The documentary field is in flux, and many filmmakers are in trouble.

The Sundance myth is a powerful distraction keeping much of our community and nearly the entire documentary business in a state of naive limbo. Here’s how the myth goes: make a great film; beat out the other 16,000 applicants and premiere your film at the fest; sell your film; make your money back and more; live happily ever after.

After years of flashy multimillion-dollar acquisitions by streaming services, our independent filmmaker community has been told this is the Golden Age of documentary. In reality, theatrical releases for docs are dead, film festival shopping sprees have ceased, and the streaming wars are changing what you watch and what filmmakers choose to make. Big streamers like Netflix and Hulu are heavily investing in celebrity-focused, true crime and reality TV content that will be enjoyed by a broad demographic — but the vast majority of filmmakers are left out of the party.

The truth is, only a few filmmakers will ever get a big deal from a large streaming platform. Even if they do, many don’t receive the lion’s share of the money, as distributors, agents and publicists take their cut first. Filmmakers I know who seemingly “made it” with the golden steamer handshake have still ended up just breaking even or remaining in the red.

Sundance 2023 again showed us that the festival is a curator of great films, but it is becoming less and less relevant as a marketplace for distribution. It’s a distribution delusion to think that a filmmaker’s best path to career success is to premiere at Sundance. This notion doesn’t just distract the filmmakers who were at the recent festival in Park City, or the thousands of applicants to the fest. It also distracts the tens of thousands of filmmakers in the world who are telling important stories and trying to figure out how to build a career while doing so. Sundance is running on fumes and is propping up Hollywood myths with filmmakers paying the price.

This year, just a handful of Sundance documentaries were acquired during the festival. Many of the films with distribution were originals with distribution lined up before the fest. This leaves most documentary filmmakers, even those with the golden ticket to the main stage, behind and unsupported. It’s not news that independent filmmakers are struggling against the big boys to gain visibility for their work. Filmmakers are continuing to hustle to share their stories, as they always have, but the current environment is becoming increasingly challenging. That’s why we must support documentary filmmakers in new and effective ways — the makers of these impact-driven films need new alternative approaches to sharing their work and making a living.

While the Sundance myth is on life support, there is a beacon of hope for filmmakers and for audiences who want to watch great documentaries with a purpose. It may not be scalable in the way the streamers want, but indie filmmakers that are succeeding are creating a custom distribution strategy that is specific to the film’s topic and its target audiences. Every film has a unique story, or it’s a story that we’re telling from a unique perspective. A distribution, fundraising and festival strategy should be just as unique as the film itself to get it in front of an engaged audience.

Quick story from my firsthand experience that helped open my eyes to this issue. With my last documentary, “Age of Champions,” I took an untraditional approach to distribution. The film spurred a national grassroots screening campaign reaching 3,000 communities and generating $1.5 million from sponsors like AARP. Another example is Joanna James, the first-time filmmaker behind the documentary “A Fine Line” about women in the restaurant industry. Joanna became overwhelmed with positive feedback at film festivals and screenings and even gained accolades. She knew her film was worthy of making a widespread impact but had little knowledge of the business side of the industry. With guidance, she made $500,000 in PBS underwriting from sponsors like Pepsi and GrubHub. Or take Amanda Dyer, director of “Unseen” about parent caregivers. She raised nearly $30,000 with just her first virtual event with organizations supporting parents. She also generated over 280 requests for community screenings and secured a national PBS broadcast rather than spending her time on pie-in-the-sky festivals.

Sundance is a dream for many filmmakers, including myself. I went this year because it still matters and holds a prominent place in our industry. Attending festivals can support a film if and only if a filmmaker doesn’t rely on distributors in shining armor to save them. You must take matters into your own hands, think deeply about your target audiences and create a unique strategy for your release based on your film’s uniqueness. Sundance and festivals like it should not be seen as the finish line, but rather a kick-off for getting a film into the world and the first big opportunity to elevate an important story.

Keith Ochwat is a filmmaker and co-founder of Show&Tell. Over his 12-year career as a documentary filmmaker, Keith produced three films that appeared on PBS and Netflix. Show&Tell trains and advises documentary filmmakers on how they can distribute and fundraise for their films in new and effective ways.

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