I'm going to admit that breaking into the film industry isn't simple as you think. You finished your script. Worked endlessly to get it polished. And when you just have it complete....someone turns you away and passes on the script. You end up wondering what went wrong and questioning yourself. Believe it or not, I recently went through an experience where I was providing coverage on someone's project and they were defeated by what I rated their project.
Here's a quick backstory: A few months ago I sent my short film "The Understudy" to the Sofia Coppola Award for funding. Over 2,000 people submitted before the entry date closed. For the past few weeks, members of the Decentralized Pictures community have been placing their votes and ratings for who should be in the top 25 and selected by Sofia and the DCP moderators. Anyways, they didn't think I said anything bad, but didn't like the rating I gave which caused them to say, "I give up." Note: I did give them a 89 percent, which isn't that bad.
The harsh reality is that everyone is trying to get their foot in the door. Everyone wants their projects made. I can't navigate through life telling everyone they're good. I wouldn't be honest with myself if I said, "Way to go! Nice job! I loved it!" when I really didn't.
Film is subjective. You can't make every single person in the world happy, whether your film gets made or not. That's not how life works. I've sent scripts out a bunch of times and have always had some harsh critiques. It doesn't mean I'm not talented at writing. It means the script fell into the wrong hands or perhaps I wasn't their target audience.
The only thing that irks me is how sometimes, someone can have a really high rating for their project and they'll give incredibly low scores to their competitors so they can be on top. Ego is not a good look, especially if you're trying to break in.
At the end of the day, you have to realize there's plenty of ways to get started. If you have the money to fund your short, go do it. Nobody will stop you. In fact, you can always try doing it for free and create. Get some friends together. Have fun with it. Better yet, gain some experience on set. Learn from other filmmakers. Develop your skills. You never know who you're going to meet and what opportunities could arise from it.
Even if you're able to make your film, you have to have a strong spine. You could still enter your short to film festivals or have it screened at your local theater. Guess what? Your short might not have a chace at being selected. I screened for the Salute Your Shorts Film Festival for two years. About 15 percent of what I've seen I enjoyed. it doesn't mean the other entries were bad. In fact, there were some factors to consider like character development, pacing, originality, and the overall message.
At the end of the day, you can't be hard on yourself and give up easily. If you are passionate about film, keep creating. Forget the negativity. In fact, it should inspire you to become better. If you're working out at the gym and pull a muscle, does that mean you're going to stop exercising all together? No. It's your body telling you to go easier. Don't push yourself too hard. If someone's giving you a hard time, ignore them. You know what you're good at. You know how you could improve. That's what matters.