Why do some filmmakers enter a film festival, pay an entry fee, and then fail to respond when they're informed of winning? Or if they're not sure, fail to follow up and ask?
I suppose some filmmakers enter so many film festivals, they forget which ones they've entered. And they assume that emails from the festival won't end up in their spam folders, which they ignore.
Every year, after the Tabloid Witch Awards announces its winning filmmakers, one or two filmmakers don't respond to my emails informing them of their wins. Thus I can't verify the spelling of their names for the award plaques. Nor do I know where to send the plaques.
The Tabloid Witch is not one of those festivals that charge for its award plaques. They're free to the winners. I even pay priority postage to send them overseas, which is often more expensive than the plaques themselves.
In 2026, we have a record number of missing filmmakers. Fifteen films won an award. Eight responded right away. One filmmaker responded several weeks later, saying she only now found my email in her spam folder. That happens. But that still leaves six missing filmmakers.
Fifteen films won an award. Six filmmakers failed to respond. That's a record amount of 40% missing filmmakers.
And so I send second emails. Sometimes a third. Most filmmakers respond by the third. If not, I begin searching the internet for additional contact information. I might find some filmmakers on Linked In, but people often abandon their social media accounts and ignore notifications.
Some filmmakers have provided snail mail addresses on Film Freeway and so I write letters. The old fashioned kind, on paper, placed in an envelop, mailed with a stamp. That sometimes works.
I finally contact some missing winners years after their victories. They're invariably surprised, grateful, and a bit apologetic. But a very few remain missing even a decade later, their plaques packaged and gathering dust in my closet.
-- written by Thomas M. Sipos, founder & director of the Tabloid Witch Awards, and author of Horror Film Festivals and Awards
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