What is a Film Distributor?

Distributors may either be 'majors', who are affiliated to Hollywood studios and handle their films, or 'independents' who are unaffiliated, and handle films made outside the Hollywood studio system.

Distributors must inform the widest possible audience about the films they release, in order to help filmmakers to realize their full potential.

Any Distributor may compete for the rights to release a film, whether for cinema, terrestrial television, satellite, the DVD market, or another ancillary market.

On each film Distributors liaise with a variety of professionals, including filmmakers and producers, film sales agents, publicists, advertising agencies, graphic artists, etc., to sell the film to the media, marketing partners, exhibitors (cinema operators), and the public.

Distributors must create an entirely new film release plan for each project, as all films are different, and their unique selling points must be maximized.