Rotterdam and Alexandria Festival Programmers on What Gets a Movie Accepted and Why Rejection Isn’t a Verdict on Quality

By Essie Assibu

Essie Assibu

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A film festival selection or rejection is not necessarily a verdict on a film’s quality. For programmers sorting through hundreds or even thousands of submissions, the decision can depend on everything from the balance of a lineup to the audience for which they are programming.

That issue was at the center of “Film Festivals Decoded: What Happens After You Press Submit?,” a panel held this week during the 13th Sharjah Intl. Film Festival for Children and Youth in the UAE. Variety spoke further with two of its participants, Rotterdam Arab Film Festival artistic director Rosh Abdelfattah and Alexandria International Short Film Festival president Mohamed Mahmoud, about what actually shapes their decisions once submissions arrive.

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