Hello, For the US-based filmmakers who have had some success (or learned the hard way about) shipping film prints internationally for festivals, I'm curious: are there any "best practices" to avoid shipping/customs issues? I know that each country/festival may have different specifications regarding shipment, but if there are any general guidelines to keep in mind gleaned from successful (or not) experiences, I'd love to hear them. I'm currently in a painful one-two punch of failed attempts using both FedEx and DHL.
This is my third time shipping a print overseas for a festival but first outright failure (other times were a down-to-the-wire but ultimately resolved customs delay with USPS and a total success with DHL, the latter accompanied by extensive instructions and additional forms provided by the fest). -Is there a preferred courier? (only consensus seems to be avoiding UPS/USPS) -Mark as "gift" or no? -Make explicit "for cultural purposes only", "for a film festival", "no commercial transaction" etc., or no? -Good responses to the question "what are you shipping?" I ask because there are different codes that they enter for different items, and sometimes "it is a film for projection at a festival" is met with confusion. -ask festival to provide additional forms, or should commercial invoice generated at courier suffice? -any other tips? Sorry for the dry topic. Feel free to reply off-list, unless you think it's helpful for all. And if your advice is "shoot digital", stop yourself :) I also make digital work and, to quote Johnny from *Square Pegs*, it's "a totally different head". Jimmy
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