Caught This on a Myspace Blog..

FILM DISTIBUTION ADVICE:

My company, Brazos Pix produces, distributes, and sells films for independent filmmakers.

The film distribution business has changed radically in the past two years. These days all of the distributors are seeking movies with "name" actors. A "name" actor is someone whose name was above the title on a successful feature film released by a major studio.

If your film does not have a "name" actor, you should use the film festival circuit to give your film a "name" reputation. If your movie screens at one of the important festivals then it will have a "name" reputation among the distributors.

The most important festivals are the ones the distribution acquisition executives attend. Those festivals are: Sundance, Slamdance, Tribeca, Toronto, Cannes (three sections), Berlin, Rotterdam, Venice, Telluride, LA Independent, AFI/LA, AFI/Dallas, SXSW, Locarno, Edinburgh, New York, San Francisco, San Sebastian, and New Directors-New York.

There are thousands of indie films being made. Getting accepted into prestigious film festivals is very competitive and difficult. As a filmmaker you have two assets that can give you leverage in your movie’s successful festival submission: the film’s length and the world premiere.

Your movie should have a maximum running time of 90-96 minutes total (including credits.) Very few movies play well at longer running times. The length is critical to getting accepted into prestigious festivals. As an example, Playtone Pictures (Tom Hanks’ company) has a rule that none of their features can run longer than 96 minutes. You want the audience to leave the theater wanting more, not less.

The world premiere of your film is very important to the film festival programmers. They are very competitive with their counterparts at other festivals. They like discovering new films, but they really love hosting the world premiere. Also, do not discount the importance of the European premiere, the North American premiere, and the U.S. premiere.

Submit your film at the earliest deadline possible. This allows the festival programmers to discover your film. Because there are thousands of indie films, the programmers are overwhelmed by the volume of last minute applications. Submitting at the last deadline makes it impossible for your film to get into these festivals, especially if you do not have any "name" actors.

If your film is rejected by one festival, then move on to the next one. Be a shark and keep moving forward. It is a waste of time to re-submit to the same festival the next year. This process of submitting to the important festivals will take at least a year. Patience is required.

Good luck,
Steve Purvis
Filmmaker