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Five Questions to Ask a Sales Agent Before You Sign
Fees, expenses, territories and term. What producers should settle before handing over their film.
Independent Distributors Rethink the Theatrical Window
Shorter runs, event screenings and earlier streaming deals. How smaller distributors are reshaping the path from festival premiere to audience.
Why Sportswear Labels Keep Commissioning Documentaries
Athletes, origin stories and long-form access: why sports brands see documentary as their best format.
Latin American Cinema Finds a Bigger US Audience
Bilingual audiences, new distributors and festival wins are opening doors for films from the region.
Reading a Revenue Waterfall Without Getting Lost
Who gets paid first, who gets paid last, and how to read the order before you sign.
What Buyers Want This Season: Genre, Documentary and Bilingual Stories
Ahead of the winter markets, buyers are clear about what they are looking for.
Brand-Funded Features Find a Place at Major Festivals
Programmers are selecting films financed by brands, as long as the story comes first.
AFM Preview: The Titles Buyers Are Already Talking About
What to expect from the American Film Market in Los Angeles this November.
How a Small Documentary Sold in Twelve Territories
A step-by-step look at how a modest nonfiction film found buyers around the world.
Your First Film Market: A Practical Guide
Badges, meetings, screenings and follow-ups. How to make the most of your first market.
Brands Move From Product Placement to Producing Their Own Films
More brands are financing and producing films outright instead of buying screen time.
Gross vs. Net Points: What Producers Actually Receive
Two kinds of profit participation, and why the difference matters more than the percentage.
The Avant Premiere Is Back as a Marketing Tool
Early screenings for press, partners and tastemakers are building word of mouth again.
When a Brand Film Plays a Festival
What changes when branded content competes for a festival slot.
The Second Window Matters Again
Licensing after a first streaming run is becoming a real source of revenue.
The Rise of Event-Driven Theatrical Releases
One-night screenings, Q&As and tours are turning theatrical into an event business.
Patagonia on Screen: A New Wave of Southern Stories
Filmmakers are turning to the landscapes and communities of the far south.
Sports Docs Keep Winning Buyers
Access, archive and a built-in audience make sports documentaries easy to sell.
Streamers Return to Buying Finished Independent Films
After years of originals, platforms are acquiring completed films at festivals and markets.
EFM 2027: What to Prepare Before February
Materials, meetings and timing for the European Film Market in Berlin.
How to Plan an Avant Premiere That Gets Press
Guest list, venue, timing and follow-up for an early screening that builds momentum.
P&A Budgets Shrink as Digital Campaigns Get Smarter
Prints and advertising spend is moving online, and smaller releases are getting more for less.
The Long Road of an Awards Campaign
From festival premiere to nomination morning, an awards run takes months of planning.
Territory Deals vs. Worldwide Sales: Which Pays More?
Selling country by country or all at once. The trade-offs for producers and sales agents.
Inside the New Branded Entertainment Budgets
Where the money comes from inside a brand, and who signs off.
What Sales Agents Look for in a First Feature
Cast, genre, festival strategy and a clear audience. How agents decide which debuts to take on.
Surf Films Move From Niche to Festival Favorites
Surf cinema is finding wider audiences, and festival programmers have noticed.
Minimum Guarantees, Explained for First-Time Producers
What an MG is, how it is paid, and what it means for the rest of your deal.
Inside the Marché du Film's Growing Doc Corner
Cannes' market is making more room for documentaries and the people who sell them.
Ad-Supported Tiers Change What Gets Licensed
Free and ad-supported platforms want different films than subscription services.
Spanish-Language Films Gain Ground With US Buyers
Distributors see a growing audience for Spanish-language and bilingual titles.
Five Partnerships That Put Story Before Logo
Collaborations between brands and filmmakers that audiences actually wanted to watch.
Funding a Feature Doc Without a Broadcaster
Grants, brands, private equity and presales: how independent docs get financed.
Regional Festivals That Launch Careers
Smaller festivals with outsized influence on first-time filmmakers.
Art House Cinemas Reinvent the Night Out
Bars, talks and curated series are bringing audiences back to independent screens.
Private Screenings Become the New Pitch Meeting
Producers are using small screenings to bring buyers and partners into the same room.
Where Independent Film Financing Comes From in 2026
Equity, presales, gap loans, tax credits and brand money: the current mix behind independent films.
What an Awards Strategist Actually Does
Screenings, voter outreach and timing. The job behind the campaign.
Why Auto Brands Are Betting on Documentary
Road trips, engineering and design stories are a natural fit for long-form nonfiction.
How Programmers Watch Hundreds of Submissions
Inside the selection process, and what helps a film stand out.
Bilingual Storytelling Goes Mainstream
Films that move between English and Spanish are reaching audiences on both sides.
Which Platforms Still Buy Documentaries
A practical look at where nonfiction films are being acquired.
The Archive Footage Budget Nobody Plans For
Licensing archive material can sink a documentary budget. How to plan for it.
This Month's Openings in Los Angeles
Premieres, retrospectives and special screenings around the city.
Small Films, Big Nominations: How It Happens
How independent films with modest budgets end up in the awards conversation.