Doc Distro Lit Review: Distribution

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.