May 26, 2012

Mixed Reviews: The Independent's Guide To Film Distributors

by Michael Walsh | Published April 7, 2010

The Independent’s Guide To Film Distributors (Independent Media Publications, 218 pages, $29.95), edited by Michele Meek, is a comprehensive distribution guide for independent moviemakers at every level of experience. The book offers detailed descriptions of nearly 200 film distributors, their contact information and the specifics necessary for moviemakers to make informed decisions regarding where and how to distribute their work.

The book’s strengths lie in the attention to detail that goes into describing every distribution company in the book. Each listing comes packaged with the company’s mailing addresses, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, Websites and the names of each company’s presidents/owners/executive directors. Additionally, the book verifies the credentials of each by detailing the experience of their executives, outlines the focus of each distributor—the types of films they distribute (documentary, animation, etc.) and lists the projects they’ve distributed before.

But The Independent’s Guide To Film Distributors is more than a simple list of distributors. For instance, the book contains an exclusive interview with Ryan Krivoshey, Cinema Guild’s director of distribution for the past six years. The interview consists of detailed information, right from the source, regarding Cinema Guild’s collection of titles, their policies and philosophies when choosing films to distribute, and Krivoshey’s take on where the future of independent cinema is heading. This interview is just one of nine distribution Q&As included within the book, joining interviews with representatives from Wellspring Media, Wolfe Releasing and Outcast Films to name a few.

The perks don’t stop there. The Independent’s Guide To Film Distributors outlines the processes and formalities that newcomers to the industry might not be aware of (policies regarding unsolicited inquiries, obtaining advisers, etc.). Though these chapters are only a small part of the book’s worth, they’re an essential component that make The Independent’s Guide To Film Distributors as indispensable as it is informative. Whether you’re a burgeoning moviemaker looking for the right people to get your project distributed or a seasoned vet looking for the latest information in a continuously changing landscape, there’s no brand of moviemaker immune to the benefits of The Independent’s Guide To Film Distributors.