From USA to Australia, here are 50 distributors that could extend the life of your project.
The conventional wisdom is that, sadly, once your short has run the festival circuit, its life is pretty much over. So you design your short for festivals. You want to get noticed. You use it as your calling card in conversations with managers, agents and talent scouts. Maybe you win a little spending money or get some of the cost of the project back. You either get noticed or move on to the next project. Repeat.
But are there alternatives? What can you do with your short once it's done with the circuit? One of the options that potentially lies at your disposal is distribution. Shorts are certainly a niche market, but if you've had the foresight to create something that could appeal to a certain audience, then the chances are likely your film could be picked up. There are many avenues for short distribution around the world. If you made your film in the US, there's no saying that it won't play well to people in France, and vice versa.
If you made your film in the US, there's no saying that it won't play well to people in France, and vice versa.
For this reason, when Raindance Film Festival clued us into a pretty nifty little guide in a tweet they sent out earlier this week, we opted to lay it out in article form, for your reference. The list, compiled by UniFrance, contains 50 distributors from 17 different countries. The last time the list was updated was in 2010 so it may be a bit outdated, but we were assured by Raindance that "the short film distribution market doesn't change seismically, like it does with feature distribution." Nevertheless, it's probably safer to start with the distributors that have active websites.
For short film distribution: Maximum running time: 30', animated films, fiction films and short documentaries, must be subtitled in English, 3- to 5-year contract, broadcast in Australia and New Zealand via cable, satellite and terrestrial services, 30% commission.
For short films: running time between 5' and 25'. All genres. Films must be subtitled in English. 30-month contract for Brazil. Distribution media: cable and satellite services. Commission: 30% or 35%. Present at ClermontFerrand, Cannes, MIPTV and MIPCom.
Rua Benjamin Batista 34/302 22461-120 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tel. : +55 21.2537.1211 Fax : +55 21.2537.48.76
For short film distribution: Up to 59', all genres, 5-year license, non-exclusive and renewable, for broadcast via terrestrial, cable and satellite services, all territories, 20% commission. Present at Clermont-Ferrand and at numerous international film festivals and markets.
2, rue de Tocqueville 75017 Paris, France Tel. : +33 1.44.69.26.60 Fax : +33 1.44.69.26.69 info@agencecm.com
Company specializing in video publishing and short film distribution on DVD. Maximum running time: 15'. All genres. French versions accepted. License period: 5 years, all territories. Commission: 50% shared between the number of films included in the DVD compilation. Present at international film festivals and markets.
14, rue Taylor 75010 Paris, France Tel. : +33 1.45.72.50.10 Fax : +33 1.73.72.19.45 info@lowave.com
For short film distribution: required running time between 10' and 20', maximum 30'. Genres: all genres except experimental films. Films must be subtitled in English. Period of license: 1 year exclusive. Territories: all territories (priority territories: Europe, United States, Asia). Commission: 30%. Present at Clermont-Ferrand and at numerous international film festivals and markets.
130, rue de Turenne 75003 Paris France Tel. : +33 1.42.77.06.31 Fax : +33 1.44.54.05.02 contact@premium-films.com
Running time between 10' and 15'; less than 5' for theatrical release. Genres: fiction, animated films, comedies, sci-fi, thrillers, crime, action, drama. Films must be subtitled in English. 1-year exclusive licence, all territories (good knowledge of the US market). Distribution media: TV, DVD, video, the Internet and theatrical release. Commission: 35% for TV sales, 40% for video and the Internet. Distribution of series: running time between 30 sec. and 26'. Genres: fiction films animated films. Must be subtitled in English. 1-year exclusive licence, all territories. Distribution media: TV, DVD, video, the Internet and theatrical release. Commission: 25%. Present at Clermont-Ferrand and numerous international film festivals and markets.
Films of maximum 30' running time, ideal length 20', all genres, English subtitles essential. 2-5 year contract, worldwide broadcast, terrestrial, cable and satellite services, DVD and theatrical release. 50%/50% for theatrical distribution, 60%/40% or 70%/30% for others. Selection made from films sent to their own festival (Interfilm Berlin, held in November). Present at international markets.
German agency for international short film distribution. Theatrical release: Maximum running time: 10', all genres, non-exclusive 7-year contract for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Fees and conditions negotiable. Present at Clermont-Ferrand and at other international festivals and markets.
Reelport is the official submission platform of several European film festivals as well as a distribution platform specialised in the digital exploitation of film (D-Cinema, IPTV, Mobile, etc.). In our online catalogue, cinemas can search for films, watch them in DVD quality and take a look at the films' licence details.
Distribution of short films, no limit to running time, fiction films, animated films and documentaries. English subtitles requested, contract between 3 to 5 years, distribution worldwide, all media, 40% commission. Present at Clermont-Ferrand.
For short film distribution: Running time between 5' and 20', fiction films and animated films, must be subtitled in English, broadcast via satellite in Israel and Palestine.
18 Levontin St. 65112 Tel-Aviv, Israel Tel. : +972 3.566.4129 Fax : +972 3.560.1436 info@cinephil.co.il
For short film distribution: Running time between 3' and 30'. Genres: fiction films and animated films, French versions accepted. Contracts of varying lengths, broadcast all territories via all media, 30% commission. Present at film festivals and international markets.
For short film distribution: Preferred maximum running time: 15' (exceptions possible), animated films and fiction films, English subtitles essential, 5- to 7- year license for Japan, distributed via TV (free-to-air and pay-TV), video, the Internet and theatrical release. Present at Clermont-Ferrand and at numerous other international film festivals. This country shows a keen demand for short films.
TY Bldg, 2-22-18 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku 107-0062 Tokyo Japan Tel. : +81 50.5810.1356 Fax : +81 3.5786.7138
For short film distribution: running time between 5' and 15'. Genres: fiction films and animated films (company specializes in animated films). 2-year licence. Territories: all territories. Distribution media: all media. Commission: Variable. Present at Clermont-Ferrand.
Short film distribution company. Film length: between 5' and 40', genres in order of preference: fiction, animated films and documentaries. English subtitles essential, 1-2 year term, chiefly for Korea, for broadcast via cable, satellite, terrestrial operators, video, DVD, and the Internet. Commission between 20% and 30%. Present at Clermont-Ferrand and at various international festivals and markets.
4FL. BaekAk B/D, 135-4, TongIn-dong JongRoh-gu 110-043 Séoul, South Korea Tel. : +82 2.722.6051 Fax : +82 2.722.6055 indiestory@indiestory.com
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