1. Cannes -- Cannes will always be the top film festival. It has the history, it has the stars, it has the most eagerly anticipated movies, and it's French! French is the perfect language with which to describe art.
2. Venice -- Could there be anything more romantic than watching a move in Venice?
3. South by Southwest -- Obviously, SXSW is about more than just movies but it's also located in Austin and that's good enough for third place.
4. Telluride -- The name "Telluride" gets on my nerves but this is one of the key film festivals if you're handicapping the Oscar race.
5. Tribeca -- Eh. On the one hand, it's great that it's in New York. On the other hand, it's held too early in the year to make much difference.
6. Sundance -- No film festivals should be held in January.