Always carefully select the festivals
Applying to festivals is time-consuming and expensive. They all have different requirements in terms of paperwork, cover letters, synopses… but most of all, every festival programmer has different tastes and ideas about which films to screen.
It is therefore in your own interests to do some research and make sure you’re picking the right ones for your film. When you contact the festival to send them your work, always try to include the particular reason why you want it screen at that particular event. At the end of the day, programmers are trying to give your film good exposure through their own audience, so obviously the two have to match.
Complete all the details
Application forms are often long and detailed, but it is massively important to fill them in properly. Even if they ask about some technical details you’re not entirely sure of, it’s worth it to check online what they are asking for. You don’t want to be remembered as the filmmaker that wasted their staff’s time as they had to email you back asking for missing details.