Fill a ballroom with directors of film festivals and you'll hear a representative sampling of their anxieties, from the challenges of finding sponsors and attracting media attention to the cost of importing big-name stars for red carpet appearances.
One anxiety left unvoiced at the fourth annual Intl. Film Festival Summit, however, was that there may simply be too many fests, with an estimated 4,000-7,000 worldwide.
Piers Handling, CEO of the Toronto Film Festival Group, said as video viewing on the Internet explodes, audiences will actually find more value in the real-world opportunities that festivals offer to meet filmmakers and fellow cineastes.
But Handling also spoke in his keynote address of worries that the biggest festivals are "verging on being co-opted by the industry," used as a promotional launch pad for more commercial fare.
Read more: Summit addresses film festival issues - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety
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