Very interesting to hear your take on film festivals - I completely agree that they are a very effective marketing vehicle. At one time, there were only a few big festivals on the radars of most people (Sundance especially), but now it seems like every major city has one. I'm in the New York area, and Tribeca Film Festival is arguably the best known and most famous. But there are plenty of big-time film festivals sponsored by Lincoln Center and tons of smaller film festivals as well, some of them dedicated to very arcane topics (like one that's dedicated only to films shot by drones!).
From my perspective, I think your notion of "the first blockchain-funded film" (i.e. first Steem-funded film) could be very successful as a proof of concept for other filmmakers. Wish you luck on the project - I'll be following along on a regular basis...
Thank you!