Fewer indie films being picked up for distribution

In a recent story in the Chicago Sun-Times, film critic Roger Ebert notes that in spite of often high praise from film critics at many recent festivals, many independent films are not finding distributors. Although he would prefer that film be shown in 35mm, he recognizes that digital distribution is here to stay and that independent and art film houses may have to change the way they acquire and present films if they are to stay in business. Moreover, lovers of indie films may be increasingly forced to watch films at home either by using on-demand cable services and internet delivery.

The makers of independent films don’t have to send to learn for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for them. The bottom fell out of the market. That doesn’t mean there were no other offers, but it means there were none that the sellers felt able to accept. It shows a collapse of confidence in the prospects of independent film distribution.

Don’t take my word for it. Listen to Anne Thompson, who always knows what she’s talking about. In her blog Thompson on Hollywood, she leads: “The old independent market is over.” She quotes the producer Jonathan Dana: “It’s a massacre. It’s the end of funny money."

Read the whole article in the Chicago Sun Times.