TRUE INDIE: A Guide to Indie Film Distribution in 2023

Got an independent film you want to distribute? Lucky for you, there are now a multitude of options to distribute your films, whether you plan to do so yourself, or seek out a company to distribute for you. Read on to learn about some current, viable options for indie film distribution in 2023, so you can get your film out into the world and find an audience for your work. 

Self Distribution

For those filmmakers looking for a free (or cheap, at least) option to distribute straight to digital platforms, you can place your film yourself on Prime Video Direct, and be live on Amazon Prime Video within a matter of days. You can also upload to sites like YouTube or Vimeo, or even on social media, and be live on the same day.

These are great options if your main goal is to get quick exposure for your work, however, know going in that it’s very rare that these methods will garner much money or recoup your budget. Unless you luck out and become the next indie darling with views in the multi-millions, you’re likely to make little more than pocket change via these avenues. However, if your goal is eyeballs on your work, these can be fast and inexpensive ways to get your film in front of millions in a short period of time, with little to no financial investment, other than paying for requirements like getting art and closed captioning files created. 

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Hiring an Aggregator

Another way to place your film on streaming platforms—with more options beyond just Amazon—is to hire an aggregator. An aggregator is essentially a media company that has relationships with streaming platforms, such as Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, Google Play, The Roku Channel, Freevee, etc., and, for a fee, can encode and deliver your film to whichever platforms have chosen to accept it. Fees often vary based on how many platforms you want the aggregator to pitch on your behalf, and how much encoding work needs to be done to deliver your film.

What’s great about aggregators is that they can make sure that your film is delivered properly, in the right specs for each specific platform, as opposed to self-distribution on Prime, YouTube, or Vimeo, where you must make sure you adhere to the specs of each platform as you upload your film. 

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Each platform has different requirements, from the aspect ratio of your video and photo files, to what kind of assets (posters, movie stills, promotional images, etc.) they want, to what kind of metadata and captioning files you’re required to provide. So, if you’re not technically inclined in that arena, hiring an aggregator can be helpful in getting your film delivered without the massive headache. Apple has a list of accepted aggregators here, and Google Play has one here.

Four-walling Your Film

If seeing your indie film up on the big screen is your dream, then you may want to consider “four-walling” your film. Four-walling is essentially paying to rent out a movie theater (four walls) for a period of time in order to exhibit your film. Depending on the deal you strike with the exhibitor, you may be able to collect all of your box office revenue, while the theater usually gets to keep sales revenue from popcorn and concessions.

To four-wall your film, viable options might be contacting local independent or art house theaters and asking if your film can be exhibited, or renting out theater space from chains, like Landmark Theaters or Laemmle Theaters, that cater to independent filmmakers. You can even qualify for Academy Awards consideration if you four-wall according to the Academy’s specifications. Four-wall distribution can be expensive, and therefore a bit of a financial risk, but it can be worth it, depending on your goals as a filmmaker and how much of an audience you know you can bring in.

Film Festivals

Another way to get your film up on the big screen is to submit to film festivals. This doesn’t count as actual distribution, per se, but can certainly help you meet distributors, who often attend festivals to find new films, and also help up your pedigree so you have more credibility when pitching your film to buyers and distribution companies down the line (more on this below). 

Film festivals are also a fantastic place to network, be seen, and even get a chance to walk the red carpet. There are several costs, however, associated with submitting, attending, and providing marketing materials to festivals, so it’s important to know that going in if you’re on a tight budget.

5 Filmmaker-Friendly Film Festivals for Indie Short Films

So how do you submit to film festivals? Many festivals, especially in the U.S., use Film Freeway as a submission portal, which is convenient because you can list your film once and then apply to a number of festivals at the same time. For international festivals, Short Film Depot is a fantastic resource, and many of the submissions through them are low-cost or even free. Some larger festivals, like the Cannes Film Festival, only accept submissions via their own websites, so be on the lookout for when they open for entries.

Attending a Film Market

Attending a film market, like the American Film Market [AFM] in Santa Monica, California, the European Film Market in Berlin, Germany, or the Marché du Film in Cannes, France, is an option, although you will likely have a tough road ahead representing yourself. Slots for meetings with distributors and buyers sometimes fill up months in advance with established sales agents and producer’s representatives. 

Although the markets are fun and an amazing opportunity to network, you may find you have an easier time finding distribution for your film through a professional who already has years-long relationships with buyers and distributors, as well as success selling films in your genre in the past.

Which leads me to…

Finding a Sales Agent or Producer’s Representative

Finding a reputable sales agent or producer’s rep for your film is easier said than done. Although there are certainly legit agents and reps who can work wonders to get your films sold, there are also a lot of scammers in this arena. A fantastic place to search for legitimate sales agents and reps is Cinando, a site that was launched by the Marché du Film 20 years ago to list and schedule the attendees of the Cannes Film Festival. 

Today, it’s a top resource to search for film industry professionals. Search and see who’s attending what festival and/or market to help guide you on which sales agents and producer’s reps might be a good fit for your film.

Traditional Distribution

A traditional distribution deal with a distributor has historically been the main goal of many an indie filmmaker. Distributors have direct relationships with streaming platforms, buyers, and exhibitors, and can usually get your film much better placement and exposure than you can get yourself. Depending on your situation and the viability of your cast, there can also be possible DVD and Blu-ray deals, broadcast television deals, and sometimes even a theatrical release.

Linda Nelson is the co-founder of Indie Rights, a film distribution company specializing in indie films (and who distributes my feature, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SUNSHINE). As far as what traditional distribution entails, she says, “For our company, Indie Rights, distribution might include some broadcast, various streaming platforms, and even physical media like DVD and Blu-ray. If a film has a recognizable cast, broadcast is possible, otherwise streaming is the best option for indie films.

We work with about twenty streaming platforms, including Amazon, Google Play, YouTube Movies, TubiTV, The Roku Channel, AppleTV, Vudu, PlutoTV, Swerve (for Sports content), Dekkoo (for LGBTQ content), and a number of others, including our own YouTube AVOD [Ad-Supported Video on Demand] channel, INDIE RIGHTS MOVIES FOR FREE. We also exhibit at Cannes and at AFM to represent our films to buyers from foreign markets. While the bulk of indie films will generate most of their revenue in the US, the rest of the world is catching up and we expect to see substantial streaming revenue come from foreign territories in the future.”

As far as the future of film distribution in the ever-changing indie landscape, Linda says, “I expect to see streaming continue to grow. I also expect to see more specialized platforms rather than just umbrella platforms that have films from all genres. We are already starting to see specialty platforms like Shudder and Screambox for Horror and Swerve for Sports and Dekkoo for LGBTQ content. It will be more important than ever for filmmakers to accept some responsibility for marketing their films with social media, as the studios are finally embracing streaming and starting to flood the platforms with star-driven content from their vast catalogs. This makes it even harder for indies to get noticed.”

So what can indie filmmakers do to help get their films noticed? “It is critical for filmmakers to build a social media presence for themselves, as they are the brand,” Linda advises. “Instagram, a YouTube Channel, and Twitter are important platforms for filmmakers to build an audience for their work. A consistent stream of short videos properly tagged and with links to your content on each platform is a great way to get noticed. Getting reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB is very important.”

Although the process to get all of your deliverables (video files for the film and trailer in specific formats, poster and promotional images, closed captioning files, etc.) put together properly can be lengthy, getting a distribution deal can be a critical step forward for your film and your career as a filmmaker as a whole. 

As far as what to look for in a distributor, Linda advises that, “It’s really important that you do your due diligence…make the term short, no more than three years, keep the expenses capped and to a minimum, and make sure that you will get detailed reports and payments, at least quarterly.”

So how do you meet a distributor? There are a number of ways. For instance, you can meet a distributor at a film festival (as we did for our feature film’s DVD deal), you can submit directly to distributors via their websites (as we did for our feature’s streaming deal), or you can get connected with one via a sales agent/producer’s rep, as discussed earlier.

Before submitting to a distributor, make sure you have your ducks in a row to have your best chance of being offered a deal. Having had a film festival run, especially with nominations and awards, helps a lot, as well as having a professional and eye-catching poster, website, and social media pages to represent your film.

Listing on a Film/TV Rights Marketplace

One of the many ways the web has disrupted film distribution is the ease with which you can now screen your film in front of buyers the world over without leaving the comfort of your couch. If you don’t have the time or resources to go the film festival or sales agent/film market route to sell your film, an option is Vuulr, a global content marketplace for film and TV rights.

On Vuulr, you can list your content (including features and short films) for free and put yourself in front of a myriad of buyers from across the globe. You can even create your own virtual screening room, where buyers can watch your film and decide whether or not they’d like to make an offer. The only catch is that Vuulr collects 10% of the revenue from whatever deals you make. Still, this can be a viable way to get your work in front of potential buyers without having to invest money upfront and could be an especially great option if you have a catalog of films that you can sell as a bundle.

I hope this has given you a solid overview of some distribution options as an indie filmmaker in 2023! Wishing you the very best of luck in distributing your film.

Let us know about your film distribution journey in the comments!

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