Faux festival

June 8, 2018 3:19 AM

David Farrier, journalist and film maker (Tickled), investigates a mysterious film festival. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
posted by fearfulsymmetry (5 comments total)

This reminds me of all those slightly off predatory journals, but somehow more scammy.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:19 AM on June 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

I am reminded of the articles lately about the fake taco festival in Chicago, and how the same people appear to have run other fake food festivals. Those are straightforward scams; these copycat "film festivals" at least are providing some services (movies are shown, awards are given out) that people desire, as a byproduct of the scam.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:17 AM on June 8, 2018

This reminds me of all those slightly off predatory journals, but somehow more scammy.

Me too! Also the spate of bogus conference emails I’ve been getting... I am not totally clear on whether those should be filed under “real events that are basically junkets you shouldn’t put on your cv” or “Nigerian prince schemes.” Come to think of it I guess from reading one of the above articles I’m not sure about these festivals, either.
posted by eirias at 6:51 AM on June 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

What I find fascinating about this is that it seems like a lot of work for a not particularly lucrative scam.
posted by betweenthebars at 7:34 AM on June 8, 2018

This particular version of this scam is pretty low rent & incompetent but it isn't a particularly new scam. There are many film festivals out that are better run but frankly are not much better than this. Many festivals charge entry or viewing fees and rarely promise to show the submitted film.
posted by Ashwagandha at 10:39 AM on June 8, 2018