Getting Seen: Distribution, Marketing, & Audience (Nov 17)

Finishing a documentary and being ready to distribute it aren’t necessarily the same thing. Before a distributor or sales agent comes calling, filmmakers are making decisions about archival materials, music, releases, access, underlying rights, insurance, credits, and other matters that can ultimately affect whether, where, and how a film will find an audience. Moderated by Ben Moskowitz (Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC), Julie Murray (Partner, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz), Josh Braun (Co-President, Submarine Entertainment), and Matt Wolf (Director/Producer, Pee-wee as Himself) come together to discuss what “distribution-ready” really means, what buyers and sales agents are looking for, and how a filmmaker’s team can build the foundation for a successful sale.

Co-presented by Frankfurt Kurnit 

The market is tough for independent documentary filmmakers, and filmmakers of color often face the steepest barriers. In response, Color Congress launched Elev8Docs in 2025, a series of bold marketing experiments designed to expand distribution opportunities for nonfiction films by filmmakers of color. Join impact and marketing strategists Chana Ginelle Ewing and Javier Rivera DeBruin of little big world and filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz (El Equipo) for a fishbowl-style conversation on what worked, what didn’t, and what’s next. Together, we’ll explore practical strategies for overcoming marketing and distribution challenges, with a special focus on two overlooked opportunities: breathing new life into older films and connecting the creator economy to the documentary ecosystem.

You’ve made the film. Now what? Who is it for, and how do you reach them? In this live project workshop, marketing and distrib Nonfiction Hotlist Co-Founder Adam Neuhaus and audience engagement expert Dor Dotson will review pre-selected films in production and offer candid, real-time feedback on audience, positioning, outreach, and release strategy. Using participating projects as case studies, they’ll help filmmakers think through where their films fit in the marketplace, how to build interest before launch, and how to connect with the audiences most likely to care. Leave with practical ideas and strategies you can apply to your own project.

The most important part of releasing your film is making sure the audience that would love it most knows it exists. In this session, moderated by film strategist Jon Reiss, Jolt Film’s co-founder, Tara Hein-Phillips, offers a preview of  AIM: Jolt’s Audience Insight Modeler tool that models a film’s audience potential and integrates audience intelligence and marketing strategy across all phases of a film’s release. The presentation also offers a practical way to think about who their film is for, how to reach them, and how each stage of release can build on the last for maximum reach and impact. The tool is currently in a pilot period, with a release to filmmakers expected later this year.