Distribution

Sundance 2026 sales is a great snapshot of how distribution works today. It shows a real range of paths: from massive, star-driven bidding wars like Olivia Wilde's The Invite to more niche, single-buyer pickups for titles like Leviticus. What I find most telling is that only about a dozen of the 90+ films arrived with distribution already set, highlighting just how crucial the festival remains as a marketplace for independent films. It makes you wonder how the deals being made now will shape what we actually see in theaters and on streaming later this year. Exposure is also a huge plus when finding distirubiton, a Stage 32 filmmakers shared how the community led directly to an agent reaching out and kickstarting a distribution deal for their transmedia project. It shows that actively sharing your creative process and building an audience online can open unexpected doors long before you get to a festival. It makes you wonder how the combination of traditional markets and modern networking will continue to shape what we actually see in theaters and on streaming later this year.

Read ongoing sales here: https://www.indiewire.com/news/festivals/sundance-2026-movies-sold-so-fa...

With Sundance officially underway and many of you already prepping for Berlinale and Cannes, this feels like the perfect moment to zoom out and talk festival strategy, not just attendance, but how festivals fit into your distribution plan.

Whether you’re submitting a film, attending to network, volunteering, or simply observing and learning, festivals can be powerful distribution accelerators when approached with intention. They can also be overwhelming, expensive, and underwhelming if expectations and strategy aren’t aligned.

If you’re prepping for a festival this year…

How are you thinking about festival choice in relation to your film’s audience and distribution goals?

Are you prioritizing premiere status, sales presence, press, or networking?

What materials are you focusing on before you arrive (deck, trailer, one-pager, target buyer list)?

If you’ve been through the circuit before…

What’s one thing you wish you’d done earlier in your prep?

Did a festival directly help you land distribution, or was the value more indirect?

Any lessons learned about timing, submissions, or managing expectations?

If you’re not submitting a film yet…

Have you volunteered at festivals to build relationships and learn the landscape?

Are you attending with a clear goal, or still figuring out what festivals can do for you?

Festival season can be a whirlwind, but when distribution thinking is baked into your prep, it becomes a lot more strategic and a lot less chaotic.

Let’s share what’s working, what’s confusing, and what you’re doing differently this year. Someone else reading this thread is likely a few steps behind you and will benefit from your experience.

This might be of some interest to a few of you. Here's the Government of Canada press release about the court case between Cineplex and the Competition Bureau. Here is the link to the original press release: https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2026/01/statement-from-...

Statement from the Acting Commissioner of Competition on appeal court's ruling in Cineplex deceptive marketing case

From: Competition Bureau Canada

News release

The Federal Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the Competition Bureau

January 23, 2026 – GATINEAU, QC – Competition Bureau

Jeanne Pratt, Acting Commissioner of Competition, issued a statement following the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold a September 2024 ruling by the Competition Tribunal in a deceptive marketing case involving Cineplex.

“We welcome the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision—another resounding win for Canadians. This outcome reinforces the Bureau’s clear stance that businesses should not advertise prices that are not attainable.

Canadians deserve transparency when making purchases. Businesses that fail to comply with the law risk significant financial penalties.

Our continued work on this file, along with other drip pricing cases underlines our commitment to tackling deceptive marketing practices.”

Quick facts

On May 18, 2023, the Bureau filed an application with the Competition Tribunal, seeking, among other things, for Cineplex to stop its deceptive advertising.

On September 23, 2024, the Competition Tribunal ruled in favour of the Competition Bureau and found that Cineplex engaged in drip pricing.

On October 23, 2024, Cineplex filed a notice of appeal, with the Federal Court of Appeal to overturn the Competition Tribunal’s decision.

On October 8, 2025, Cineplex’s application was heard by the Federal Court of Appeal.

On January 21, 2026, the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed Cineplex’s appeal, with costs.

Drip pricing involves offering low prices to attract consumers but then adding mandatory fees so that the prices are unattainable. This practice is against the Act, unless the additional fixed charges or fees are imposed by the government on purchasers, such as sales tax.

The Bureau has taken action against drip pricing for many years under the Deceptive Marketing Practices provisions of the Competition Act.

In May 2024, the Bureau issued a consumer alert to raise awareness and reporting of drip pricing.

We strongly encourage anyone who suspects that a company or individual is making false or misleading price claims to report it by using the Bureau’s online complaint form.

Related products

Competition Tribunal Cineplex Information Note: https://decisions.ct-tc.gc.ca/ct-tc/cdo/en/item/521297/index.do

Competition Bureau wins deceptive marketing case against Cineplex: https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2024/09/competition-bur...

Cineplex - Notice of Application: https://decisions.ct-tc.gc.ca/ct-tc/cdo/en/item/521195/index.do

Recent changes to the Competition Act explicitly recognize drip pricing: https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2022/06/important-amend...

September 2024 Ruling: https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2024/05/the-ambush-of-h...

Associated links

Drip pricing and the Competition Act: https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/deceptive-marketing-practices/dr...

Deceptive marketing practices – Cases and outcomes: https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/deceptive-marketing-practices/ca...

Consumer alert: The ambush of hidden fees: https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2024/05/the-ambush-of-h...

Amazon VOD will not let your film pass QC if you have website addresses in your film or trailer. I think Filmhub has a problem with that too.

So what does a filmmaker do if their documentary focuses on advocacy, and interview subjects are speaking about the websites for their organizations? If the movie is often ABOUT these websites, how do we get around distributors’ rules?

I’m currently editing a doc that will run into this issue. Anyone who has experience or ideas on the subject, let me know.

https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/indie-film-startup-distribution-1235168088/

I'm sure by now you've all read about YouTube star Markiplier who self-distributed his movie to 2500 theaters: https://collider.com/markiplier-indie-horror-movie-iron-lung-no-distribu...

Not everyone has 18 million or so followers but I've been thinking a lot lately about how many filmmakers I know who finish a project, submit to a few festivals, and then… wait. And hope. And sometimes nothing happens, and the film just lives on Vimeo with 300 views.

Distribution feels like this mystery box that no one really talks about until it's too late. So I'm curious: for those of you who've gone through the distribution process (whether it's self-distribution, festival-to-streamer, sales agents, whatever) what was your strategy, and did it actually work?

What would you do differently next time? What surprised you? What advice would you give to someone finishing a project right now?

The filmmakers who can think about distribution BEFORE shooting their project are generally the most successful.

https://www.indiewire.com/news/analysis/markiplier-open-iron-lung-2500-screens-no-distributor-1235172987/

When Vimeo pivoted away from catering to filmmakers a few years ago, it made me nervous. (I’m a “Plus” subscriber that uses the service to share edits with clients.) At that time, Vimeo started pushing is OTT services more. Some of your favorite streaming apps are probably running on Vimeo tech — Criterion Channel, Dropout TV, Troma Now.

In any case, the thought has crossed my mind that if I were to ever start my own channel, I’d probably build it on Vimeo OTT.

Now they’ve been sold to Bending Spoons, and the new boss fired a huge amount of Vimeo employees.

How will this shake out? Will Vimeo pivot again or be sold for parts? If you pay for Vimeo like I do, you might consider other options for the future.

Here’s the article from Slate:

https://slate.com/technology/2026/01/vimeo-layoffs-youtube-video-internet.html

Good afternoon creatives and peers.

Can anyone help me with any information you have about securing distribution for a short film? Your expertise is highly appreciated.

Hey, guys.

I know it's weird, me posting in Distribution, but this is a deeply personal project of mine. My greatest challenge so far comes not as a writer, but as an aficionado of anime and an ambassador of the obscure. As some of you know, I adore classic anime from the 1970s and 1980s, particularly the adaptations of the works of Leiji Matsumoto - "Galaxy Express 999", "Queen Millennia", "Space Pirate Captain Harlock" and "Space Battleship Yamato". I love the Leijiverse because of its strong writing and deeply introspective and philosophical themes.

My challenge, my goal, is to find a way to get the 1982 "Queen Millennia" anime movie (not the TV series, which is already out on Blu-ray) a wide release (outside of Japan, it's only been released in Italy, France, Germany and Spain). I don't care if I have to guarantee an English-language dub for it (I prefer subtitles), I'm willing to do whatever it takes to see this film get unearthed from obscurity, because I believe it's one that deserves to be seen. I came to know about the movie thanks to part of its soundtrack featuring in the 1986 Michael Mann film "Manhunter", and I've been on a one-man mission to make the "Queen Millennia" movie well-known ever since.

I know what you're thinking: who gives a smeg about a 40+ year-old animated film? Let me tell you: stranger things have happened - the 1991 Studio Ghibli flick "Only Yesterday" eventually got an English-language release, the "Virtua Fighter" anime series, despite being less-than-well-received on transmission (but well received enough to get a cult following), got a Blu-ray release some years back (with the first season featuring both English and Japanese audio tracks, and the little-seen-outside-of-Japan second season being in Japanese), and even "Miami Vice", with its complicated musical licensing deals, eventually got DVD and Blu-ray releases, so don't tell me that this can't be done. There's no such thing as "can't", not for me.

I've been able to get a list of the rightsholders for the movie - production rights, distribution rights, soundtrack rights - but I have no idea where the hell to begin. I know the film's obscurity is largely in part due to the theme song, which plays at the end of the movie, but I'm not sure how to conduct myself in this manner. I've started writing a letter to the party involved, and I've set up a Discord server known as the "Queen Millennia Legacy Project". Any advice would be appreciated.

S. P.