As we emerge from the age of COVID, even those with years of experience are unsure what the future holds for film distribution. Theaters have closed and some large chains have made public statements that question if they will reopen at all. Add to that the tremendous popularity of streaming content of all types and the independent film community has a lot of questions moving forward. The Film is expected to follow the traditional game plan for independent films – the festival circuit. Entry into competitive film festivals has long been a strategy to build word of mouth and to get the film in front of as many distributors as possible. Alas, COVID drove almost all film festivals virtual in 2020 and beyond. It remains to be seen how virtual festivals will change the dynamics of distribution. Another big distribution networking event is at the American Film Market, an annual gathering of acquisition and development executives, agents, distributors and producers each November. With the newer avenues for distribution that have cropped up in recent years, distributors have also found different niches. For instance, streaming services include subscription-based (SVOD), transaction- based (TVOD) and advertising-based (AVOD) with further nuances within these categories. The great news is that distribution has been democratized – any film can be distributed simply by uploading it to YouTube, Vimeo or other services but that doesn’t mean a filmmaker can make much money without a compelling product and marketing plan. Producers need to know the audience for their film and have a plan to reach that audience. They also need money to do so – something that is often overlooked or simply difficult to find for independent filmmakers who struggle to simply find the money to shoot their film.