Doc Distro Lit Review: Distribution

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.
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Journalist Anthony Kaufman provides case studies and insights into various films from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, shedding light on the festival's notable occurrences and trends in the industry.
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An account from the 2023 Camden International Film Festival (CIFF), featuring discussions of documentaries "Beyond Utopia," "A Golden Life," and "The Last Year of Darkness," alongside a discussion of the film industry's contradictions.
Image of three people with the headline "Beyond Resilience: The Documentary System Is Broken. Now What? Now Streaming"
Firelight Media's Marcia Smith spoke with documentary veterans Brian Newman and Geralyn Dreyfous about the state of the documentary industry, discussing market shifts, positive developments, and the need for audience advocacy.
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Writer Anthony D'Alessandro details the new arrangement between HBO, Max, and A24, in their exclusive multiyear pay-one output agreement, which grants HBO, Max, and Cinemax rights to A24's film releases after their theatrical run.
Deadline and Nō Studios's Doc Talk podcast logo
Hosts of Deadline and Nō Studios's Doc Talk podcast, writer-director John Ridley and Deadline’s documentary editor Matt Carey, speak with Diane Becker (producer, "King Coal"), Joe Peeler (co-director, "Bad Press"), and Keith Wilson (producer, "Joonam") on their innovative approach to Oscar awards campaigning, with their DIY FYC (Do It Yourself For Your Consideration) strategy.
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While Lily Gladstone receives accolades for her role in Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," her other film, "Fancy Dance," from Indigenous women filmmakers Erica Tremblay and Miciana Alise, has struggled to secure a distribution deal despite the filmmakers claims of meeting industry criteria for success—inspiring calls for change in industry support of Native American-led storytelling.
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Writers Jonathan Mahler, James B. Stewart, and Benjamin Mullin detail David Zaslav's impact as CEO of Warner Brothers Discovery, including his strategies to cut costs following the merger and controversial decisions in programming and focusing funds.
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At Color Congress's National Convening, Karin Chien from Distribution Advocates, presents plans to address the documentary distribution crisis, by fostering collaboration for a more equitable filmmaking ecosystem.
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.