After Cannes: Why Documentaries Are So Hard to Sell, Part 2
Om avsnittet
What keeps a distributor going when 30 percent of the buyers he knows have lost their jobs?
Why are documentaries so hard to sell? Joe Amodei has asked himself that for years. In Part 2 of his report from the 2023 Cannes film market, he lays out what changed this year, what buyers wanted instead, and why, after analyzing it forever, he has landed on one theory.
In Episode 199, Christian sits down with distributor Joe Amodei of Virgil Films for the second half of his Cannes report, with co-host Jason Rugg listening in. Joe's first lesson is a light one: order the rosé, and don't order the steak. The rest are harder. With less licensing from streamers and premium cable, films go to rental and free streaming sites sooner, and that's opened the door to more Italian, Bollywood, German and French films. His competitors are also his friends, and this year their conversations were tough ones.
Then Christian asks the question she's been carrying: do you get depressed? Joe admits it's painful. But he goes back to why he does this in the first place. Christian says she does it because she can't not do it. Joe sets the 15th Ted Bundy series of the year next to a filmmaker getting on a plane with World War II veterans going to Normandy. You tell me the difference, he says. That's the power of really good documentaries. Christian adds that a charter flight taking 50 World War II veterans back to Normandy was inspired by her film. It's a conversation about choosing what you add to the world, even when the money isn't there.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- What changed at the film market in 2023
- Why films go to rental and free streaming sites sooner
- Why foreign-language films are getting a bigger chance
- How distributors set up meetings at a film market
- Why Joe is bewildered by two million dollar budgets
- What Hollywood learned in the 1950s: only good movies worked
- Which genres sell, and why chasing what's hot is risky
- Joe's theory on why documentaries are so hard to sell
- Why Christian and Joe keep making and releasing them anyway
CHAPTERS
0:00 Lessons From Cannes
4:54 Who Watches Foreign Films?
7:06 Booking Market Meetings
9:50 Budgets in Rough Times
13:00 True Crime, Horror, Faith
17:02 Hardest Genre to Sell
22:33 Ted Bundy or Normandy?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why are documentaries so hard to sell?
Joe Amodei of Virgil Films, who has released documentaries his whole career, told Documentary First in 2023 that they will always be one of the hardest genres to sell. His theory is that viewers are overwhelmed by news and want to escape, and most documentaries are not happy ending stories. He adds that festival buyers tend to choose the hardest stories, which turns some audiences off documentaries even more.
What film genres sell best?
Speaking after the 2023 Cannes market, Joe Amodei of Virgil Films said true crime still rules, horror has always been a mainstay but a lot of bad horror is being made, and faith-based films are hot. He put faith-based films next to horror, pointing to Jesus Revolution. He also named teen romantic dramas or comedies and Hallmark-style family films, and warned that what's hot today may not be hot when your film is done.
Are foreign-language films easier to sell now?
Joe Amodei of Virgil Films told Documentary First in 2023 that, with less licensing from streamers and premium cable, films go to rental, download and free ad-supported sites sooner. Because those platforms, and now Amazon and iTunes, are accepting more international films, he's more willing to walk into an Italian booth at a market than he was five or six years ago. The audience is growing, he says, though not yet where he'd like.
Why make documentaries if they don't make money?
On Documentary First in 2023, Joe Amodei of Virgil Films said you do this because you love it, and Christian Taylor added that she can't not do it. Joe compared the 15th docuseries on Ted Bundy, which reopens the pain of victims' families, with a filmmaker getting on a plane with World War II veterans going to Normandy. "That's the power of really good documentaries," he said.
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About the Guest
Joe Amodei is the founder and CEO of Virgil Films and Entertainment. He has been going to film markets for 20 years, and has spent his career releasing documentaries, including Super Size Me, Restrepo, Forks Over Knives and I Am Chris Farley. Before Virgil, he was president of USA Home Entertainment.
Virgil Films | Instagram | X
About Virgil Films
Virgil Films and Entertainment is a traditional distribution company founded by Joe Amodei. It acquires the rights to documentaries and independent films and places them on digital platforms, TV, DVD, in theaters and with international buyers. Its releases include Super Size Me, Restrepo, Forks Over Knives and I Am Chris Farley, and it distributes Christian's film The Girl Who Wore Freedom. Full disclosure: Virgil Films distributes The Girl Who Wore Freedom and now sponsors Documentary First. This episode has no sponsor read.
About Documentary First
Documentary First is a weekly podcast about the people behind documentaries and how the work changed them. Host Christian Taylor, director of the award-winning The Girl Who Wore Freedom, talks with filmmakers, distributors, entertainment lawyers, actors and more, from Ken Burns and PBS American Masters creator Susan Lacy to first-timers, across nearly 300 conversations. Each week brings one of two formats: a long-form conversation with the people behind films for HBO, Netflix, PBS and independent film, or The Deep Dive, where Christian takes one insight from a recent conversation and follows it wherever it leads. Listen Notes ranks the show in the top 5% of all podcasts worldwide. New episodes every week.
Resources Mentioned
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