FilmFreewayReviews of filmfreeway.com

FilmFreeway could be a very useful tool, but in my experience the real opportunities it offers independent productions are extremely limited. Filmmakers and producers are too often treated as a source of submission fees rather than as professionals whose work deserves genuine consideration. We pay to enter selection processes, yet we have very little transparency about whether and how our films are actually viewed. In my opinion, many important selection decisions seem to happen through other channels, while FilmFreeway mainly provides a convenient system for collecting submissions and fees. Greater transparency is needed, including proof that submitted films have actually been viewed and the option to permanently exclude festivals we no longer wish to submit to.

FilmFreeway General Manager, Matt Toigo, and ANIMAZE program manager, Laurie Gordon, were not just uncooperative and unhelpful but detrimental to my work and efforts and cost me an arm and a leg FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Not only are they totally unprofessional but the whole thing is a racket for organizers, arts grant parasites and their shady industry business partners, like CineSend, among others. A TOTAL RIPOFF.

BUYER BEWARE!!!!!! I was just cheated out of $156.45, a so-called "submission fee" by FILMFREEWAY. I believe it to be a total SCAM. I attempted to submit a script for review, including a 1-page reply from the reader, with notes or comments. I DID NOT SUBMIT FOR A FESTIVAL, but ASHTON, the FILMFREEWAY rep who corresponded with me for hours, and after I no longer felt this was a Reputable Company, I requested he CANCEL my "incomplete" submission and credit my card. He then told me they DO NOT ISSUE CREDIT, that it was upto the FESTIVAL!!!! Here we go with FESTIVAL again....I DID NOT SUBMIT FOR A FESTIVAL. Unfortunately, I had already filled out all the info, including my payment info, and submitted it. I received a PAID IN FULL THANK YOU EMAIL stating (your submission is complete, and we will email you a confirmation shortly), BUT at the same time, in very small print, it says (your submission requires further action). HOW CAN THE SUBMISSION BE BOTH? COMPLETE SUBMISSION and oooopppps it needs further actions????? But they took my money REGARDLESS of whether the submission was incomplete and needed further action or not!!!? A SCAM.....THAT'S HOW. After hours of disputing with ASHTON, and he refused to issue a refund, I advised him that I would contact my bank and dispute the charge. At that point, ASHTON emailed me a veiled threat that if I called my bank, I would NEVER be able to submit in the future. PERIOD!!!! I got this referral via my IMDB ProMembership and FINAL DRAFT - both outlets I have trusted for many years....but after this, I FEEL THEY MUST KNOW ABOUT THIS SCAM FROM FILFREEWAY. I am going to file an official complaint with the State and the Consumer Protection Agency, BBB, etc. WHEN YOU GET SCAMMED YOU MUST WARN OTHERS. IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. BUYER BEWARE!!!!!

Awful system on the site and no customer service of any value. I went to log in to site on my account. For no reason I was told to reset password which was totally unnecessary. When I did press to reset password I never got an email to reset it like I was told I would. I wrote to the customer service email and over 2 whole days they still haven't resolved things. Instead a dumb reply telling me to check Junk mail. Duh, I went to check it as soon as I said to reset password. Then a reply saying there are special procedures I have to go through just to simply reset a password which I shouldn't have to do in the first place. After that I sent a reply but I never got a response. They take way too long to contact me and right now I am still waiting hours for their next reply. There is no one to complain too for how bad they treated me, their responses are ignorant and idiotic and right now they are leaving me in the dark and in the void all over a stupid problem of just a password reset leaving me locked out of my own account that has all my history of films and their submissions over 6 years old and no interest to help me further. Im looking at some governing bodies to report FilmFreeway to. As right now with just a geographical address I have to go to their offices in person with my lawyer just to speak to someone just to do a simple action of activating my password. But now I need to report and sue FilmFreeway.

I am a film festival organizer and would like to share my experience. Our festival hosted a public screening on July 15, which took place as planned. The event was attended by guests and winners, and complete documentation was submitted to the platform, including event photos and an official venue rental invoice. At the time, support confirmed that everything was in order. Approximately six months later, the festival was set to non-public following an allegation that the listed venue was falsified. Despite repeatedly providing evidence from my side (photos, invoice, and email correspondence) and requesting clarification, this documentation was not accepted, and no specific evidence supporting the allegation was provided. I am sharing this experience to highlight the importance of clear communication and transparent verification processes for festival organizers.

I’m new to producing short films. I was recommended Filmfreeway.com by a fellow student in my masters documentary course. I entered a short fictional film in to some festivals and a short documentary into other festivals. So far three festival notification dates have come and gone without any response from any of the festivals. My films are still “under consideration” for three festivals despite one of them apparently taking place in three days. It feels like filmfreeway.com don’t take any responsibility for scam or pseudo festivals being on their website. Are they getting a cut from the fees struggling film makers pay to these rip off festivals? If so I find that despicable.

Perhaps it was okay when it started out but now it's stuffed to the gills with scammers and spammers. Opportunists make a killing here from desperate filmmakers and nobody checks their bona fides. Film Freeway should shut down. They don't bother filtering out even the obviously dishonest ones like, for eg. /mnicff and they provide no way for people to report these chancers and rent-seekers preying on first-time filmmakers. Short Film Depot and others charge a small extra fee but at least take their job seriously. The sooner FF goes out of business the better, but, like its festivals, will probably just re-brand and pop up again elsewhere...!

So many fake or fraudulent festivals. One for example, had us selected as Semi-Finalists. I sent them an email asking what does it mean and if we are going to be screened. After sending it, I see they changed the status to our film Not Selected. I complained about this to FilmFreeway (also several times in the past about festivals not respecting their terms or notification dates - one for example demanded Spanish subtitles afterwards even if their official rules, this wasn't mentioned) and they said that there is nothing they can do. They don't have any enforcement system except to send an email to the festival which of course, didn't help at all. I wasted so much money over the years on this platform and only this year I realize how much of a scam it all is. You have no way to verify what the fee is for, if anybody even watched your movie, let alone actually receive feedback. All you get are automatic e-mails.