Where can I find distribution for independent films?

Why do many great indie films never make it to the market?

• Indie or small budgeted movies like What Maisie Knew, or The Kings of Summer are critically acclaimed and are great movies, but why do the producers not find distribution deals to carry these films to 3,000 theaters? Whereas some movies like Beasts of the Southern Wild did make it to the market.

• Answer:

  I would say the answer is part logical and part unfair: The logical part depends on your definition of "indie": some indie movies are not really as independent as they are romanticized to be - many of them have a budget that is way higher than what a couple of students can put together. In many cases, movies with budgets of several millions, or even more than $10M are called "indie". These movies are not designed to be blockbusters, but they are definitely backed by some heavyweight financiers and in many cases may have even pre-sold the international distribution rights to cover production costs. While they may not have pre-production domestic distribution deals, they most certainly have a much better chance of being picked up, compared to "fresh" low-budget independent film makers, with no money, no connections, no industry appreciation and no track record. It doesn't mean the latter group is not good - it just means that no one knows they're good. In addition, there's the issue of palatability - some critically acclaimed movies are just too art-house for the general public. Not everyone has the toolkit needed to truly appreciate a niche movie, the way an academic critic does. That critic can love the movie, but the distribution people's job is to maximize the number of paying viewers - not promote art. You may claim that they need to promote more original content, and you would be correct, but you asked why the situation is the way it is. The unfair part is that the supply of films is just too high. Naturally, this huge annual influx of productions that hit the market diffuses across the entire landscape through sub-optimal filters. These filters are designed around the concept of film festivals, which have a low "false positive" yield, but a high "false negative" yield (meaning the selected films are most likely great movies, but the ones not selected are not necessarily bad. It's like MIT admissions: if you're in - you're definitely smart, but if you're not in - it doesn't mean you're stupid). And so, many good movies end up knocking on all the festival doors until they find a home or give up. But in order to really get noticed, the movie has to grab attention at one of the premier platforms, such as Sundance. Beasts of the Southern Wild was last year's Sundance darling, just like Little Miss Sunshine, Winter's Bone, and others, including this year's Fruitvale Station. A second tier festival is great for the resume, but it will most likely not lead to a distribution deal - even getting into Sundance and not garnering enough attention will not be enough. And that's one of the paradoxes of the festival circuit: instead of being blind platforms that uncover raw diamonds and bypass the traditional way of doing business in the entertainment world, they have become another bolt in the machine: If you're in Sundance - it's not really a surprise to anyone, because your name was out there. If you are not a hustler - someone did the hustling for you. Your track record must have gotten you on someone's radar. The festivals may lack the nepotism aspect (questionable statement), but they definitely are not a purely "fresh" platform. On the other hand - that's not necessarily a bad thing: if you're really good - you'll be back in the future and then you will climb higher up the festival ladder, until after a few iterations - you will get to a top tier festival and get the attention needed from distributors, who will then look at your track record and see that you are a good, stable, reliable long term investment. In other words, the reason some movies are excellent but don't get picked up for theatrical distribution is that they were a first creation by a team that hasn't amassed enough industry clout yet. A distribution deal is like investing in a startup: it's not about the idea - it's about the team and it's about long term performance. A newcomer can't prove that he/she has that. Of course there are some exceptions and a few sparks of genius that launched careers out of the blue, but in the absolute majority of cases - you need to be around for a long time and you need enough people to know your name and realize you are not just a one-hit wonder, in order for executives to believe in you as a long term investment.