Film Festival Programming Desk
Film festival programmers and organizers
Submissions, screenings, venues, guests and volunteers for a film festival.
Use this templateFilm Festival Programming Desk
The festival from call for entries to closing night. Start with the Dashboard each morning. Decide submissions before their date, schedule only selected films, and confirm every guest's travel two weeks ahead.
Dashboard
Festival timeline
Reviewing submissions
Venue day checklist
Film submissions
Every film submitted, with reviewer scores and the decision.
| Film | Status | Category | Director | Country | Runtime (minutes) | Reviewer score (1 to 10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Flats Lullaby | Selected | Imara Nwosu | 96 | 8.5 | ||
| The Last Crossing Guard | Selected | Thorvald Lindqvist | 18 | 8 | ||
| Paper Moons over Recife | Selected | Beatriz Carvalho | 11 | 9 | ||
| A Quiet Harvest | Under review | Anand Deshpande | 84 | 0 | ||
| Night Bus to Calgary | Under review | Margot Tremblay | 22 | 7 | ||
| Cornfield Opera | Waitlist | Wanjiru Kamau | 17 | 7 | ||
| Clay Hands | Submitted | Diego Salazar | 14 | 0 | ||
| Seoul After Rain | Submitted | Min-jun Park | 102 | 0 |
Screenings
Every showing on the festival schedule, with venue, time and tickets sold.
| Screening | Film | Venue | Status | Starts | Tickets sold | Q&A planned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Flats Lullaby, opening night | Salt Flats Lullaby | Plaza Theater | Scheduled | Oct 23, 1:00 AM | 310 | Yes |
| The Last Crossing Guard | The Last Crossing Guard | Studio Six | Scheduled | Oct 23, 8:00 PM | 64 | Yes |
| Paper Moons over Recife | Paper Moons over Recife | Courtyard screen | Scheduled | Oct 23, 2:30 AM | 180 | No |
| The Long Lunch | The Long Lunch | Plaza Theater | Scheduled | Oct 24, 10:00 PM | 120 | Yes |
| Salt Flats Lullaby, encore | Salt Flats Lullaby | Gallery Annex | Draft | Oct 25, 7:00 PM | 0 | No |
| Night Bus to Calgary | Night Bus to Calgary | Studio Six | Draft | Oct 19, 2026 | 0 | No |
| Seoul After Rain | Seoul After Rain | Plaza Theater | Draft | Oct 19, 12:00 AM | 0 | Yes |
| Paper Moons over Recife, family matinee | Paper Moons over Recife | Courtyard screen | Held | Sep 29, 5:00 PM | 205 | No |
Venues
The theaters and rooms the festival uses, with capacity and technical notes.
| Venue | Kind | Seats | Venue contact | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaza Theater | 420 | Gloria Ansah | — | |
| Studio Six | 90 | Terrence Obuya | — | |
| Courtyard screen | 250 | Bella Marchetti | — | |
| Gallery Annex | 60 | Ravi Kulkarni | — |
Guests
Filmmakers, panelists and judges invited, with travel and lodging status.
| Guest | Film | Role | Status | Arrives on | Departs on | Hotel booked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imara Nwosu | Salt Flats Lullaby | Confirmed | Oct 21, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | Yes | |
| Thorvald Lindqvist | The Last Crossing Guard | Invited | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | No | |
| Beatriz Carvalho | Paper Moons over Recife | Confirmed | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 | Yes | |
| Ifeoma Obi | The Long Lunch | Confirmed | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | Yes | |
| Desmond Kwarteng | — | Confirmed | Oct 21, 2026 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes | |
| Priscilla Bao | — | Invited | Oct 19, 2026 | Oct 22, 2026 | No | |
| Anand Deshpande | A Quiet Harvest | Invited | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 | No | |
| Wanjiru Kamau | Cornfield Opera | Declined | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | No |
The festival at a glance. Charts read the live tables.
| Film | Status | Category | Director | Country | Runtime (minutes) | Reviewer score (1 to 10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Flats Lullaby | Selected | Imara Nwosu | 96 | 8.5 | ||
| The Last Crossing Guard | Selected | Thorvald Lindqvist | 18 | 8 | ||
| Paper Moons over Recife | Selected | Beatriz Carvalho | 11 | 9 |
| Film | Status | Category | Director | Country | Runtime (minutes) | Reviewer score (1 to 10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Flats Lullaby | Selected | Imara Nwosu | 96 | 8.5 | ||
| The Last Crossing Guard | Selected | Thorvald Lindqvist | 18 | 8 | ||
| Paper Moons over Recife | Selected | Beatriz Carvalho | 11 | 9 |
| Screening | Film | Venue | Status | Starts | Tickets sold | Q&A planned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Flats Lullaby, opening night | Salt Flats Lullaby | Plaza Theater | Scheduled | Oct 23, 1:00 AM | 310 | Yes |
| The Last Crossing Guard | The Last Crossing Guard | Studio Six | Scheduled | Oct 23, 8:00 PM | 64 | Yes |
| Paper Moons over Recife | Paper Moons over Recife | Courtyard screen | Scheduled | Oct 23, 2:30 AM | 180 | No |
| Guest | Film | Role | Status | Arrives on | Departs on | Hotel booked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imara Nwosu | Salt Flats Lullaby | Confirmed | Oct 21, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | Yes | |
| Thorvald Lindqvist | The Last Crossing Guard | Invited | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | No | |
| Beatriz Carvalho | Paper Moons over Recife | Confirmed | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 | Yes |
Decisions due
| Film | Status | Category | Director | Country | Runtime (minutes) | Reviewer score (1 to 10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Flats Lullaby | Selected | Imara Nwosu | 96 | 8.5 | ||
| The Last Crossing Guard | Selected | Thorvald Lindqvist | 18 | 8 | ||
| Paper Moons over Recife | Selected | Beatriz Carvalho | 11 | 9 |
Screenings in the next 7 days
| Screening | Film | Venue | Status | Starts | Tickets sold | Q&A planned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Flats Lullaby, opening night | Salt Flats Lullaby | Plaza Theater | Scheduled | Oct 23, 1:00 AM | 310 | Yes |
| The Last Crossing Guard | The Last Crossing Guard | Studio Six | Scheduled | Oct 23, 8:00 PM | 64 | Yes |
| Paper Moons over Recife | Paper Moons over Recife | Courtyard screen | Scheduled | Oct 23, 2:30 AM | 180 | No |
Guests arriving this week
| Guest | Film | Role | Status | Arrives on | Departs on | Hotel booked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imara Nwosu | Salt Flats Lullaby | Confirmed | Oct 21, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | Yes | |
| Thorvald Lindqvist | The Last Crossing Guard | Invited | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | No | |
| Beatriz Carvalho | Paper Moons over Recife | Confirmed | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 | Yes |
How to read the numbers
A festival is a countdown. Work backward from opening night and tick off each phase.
Phases
Every Monday
Open the Dashboard. If a decision date has passed, decide it. If a guest has not confirmed, call.
Fair review means every film gets the same attention. Use the same score sheet for everyone.
Steps
Assign each film to two reviewers. Press Start review.
Each reviewer gives a score from 1 to 10 and writes two lines.
The programmer averages the scores and enters one number.
Discuss borderline films together.
Press Select, Waitlist or Decline and send the notice.
Keep in mind
Balance categories, countries and lengths.
Write kind, specific declines.
Confirm rights before announcing.
On festival days the work is people and time. A written checklist keeps each venue calm.
Two hours before the first show
Test projection, sound and subtitles with the real file
Brief greeters and ushers
Set up the box office and accessible seating
Place signs and the schedule
Between shows
Reset the room and check the next film's file.
Count tickets and write the total on the screening.
Walk the room and the lobby for safety.
After the last show
Press Mark held on each screening
Lock the booth and return keys
Thank the venue contact
What's inside
5 tables · 24 views · 1 form · 10 row actions · 1 agent5 pages
- Film Festival Programming Desk
- Dashboard
- Festival timeline
- Reviewing submissions
- Venue day checklist
4 tables
- Film submissions7 views · 10 sample rows
- Screenings8 views · 9 sample rows
- Venues2 views · 4 sample rows
- Guests7 views · 8 sample rows
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