# Rotterdam and Alexandria Festival Programmers on What Gets a Movie Accepted and Why Rejection Isn’t a Verdict on Quality

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/rotterdam-and-alexandria-festival-programmers-on-what-gets-a-movie-accepted-and-why-rejection-isnt-a-verdict-on-quality/
- Published: 2026-10-30T17:37:49+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T00:26:46+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/film/global/sharjah-film-festival-programmers-selection-rejection-1236935318/
- Topics: Elections, Entertainment, Film, Politics

## Key points

- Rejection is not a verdict on a film’s artistic quality.
- Festival choices reflect programming priorities and audience fit.
- Filmmakers should check eligibility, requirements and premiere strategy.

## Summary

Festival acceptance or rejection does not provide a definitive judgement of a film’s quality, two festival leaders say. Their choices depend on programming aims, audience fit and the need to create a varied lineup, so filmmakers are advised to target festivals that suit their work.

Rotterdam Arab Film Festival artistic director Rosh Abdelfattah says he may favour a film from a country with fewer productions when two films are of similar quality, and looks for work that retains its distinct voice. Alexandria International Short Film Festival president Mohamed Mahmoud says filmmakers should check a festival’s themes, rules, eligibility dates and required materials, and plan distribution and premiere strategy. Abdelfattah estimates that roughly half or more of Rotterdam’s programme comes from Arab festivals, reflecting the range of cinemas across the region.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.