ABOUT THIS PODCAST 🔗
The FestForge Podcast is a film festival podcast hosted by Brendan Cleaves and Johnny Vivash. Through audio and video conversations with programmers, filmmakers, creative directors and other festival insiders, it explores the work, taste, politics and wonderfully strange realities behind the festival circuit, plainly, accessibly and without the industry jargon.
Update frequency:
every 12 days
Average audio length:
54 minutes
Guest interviews
Has sponsors
English
United States
8 episodes
since July 29, 2026
episodic
IN THIS PODCAST 🔗
LATEST EPISODE 🔗
Film Festivals by the Numbers: Stephen Follows on Fees, Selection and Rejection
What does a festival submission fee actually pay for? How is a film chosen, and what should a filmmaker take from a rejection?
Film industry researcher Stephen Follows joins Brendan Cleaves and Johnny Vivash to look pas…
PREVIOUS EPISODES 🔗
What gets a feature into FrightFest, and what makes a programmer take a chance on a new filmmaker? Ian Rattray, FrightFest co-founder and co-director, joins Brendan Cleaves and Johnny Vivash to talk about building the festival, programming its First Blood strand and choosing films for an audience t…
How does FrightFest choose the horror shorts that make it onto the big screen?
James Taylor, FrightFest's Shorts Programmer, joins Brendan Cleaves and Johnny Vivash to talk about the selection process, how programmers build a varied line-up, and what filmmakers can do to give their work the best ch…
How do you get a short film into a BIFA-qualifying festival?
Kino London Short Film Festival’s Festival Director, Dustin Curtis Murphy, and Senior Programmer, Gillian Harker, join Brendan Cleaves and Johnny Vivash to discuss what makes a submission stand out, Kino’s budget-based categories, transp…
The conversation delves into discussion about the festival strategy, the impact of festival selections, the premiere strategy, and the festival experience, highlighting the importance of festival relationships and the value of festival laurels. The conversation covers the filmmaker's experience wit…
The first episode of the Festival Podcast features an interview with Marko Men, the head programmer of the Grossman Fantastic Film Online Festival. The conversation covers the festival's history, unique aspects, film selection process, guest experiences, and survival guide for filmmakers. It also d…
The Fest Forge Podcast is introduced by Brendan Cleaves and Johnny Vivash, who aim to provide insights and knowledge about the film festival experience. They discuss the purpose of the podcast, insider knowledge of festivals, the festival experience, the filmmaking journey, the Fest Forge platform,…
The conversation introduces the Festival Podcast and discusses the experience of film festivals, navigating the festival circuit, the journey of a film, FestForge, and following the journey of a film. It emphasizes the importance of insider knowledge and festival strategy for filmmakers.
Takeaways…
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Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Brendan Cleaves, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
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