Here’s an update on the release of our film
Distribution is a headache, bro. As if it isn’t hard enough to raise thousands of dollars, cast the actors, find the locations, write, edit, direct etc! When it’s all said and done, you need to figure out how and where people are going to see the film. Sign a random contract too fast and poof! Your film is in the wrong hands and you won’t own a slither of it. Try and do it all yourself and you can seriously risk doing it wrong, and not making your bread.
The point is, it’s not as easy as pushing upload and calling it a day as there are a lot of elements that are out of filmmakers control. But rest assured, our indie darling is on the way to shake up the scene as promised. Here is an update on The Sound of Southside’s distribution.
Why we decided to self distribute
Throughout the summer and fall, we hit the film festival circuit with a vengeance, screening across the country and winning big at festivals like The Hip Hop Film Festival, Urban Film Festival, Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival, and we even got named Best Feature Film by Jazz Times Magazine.
Thing is, it’s no longer like the 90’s where distributors are tripping over themselves to offer you a deal. These days, everyone has a film or content that they’re pushing online. With the over-saturation of content out there, most distribution deals just aren’t worth it. You can end up on the same platforms and get a bigger piece of the pie if you work with an aggregator (A middle man), and you can call your own shots.
On the festival circuit, we were offered a few intriguing options regarding distribution, but ultimately decided to bet on ourselves. We went with FilmHub because of the freedom that it provides filmmakers to own their films, while earning placement on major platforms.
We have over 100 pieces of promotional content waiting to be unloaded on social media, so when the film surfaces, the marketing will start.
Where will the film be available to watch?
Expect the film to be available to rent or buy on Amazon and Apple TV. You'll also be able to stream for free on Plex TV and YouTube Movies.
Why YouTube?
I pushed back against this placement when FilmHub first alerted us that our film was licensed by YouTube. What won me over was that The Sound of Southside film is going to be on YouTube's official film platform in front of its 176 million subscribers. It'll be right next to some of my all-time favorite films, in a section of YouTube that is curated, and inaccessible for the public to upload their content.
We'll give it a try and see how it goes. We're also working on getting it to more platforms so stay tuned. The film should begin surfacing on platforms at the top of 2024. For now, please show some love and purchase the novel here, and some collector’s items here.
