Asian American producers talk distribution challenges and indie film ‘crisis’

Distribution is harder to secure than financing for independent film in the US, according to a panel of leading indie producers.

Speaking on a panel about the art and commerce of Asian American cinema at the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), producer Mynette Louie said: “Distribution is the main problem right now, not financing.

“There’s such a bottom line with distribution right now, particularly if you’re not making an obvious commercial film with white people in it because most of the decision makers at these distribution companies are still white people who don’t really understand how to properly market a film that’s not about white people and get it out there. That’s a challenge.”

Louie, a Spirit Award-winning producer whose credits include Jennifer Fox’s The Tale and Heidi Ewing’s I Carry You With Me, was recently at Tribeca and Locarno with Eric Lin’s Rosemead, starring Lucy Liu.

“Getting people to go to the theatre is really challenging right now,” she added. “Distributors are looking for films that sell themselves, not films that take work to sell.”

“Distribution has changed even from last year,” said Veronica Reyes-How, an actress who create, wrote and executive produced comedy-drama Mother, May I Have a Kidney?, which premiered at Tribeca last month.

“Last year, I got a couple of distribution deals just by meeting people. Then we got into Tribeca, and you’d think, the deals whould go up. They did not. One went down from an MG [minimum guarantee] to no MG.”

Recalling a conversation with a fellow producer last month, Reyes-How added: “Somebody at Tribeca was telling me their strategy of doing independent distribution. They made a four-wall deal – meaning putting it in the theatre – because doing your own premiere in a theatre unlocks a higher level of SVOD.”

Louie highlighted how producers are working to distribute and market their own films. “Right now there is a crisis in independent film where all these producers are saying, listen, for my next film, I’m going to raise P&A financing so that I have a pot of money to go distribute this film myself, put it in theatres myself and market it myself, in case the Neon’s and A24’s of the world don’t want to buy it,” she said.

“It’s really hard to raise money for production, to have to raise another million dollars for distribution seems an impossible task. But it’s sort of necessary now if you really want to get your film out there, because no one’s going to give you that bespoke, custom, distribution TLC that your film needs, if it’s a little more difficult than something like Emily In Paris.

Also on the panel was Poh Si Teng, a Malaysia-born director and producer who was a creative executive for ABC/Disney, and the lead executive producer of Ted Passon’s documentary Patrice: The Movie, which premiered at Toronto and this week landed an Emmy nomination.

“The current economic and political climate for film is difficult when it comes to distribution, but as filmmakers we still think we can do it,” she said. “Pre-sales is another key avenue. You just have to be really creative. Basically, if you’re in independent filmmaking, don’t quit the day job.”

The panel was moderated by Thavary Krouch, deputy director of film at the NYC mayor’s office of media and entertainment.

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