Step 2: Define Your Distribution Goals and Strategy

What does success look like for your film? Without a clear goal, you can’t build a strategy. “Getting on Netflix” isn’t a strategy; it’s a dream. Let’s get specific.

Choosing Your Distribution Model

There are three primary paths for distribution for documentary films. You can pursue one or a combination (a hybrid model).

• Theatrical: A traditional cinema run. Best for high-profile, critically acclaimed docs with major star power or a very timely, controversial subject. It’s prestigious but expensive and rare for most indies.
• Broadcast & Cable: Selling your film to networks like HBO, PBS, National Geographic, or international equivalents. They often pay well but may require specific formats or rights.
• VOD (Video on Demand): This is the biggest market today.
  • TVOD (Transactional): Platforms like Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video where viewers rent or buy the film.
  • SVOD (Subscription): Platforms like Netflix, Hulu, or specialized services like CuriosityStream where your film is part of a library.
  • AVOD (Advertising-based): Platforms like Tubi or Pluto TV where viewers watch for free with ads.

Identify Your Target Territories and Audience

Is your documentary about a specific cultural event in Japan? Then Japan is a key territory. Is it about a universal theme like climate change? Then your target is global. Knowing this helps you find distributors with strength in those specific regions.

Step 3: Master the Film Festival Circuit as a Sales Tool

Too many filmmakers see festivals as just a place to win awards. That’s a mistake. Festivals are your marketplace.

The secret is to be strategic. Don’t just apply to every festival. Focus on festivals that are known launching pads for documentaries and are attended by distributors, sales agents, and press.

Here’s a tiered approach:

• Top-Tier Festivals (Sundance, TIFF, Berlin, Cannes): A premiere here can spark a bidding war and set your film up for a major deal.
• Major Documentary Festivals (IDFA, Hot Docs, CPH:DOX): These are the most important markets specifically for non-fiction. Every serious doc distributor is here.
• Regional & Niche Festivals: These are great for building buzz, reaching a specific target audience, and catching the eye of smaller, specialized distributors.

When you get accepted, your work isn’t done. Reach out to distributors and press before the festival starts to schedule meetings. Use the hype of the festival to create urgency.

Step 4: Find and Vet the Right Distribution Partners

This is where most producers get stuck. How do you find the right people to talk to? A scattergun approach of emailing every distributor you can find will fail. You need a targeted, data-driven method.

Who Are You Looking For?

You are looking for a partner, not just a buyer. A good distributor has:

• A Track Record: Have they successfully released documentaries similar to yours in tone, subject, and budget?
• Market Strength: Do they have strong relationships with the platforms and in the territories you are targeting?
• Transparency: Are they open about their marketing plans, costs, and reporting?
• Enthusiasm: Do they genuinely love your film? You want a champion, not just a title in a catalog.

Finding these partners used to rely on expensive market attendance and personal networks. Today, you can leverage platforms to accelerate this discovery process.

Step 5: Negotiate a Winning Distribution Deal

You found an interested partner! Now, don’t let the excitement cause you to sign a bad deal. Get a good entertainment lawyer. Always. Here are the key terms you need to understand in any distribution for documentary films agreement:

• Term: How long does the distributor have the rights to your film? Aim for shorter terms (5-7 years) rather than longer (10-15 years).
• Territory: Exactly which countries or regions are covered in the deal? Don’t give away “worldwide” rights unless it’s a massive deal with a global platform.
• Rights: Which rights are you granting? TVOD, SVOD, Theatrical, Educational? Be specific. Hold back rights you might want to exploit yourself.
• Minimum Guarantee (MG): An advance paid to you against future earnings. This is crucial. A distributor who pays an MG has skin in the game and is incentivized to recoup their investment.
• Revenue Share: How is the money split after the MG and expenses are recouped? Understand the “waterfall”—how money flows from the consumer back to you.
• Marketing Spend & Caps: How much is the distributor committed to spending on marketing? Make sure there’s a cap on the expenses they can deduct before you see any overages.

A good deal isn’t just about the money upfront. It’s about finding a transparent partner who will give your film the best possible life in the market.

Finding the right partners is the most critical step in this entire process. Instead of relying on outdated lists or cold emailing, you need real-time market intelligence. This is where Vitrina changes the game.

Our platform provides a dynamic, global database of buyers, distributors, and sales agents, along with data on the types of content they’re acquiring.

You can stop guessing and start connecting with vetted partners who are actively looking for documentaries just like yours, dramatically shortening your path to a successful distribution deal.