The importance of film awards
Ever since the first major film festival was held in 1932 in Venice it became a very important part of cinema in general. For those who are not very well familiar with cinema, there were, are, and will be various film festivals held across the globe where various directors, famous and new ones alike, get to showcase their upcoming movies that they have been working on so hard.
Everyone Gets a Chance
One of the reasons film festivals are hailed across the world is the fact that at least for a short while, they even the playing field between famous directors and lesser known ones, giving everyone an equal chance to showcase their merchandise. As you can imagine, this is ends up acting as a great benefit from smaller, independent move directors as usually their movies would probably be neglected in favor of those made by titans of the industry.
Film Festivals and Variety
Another reason many people attend these festivals is the fact that they have for aim to showcase as many different movies, of different genres from different parts of the world as possible. One could practically describe it as a museum of new movies. This can be an especially enlightening experience for those who limit themselves to watching Hollywood blockbusters or simply the recommended movies that are playing at the moment; many people miss out on real gems sometimes because they are either not aware of their existence or because they feel turned off by the prospect of paying to watch an unknown movie from a different country.
The beauty of independent and foreign movies usually lies in the premise that there are basically no restrictions placed on what they can and cannot do, nor is there a formula they have to follow in order to get their creation approved. These people are not bound by the chains of Hollywood conventions, and can thus provide the world with at least some kind of different and new experience, even if it's not good.
Breaking into the Industry
As you can imagine, these film festivals represent the best chance new film directors are going to get to break into the industry, some of them spending years preparing in advance with the sole hope of catching the attention of the people that really matter, besides the audience that is. As you can probably imagine judging by the ratio of existing Hollywood actors and directors to people alive in the United States breaking into the film industry is an incredible challenge, and if your name is not Spielberg or Di Caprio chances are good that there will be no future for you there.
These festivals and awards represent the perfect moment for the new blood to show the world what they are capable of and make their voices heard across the planet and hopefully leave their mark on the thousands of people who will get to enjoy their movies. These festivals may be the only time when the newer generation of film directors doesn't have to worry about being overshadowed by the old dogs.