For years, I had one goal related to writing. Get a short story published. I achieved that in 1990 when I sold my first story of dystopian fiction to a horror quarterly for $28.
I never dreamed of actually getting involved in filmmaking. Now I have 349 festival wins, just on Film Freeway. That's not counting direct festivals wins, or other platforms like WFCN.
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I had worked at Tower Video in 1984 when their first one opened in Tacoma, WA. This was right after graduating from college.
Before that I had worked at Tower Posters and Tower Records while attending my first two years of college, then transferred schools up to Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.
I'd always loved cinema. I was excited my first quarter of college to find I could take a class in it. Intro to Cinema where I began to learn the language of cinema. I later realized I'd started studying cinema in the 1960s watching films. I grew up going to the drive in theater with our dad worked a night job as Assistant Manager and Box Office Cashier. Ever Friday night our family was there watching from our station wagon. I got very interested in foreign films PBS regularly played. I became familiarized with Francois Truffaut's concept of the Auteur filmmaker.
After graduating college in 1984 with a degree in psychology (with a focus on phenomenology) and a minor in creative writing—screenwriting, playwriting, and fiction—I continued honing my storytelling,
That same year I took a series of film seminars by the renowned filmmaker Stanley Kramer. That...was amazing. But I never thought I'd ever get involved IN filmmaking. I never thought I'd be a published writer for that matter (Until that first paid short story sale, getting not paid for an article being printed didn't really count for me).
Though I had been given praise by fellow students and professors in college, who seemed to be somewhat amazed by my writings, my analysis of things, and my fiction, non-fiction and psychology journal articles, I had trouble believing I could be part of that valued catalog of writers (or filmmakers) at any level.
Authors for me as a kid, were "Gods" of a sort, a literary sort anyway. who created universes. Filmmakers were of a similar ilk, but far above authors. They actually made movies from novels after all.
I had shot a short film for two professors my senior year of college. It was bad, but quality wasn't the orientation, mostly for that film, it was the journal I kept that was what was important. Sadly, I had to turn it in for my grade along with the film (which my prof then showed to all his classes). But my professor wouldn't give back my journal. He said what you turn in to a professor, becomes the professor's property to use as needed for further teaching or whatever. I wish I'd had the foresight to make a copy.
I graduated college on my Veteran's Benefits (Vietnam Era, I used to say I got a four-year degree on the "eight-year plan", after four years (officially six, with two inactive service) of the USAF. But before I left college I wanted a full screenplay under my belt. So I graduated in the spring and took a full summer load of classes which used up the rest of my GI Bill education benefits. But I had my screenplay. It is titled Ahriman, about an alien prophet/prince who is inadvertently dragged to Earth due to Earth scientist's accident during an experiment (oddly, a similar device was used in my book, Anthology of Evil II Vol. II The Unwritten.
After graduating in 1984 I started sending out my screenplay and short stories. Do you have any idea how hard it was back then, going back through history (before the internet) to find and send out writings? You had to buy a Writers Market each year. You used to be able to just hit their website. Of course. But today for some reason, it's unavailable, and with their apologies.
I'd written my very first complete short story after reading Frank Herbert's Dune in 1970. I then never wrote another full short story until college. I used to write beginnings and middles of stories through the 1980's but never finished any of them. My friends who would read them loved them but were mad I never finished them. Endings were...just too complicated. Too many options. HOW does one pick the right ending? It was too stressful to choose, then know you'd have readers hold you to task for your poor choices.
Something one day, I realized I had inadvertently learned how to do after a few years of college.
In the 1990s I published some articles for no pay in computer "rags", local regional periodicals printed on cheap newsprint, that were popular at the time. My first was in Denver, Colorado on the topic of how managers of offices were giving their people grief for being on the internet. Much as they used to worry over people being on the phone too much. It was well received.
At some point IMDb, the Internet Movie Database popped up online in 1990. It was clunky, but a genius idea and I used it often. Even more so when it used HTML and became a webpage and then a website as it is today.
At first I just wanted to get some attention, then sell something. Then...my goal changed to getting listed on IMDb. My first posted film there was actually with my second narrative film, "Gumdrop", a short horror. It won some awards that said I could list them on IMDb. Awesome. And weird.
What is weird about my IMDb listing is this...
I looked up my name on IMDb when I started thinking about wanting to get listed there. this was a while before I even had movies I'd produced to put up on there. Nothing. My name wasn't there. Not surprised. Then on a lark, I looked up one of my two adult kids, my youngest. And there, low and behold, was THEIR name! Well, they had done artistic things, were oriented toward that. They were a photographer and a musician. Both my kids are creative, intelligent and artistic.
Still. What?
So I looked up my other kid. The older one and sure enough, they were on IMDB Too! I couldn't believe it! So I called them up and asked and neither knew they were on there. Good grief, I'd wanted it so bad and had no idea how to get on there, both of them were on there but didn't care and didn't even know they were there. They thought it was cool but weren't that impressed. The youngest had been a photographer on a short art film with high production values, the other had done video game testing for a contractor to Microsoft and so get their name listed.
Well, now we're all listed.
With Pvt. Ravel’s Bolero, that film became a mission—one that eventually racked up over 50 film festival awards. It sounds impressive (and in many ways, it is), but as I quickly learned, not all festivals carry the same weight. Some wins open doors; others just fill up your inbox with laurels. But I was motivated, more than with my previous film to get some good awards. That let me to submitting my "Gumdrop" film for more awards as I became more savvy about it all.
Now, with a polished film or two and dozens of accolades between them (and other films), I've had to ask:
Which awards actually matter in the industry? Which festivals move the needle with distributors, audiences, or future collaborators—and which ones are just expensive pats on the back?
That led me to here, today and this topic. Some of the awards below (45 of them) are listed on IMDb for my documentary. Using my film Pvt. Ravel's Bolero, and the awards it's won, I compiled a list and broke it down so we can look at the quality of film festivals at large...
🎯 Respected/Established Festivals (Count Significantly):
These festivals have been recognized as credible by filmmakers and sometimes distributors. Their awards are meaningful on press kits and resumes.
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Accolade Global Film Competition
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The IndieFEST Film Awards
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Impact DOCS Awards
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Best Shorts Competition
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Depth of Field International Film Festival (DOFIFF)
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Documentaries Without Borders
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New York Movie Awards
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London Movie Awards
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Rome Movie Awards
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Paris Film Awards
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Calcutta International Cult Film Festival
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Hollywood Gold Awards
Note: These festivals are often (but not all) monthly award competitions with limited live screenings, but they are well-known and IMDb qualifying.
⚠️ Decent Recognition but Variable Weight (Mixed Value):
These may be useful in press and posters, but many are festival mills — offering many awards per month for revenue. Still, they can help with marketing and social proof.
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Venice Under the Stars International Film Festival
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8 & Halfilm Awards
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Tagore International Film Festival
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Gold Star Movie Awards
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Beyond the Curve International Film Festival
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Pinnacle Film Awards
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Cult Critic Movie Awards
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Frida Film Festival
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OTB | Only The Best Film Awards
❗ Low Prestige / “Award Mills” / Vanity Festivals (Usually Don’t Count Professionally):
These festivals have little to no screening, press, or industry presence. They tend to give awards to most entrants. While not necessarily scams, they are mostly for laurels, not visibility.
Examples:
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Wild Filmmaker Festival
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Casino Film Festival
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Green Ciak Film Awards
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LION KING International Film Festival
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White Apple Festival
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Dragon City International Film Festival Bahrain
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Sweet Democracy Film Awards
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Andromeda Film Festival
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Medusa Film Festival
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Goldspire International Film Festival
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RunDoc Film Talent Award
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Close Film Festival
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Thinking Hat Fiction Challenge
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Vietnam Indie Film Festival
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Russian Institute of Cinema and Performing Arts Awards
✅ How to Highlight on Website, IMDb, and Press Kits:
Stick to a curated, meaningful list for credibility. For example:
“Winner – Impact DOCS Awards, IndieFEST Film Awards, Accolade Global Competition, Paris Film Awards, London Movie Awards, New York Movie Awards, Calcutta International Cult Film Festival.”
And then say:
Also received over 50 international awards including honors from Rome, Hollywood, and documentary-focused festivals.
So after more than 50 festival wins, what have I really learned? That the film festival world is a mixed bag—part validation, part illusion. Some festivals offer real exposure, networking, and industry credibility. Others hand out trophies like candy and vanish before the next submission cycle. Winning doesn’t guarantee distribution, connections, or recognition beyond the festival’s own website.
But it does teach you how to navigate the game—what matters, what doesn’t, and how to focus your time, money, and creative energy where it counts. The prestige isn’t in the number of laurels you collect—it’s in knowing which ones are worth wearing.
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