Doc Distro Lit Review: Variety

A film still depicting a person singing on a stage
Writer Addie Morfoot reports on staff departures and government-funding issues surrounding the 2024 edition of the Hot Docs Film Festival.
Illustration of a person riding a sideways Apple logo
Variety Co-Editor-in-Chief Cynthia Littleton reports on the changing climate in Washington, DC, surrounding mergers and acquisitions and the enforcement of—and calls for revisions to—antitrust laws.
Photograph of five people sitting in front of a Full Frame Documentary Film Festival sign
Writer Addie Morfoot summarizes points made from a panel discussion called "Documentary Dealmaking" at the 2024 Full Frame Film Festival, highlighting the financial challenges faced by documentary filmmakers and the need for fair compensation, stronger alliances with industry organizations, and collective action to address systemic issues in the industry.
Photograph of people holding a sign that says "Cine Argentino Unido por la democracia"
Writer Anna Marie De La Fuente reports that Argentina's President Javier Milei is moving forward with his plan to defund INCAA, threatening the local film community, as well as national film festivals like Mar del Plata and film and TV market Ventana Sur, and prompting protests from the coalition Cine Argentino Unido.
A compilation of five images, from the films: “Four Daughters,” “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” “To Kill a Tiger,” “The Eternal Memory,” and “20 Days in Mariupol.”
The 2024 Oscar documentary nominations, dominated by international filmmakers and with little major streamer-backed films, have sparked discourse on potential resentment in the documentary branch, a preference for social-issue documentaries, and considerations for altering the voting system.
Image of person wearing a Superman costume and flying in the sky
Writer Addie Morfoot details reports of strong interest in independently-made documentaries at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, which offered hope to sales agents about the trajectory of distribution for these projects.
Black and white photograph of a person with long dark hair sitting on steps
Writer Addie Morfoot reports on Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment and film distributor 1091 Pictures facing legal disputes centered on missing revenue-sharing payments to filmmakers, who are also trying to reclaim their distribution rights should 1091 Pictures' parent company go bankrupt.
Photograph of two children with blonde hair
Writer Addie Morfoot describes the 2024 Oscar documentary shortlist race, with fewer streamer-backed films opening up possibilities for filmmakers utilizing smaller awards campaign budgets.
Photograph of a Best Buy store
Writer Todd Spangler reports that Best Buy will stop selling DVDs and Blu-ray discs in early 2024, aligning with a broader decline in physical media sales.
Illustration of picket sign behind glass that says "In Case of ON STRIKE! Break Glass"
Variety co-editor-in-chief Cynthia Littleton discusses how the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike exposed the flaws in the industry's bargaining system, and proposes the need for a process to integrate streaming-era economic structures into contracts, as well as for ongoing communication between labor and management.