Category: Creative Distribution Initiative

Here we are almost 90 days out from the initial theatrical release of As You Are, and wow, what a learning experience it has been. At this stage in our film’s life cycle, we have just launched our preorder on iTunes, are weeks away from our full domestic TVOD release, and about 30 days after that, we’ll be having our Amazon Prime SVOD release. This is all on the heels of our decision to self-release in theaters with only the assistance of a booking agent and a small press team.

Uncle Howard continues its run at the IFC in Greenwich Village this week, less than a mile from where Howard Brookner shot his first feature, which began in 1978 as an NYU film school thesis titled Burroughs: The Movie.But our journey began four years ago. As we searched for a viable print of that film, Aaron discovered a trove of material in a bunker on the Bowery.

‘First Girl I Loved’ is now available on iTunes and all other digital platforms. Below, director Kerem Sanga tracks the film’s creative distribution journey since premiering at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. November, 2015.

NUTS!, a documentary directed by Penny Lane, is currently available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, BitTorrent NOW, and Vimeo On-Demand. Theatrical screenings are still being held through October. For more information, visit nutsthefilm.

With a heady mix of naivety and cockiness, around a year ago, we (Honora) made a move into distribution (read about Honora’s recently announced involvement with the pilot program BitTorrent Now here). David Cross’ feature directorial debut HITS premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and on its opening night we fielded (what in retrospect) was a generous offer from a well-known distributor. The offer included a plan that would see the film theatrically distributed in 10 major markets with a reputable distributor brand behind it.

It can be easy to forget that everyone starts somewhere. We are often so preoccupied with our own distorted sense of inadequacy and dazzled by “sound bite” stories of overnight success, that we miss the true and abiding comfort that can be found in uncovering the far more frequent stories of failure>investigation>persistence>wisdom that culminate in hard won success.
In a conversation with, Joseph Beyer, director of digital initiatives at Sundance Institute, he asked, “So what was your take away?” If I could sum up one of the most profound benefits of attending Sundance Institute’s #ArtistServices Philadelphia Workshop, it would be that no matter how green you are when you begin – If you embrace your failures with an insatiable appetite to learn and improve, and funnel your passion into inspired strategy – You can overcome all odds and make a living telling the stories that drive you.

Michael J. Larnell’s stark ode to St. Louis is an earnest depiction of a day in the life of three friends as they rove aimlessly through their hometown smoking “squares,” pursuing girls, and testing their luck.

Christmas, Again is now available on Netflix. In its short life, the film has had an amazing run. As a small film distribution company (Factory 25), it’s really important to focus on making partnerships on all levels to help get films out into the world.

In Hollywood, when a studio committee greenlights a film, there has been an economic analysis that takes into account elements such as genre, attached talent, appeal to international markets, etc. They also often slot it into some release date years out, mindful of other announced films and national holidays. It’s a game of checkers played by elephants.

Well that was fast! The holidays have come and gone and Christmas, Again has essentially “expired” (until next year at least). Had it not been a “Christmas movie,” the film would be 5 weeks into its release, slowly building word-of-mouth as it makes its way around the country in and out of theaters and living rooms. Instead, we had a very compressed window (3 weeks!) and hit it with everything we had.

It’s the beginning of a very fitting final chapter for the Western team. Our movie was as independent as it gets, made by two guys in a desert at the edge of the country, and it’s about to be made available to the entire country in exactly as grassroots a way as it was created. You can preorder Western on iTunes here.

Last week, Sundance Institute’s Artist Services program joined with Festival Internacional de Cine en Morelia to host an international workshop designed to give emerging independent filmmakers and producers a chance to interact and learn from industry experts in creative funding, digital distribution and marketing of their work. As part of the day’s slate, Vimeo Director of VOD Peter Gerard was on hand to share insights from his world in a presentation on marketing direct to fans with Vimeo in order to drive an audience to discover an artist’s work.Gerard, who previously founded Accidental Media and the distribution platform Distrify, joined Vimeo in 2014 and is helping filmmakers find their audience in an increasingly crowded marketplace.