During a panel at Cannes Next titled "The Evolution of Distribution: How a Direct-to-audience Pipeline Will Energise Independent Film," speakers discussed the structural shift from traditional distribution models to community-driven strategies. John Nein of the Sundance Film Festival emphasized that festival selection no longer automatically guarantees distribution access, while filmmaker Sharon "Rocky" Roggio described how her documentary *1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture*, despite winning the Audience Award at DOC NYC, was rejected by all major distributors and still reached a broad audience through self-distribution. Sarah Mosses introduced her "CAST" model, which distinguishes audience segments based on accessibility, with Daniel Berger of Oscilloscope Laboratories warning that financial volatility and exhibitor resistance to digital availability remain major challenges.

read more (Cineuropa) »