Knowing our Audience + Meeting Mia Falstein-Rush

Festival Experience Studio blog post #5

What a treat it was to have Mia Falstein-Rush come down and speak to us. Currently working as a Programmer for the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), Falstein-Rush gave us incredibly insightful information about what it’s like working behind the scenes of film festivals, and what it’s like being a programmer for the biggest film festival in Melbourne. I found it particularly interesting about the flexibility one must have when working in this industry, and for Falstein-Rush who is such a hard-working individual, she expressed some really good advice on the power of volunteer work and exposing yourself to all types of work till you find a path to that goal or job you’ve always wanted. The nature of volunteer work has always been a tricky topic for me to grasp because growing up in a predominantly science and mathematical household, paid-work seemed to fit in a very black-and-white, concrete manner; just do the work and get paid by the hour. However, it seems that when it comes to the more creative industries, finding jobs through this trade requires fluidity and taking odd volunteer jobs here and there can make a huge impact on one’s career. Falstein-Rush has definitely opened my eyes to even more possibilities in my desired career field, and I will definitely keep a broader lookout for volunteer work that will be worth building experience for.

Other than working as a panelist and programmer, Falstein-Rush was also the Festival Director for the non-profit Seen & Heard Film Festival, a festival for advocating women filmmakers in the industry. The advice and materials Falstein-Rush fed us were absolute gold, and she definitely eased my anxieties regarding whether we really can manage to host MIYFF. She emphasized a lot on partnerships and the power of coverage one could make out of sponsors, to which she advised us on how we should write our sponsorship letters. She also made a good point that I will definitely apply to my own letter writing outside of the festival, which is the respect one should have for the other party that we are requesting favors from. Time is precious for everyone, and so to be respectful when asking for a favor, we need to keep our emails short and to the point, as to not waste their time reading pages of rambling, let alone if they read it at all.

Another point that Falstein-Rush discussed briefly that really resonated with me, is that as we embark on creating our festival and speaking to partners about our festival, we need to always keep in mind the purpose behind our festival. For her Seen & Heard Film Festival, she was driven to give a voice to women in the film industry and fuel the conversation of equality in these industry workplaces, and I really admire this genuine advocacy. So, with MIYFF, I reckon if we put genuine emphasis on supporting the youth filmmakers of today, our festival’s individuality and purpose will truly sing and reach the hearts of other passionate cinema lovers.