Distribution

Abhijeet Aade Thank you, I really appreciate that. You're absolutely right—so much work goes into making a film, and it's frustrating when it gets uploaded and quickly disappears among thousands of other releases.

That's one of the main reasons I started thinking about XineRent. I wanted to create something that makes a film premiere feel special again and gives filmmakers a chance to build excitement around their work instead of relying purely on algorithms.

Thanks for the encouragement, and I'm glad the idea resonates with you. I'll definitely keep posting updates as XineRent grows and develops. Wishing you the best on your filmmaking journey as well.

Kevin Jackson Thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to read the post and the IndieTalk thread.

You made a great point about festivals. I've spoken with filmmakers who were excited to get accepted, only to feel disconnected from the actual audience experience afterward. That's one of the things I've been thinking about a lot while building XineRent.

The first premieres taught me that even a small audience can create a memorable experience when people are genuinely engaged with the film and the filmmaker.

We're still in the early stages, but I'll keep sharing updates as we grow and learn. And if you have a completed film you'd like to give a premiere moment, we'd be happy to explore premiering it on XineRent.

Thanks again for the thoughtful comment and support.

Muhammad Muhammad Thank you, Muhammad. I appreciate you sharing more about the vision behind XineRent.

What stands out to me is the focus on restoring the sense of occasion around a film's release. For many independent filmmakers, getting an audience to engage with their work can be just as challenging as making the film itself. Creating a dedicated premiere experience feels like a meaningful way to help films connect with viewers beyond the limitations of algorithms.

I look forward to following XineRent's progress and seeing how it continues to support independent creators. Wishing you every success as you develop the platform.

That's a thoughtful approach to the gap between finishing a film and actually getting it in front of a live audience, and the fact that you reached viewers in three countries off a cold list of fifteen people proves there's an appetite for intentional screenings. What's been the most surprising reaction from an audience member at one of your premieres?

Thank you, Samantha Rivera . The most surprising reaction wasn't about the film itself—it was seeing how much people valued the premiere experience. One viewer told me that being part of a scheduled event with other people watching at the same time felt more special than simply clicking play on a streaming platform. That reaction reinforced my belief behind XineRent: every film deserves a premiere, and audiences still want shared cinematic moments, even in a digital world.

That's a massive consolidation, and it means one company will control a major streaming device platform and a direct pipeline to over a hundred million households, which could eventually bury independent films in favor of Fox's own library. What do you think this means for indie filmmakers who have been relying on those platforms?

Samantha Rivera I don't think it means much different, as its just the latest in the trend. In fact, ALL first and second tier streaming platforms have been bought up by MPA principals or subs in the last 5 years, which is another lockout of independent distribution and profits. MUBI seems last indie platform standing, if I am not mistaken, and they're not necessarily a great option for everyone. But honestly, as head of the Independent Producers Guild for the last 4 years, I can say without qualification that most (ie. 90%+) aspiring independent filmmakers just don't understand that they filmmaking is a business and they must be entrepreneurs if they want to make money at it, and that they really have no intention of becoming that. One way forward, IMO is niche franchise platforms, like those being led by various and diverse people like Mr. Beast, Viva La Dirt League, The Why Files, Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, Deerstalker Pictures et al, and the growing cadre of creators who are moving from YouTube and TikTok to their own dedicated platforms. They are adapting to the radical shifts in viewer preferences, promotional strategies etc. and they are masters of their own house. And, again IMO, there is a marked return to the power of personality - in other words, celebrity and name recognition matters to audiences, especially when the audience discovers that name instead of being told about it.

Super excited for this class, Sam is full of knowledge!

See you this weekend :)

2 spots remain! Make sure to get your questionnaire into Sam ASAP!

Questions about the class? Email edu@stage32.com at anytime!

I'm not surprised but certainly disappointed.

Sean Nicholas This honestly feels less like a traditional platform announcement and more like the early manifesto of a creative ecosystem, which is probably why it stands out. The language creates a sense of ambition and atmosphere rather than simply listing features.

What I find most interesting is the attempt to position AI not as a replacement for creativity, but as an interactive layer surrounding discovery, experience, and connection. That distinction matters because a lot of people are still wary of AI in creative spaces, whereas your framing makes it feel more collaborative and exploratory.

I also think phrases like:

“a living digital experience,”

“where sound meets intelligence,”

and

“where ideas don’t just sit still they respond”

do a strong job communicating mood and direction rather than just technical functionality.

And honestly, emphasizing that the platform is still evolving actually helps the message feel more authentic because it reads like an invitation into a growing movement rather than a finished corporate product launch.

The challenge moving forward will probably be translating this strong conceptual identity into very tangible creator experiences people can immediately understand and emotionally connect with once they enter the ecosystem. But as a vision statement, it definitely creates curiosity.

The ambition is clear, but phrases like "where sound meets intelligence" are too abstract to tell a creator what they'd actually do on the platform or why they'd choose it over existing tools. What is the one core daily problem this ecosystem solves for a writer or musician?

Fair enough. This is where I would say let me show you. Stay tuned! I am launching shortly...

Good then I will keep an eye out.

Did a little figuring (no guarantee of accuracy, just asked ai on the net- and double check my math.).... a video on youtube earns about $6 per 1000 views (after it reaches the requirements). An ad on youtube (if you're placing one) cost about $.10-.30 per view or about $100 - $300 per 1000 views. I'd think it's similar across all avod for the average indie production. I read, it costs about $10,000/month to host an avod platform. If someone (let's say Stage32 for example, or all the members of stage 32 banded together) hosted an avod platform for indies and let's say 10% of the members actually watched (ie about 100,000). Ad revenues would be about $10,000 - $30,000 for an avod platform for indies. Breakeven. So, not as rich as it might seem for a smaller operation, but if you had a accumulated 1 - 3 million views over all the videos. You might be able to distribute more than $6 to your filmmakers for 1000 views. Give 'em maybe $12. =-)

From my perspective, we sometimes overlook the purely commercial side that drives this industry. My experience has taught me that distribution is not a 'subsequent phase' of production, but rather the primary driver. We never start writing any project without first conducting a thorough analysis of what broadcasters require and testing the concept as a commercial product.

A strong distributor is a primary strategic ally. The failure of many companies—despite the high quality of their work—is often due to having a weak ally or the inability to reach channel executives in a timely manner. I believe that success in this industry requires us to treat a 'work of art' as a 'commercial product' from the very moment we start thinking about the treatment

Hello!, Talk about Distribution success. I have not yet experienced any success in the Distribution. I have not had a chance to fund my own first project due to unavoidable circumstances. But I am not giving up. The book is out there. My Story has been completed. I am a self supporting Producer waiting for the perfect opportunity to get funded otherwise, Then What Now? Waiting period. I am frozen just like many others. I was able to complete the story with the support of only one creative partner and was able to successfully captured audience, on my social media. As of now, I continue to create for two clients. For three years I am able to build huge amount of equity that I am tempted to use for my own project but at the same time I am trying to be debt free so I can invest on my own project in the near future. From Producing my own film to Distribution.

I have been a Stage32 member since 2020. My creative partner who helped from the ground level to where I am now has been a member for much longer. My dream of having a "A" Director and Line Production for my powerful story may not happen but getting it done is not a far fetch reality. Miracle happens. Having my story on a Theater is very possible because I met new acquaintances in the Entertainment industry, particularly a female producer of her own local show. My Creative partner and I may someday consider my powerful story to be on the Musical Broadway show in Las Vegas.

Hey Sean Patrick Burke congrats on your projects. Well for me I had been waiting for a couple of years to do a feature film. Nothing happened, so a friend said "what if we just shot a feature ourselves". That's what we did, went at it in all the wrong ways, invested our own time and a tiny bit of money and shot a feature. It's just in the end stages of post right now. I never really thought about distribution since I approached the project in stages and figured that this was a later stage. But I'm happy that I've had some talks and interest from people about possible distribution and I'm excited to see where everything goes.

The thing with our film is, no known actors, a unknown director (me) and unknown writers (also me), that kind of limits it's scope I think.

One thing I've learned is that distribution isn't just about where a film ends up—it's also about how it is introduced to an audience.

I've spoken with filmmakers who spent years making a film, secured a release, and still felt like the film never really had its moment. That's part of why I'm building XineRent. We're experimenting with ticketed online premieres and live filmmaker Q&As to help independent films create an actual event around their release.

We're still early, but our first premieres reached audiences across multiple countries with full attendance. I'm curious whether others have seen audience engagement improve when a release feels like an event rather than just another upload.

Renato Pires Thanks for sharing, Renato! Just sent a follow. Looking forward to connecting with fellow creatives and industry professionals.

Geoff Hall Interesting. First, I have no interest in "Backrooms" - I was bored by the creepy pasta when it first emerged a long time ago. Obsession I might watch. As to independent cinema dominating, it's not a likely scenario in our market, and neither of these films represent independent cinema in terms of business, though both have kept the indie feel in terms of content. IMO we are coming through the cyclical co-opting of independent film by the studios, and that these are examples of that. This happened in the early 80s and again in the early 2000s when indie titles were becoming more popular - studios through subs would finance and acquire independent titles and in this way they kept the independent sector as a whole out of the market. Also, I would argue that neither A24 nor Blumhouse are truly "independent" studios, though Blumhouse still is on the mainstream industry cusp. Blumhouse has had a "first look" deal with Universal for over a decade and therefore the titles it selects get major studio backing and distribution out of the gate. They are not controlled or owned by them though, so *maybe* they still qualify as independent, but maybe not. A24 on the other hand is was given a $40m line of credit from Guggenheim Partners, and in 2022 enjoyed a $225m equity investment by Stripes and Neuberger Berman Client Funds, is currently valued at $2.5B. Neither of those entities is known for handing out cash unless you already have mainstream distribution sewn up (though I haven't looked at this aspect yet). A24 therefore qualifies as "independent" only by reputation in my books.

You're right that a real shift is happening since Backrooms cost about $10 million and earned over $100 million while competing with a Star Wars movie, and the film itself is more of a slow, eerie David Lynch experience than a jump scare horror. Have you noticed younger audiences specifically seeking out these weird, low budget originals instead of the usual franchise fare?

Shadow is correct that this is cyclical. Indie films and indie-co-sudio films will be financed and distributed. For everyone that hits, dozens fall by the way side. WB and Fox set up a specialty divisions back in the early 2000s - WB Premiere and Fox Atomic. The focus was the $3M - $8M film, usually genre specific. Both shuttered within a few years.

This is a genuinely useful breakdown of what makes a healthy film culture beyond the Hollywood star system, and the Baby Cinema section is a wonderful example of how rethinking basic assumptions about audience can lead to entirely new approaches to programming and screenwriting. Have you seen other festivals successfully implementing similar community building strategies, or does IndieLisboa feel unique in that regard?