Distribution Case Study Masterlist v1.1

84 Films! How did they do that? What did they do? Did it work?

this is no longer a wasteland… something is blooming!

You know how they say that people actually appreciate the gifts that they didn’t expect even more than they love the ones they anticipate? Sure birthday gifts are sweet, but the friend that shows up with a nice bottle of wine, or maybe chocolate or cheese selection, that truly makes one’s day. More than a select few have proscelitized a consistent practice of random acts of kindness. Wouldn’t that be a better world, indeed.

I may be a utopian dreamer, but here I’d settle for a lesser organizing principle. What if we all saw it as our responsibility to improve our community or industry for all of those around us? Would our cinema ecosystem be so broken now, if we all tried to carry a wee bit larger load? Forty years of so-called independent film and what can we show in terms of innovations and support structures that are truly generated by the community? Well, in terms of distribution, I have been listing those out — and there are a lot of them. Perhaps they can be an inspiration for us all to do more.

But what can you do, you ask? It’s does not need to be much. I’ve put out a plea for us all to generate more resources, and some have responded. If you don’t know what to do, I’ve got you. Guess what? I am generating a list! A list of things you can do to help support the FilmStack community, NonDē cinema-makers, and even the old-school “Indies”.

Lucky for you, Courtney Daniels asked, and then offered to compile a DISTRIBUTION CASE STUDY MASTERLIST. And that’s just to start. We have a follow up to it coming too. Give her a big thank you. Subscribe to her newsletter. And then follow her example. Even just letting us know here what case studies you found most helpful helps. Tell us why one truly helped you (or not). What do you want to see in case studies? And if you find more case studies not listed here, please let us know where we can find them.

(TH)

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Distribution Case Studies Master List, v1.1

(alphabetical)

Updated 6/4/26

1. 18 ½ (2021) by @danmirvish on Substack. 8/29/2025.

2. 306 Hollywood (2018) by Sundance.org

3. 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture (2022) by @jonreiss on Substack. 6/5/2025.

4. A Crime on the Bayou (2020) by Twin Seas Media

5. Activized (2020) by Twin Seas Media

6. Advocate (2019) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 1/16/2021.

7. Aftershock (2012) at The Distribution Playbook. 6/6/2024.

8. A Girl from Mogadishu (2019) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 2/4/2022.

9. A Reckoning in Boston (2021) by Twin Seas Media

10. As We Speak (2024) by @samwiddoes on Substack. 5/9/2025.

11. Baghead (2008) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 7/4/2025.

12. Burn (2012) at The Distribution Playbook. 6/6/2024.

13. Clerks (1994) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 6/27/2025.

14. Columbus (2017) by sundance.org

15. Cosmos (2019) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 8/22/2025.

16. Cryptopia (2020) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 9/24/2020.

17. Desperate Acts of Magic (2013) by Scott Macaulay at Filmmakermagazine.com. 3/16/2023.

18. Distributor Divorce Court (An Anonymous Doc Case Study) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 1/25/2021.

19. Dramarama (2020) by Scott Macaulay on Filmmakermagazine.com (paywalled). 3/16/2023.

20. El Mariachi (1992) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 6/8/2025.

21. Eno (2024) by @distributionadvocates on Substack. 1/23/2025.

22. Eno (2024) by @jonreiss on Substack. 3/20/2025.

23. Find Me (2018) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 4/22/2020.

24. Good Bad Things (2025) at thefilmcollaborative.org 5/15/26

25. Guacamole Yesterdays (2024) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 6/20/2025.

26. Herb Alpert Is (2020) by @jonfitzgerald on Substack. 5/4/2023.

27. Hundreds of Beavers (2022) by @jonreiss on Substack. 10/24/2024.

28. Hundreds of Beavers (2022) by Scott Macaulay at FilmmakerMagazine.com. 7/23/2024.

29. I Am Thalente (2015) at The Distribution Playbook. 6/6/2024.

30. Inez & Doug & Kira (2019) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 1/28/2021.

31. Inheritance (2024) by Twin Seas Media

32. In the Whale (2023) by Twin Seas Media. 2024.

33. Inundation District (2023) by Twin Seas Media. 2024.

34. Invisible Nation (2023) by @kathleenlingo on Substack. 1/22/2025.

35. Invisible Nation (2023) on HopeForFilm (ongoing)

36. Ithaka (2021) by Twin Seas Media

37. Lobster War (2018) by Twin Seas Media

38. Mama Bears (2022) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 2/8/2024.

39. Man Made (2018) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 1/26/2021.

40. Medicine for Melancholy (2008) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 9/12/2025.

41. Mission: Joy (2021) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 2/17/2025.

42. Miss Juneteenth (2020) by @dearproducer on Substack. 6/21/2020.

43. Mrs. Robinson (2024) by @asvora on Substack. 4/11/2025.

44. Mr. Toilet: The World’s #2 Man (2019) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 5/29/2020.

45. Newlyweds (2011) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 8/15/2025.

46. No Time to Fail (2022) by @jonreiss on Substack. 12/4/2024.

47. Omar and Cedric: If It Ever Gets Weird (2023) by @distributionadvocates on Substack. 4/9/2025.

48. Our American Family (2021) by Twin Seas Media

49. Party Girl (1995) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 8/26/2025.

50. Playing with Beethoven (2020) by Scott Macaulay at Filmmakermagazine.com (paywalled). 3/16/2023.

51. Primer (2004) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 8/29/2025.

52. Quiet City (2007) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 7/24/2025.

53. S&M Sally (2015) by Scott Macaulay at Filmmakermagazine.com (paywalled). 3/16/2023.

54. Sabbath Queen (2024) by @jonreiss with Sandi DuBowski on Substack. 10/3/2025.

55. Shiva Baby (2020) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 8/19/2025.

56. Silo (2019) at The Distribution Playbook. 7/2024.

57. Shadows on the Road (2018) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 10/2/2025.

58. She’s Gotta Have It (1986) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 10/10/2025.

59. Show Her the Money (2023) at The Distribution Playbook. 8/1/2025.

60. Several case studies of films released before 4/2022 on FilmIndependent.org. 2022 or earlier.

61. Slacker (1990) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 8/5/2025.

62. Summarized distribution info for several 2024 films from The Popcorn List from a post by @hopeforfilm, @lelameadowconner and @barbaratwist on Substack. 2/8/2025.

63. Take Out (2004) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 7/11/2025.

64. Tangerine (2015) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 7/31/2025.

65. Team Marco (2019) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 2/4/2022.

66. That’s Wild (2020) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 2/4/2022.

67. The Brothers McMullen (1995) by @donnybroussard621349 on Substack. 7/18/2025.

68. The Dalai Lama: Scientist (2019) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 10/6/2020.

69. The D-Word case studies by Katie McClellan (must sign up, but not paywalled)

70. The Evening Hour (2020) by Scott Macaulay at Filmmakermagazine.com (paywalled). 3/14/2019.

71. The Gate: Dawn of the Ba’hai Faith (2018) at jonreiss.com. 2018.

72. The House We Lived In (2022) by Twin Seas Media. 2023.

73. The Light of the Moon (2017) at The Distribution Playbook. 6/6/2024.

74. The Song of Sway Lake (2018) at thefilmcollaborative.org. (Possibly 9/11/2020.)

75. The Wisdom of Trauma (2021) by @jonfitzgerald on Substack. 5/4/2023.

76. The Wisdom of Trauma (2021) by Peter Broderick. 1/14/2023.

77. Thunder Road (2018) at Sundance.org

78. Truth Tellers (2021) by Twin Seas Media

79. Union (2024) by @kathleenlingo on Substack. 6/23/2025.

80. Union (2024) by @samanthacurley on Substack. 3/26/2025.

81. Unrest (2017) by Sundance.org

82. Unseen (2023) by Firelight Media. 3/24/2025.

83. You Can Live Forever (2022) at thefilmcollaborative.org. 2/15/2024.

84. You, Me & Her (2023) by @distributionadvocates on Substack. 3/23/2025.

Credit: Julian @cautherley on Substack contributed greatly to this list with his post titled Atelier Format Case Study List.

we are reaching towards the sun, thank you very much.