Releasing your film.
The film is finished — this is the part nobody teaches. There are four ways a film reaches an audience. Most films use more than one.
Premiere it, win rooms, build a reputation.
Submit to festivals, premiere in front of an audience, and use the run to build press, laurels, and relationships. Still the default first move for most shorts and low-budget features.
How this path works →Screens, cities, a run people can buy a ticket to.
Take the film to distributors, or four-wall it yourself: book theaters, sell tickets, and build a real run. Usually follows a festival premiere rather than replacing it.
How this path works →Someone who sells the film for you, territory by territory.
A sales agent represents the film to buyers — streamers, broadcasters, international territories — usually for a commission plus recoupable expenses.
How this path works →Put it out yourself and keep the relationship with the audience.
Release it on the platforms you can reach directly — streaming, VOD, educational, your own site — and keep the revenue, the data, and the audience list.
How this path works →Seven things worth knowing before you spend a dollar on submission fees.