People forget shorts by the time they leave the theater. Seeing posters helps them to remember. Gold also said he was perplexed when he was told that he must buy tickets to his own film if he wants to invite friends. Some shorts play in front of features, while others are grouped into feature-length Shorts Programs. On one hand I really like the film I am showing with, and I think they were well paired.
Most people come to see features.
Maybe more 'influential people' will see your short if you screen with a good feature, but short films are not on their agenda. When you are in a shorts program, you know everyone came wanting to see short films. While several filmmakers expressed similar concerns, all agreed that it is good for a festival to have shorts before the features. One suggested solution was to follow the very successful and shorts-friendly example of the Panorama section at the Berlin Film Festival, where short films are paired with a feature for three screenings, AND also screened twice as part of a shorts program. In this way, all the short films are given the same opportunity to reach both kinds of audience.