Have you ever wondered why it seems every movie is released in December? Or why the newest starlet’s face seems to crop up on every magazine and social media feed in January? The ins and outs of the film industry calendar year can seem peculiar to the untrained eye. The key to understanding this mercurial system lies in knowing how to see the year through the lens of film seasons. There are five key individual seasons that offer a light in the tunnel: the Festival Season, the Oscar Bait Season, the Awards Season, the Dumping Grounds Season, and the Summer Blockbusters. Unlike the typical calendar year, the film world exists more in a state akin to The Good Place’s Jeremy Bearimy. At any point in time there is something happening, something selling, and something that goes belly up. But in my opinion, if you’re looking for your road to Rome, look no further than Sundance.
- Festival Season
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The Sundance Film Festival takes place over ten days in the sleepy town of Park City, Utah. It is here that film industry professionals from around the world convene to celebrate the premier of the best of America’s independent film scene. While there is always a film festival happening somewhere in the world, Sundance marks the debut of many films for that upcoming calendar year. It is at the festival that independent filmmakers are able to market their work to distributors in the hopes of getting the oh so illustrious theatrical release.
Following hot on Sundance’s heels is the Berlinale, which presents films from around the world over the course of six days in February. After the Berlinale, for just a moment the festival circuit goes quiet, gearing up for the tour de force of the season: The Cannes International Film Festival. Spanning 12 days in the picturesque French resort town of Cannes, the festival serves as the debutante of international cinema. Twenty feature films compete for the Palme D’or, the highest award at the festival. Because of the tight catalogue, Cannes has acquired a reputation for premiering the best the industry has to offer.
After a summer respite, the festival circuit kicks back up again in September. Round two starts with the Venice International Film Festival, which subsequently ties off the European film circuit. The Telluride Film Festival is famous for premiering emerging talent and new voices in the industry, and The Toronto International Film Festival seals the deal with an eleven day program focused on bringing the festival scene to the general public.
The films which have managed to secure distribution deals amidst this madness now must prepare themselves for the stress and exhilaration of the Award Season. Let the schmoozing begin!
- Oscar Bait Season
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Spanning October – January, the lovingly nicknamed “Oscar Bait Season” is the time of year when studios release movies en masse in hopes of winning big in the award season battle royale. Releases get crowded into these fateful months to ensure the film will be remembered by the critics when it comes time to vote. The closer a film is released to this time, the more likely it is to be nominated. With awards like the Oscar for Best Actress/Actor or Best Director being reportedly worth millions of dollars, it’s only natural that the Award Season is the craziest of them all.
- Awards Season
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The Golden Globes is considered the unofficial start of the Awards Season which spans January – February. Often, the Globes gives a good prediction of what movies will win big at the Oscars. But before that fateful day arrives, filmmakers must journey across the pond to attend the BAFTA Film Awards. Here, other English language films that aren’t American-made are given the chance to shine, competing for an equally illustrious prize. For some nominees, the morning of the Academy Awards is not just spent last-minute cleansing but also attending the Independent Spirit Awards, which occurs just hours before the Oscars. The Spirit Awards offer a look into the best of underground cinema before Hollywood convenes at the Dolby Theater to bite their fingernails and drink champagne in one last magnificent Award Season hurrah.
With half of the industry tucking themselves in for a nice coma – golden statues in hand – the other half sits deep in the trenches of the aforementioned festival season. And while movie releases press on in the interim, the season these films are released into has a less-than-kind nickname.
- The Dumping Season
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“The Dumping Season,” or the “Dump Months” are the months of March, April, May, and August. These are the months that studios release any movies suspected of being critical disasters. They’re not of good enough quality to be in competition for awards, and they never qualified for any festivals, so the studios try to rush them out and turn what little profit they can before the cash grab behemoth of summer blockbusters swoops in. It is important to note, however, that just because a movie is released during this time does not mean it is automatically bad. It just means the studio sees it as a financial risk. Some notable movies released in dump months are Get Out, Black Panther, and The LEGO Movie (all of which ended up competing in their respective year’s Awards Season with sweeping success).
- Summer Blockbuster Season
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As quickly as the Dump Months come and go, the times transition into the crazy, money-pumping, antics of the Summer Blockbuster Season. What was once a part of the Dumping Season now serves as one of the most lucrative times in the industry. June and July are for movies that don’t need the stamp of approval found in the festival circuit, and for production companies that are unphased by the millions offered in the Awards Season. It is a time for films to exist purely for entertainment’s sake, and to do it incredibly well. Make no mistake, a film being released during these months is a testament to the quality, skill, and talent that went into the creation of that movie. Though it might not be winning any Oscars, a movie that knows how to entertain and rake in the big bucks is a feat of filmmaking all in itself.
A good grasp of the film calendar allows you to be aware of new releases months ahead of the general public. It gives you insight into what films are destined to be classics and which ones are worth passing on. And hey, if you consider yourself a cinephile, then you understand that bragging rights mean everything. And nothing feeds a cinephile’s superiority complex like being able to say you knew about a director before they were famous.