BIFF releases 13th period Rachel Weisz the 2010 honoree

Film Festivals as a Reason to Travel

The headline refers to a past festival season, so rather than treat it as upcoming news, it is worth looking at why film festivals like this one make such good anchors for a trip. "BIFF" is an acronym shared by several events, including the Boulder International Film Festival in Colorado and the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea. Many festivals honour an established actor each year with a tribute evening, a career retrospective or an on-stage conversation. Rachel Weisz, an Academy Award winner for The Constant Gardener, is exactly the kind of performer such programmes celebrate. The specifics of any one year matter less to a traveller than the pattern: festivals bring a town to life for a few days and give visitors a ready-made itinerary.

Planning around a festival

Festival weeks are busy, so a little preparation goes a long way:

• Check the official festival site early. Schedules, tribute events and pass options are usually announced weeks in advance, and popular screenings sell out.
• Book accommodation first. Hotels near the main venues fill quickly. Staying a short transit ride away is often cheaper and calmer.
• Mix screenings with the destination. Leave gaps between films for local food, museums and walks. A festival is a good excuse to explore a city you might otherwise only pass through.
• Plan transport. Parking near venues can be scarce on gala nights, so look into shuttles, rail links or walking routes.

Closer to home

For readers based around Lake Erie, you do not need to fly far to get the festival experience. Cleveland hosts its own long-running international film festival each spring, and smaller regional screenings take place across Ohio and the wider Midwest throughout the year. Pairing a screening day with a weekend away is an easy way to build a short break. Our travel guides cover practical planning, and the destinations section suggests towns worth combining with a cultural event.

Whether you follow tribute honourees from one festival to the next or just want one memorable night at the cinema somewhere new, a film festival turns an ordinary trip into something with a story attached.