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- December 20, 2023
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.
- December 19, 2023
Evaluating the landscape of the documentary field in 2023, Anthony Kaufman reports on the types of stories that are gaining prominence and filmmakers' attitudes toward a seemingly contracting industry.
- December 15, 2023
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.
- December 7, 2023
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.
- December 1, 2023
Writer Anthony D'Alessandro details a new micro-budget film initiative launched by production company Plan B Entertainment and led by veteran producer and acquisition/production executive Caddy Vanasirikul, that aims to help finance lower cost films.
- October 12, 2023
Matt Grobar reports that LGBTQIA+ organization Outfest has postponed its Legacy Awards ceremony to 2024, paused other programming, and initiated leaves for most staff due to financial challenges.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 27, 2022
Distribution Advocates' slideshow explores the link between film festivals and documentary distribution, featuring visuals on acceptance rates, director demographics, funding, and retained rights.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- June 1, 2001
In 2001, the Independent Television Service (ITVS) was a decade into supporting independent TV creators, and navigating challenges like funding risks and criticism for constraints, while staying committed to thought-provoking programming beyond traditional documentary roles.
