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I recently received an email from GBH, Boston’s PBS local station, featuring a large image of the beloved cartoon character Arthur's smiling face, and asking for a donation to continue offering this and other high-quality educational content for children. I’m a longtime supporter of public media and love to receive such emails.

This time, it felt different.

As we find ourselves halfway through 2023, our industry continues to undergo significant transformations in funding models, acquisition trends, and the state of exhibition. Film festivals have been affected by these changes, and while some renowned festivals have closed their doors this year (Full Frame, Traverse), others, such as DC/DOX, just celebrated their inaugural editions and garnered rave reviews for its extraordinary lineup and focus on filmmakers. 

While film festivals are an exciting opportunity for your new film, they present serious challenges for independent documentary filmmakers entering the circuit this fall. We have seen the return of in-person screenings at Tribeca, Mountainfilm, and other Spring venues, but the reality is that many festivals will remain virtual or hybrid this Fall, a tricky situation to navigate for filmmakers who continue to have mixed opinions about the value of online festivals.

Recently, I shared our Impact Distribution Digital Edition blog post, which featured thoughts and strategies for getting your documentary out in an overcrowded digital environment. Virtual festivals are being inundated with more submissions than ever before and curating smaller slates. There is a general sense of screen fatigue, and just this week, Amazon put an end to unsolicited licensing submissions via Prime Video Direct for non-fiction and short-form content, leaving independent filmmakers and distributors confused and worried.