sales and programming relationships, and marketing language. Includes interactive case studies, one-on-one feedback on participant materials, and small-group consultations.
Monday, 4 May 2026 • 15:00–19:30 CET • Online via Zoom
Sign Up Now!
Session at a Glance
Date: Monday, 4 May 2026
Time: 15:00–19:30 CET
Format: Online via Zoom
Language: English
Places: Places are limited – first-come, first-served
Fee: €69 (includes certificate of training)
Contact: Fatih Abay, Senior Studies Manager, fabay@tportmarket.com
About TalentBridge
T-Port TalentBridge is an online training programme for emerging directors and filmmaker teams who have limited access to industry training and the knowledge that is often taken for granted in established film circles.
Each session is focused, hands-on, and built around a core theme. Participants learn directly from experienced practitioners, practice in real time, and leave with concrete tools and a personal action plan.
Session 2 helps early-career filmmakers position their work within the global festival and distribution ecosystem. It is practical, interactive, and built around each participant’s actual project and materials.
What You Will Learn
- Distribution fundamentals: how to define and reach your film’s audience
- Festival strategy: how to build a realistic, tiered festival roadmap
- Sales and programming relationships: how the industry works and how to navigate it
- Marketing language: how to talk about your film clearly and compellingly
- Interactive case studies drawn from real festival and distribution scenarios
Session Agenda
15:00–15:15
Welcome & Participant Introductions
15:15–15:30
Overview: The Festival & Distribution Ecosystem
Fatih Abay & Amos Geva (T-Port)
15:30–17:15
Workshop: Distribution, Marketing Language & Interactive Case Studies
Enrico Vannucci
17:15–17:30
Break
17:30–19:00
Expert Session: Festival Strategy, Sales & Programming Relationships
Kathleen McInnis
19:00–19:30
One-on-One Feedback, Small-Group Consultations & Closing Circle
Who Is This For?
- Early-career directors working on a first or second feature film
- Director–producer teams preparing for festivals or seeking distribution
- Filmmakers who want clarity on how to position and talk about their work
- Anyone preparing festival submissions, pitch materials, or a logline
- Filmmakers who have had limited access to this kind of industry knowledge
Note: You do not need a completed film to participate. A project in development or post-production is enough.
You Leave With
- A personalised festival roadmap for your project
- Refined marketing language: logline, synopsis, director’s statement, bio
- One-on-one feedback on your submitted materials
- A clear understanding of how to approach programmers and sales agents
- Access to the session recording and all shared resources
- Certificate of attendance
- A peer network of fellow emerging filmmakers from across Europe and beyond
Session Experts
Enrico Vannucci
Enrico Vannucci has been working within the international film ecosystem for over fifteen years, across festivals, development programmes and industry platforms. He has been a programmer for Pardi di Domani at the Locarno Film Festival since 2021.
He is the co-founder of Talents Generator Factory, an independent platform dedicated to the development of audiovisual projects and talents, within which he developed Route For Creatives, a consultancy practice aimed at filmmakers, creative studios and teams working at the intersection of cinema, emerging technologies and new audiovisual forms.
He previously served as Advisor for the Orizzonti Corti section at the Venice Film Festival (2014–2020), co-founded the Torino Short Film Market in 2016 and the distribution agency Varicoloured in 2018, and was Creative Advisor of the MASO programme promoted by IDM Film Funding and Bolzano Film Festival Bozen. He also collaborated with LIM – Less Is More as a selection committee member and Ambassador.
He is a member of the European Film Academy.
Kathleen McInnis
Kathleen McInnis is a Marketing Producer & Strategic Publicist who helps emerging world cinema filmmakers merge their creative and business development using their films on the global film festival circuit.
As Marketing/Creative Producer, her documentary film credits include Inner Emigrants(Director Lena Krabe, 2026 Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival World Premiere); Fantastic Machine (Directors Axel Danielson and Maximilien Von Aertryck, 2023 Sundance/Berlinale Awards-Winner); and Mama (Director Pablo Chico, 2020 Goya Winner), among many others.
As Curator/Programmer/Director, her festival experience includes Seattle, Palm Springs Shorts, Aspen Shorts, Hot Docs, Toronto, and Tribeca film festivals.
Kathleen also runs Oscar®-campaigns for International Features, Documentaries and Short Films. She is a member of AMPAS, BAFTA, EFA, IDA and Film Independent.
As screenwriter, Kathleen is managed by Amotz Zakai at Echo Lake. She currently teaches Film Festival Strategies at NYU Tisch for the Masters in Producing Program, and also consults on Industry Programming for Kortfilmfestivalen (Norway).
Sign Up For The Workshop – Places Are Limited
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