STUDIO TRE CIME — DISTRIBUTION SERIES
Your film is finished.
Now make it travel.
THE REALITY OF SHORT FILM DISTRIBUTION
Why Most Short Films
Fail Financially
Production budgets are planned with precision.
Distribution is treated as an afterthought.
The result: technically accomplished films that never find their audience, never reach their investors, and never build the filmmaker's career.
-
No Distribution Plan at Production
Most short films enter post-production without a single distribution contact established — the first and most consequential mistake. -
Of Films Never Earn Back Costs
Not for lack of quality — but for lack of strategy. Distribution is a discipline, not an outcome.
-
Viable Revenue Windows Festival circuit, broadcast licensing, digital platforms, and institutional sales.
Each requires different deliverables, relationships, and timing.
-
Potential if the Ecosystem is Understood
Filmmakers who understand the full distribution landscape consistently outperform those who don't — at every budget level.
UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE
How Distribution
Actually Works
Distribution is not a single moment. It is a sequence of deliberate decisions — each building on the last. Understanding the sequence is what separates films that circulate from films that disappear.
Technical Deliverables
DCP, screener files, subtitles, EPK, still photographs. Each platform and broadcaster has precise technical requirements. Know them before your final cut.
Festival Strategy & Rights Windows
Festival exclusivity windows directly affect digital release timing. A poor festival strategy can foreclose your best distribution options.
Sales Agents & Aggregators
Not every film needs an agent. Understanding when to use one, and how aggregators differ, determines your net revenue.
Platform Licensing vs. Self-Distribution
Major SVoD, niche curatorial platforms, and direct-to-audience all serve different films and different goals. Choose by audience, not by prestige.
Institutional & Educational Licensing
One of the most overlooked and most reliable revenue streams for documentary and narrative short filmmakers alike.
FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Grants
&
Funding
Resources
Funding is available at every stage:
development
production
post
distribution
Most filmmakers access only the most visible sources. Below: a curated selection across regions and disciplines.
-
up to $50,000
-
$500-1,000
-
CAD $10,000 to CAD $40,000
A NEW DIGITAL CINEMA ECOSYSTEM
ELEVI
Elevi is not an aggregator. It is not a festival database. It is a curated digital cinema platform built for serious short films; documentary, narrative, and experimental, that deserve an audience shaped by discernment rather than algorithm.
Editorial curation: every title selected by a human programme team, not engagement metrics
Filmmaker-first revenue model with transparent reporting and quarterly payments
Catalogue positioning within thematic collections: outdoor, alpine, wilderness, humanist documentary
No exclusivity required for catalogue titles: Elevi complements your existing distribution, not replaces it
Institutional licensing channel to museums, cultural centres, and educational bodies
