Where a re-edited 2012 film can actually play · what funds it · what it means for the plan · v1, 18 Jul 2026 · every claim source-checked
The old plan pointed at premiere festivals that our film can't enter. The Limelight screened publicly in 2012 (London festival + downloads), so it's a re-edit of released work — which locks it out of Edinburgh, Glasgow, the BFI, and the whole prestige "restoration" circuit.
But that clarifies the path rather than closing it. The film's real homes are festivals with no premiere requirement — US indie festivals and comedy-feature festivals — and because those accept already-released films, we no longer have to protect a premiere. That means the streaming release can go on its own timeline, with festivals running alongside.
Premiere-gated majors — Edinburgh (EIFF), Glasgow, BFI London. All require a premiere + a film completed in roughly the last 12 months. We premiered in 2012 and had downloads → ineligible. No restoration strand at any of them.
The prestige restoration / classics circuit — Cannes Classics, Venice, Il Cinema Ritrovato, Lumière, NYFF Revivals, TIFF, Telluride, Locarno, MoMA. These exist for genuine heritage restorations of canonical old films, curated by archives — not re-edits of recent obscure indies. Lyon literally bars anything made after 1990. A 2012 micro-budget re-edit fits none of them.
Most festivals that don't demand a premiere still require the film to be completed after a recent date (2025 in most cases). That's a trap for a 2012 title — but our Jan-2027 finished master is the answer: every submission leads with the new completion date, honest that the underlying work is a 2012 re-edit where asked.
Ranked by realistic fit for a re-edited 2012 British dark comedy. The clean tier (no premiere and no recent-completion bar) is the US indie circuit; the comedy-feature festivals need the completion-date argument but offer the best audience.
| # | Festival | Premiere req. | Fit | Timing (our master) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slamdance (US) | None | Cleanest | ~Feb → 2028 edition | Waives premiere and completion date. Micro-budget indie ethos = bullseye. |
| 2 | Cinequest (US) | None | Strong | ~Mar → 2028 | All films eligible regardless of prior screening. Comedy-friendly, big audience. |
| 3 | Tallgrass (US) | None | Good | ~autumn | "Stubbornly Independent" strand, <$750k budget cap fits. Confirm non-US features. |
| 4 | LA Comedy Film Fest (US) | Preferred, not req. | Good | Dec 2027 ✓ | Genuine comedy-FEATURE slot (≤120m). Best-timed comedy option. Completion rule answered by Jan master. |
| 5 | Cinema on the Bayou (US) | None (bars US-released) | Good | Jan → 2028 | Unreleased-in-US British film qualifies. Warm, curated. |
| 6 | Comedy Europe FF (Bulgaria) | None found | Worth it | verify | Rare EU comedy-FEATURE competition; UK qualifies as European. |
| 7 | Austin / Houston Comedy (US) | None | Verify format | rolling | Most permissive policy anywhere + Best Dark Comedy award — but confirm it screens FEATURES, not just shorts. |
Sources: slamdance.com/festival-submit · filmfreeway.com/Cinequest · tallgrassfilm.org · lafilmfestivals.com · cinemaonthebayou.com · ceff.bg · filmfreeway.com/AustinComedyFilmFestival
Our two research passes disagreed on Raindance: one read "no premiere bar," the other "UK-premiere minimum + no prior UK release" — which our 2012 UK screening would fail. Unresolved. Worth a direct email to Raindance programming (framed as a new cut) before we count on it as a UK 2027 home.
Because our viable festivals (Slamdance, Cinequest, Austin/Houston Comedy) explicitly accept films that are already released or online, protecting a premiere is no longer the binding constraint it was in the old plan. We can put the film out — Mubi-first streaming — on our own timeline, and still submit to these festivals afterwards. The release stops waiting on the festival run.
Sources: bfi.org.uk creative-industry-expenditure-credits · screen.scot/funding · channel4.com/4producers · bbc.co.uk/commissioning/comedy
The finishing plan is unchanged — master locked 30 Jan 2027. What changes is downstream: no August-Edinburgh anchor, and the viable festival editions mostly land late 2027 into 2028. Crucially, the release no longer waits for them.
Positioning: confirmed — we pitch it as a new cut / AI-rework showcase, open that it's a re-edited 2012 title. · Raindance: approved — Cassie to draft the direct eligibility approach; the send routes through JR.