TLDR
- Start with a clean fact sheet containing title, runtime, country, language, director, cast, production companies, and contact information.
- Include short and long synopses.
- Provide high-resolution approved stills with proper captions and photo credits.
- Add director, producer, and lead-cast biographies where relevant.
- Include poster art, trailer links, festival selections, and awards.
- Keep one current downloadable folder instead of emailing different assets to every journalist.
A film press kit has one job.
Make it easy for somebody else to cover the film correctly.
Not impress them with a 94-page PDF.
Not explain every production decision.
Not make a journalist email three people to ask who shot the still on page seven.
Knowing how to build an independent film festival press kit means giving programmers, critics, journalists, distributors, and event teams the things they routinely need, in formats they can actually use.
Begin With the Basic Facts
Create a one-page fact sheet.
Include:
- Film title
- Original title if different
- Director
- Writer
- Country or countries
- Year
- Runtime
- Language
- Subtitle information
- Genre
- Principal cast
- Production companies
- Producer
- Publicity contact
These details are boring until somebody gets one wrong.
Then they become very interesting.
Gabriel Mascaro’s The Blue Trail (O Último Azul) provides a current example of how a film can move through an international festival circuit. It won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 2025 Berlinale and went on to multiple international festival selections.
You can explore the filmmaker’s broader work through GabrielMascaro.com.
Write More Than One Synopsis
You need at least two lengths.
Short Synopsis
One compact paragraph.
This is what a festival program, event page, or journalist may use when space is tight.
Longer Synopsis
Several paragraphs with enough detail to explain the characters, setting, and central conflict.
Do not make the short synopsis a 500-word essay with smaller type.
It is supposed to be short.
Include a Clear Logline
A logline lets someone understand the film in one or two sentences.
It should identify:
- Protagonist
- Situation
- Central conflict
For a programmer who is sorting through hundreds of titles, clarity helps.
Clever ambiguity can wait until the screening.
Prepare High-Resolution Stills
A journalist cannot publish your tiny Instagram image across a full-width article.
Provide approved, high-resolution stills.
A standard film EPK commonly includes unit stills, captions, credits, production notes, synopsis, biographies, logos, key art, and sometimes video material.
Create a folder containing a manageable selection:
- Strong character still
- Wide environmental shot
- Key dramatic image
- Director photograph
- Behind-the-scenes image where appropriate
Do not upload 842 frame grabs and tell the journalist to choose.
Curate.
Caption the Images
Every still should have enough information to publish correctly.
For example:
THE BLUE TRAIL
Denise Weinberg as Tereza
Photo: [Photographer Name]
Courtesy of [Production Company]
Follow the actual rights and credit requirements for the image.
Sundance’s press materials similarly make approved images available to media with explicit credit requirements.
Do not assume image metadata will survive every download and upload.
Put credits somewhere obvious.
Include Director and Cast Bios
Keep bios relevant.
A director bio might cover:
- Prior films
- Significant festivals
- Awards
- Artistic background
A lead actor bio can include major roles and relevant accomplishments.
Do not turn every biography into a complete résumé.
A journalist usually needs enough context to introduce the person accurately.
Add a Director’s Statement
This is the place to explain why the film exists.
Useful subjects include:
- Where the idea came from
- Relationship to the setting
- Themes
- Formal choices
- Research
- Personal connection
Avoid rewriting the synopsis.
The director’s statement should reveal something about the thinking behind the film.
Include Poster and Key Art
Provide:
- Vertical poster
- Horizontal artwork when available
- Title treatment or logo
- Clean versions without excessive text if useful
Press outlets and festivals need different formats.
Make the assets easy to locate.
Do not name the poster:
final-final-revised-use-this-one3.jpg
A better naming convention is:
FilmTitle_Poster_Vertical_2026.jpg
Everyone wins.
Include the Trailer
Give the press kit a direct trailer link.
If downloadable video is available for approved use, state the terms clearly.
You may also include:
- Teaser
- Short social clip
- B-roll
But do not bury the trailer inside a complicated cloud-storage folder.
People should find it in seconds.
Maintain Festival and Award Information
Update the kit as the film moves.
Add:
- Official selections
- Premieres
- Awards
- Distribution announcements
- Release dates
Use the official name of the festival and award.
For example, the Berlinale’s official 2025 award record lists O último azul as the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winner.
That primary source is better than copying whatever wording appeared on an old social post.
Create One Downloadable Press Location
A modern press kit works best as one stable location.
It might contain:
PRESS KIT PDF
STILLS
POSTER
TRAILER
BIOS
CREDITS
CONTACT
Current film EPKs commonly follow this model, giving press direct access to a synopsis, stills, biographies, posters, trailer, festival information, and media contacts.
One current folder prevents five journalists from receiving five different versions.
Bring a Small Physical Piece When It Helps
Most film publicity is digital now.
Festivals are still physical places.
For a premiere, market, or filmmaker event, simple items such as postcards or small custom stickers can carry the film title or visual identity without requiring elaborate merchandise.
Keep them secondary.
Nobody should have to accept a tote bag before receiving the press link.
Make the Journalist’s Job Easier
The best independent film festival press kit is not the biggest.
It is the one where every obvious question has an obvious answer.
What is the film?
Who made it?
How long is it?
Who is in it?
Can I get a still?
Who gets the photo credit?
Where is the trailer?
Who do I contact?
Answer those cleanly and the press kit has done its job.
