- October 10, 2023
Writer Matt Grobar reports that more than 2,300 film and TV producers have signed a petition for the removal of the "P" from the AMPTP acronym for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and conveys the opinions of several producers who aim to draw attention to the position of producers in a changing industry.
- October 3, 2023
BBC Film announces two initiatives to support budding UK producers and address under-representation in the industry: the Associate Producer Programme and the opening of applications for the Small Indie Fund.
- October 3, 2023
Writer Fionnuala Halligan presents a series of Screen International articles that convey a state of devaluing independent producers in the United Kingdom and calls for change.
- September 28, 2023
Writer David Canfield profiles Christine Vachon, a producer renowned for her collaborations with Todd Haynes and her advocacy for new voices, detailing her journey from the New York indie scene to her current projects, including 'Past Lives,' and reflecting on her experiences as a queer female producer amidst an evolving industry and potential Oscar recognition.
- September 26, 2023
Writer Sara Fischer reports that major streaming companies, including Netflix, Paramount+, Warner Bros. Discovery's Max, Comcast's Peacock, Disney, and TelevisaUnivision's ViX, have formed the Streaming Innovation Alliance (SIA), led by former policymakers, to advocate for industry interests in the face of evolving regulations.
- September 20, 2023
Filmmaker nonprofits, including Tribeca and Sundance, face challenges like cutbacks and program eliminations, raising concerns about the future of artist support in the independent film community.
- September 2023
Filmmaker Magazine's Scott Macaulay reflects on Richard Linklater's statements regarding his worries about the declining significance of cinema in modern culture due to technology and advertising dominance, underscoring the need for perseverance and efforts to improve the industry's future.
- May 14, 2023
Writer Matt Stoller argues that streaming giants and industry consolidation are steering Hollywood toward limited content and unfair working conditions, leading to tense negotiations and solidarity over union strikes.
- April 11, 2023
Bookshop.org, founded by Andy Hunter, offers a successful alternative to Amazon by supporting independent bookstores through a portion of online sales, providing a community-driven choice against larger competitors.
- March 16, 2023
Independent film veterans Naomi McDougall Jones and Liz Manashil analyzed the revenue information from 104 independent films, revealing profitability trends in films released since 2018, and finding that low-budget films with extremely famous, or unknown actors, opting for self-distribution have a higher chance of financial success.
- February 1, 2023
New York Magazine Features writer Reeves Wiedeman spoke with more than eighty documentary filmmakers about the state of the industry with the streaming platforms playing a larger role in the production of such films.
- January 19, 2023
Reporting on the presentation of Distribution Advocates' data on film festival sales at the International Documentary Association's 2022 Getting Real Conference, film writer Anthony Kaufman describes the challenges independent documentary filmmakers face finding financing, festival acceptance, exposure, and distribution deals that make sense for them.
- September 16, 2022
Journalists Mia Galuppo and Katie Kilkenny explore the transformation of the nonfiction space into a lucrative industry with streaming platforms, featuring insights from filmmakers like Alex Gibney and Ken Burns on rising costs, ethical challenges, and the evolving nature of their profession.
- Spring 2022
Writer Will Tavlin chronicles the transition from celluloid filmmaking and exhibition to digital, highlighting the proposed benefits and the eventual pitfalls—offering a critical exploration of the difficulties in safeguarding cultural records in this digital era.
- April 1, 2022
Freemantle's global head of documenaries, Mandy Chang, spoke at at the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival (CPH: DOX), about how streaming platforms stick with true crime, sport, and celebrity-driven stories so that they become mainstream and popular, essentially locking out opportunities for other, perhaps viewed as "challenging," documentaries.
- July 8, 2021
Elite universities award thousands of master’s degrees that leave graduates without sufficient early-career earnings to begin repaying their federal student loans. Columbia University’s film program is a striking example, with its alumni carrying the highest debt-to-earnings ratio among graduates of any master’s program in the United States.
- September 29, 2020
Six members of Distribution Advocates participated in discussions and presented at the International Documentary Association's 2020 Getting Real conference, offering insights on the challenges filmmakers face in understanding distribution processes and negotiating fair deals, proposing solutions such as free distribution advisors and a basic cheat sheet to empower filmmakers in navigating distribution offers effectively.
- June 15, 2020
Calling for a reimagining of the documentary film industry, cultural strategist Sonya Childress details inequities and issues found throughout the system, focusing on the areas of authorship, accountability, and ownership.
- October 2, 2011
New Day Films, a cooperative founded in 1971, empowers more than 100 filmmakers to self-distribute educational films, employing a consensus decision-making model, a "share ladder" system, and adapting to the digital era with New Day Digital.
- June 1, 2002
Filmmaker Peter Stuart reflects on his time as President of the International Documentary Association (IDA), emphasizing collaborations with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), efforts to improve the documentary award nomination process, and expressing concerns about challenges faced by today's television documentary makers.
