SARASOTA, FL - January 26, 2006 - Within the few days since the site's launch, traffic has ballooned to over a quarter of a million visitors. Media, filmmakers, producers, distributors and fans are clamoring to connect with the 2006 festival like never before. Lauded as "one of the best film festival sites in North America," by biz941, SarasotaFilmFestival.com delivers unparalleled functionality to moviegoers and industry insiders.
The new site empowers visitors with a range of resources. Visitors can build and purchase their complete festival schedule online; slashing the hallmark lines that congregate before popular showings. Visitors can even integrate their favorite movies and events right into their Outlook calendar or PDA from the site – a first for any festival site. Industry insiders and fans also have immediate access to breaking festival news through the MySFF Blast, which delivers late-breaking celebrity, event and movie news into their inboxes as it unfolds. In addition, industry executives can also apply for press and industry passes online, saving both their time as well as the festival's administrative resources.
We knew developing the relationships between the festival and the film community was the conduit to realizing the festival's ambitions for attendance, notoriety and sponsorship said atLarge President Anand Pallegar. Their old site was a jumble of information with no opportunity for stimulating relationships. Now, visitors can truly engage with the festival brand… purchase tickets online, save and share their movie preferences with friends and even have movies recommended to them based on previous purchases and preferences.
With over 185 films from 19 countries including features, documentaries, shorts and student experiments, the time was ripe to embark on an interactive campaign that would take the festival to the next level said Sarasota Film Festival Executive Director Jody Kielbasa. What we did not know even expect was how successful the festival would become with this new compelling online presence.
