A still from “The Birth of a Nation.” Directed by Nate Parker, the independent historical film about the Nat Turner led slave rebellion landed a distribution deal of close to $17 million. Photo credit: Bron Studios.
Last month a little film-that-could took Sundance by storm in ways that were reminiscent of the Cinderella success tales of the late 1980s/early 90s. “The Birth of a Nation,” produced, starring and directed by first-time filmmaker Nate Parker, not only became the critical darling among the many hopefuls vying for attention at Park City, Utah this year, it was also the recipient of the largest distribution deal in the long, storied history of the venerable film festival.
The fact that Parker’s title recalls that of a much earlier, somewhat lauded but very controversial silent film is not incidental. “The Birth of a Nation” focuses on Nat Turner, the educated slave who led a violent rebellion during the first half of the 1800s. In essence, it is the “Anti-Birth of a Nation” as DW Griffith’s original positions the Klu Klux Klan (and unfortunately racists in general) as the heroes of his film. And you would think something like Parker’s vision would have made it to the big screen by now: it could be easily pitched as the “Braveheart of the antebellum south.” But Nate Parker spent seven years hustling to raise the funds needed to produce his film. And it seems to have paid off. Although made for $10 million, which is a sizable budget for an independent feature, “Birth of a Nation” was picked up by Fox Searchlight for $17 million.
While Nate Parker should certainly be congratulated for his efforts (his film also took top honors including the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award), the film fest circuit has been lacking in that press driven buzz surrounding an “exciting” new director and his or her first film. Filmmakers land distribution deals all the time at festivals. But rarely do we hear about those breakouts in ways that used to dominate entertainment news over twenty years ago. While that kind of excitement is now more or less reserved for genre movies appearing at niche festivals like Fantastic Fest or Fantasia, rarely do these titles get full theatrical distribution. And unless you’re an avid follower of films appearing at festivals around the world, you could represent the majority of movie attendees who will never know these titles even exist.
While Sundance might be one of the more famous film festivals in the world, there are plenty of other film fests programmed throughout the year. However, a successful screening does not guarantee a distribution deal. Photo credit: Jonathan Hickerson, courtesy of The Sundance Film Festival.
Filmmakers like Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith and Allison Anders became household names practically over night due to festival exposure alone. Films like “Sex Lies and Video Tape” ensured the careers of Steven Soderbergh and actor James Spader thanks to its premiere at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. And this was before the era of the Internet and the 24/7 entertainment social feed. The aforementioned talents were the subjects of lead stories featured in Time Magazine, RollingStone and the NY Times among others. And a lot of that was due to the attention they earned on the festival circuit – and not in spite of it.
Not everyone can be a Soderbergh or Tarantino for that matter. Nor do they have to be. Film festivals still offer some of the best opportunities for obtaining that distribution deal. “Festivals are the perfect platform for these stories as those attending are absolutely craving to see and hear them all,” says film producer and director Alex Kuciw. “The work screened has an opportunity to generate buzz and good word-of-mouth if your project succeeds in reaching the festival audiences… which could lead to sales.”
Alex has been working within the film industry for almost 15 years. His credits include co-producer of the well-received 2012 horror anthology “V/H/S” and is currently producing a documentary on Michael Mann’s “The Keep.” Another film he’s produced, the Scooter McCrae directed short “Saint Frankenstein,” recently screened at the Ithaca International Fantastic Film Festival, the Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival and the prestigious Sitges Fest in Spain. So Alex has had a lot of experience with the festival circuit. Yet, how easy is it to land a distribution deal? “Listen, there’s no magic formula… Some films arrive at a fest having already made a deal. Who knows, maybe it was because of a noteworthy actor?” Alex continues, “Of course we all want our project to catch that kind of zeitgeist and quite honestly I’m not 100% sure that perfection alone would help.”
Alex Kuciw (far left, wearing the cap) directing his latest film “God’s Country.”
Filmmaker David Spaltro agrees. David has spent a great deal of time traveling from festival to festival promoting his own work, “In today’s market a screening or award or buzz doesn’t guarantee any distribution deals. Or if they do, there are so many various forms of distribution, the ease for filmmakers to ‘fourth wall’ their films digitally, that’s kind of irrelevant.” David has made three, full-length features thus far. His second film, “Things I Don’t Understand,” was screened at over 45 film festivals internationally and gathered many Best Picture, Acting, and Directing awards.
“I think there are definite strategies to think of when submitting and embarking on a festival tour with your film,” David offers. “Like every other decision, you have to see your film as a product and see how the circuit is going to best serve the film and yourself for distribution, marketing and the all important networking.” Is there more to the process than just submitting your film? David: “I hear all kinds of stories about ‘rules’ involving films, festivals, premiere statues, etc. I’ve been rejected by a festival one year and then invited the next year personally to screen the film they rejected the year before because we had won a cache of awards and gotten some great reviews since that rejection.”
Alex Kuciw offers his own anecdote regarding the effort that continues long after the acceptance stage, ”I remember being at Sundance the year that ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ screened, I had already heard about the film’s good buzz, in fact if I remember correctly they were the hottest ticket in town.” The comedy directed by Jared Hess was indeed one of the breakout hits at the 2004 Sundance Fest and yet another title picked up by Fox Searchlight. Alex: “One day I was walking down a Park City street and the filmmakers and cast were still running around hanging posters for their movie. I stopped them and asked why since the buzz was already so overwhelming. I don’t recall their answer but I was always struck by the amount of hustle they had at promoting it even when reaction was already so positive.” Alex concludes, “For all I know it was this hustle that got them their festival deal.”
David Spaltro (standing, left) and the cast of “Things I Don’t Understand” at the 2013 Hell’s Half Mile Film & Music Festival.
The progress of technology, specifically the rise of Video On Demand platforms like Netflix and Amazon, has created new distribution opportunities for independent filmmakers. Yet what seems new and impressive can be fraught with uncertainties so erring on the side of caution is advised. “When we were screening with ‘Things I Don’t Understand’ we got all kind of pitches from big and small boutique sales agents and distributors,“ recalls David Spaltro. “And it was a crazy and informative experience as a lot of them had different experimental concepts to try and approach the ever-changing market on how to release product, find an audience and make a profit.” David then warns, “I think there are also a lot of false prophets out there who talk a big talk, throw out some buzz words and promises and are really just small time aggregators charging fees or stealing product to just toss out on the web for pennies. But this is something a filmmaker can kind of take control of themselves now with sources like VHX and Vimeo to put their own work and charge directly to an audience they build up with no overhead.”
In other words, the festival appearance end goal may not involve gaining a distributer at all. Exposure – and the positive feedback that follows – might be desirable enough (although landing a distribution goal could be viewed as the icing on the cake). While “Saint Frankenstein” has screened at three festivals, both Alex Kuciw and the film’s director decided to make it available through Vimeo’s streaming service. “(We wanted) to get the short film in front of as many eyes as we possibly could since we were riding a solid wave of buzz from its festival appearances,” explains Alex. “To be honest I have never been in the middle of making a distribution deal yet. But I was at Sundance the year ‘V/H/S’ screened as I had produced director Glenn McQuaid’s segment Tuesday the 17th. I saw how the film played before an audience and caught that exciting zeitgeist with a festival crowd first hand.”
So sometimes you can capture that lightning in a bottle. In the case of “V/H/S” not only did it acquire distribution via Magnet Releasing for limited theatrical and VOD streaming, its eventual success resulted in not one but two sequels. “I’m certain the producers who put the whole project together made a deal just a few hours after its premiere there,” Alex concludes, ”I saw them whisked away for an early morning meeting with one interested party just before an after-party.”
As well as currently producing “A World War II Fairy Tale: THE KEEP Documentary” Alex Kuciw just completed directing the short film “God’s Country,” whereas David Spaltro is currently developing a horror film based on Steve Peck’s novel “A Short Stay in Hell” and a mini-series tentatively titled “Welcome to Hockey Town.” His latest film “In the Dark” is now screening in festivals across the country.
