Distribution: A Learning Curve

Ten years ago, we released our second feature documentary, All These Flowers. It made significant progress beyond the success of our first documentary (We Are Superman). It was screened at eight film festivals and even won an award. We were new to this whole process. The prevailing idea was: get into festivals, get discovered by a distribution agency, and land a lucrative distribution deal. But no deals materialized.

So, what was next? We went online and found a list of hundreds of small distribution companies. We started sending emails: "Hi! We have an award-winning documentary looking for distribution." You can imagine our excitement when we received maybe three responses out of hundreds of emails sent. And of those three, one was a serious buyer.

The deal? A three-year contract. They earned the first $15,000, and after that, they took 30%. So, once $15,000 was earned, we would get 70%. Lucrative! We signed.

Lesson 1: Always read the fine print. When our distribution company (DC) made their first sale (after year one) of about $3,000, we were excited—closer to the $15,000 threshold. However, we were surprised to learn that the DC took their 30% off the top even before reaching $15,000. Essentially, we would need to reach $18,000 before earning any money.

We were disappointed, but we thought it was just a matter of time. We were wrong. Three years passed, and no additional sales were made. We realized we would have made more (anything is more than zero) if we had just released the film ourselves. So, we reached out to the DC and asked to terminate the contract, as the three years were up.

Lesson 2: Always read the fine print. We learned that our contract was subject to any subcontractor the DC used. And how long was the contract they signed to make that initial sale? Nine years. So, we had just lost the rights to our film for ten years (nine plus one).

As the end of the ten years approached (last year), we made it very clear that we did not want to renew any contracts. With the pending cancellation of our agreement, the DC and their representative removed our film from every platform. For the past year, it has been completely unavailable.

But now—drumroll—ten years after its initial release, we have regained the rights to All These Flowers! I’m not jaded; you’re jaded.

In an effort to make the film more relevant in today's media climate, we’ve turned it into a bite-sized four-part mini-series, and we are releasing it ourselves.