Ballast

S is for self-distribution
The notion of releasing your movie yourself is not a new one: Four-walling (as in renting out a theater space for a specified amount of time) is an age-old practice, and without a history of DIY distribution, there would be no independent film scene. But this year, as a number of studio art-house divisions were shuttered and screen space became even more scarce, self-distribution for smaller films started to seem more attractive—and viable—than ever. Just ask Randall Miller, whose wine-country dramedy Bottle Shock left Sundance without a buyer; he rolled out and marketed the film himself in select cities, and the result was a modest success. Or Lance Hammer, the director behind one of the year’s best films, Ballast. He’d actually signed a deal with IFC, but after realizing he’d be giving up maximum control for minimum profit, decided to open it at Film Forum here and build on his own from there. Unlike some people who claimed to be “mavericks” (no names mentioned), these two filmmakers actually put their money where their mouths were.

NEXT: T is for tightrope walking»