Indian Indies Face Distribution Hurdles Despite Global Festival Success, Film Bazaar Panel Finds
variety.comNaman Ramachandran A panel of film industry veterans at Film Bazaar highlighted both opportunities and challenges facing independent Indian cinema, particularly in distribution and theatrical exhibition.
During a discussion moderated by Rajeev Masand, COO of Dharma Cornerstone Agency, panelists addressed the complex ecosystem required to sustain independent filmmaking in India. “There is absolutely no independence,” said filmmaker Pan Nalin (“Last Film Show”), describing the interconnected dependencies of sales agents, festivals and distributors.
Pan Nalin detailed how his team opted for theatrical releases for Oscar-shortlisted “Last Film Show” in territories like Spain and Scandinavia before streaming deals, noting this strategy helped generate better streaming revenues.
He revealed that when budgeting independent films, his team now calculates zero returns from India due to the challenging domestic market conditions for indies.
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