Film Distribution Companies List

All films - FilmHub | Bleecker Street | Entertainment One | Freestyle Digital Media | Good Deed Entertainment | Gravitas Ventures | Indie Rights | Juno Films | Magnolia Pictures| The Orchard |Prolific Pictures | Samuel Goldwyn | Seed and Spark | Vertical Entertainment |Virgil Films | Bull Dog |101 Films |

Genre Films – Abramorama (Documentary)| Breaking Glass Pictures (Horror, LGBT, Comedy) | Passion River (Documentary) | Strand Releasing (Foreign, LGBT) | Wolfe Video (LGBT) | Terror Films (Horror), Brain Damage Films (Horror), Left Films (Horror) | Uncorked Entertainment (Comedy, Horror), Gkids (Animation) | Lighthouse (Faith) |

Read my Interview with Klaus Badelt the founder of Film Hub

Many of the film distribution companies listed above accept unsolicited films. However, it can be more professional to approach companies through a sales agent.

These companies also send staff out yearly to major film festivals to find potential films to distribute. I found these companies through a simple google search, make sure to spend the time to find the perfect distribution company for your film. Ideally you want to find a film distribution company that has worked with a film similar to yours before.

A good film distributor helps you get your film shown at cinemas and streamed on VOD platforms. It is wise to plan your distribution strategy even before you make your film. Yet, often this stage is overlooked by filmmakers as being too complicated or dismissed as someone else's job. Independent filmmakers especially need to consider how their film will be distributed.

Which brings us to…

The Film Distribution Strategy Plan

PRE-PRODUCTION

Find or build a audience for your film

Consider what makes your film special

Create a film distribution plan

During pre-production you need to think about who will watch your film once its complete. If your film was shown in the cinema why would people choose to watch your film? If your film was picked up by Netflix, what would make it stand out beside all the other films?

Many distributors are looking for a film that already has a guaranteed audience. This could be from a well-known cast member (who has a large social media following) or an adaptation of a book or video game that has a pre-made audience. Genre films such as horror or comedy can already have a built-in audience. Even a super low budget film (with some work) can build a base audience through social media before the film is completed.

Pre-sale Financing – Some distributors also do pre-sales. This means that they will give you a portion of your budget to help you make your film. Keep in mind you only profit once your film has made that money back. This technique works especially well for high genre films such as horror.

Pre-sale selling – If you are independently financing your film, you can gather some of your budget through pre-sales. For example, your could pre-sell DVDs or an online VOD release. This is typically done through platforms such as Kickstarter, however this can be risky you will need to have a plan to pay back backers if you fail to complete your film.

PRODUCTION

Continue to build your audience

Create a media kit and film website

During production you can begin to build a foundation audience. Create a website for your film, take photographs during production and share the process on social media. On your website create a media kit with a trailer, scene clips and still images. Make sure everything is shareable via social media. Before you approach distribution make sure that your that your have all publicity available for them to use.