Utopia Film Festival Committees Organizational Structure 2022

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SCREENERS NEEDED
Screeners preview films for the festival and rate them for acceptance into the festival. Screeners meet at least two to three times a month for about four months before the festival. We like to screen at the GATe offices in the Greenbelt Community Center but during COVID we have been watching films online. The online option is available for all screenings and ratings as well, so you never have to even leave home. We have a great time reviewing these films from some bad ones to the very best of filmmaking. Come be a part of what gets into the Festival.

For questions or to volunteer, please email us at [email protected].

Email us →

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Organizational Structure

Festival Director

• Is the face of the festival and presides over the planning and weekend festival events. Appoints/removes committee chairs.
• Receives reports.
• Helps with donations.
• Partners with other local festivals.

Treasure/ Finance Committee

• Acts as festival treasurer. Oversees and updates the budget. Receives all funds.
• Reports financial accounting.
• Contacts business and sponsors for donations.
• Writes and mails sponsorship letters.
• Coordinates for venue selection and payment.
• Secures equipment, camera and screens.
• Sub committee:
  – Helps with fundraising and grant writing.

Program Committee

• Sets up and updates FilmFreeway account.
• Dates for film deadlines, timeline for festival.
• Sets up ticket sales (FilmFreeway)
• Sets up and runs screening meetings to select festival entries.
• Produces a final list of films selected by the committee.
• Develops a program for the festival.
• Plans festival timeline for weekend of event. Creates a print program.
• Tickets and invitations.
• Sub committee (weekend of festival)
  – Festival weekend setup, camera, screens and venue alterations.
  - Crew to run films and hosts to introduce and presenters of awards.
  - Collects and produces final files for screening, plus review.

Promotion Committee

• Works in collaboration with Social Media Committee
• Writes newspaper articles.
• Creates a press release and distributes it.
• Reaches out to groups that might be interested in particular films: Embassies, clubs.
• Contacts press for interviews and calendar placement. Partners with other local Festivals.
• Requests designs or updates for banners, signs and other promotional materials from the graphic committee.
• Sends out “Official Selection” laurels to all movie makers whose entries were accepted.
• Prepares certificates for awards winners. Sends out “winner” and “honorable mention” laurels (graphics committee can prepare the files)
• Sub committee
  – Festival Promotional trailer for online and in theater showing.
  – Labor Day and Farmers Market advertising.

Social Media Committee

• Works in collaboration with Promotion Committee
• Coordinates online promotion of festival and selected movies on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms.
• Promotes Utopia Film Festival in suitable Facebook groups, pages, and mailing lists (Google groups, etc.)
• Posts festival information on applicable websites, such as Hyattsville Wire, DCist, Washington Post/Going Out Guide, etc.
• Develops online ads.
• Posts movie trailers on social media. All trailers should be posted on Utopia Film Festival’s Facebook page, together with a film description, and the directors should be informed by email so that they can share the post with their network.
• Coordinates with filmmakers and their web presence.

Website Manager

• Works with Program Director and Social Media Director to continuously update the Utopia Film Festival website.
• Uploads all movie synopses and trailers to the website, as early as possible for maximum exposure.

Secretary

• Takes minutes of meetings, collects and archives meeting reports on Utopia Film Festival’s Google Drive
• Checks email sent to Utopia Film Festival email address <utopiafilmfest20770.com> on a regular basis and ensures that everything gets processed and answered. This might require checking in and coordinating with directors of the various committees.
• Develops a database of emails to filmmakers, screeners and viewers

Reception Committee

• Selects and orders food and refreshment for festival reception.
• Decorates the venue and hosts.
• Plans opening/closing ceremonies

Volunteer Coordinator

• Maintains a list of names of people that express interest in volunteering and finds out what jobs they are interested in.
• Follows up with people who started volunteering, but then dropped out.
• Takes care of volunteers to help avoid burnout.

Volunteer Coordinator of Ticket Takers

• Organizes ticket takers and provides cash box, change and instructions for festival weekend

Graphics Committee

• Updates Festival logo used on Social Media and in other places
• Updates laurels for filmmakers; for “Official Selection” plus the winners and honorable mentions for each award category. They all need to be updated annually (change the year).
• Designs or updates banners and signs, upon request by Promotion Director
• Supports Program Committee with design of program, if needed.