A guide to distribution and how to find an audience for your film
Starts at
13 Dec 2021 12:00
Location
Online
BFI NETWORK and Film Hub North are pleased to be partnering with Verve Pictures to discuss debut feature distribution during an Online Roundtable at 12pm on Monday, 13 December.
Aimed at producers and film making teams on the cusp of their first feature Colin Birch, from the leading distributors of low budget feature films in the UK, will outline the key elements producers need to have in place Pre and Post production to ensure successful distribution of their debut feature.
First features often tell important, diverse stories that can connect with new audiences but in the current market such films are increasingly struggling to secure distribution. Verve have developed the First Features schemes, a partnership with the BFI Audiences Fund, to build distribution plans with less reliance on week long bookings, placing greater emphasis on event screenings and Q&As.
They hope to encourage cinemas to programme a wider range of films and support using targeted promotional support, both localized partnerships and digital advertising. The first scheme ran from 2019 and included Georgia Parris’s Mari, Aki Omoshaybi’s REAL and Zed Nelson’s documentary The Street. The second scheme runs from 2021 – 2023.
Places at the Roundtable are free, but limited - apply for yours below.
With the changing landscape of the distribution marketplace, Verve have adapted release plans and budgets, and worked closely with production teams to achieve the largest possible audiences and awareness for titles with the lowest possible financial risk. Since 2003, Verve have released films including Bullet Boy, Dogtooth, Short Term 12, The Arbor, Benjamin and BAFTA winners A Way Of Life, Kelly+Victor and Red Road, bringing ground-breaking filmmakers including Andrea Arnold, Amma Asante, Kieran Evans, Clio Barnard, Scott Graham and Yorgos Lanthimos to wider public attention.
Apply for your spot by 10am on Friday, 10 December. We'll confirm places shortly after the deadline and will pass on session login details then.
The roundtable is free to attend. All that's required is a reliable internet connection and access to a device that supports video conferencing.
If you have any questions about the event, get in touch with our team.
