Tribeca is getting into the film distribution game — again. The organization, founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, is launching a film distribution label called Tribeca Films that aims to acquire and distribute independent films from across the festival circuit.
Tribeca Enterprises announced today that it is partnering with digital distribution company Giant Pictures on the label and will launch ahead of the Tribeca Film Festival this June. The label intends to acquire 25 titles per year from festivals like Sundance, Berlin, SXSW, Cannes, TIFF, and (of course) Tribeca.
It will kick off with six new films to be announced this spring, and the label is targeting feature-length narrative, documentary, and animated films with digital rights available for U.S. audiences.
This isn’t the first time Tribeca has gone down the road of digital film distribution. Tribeca has been investing in TVOD since 2010 and again in 2014 with an SVOD service that housed Lionsgate and Tribeca films. A rep for Tribeca clarifies to IndieWire that this iteration of Tribeca Films will focus specifically on independent festival films and that all films acquired will have access to the TVOD distribution infrastructure.
The label will also explore other digital distribution options for each project, including FAST channels. But as the market has changed and made it harder for filmmakers to find homes for their festival movies, even with so many more options available, having one more buyer in the market should be good news for any indie filmmakers.
The newly acquired films will be available for U.S. transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) and advertising-based-video-on-demand (AVOD) release, and you’ll be able to find them through Tribeca’s existing FAST channel streaming infrastructure The Tribeca Channel. That streaming channel is currently available via The Roku Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube Movies & TV, Kanopy, Tubi, Pluto TV, VIZIO WatchFree+, Sling TV, Peacock, Vudu, XUMO and more.
“The Tribeca Festival has always bet big on independent films and for more than two decades, has championed emerging filmmakers by providing a global platform to showcase their projects. As the film industry evolves, we recognize the need to better support independent filmmakers in today’s crowded streaming and distribution market,” said Tribeca co-founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal. “Too many new voices are not reaching audiences. Tribeca Films will spotlight such films and give them life beyond the festival circuit.”
“With deals for specialized films harder to come by, this is a great time for Tribeca to re-enter US distribution,” said Nick Savva, General Manager of Giant Pictures.
Giant Pictures will handle licensing deals, the use of creative materials, technical operations, and royalty accounting for Tribeca FIlms, while Tribeca will use its own marketing support across its media channels. Giant Pictures also works with Drafthouse Films and has acquired projects like the documentary “A Disturbance in the Force” about the disastrous “Star Wars Holiday Special,” as well as films like “Love, Antosha” and “A House Made of Splinters.” It’s also the distribution and technology partner for the Tribeca Film Festival.
The 2024 Tribeca Film Festival runs from June 5-16.
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