Most major film festivals try to shut movie pirates out. We invited them in with a “Pirate Pass.” When pirates searched for Montclair Film Festival’s lineup, they were served a fake illegal streaming website that offered free tickets instead. It generated a bunch of press on a budget that wouldn’t get you a large popcorn at AMC.
Radio spots were also produced highlighting the perils of exploring your curiosities at places other than the film festival. Some award show judges liked them, but still didn’t attend the festival. Pretty rude, in my opinion.