Will Amazon’s film festival stars program cause audiences to start seeking out indie films? Could this be massive for indie filmmakers like Amazon was for indie publishers? Dominick Suzanne-Mayers takes a look on Consequence of Sound.
Ever look at the lineup of a film festival and lament all the movies you’ll miss, either because you can’t go or a decent number of them will never see a wide release after that point? Well, Amazon has taken a big step toward bridging that gap, by cutting out a substantial number of middle men and bringing those releases to audiences directly.
In January, Variety reported that the company, through its Film Festival Stars initiative, had started a new program for independent filmmakers who want to self-distribute without the tedium of chasing studio interest. A number of filmmakers at Sundance were offered a different kind of deal: up to $100,000 for the exclusive SVOD (Streaming Video On Demand) rights to the film for two years through Amazon Video Direct (AVD), with the first year’s rights being exclusive, and an agreed-upon cut of the streaming royalties.
Read the full post in Consequence of Sound.