I'm currently spending more time talking with filmmakers and learning from their real experiences—not just assumptions about the industry.
I'd love to hear from experienced filmmakers:
• What has been the hardest part of getting your film in front of an audience?
• What challenges have you faced after completing a film?
• What do you wish you had understood earlier about releasing or promoting your work?
• If you could change one thing about the current independent film ecosystem, what would it be?
I have more questions I'd love to ask, but I'd rather start by listening.
If you've been through the process, I'd genuinely appreciate your perspective. Every experience can teach another founder something.
Looking forward to learning from you all.
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One thing I think is often underestimated is how difficult it is to create attention after a film is already finished.
Marketing can distribute existing interest, but it is much harder to manufacture that interest from zero at the moment of release.
I would therefore start thinking about audience much earlier than I once would have: Who is this specifically for? Where do those people already gather? What part of the project can they discover before the finished film exists? And what gives them a reason to stay connected?
That doesn’t mean letting marketing dictate the story. It means treating audience development as another part of production rather than a task that begins after the final export.
I also think independent filmmakers benefit from distinguishing between reach and connection. A trailer getting thousands of views is useful, but having a smaller number of people who actively want to know what happens next can ultimately be more valuable.
If I could change one thing in the indie ecosystem, it would probably be the assumption that distribution begins after completion. For most independent work, discovery needs to begin much earlier.