In honor of the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, we award a producer with the Halyna Hutchins Producer award. This award will be given to the producer of one of the selected films who is exemplary at managing crew and creating a safe set. In addition to being given the award, the winner will receive a package from Festival Formula that will help the recipient of the award in having the best festival run.
Festival Formula wants to nurture your film through an efficient system that is approachable, informative, and showcases your film to the right audience. Our detailed, bespoke strategies and hands on submission management means you can pursue your filmmaking career with more projects and more networking opportunities. With our extensive knowledge and experience of the worldwide festival circuit, we are always up-to-date with what festivals from all levels are doing and needing. Where film schools and education bodies can provide basic prep for stepping on to the circuit, this is where we step in to drill deeper and provide advice to get filmmakers (and festivals) prepared for their journey.
Katie Bignell graduated from Bournemouth Media School with a degree in Scriptwriting for Film & TV and is also a graduate of the London Royal Court Young Writer’s and Invitation Only Groups. For 20 years and counting she has provided strategy and submissions support to filmmakers worldwide, resulting in creating the consultancy brand Festival Formula in 2014. As an active member of the Short Film Conference and the Film Festival Alliance, Katie is also a key spokesperson on festival issues with coverage in The Hollywood Reporter and Screen Daily regarding suspect and fraudulent film festivals. During the pandemic she co-created the Filmmaker Lounge in partnership with Film Festival Alliance – an online space for programmers and filmmakers to discuss their roles. Previous guests include: Tribeca, Slamdance, PÖFF Shorts, and many more. Previous speaking engagements include: HollyShorts, Heartland Film Festival, BFI Flare, Encounters Film Festival, Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival, Sundance, SXSW and many more. Selected prior jury service include: Cleveland International, Heartland International, St. Louis International, DC shorts, Young Directors Awards.
Ian Bignell is a Film Festival Strategist at Festival Formula. He watches films that come into the company, providing impartial feedback on how they best fit into the worldwide film festival circuit. Drawing on his wisdom as the companies previous Submissions Coordinator, he has expert insight into the circuit and uses it to create bespoke festival strategies. Behind the scenes, he is the companies go-to nerd for technical help on anything from codecs to subtitles. Away from the desk, you will often find him at film festivals worldwide as an industry guest, sharing his expertise and giving honest advice. Previous speaking engagements include: HollyShorts, Heartland Film Festival, Encounters Film Festival, Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival, Bolton International Film Festival, Norwich Film Festival, Manchester International Film Festival and many more. Selected prior jury service includes: DC shorts, Indy Shorts.