Two days ago, August 24, I clicked “submit” one final time. The official White Wolf trailer is now entered in nine film festivals.
Not the full 114-minute feature—not yet. What I submitted is the 2:47 trailer: a concentrated look at the story, the emotion, and the world I have been building around an ordinary father forced to do extraordinary things to bring his family home.
A plan that changed for the right reasons
The original path was more direct: finish the movie, submit the feature, and hope the right audience found it. When the Kickstarter campaign did not fund, I had a choice. I could rush the full film toward the festival circuit before it was truly ready, or I could change the strategy without changing the goal.
I chose the trailer-first route.
Submitting a trailer costs far less than entering a feature. That made it possible to reach nine festivals without another funding campaign, while still putting White Wolf in front of programmers and audiences who may connect with the story. More importantly, it buys the full movie something every independent production needs: time.
- Time to strengthen continuity and shot matching.
- Time to refine the edit, dialogue, sound design, color, and pacing.
- Time to improve the moments that are close—but not yet where I want them.
- Time to save toward licensing “The Wolf” by Whiskey Myers for the training montage.
- Time to let the finished feature arrive in early to mid-2027 as the best version of itself.
This is not stepping away from the movie. It is protecting it.
The nine-festival notification timeline
These are the festivals and their currently posted notification dates, listed in order. A decision can sometimes arrive before the official date, but these are the dates I am watching:
| Festival | Official notification date |
|---|---|
| TMFF – The Monthly Film Festival | August 31, 2026 |
| Purgatory Film Festival | September 1, 2026 |
| New York–Istanbul Short Film Festival | October 11, 2026 |
| Las Vegas Indie Film Festival | October 16, 2026 |
| Yule Film Fest | November 9, 2026 |
| Garden State Film Festival | February 1, 2027 |
| New World Film Festival | May 18, 2027 |
| La Garriga Film Fest | June 1, 2027 |
| Bergen International Film Festival of NJ | June 22, 2027 |
Nine honest chances to build momentum
All nine festivals offer a dedicated trailer category. Based on the published rules I reviewed at the time of submission, none explicitly prohibits the use of AI in that category. I have been transparent about how White Wolf was made and will continue to disclose the AI-assisted production honestly whenever a festival asks.
The point of these submissions is not to collect empty laurels. It is to find out whether this story connects. If the trailer earns selections, nominations, or awards, that attention can create real momentum before the full film is ready. It can give White Wolf a warmer reception when the feature begins its own festival and release journey in early to mid-2027.
And if a festival says no, I will share that too.
I will report every decision
As each notification arrives—acceptance or denial—I will update the blog. No selective victory lap and no pretending the rejections did not happen. This project has always been about showing the real process: the breakthroughs, the setbacks, the changed plans, and the work required to keep moving.
Nine entries. One trailer. A 114-minute movie still being shaped into what it deserves to be.
The waiting has started. The work has NOT stopped.
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