FestForge alternative: how Circkit compares

If you are weighing FestForge, Circkit is the closest like-for-like alternative: both exist to build a real festival strategy rather than just take your submission. This is a fair side-by-side based on each product's public information as of June 2026. Both are good tools; they differ in scope, pricing transparency, and what surrounds the core planner. Confirm current details on each site before deciding.

Built by Dylan Gillah, a multi-award-winning producer and writer, NFTS graduate and 2024 BBC Film Scholar, whose films have screened at the BFI London Film Festival, BFI Flare, Raindance and Reeling and at festivals across the US, Europe and beyond, and who has worked with BBC Film and Big Talk Studios alongside producers behind Sundance, SXSW and Tokyo premieres including Cannes-winning producer Dora Galosi.

What they share

Both FestForge and Circkit build a ranked, fit-based shortlist instead of pushing you toward the most famous festivals, both factor in premiere rules and eligibility before you submit, and both recognise major awards qualification pathways. If your core need is “tell me where to submit this film and in what order,” either will serve you.

Where Circkit goes further

A ranked plan is the start. Circkit is a full festival command centre that runs the whole campaign, and almost all of it is in the free tier:

• Full AI festival strategy, a ranked, fit-based shortlist of realistic targets, prestige reaches and lower-cost options that keeps recalibrating as your film and results change, not a one-time plan.
• 1,800+ festival database with public profiles, browse formats, fees, deadlines and premiere requirements, not just a generated plan.
• Free Scam Radar, check any festival for scam patterns in seconds, no account needed.
• Premiere Guard, a hard block before you submit anywhere that would burn a premiere you have already used.
• Awards qualifying tracker, follow BAFTA, Oscar, BIFA and Canadian Screen Award routes as you go, each with the exact qualifying condition in plain English.
• Live deadline calendar, every deadline in one view, updating in real time across your devices and syncing to your Google Calendar.
• Free collaboration, invite your director or producer at no extra cost and manage one festival strategy together.
• Festival Insider briefings, who programmes each festival, what they tend to select, and what to lead with for your film.
• EPK builder, generate a festival-ready press kit straight from your project.
• Budget tracker, plan your fee spread across the campaign and get warned before you overspend.
• Native web and mobile apps, manage the campaign on iOS and Android, not just desktop.
• Transparent one-off pricing, free to start, £49 once per film, no subscription, where FestForge runs on a monthly plan from £9.99 to £24.99.

Where FestForge has an edge

FestForge bundles password-protected screener pages with viewer tracking, you can see whether a festival watched your film through, skimmed it, or abandoned it, and swap the video file without changing the link. If hosting and tracking your screener inside the same tool as your plan matters to you, that is a genuine FestForge strength. Circkit keeps screener hosting separate so you can use a dedicated service, while it handles strategy, the database, and tracking.

How to choose

Want the widest strategy surface, database, awards tracking, scam checks, mobile apps, and clear one-off pricing? Circkit. Want your screener hosting and viewer analytics built into the same planner? FestForge. Many filmmakers run Circkit for strategy and a separate screener tool for delivery.

Frequently asked questions