Indie Rights, Inc. is an American distributor of
independent films, based in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. Indie Rights is a subsidiary of Nelson Madison Films and was incorporated in 2007 to act as distributor for other independent filmmakers.
The corporation began as a private
MySpace group where the makers of independent films could get information about the changing face of film distribution; founders Linda Nelson and Michael Madison created Indie Rights so that distribution contracts could be signed by a legal entity. The corporation distributes films largely through
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...
services, though more recently it has overseen such
theatrical
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...
releases as ''
We Are Kings'' and ''
Fray'', both in 2014.
Nelson Madison Films has produced three features: ''Bigger Than Live'' (2002), ''Shifted'' (2006) and ''Delivered'' (2011).
History
Background
Linda Nelson is a former investment banker and computer systems analyst based in Los Angeles since 1980;
Michael Madison moved there in 1999 from
Duncanville, Texas
Duncanville is a city in southwest Dallas County, Texas, in the United States. Duncanville's population was 40,706 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Best Southwest area, which includes Duncanville, Cedar Hill, DeSoto, and Lancast ...
, to work as an actor and film producer.
They first partnered in 2000 to create and distribute the
NSYNC concert film ''Bigger Than Live'' for
IMAX theaters. In 2003, they formed their own company
with the goal of making independent features using local talent. Madison acts and handles writing, producing and directing duties; Nelson writes and produces
while developing distribution plans for other filmmakers.
Lawsuit and recovery
''Bigger Than Live'' broke even during its theatrical run, but Nelson and Madison "failed to tie up the necessary rights in our initial contract" and lost
home video
Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...
distribution in a lawsuit that shut down their production office. They moved into "more humble digs" and tried again with the crime thriller ''Shifted'', learning the ins and outs of distribution while attending
film festival
A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...
s.
Nelson soon discovered that the chances of getting a film seen at a major festival such as
Sundance or
Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...
without having connections in the industry "are slim to nothing." The company began a private group on MySpace called Indie Co-op, where filmmakers could get details on self-distribution, including attendance at smaller festivals where films are likely to benefit from local coverage and reviews.
Nelson believed that film distributors didn't have any systems for accountability in place,
and that they tended to buy the rights to entire catalogs rather than individual films, so she and Madison decided to do it themselves. Since they needed a legal entity to make distribution contracts valid,
they incorporated Indie Rights in 2007.
Nelson said doing both film production and distribution gives them a greater understanding of the challenges that filmmakers face than would a company that focuses only on distribution.
Film distribution
Indie Rights distributes globally to on demand platforms such as
Amazon Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...
,
Google Play
Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating sy ...
,
Hulu and
iTunes,
where filmmakers can earn up to 80 percent of the revenue.
Innovations include searchable film rentals on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
and through
video game console
A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to ...
s. In 2014, the company was the first independent studio included on M–GO, a subscription service supported by six major studios that offers films for home viewing while they are playing in theaters.
Filmmaker and
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...
professor Christopher Hansen turned to Indie Rights in 2015 when his film ''Where We Started'' failed to make the major festival circuit. After a short run at the Arena Cinema Hollywood led to favorable reviews, the film was released via digital platforms.
Theatrical releases by Indie Rights also include ''
9 Full Moons'' (2013), featuring
Amy Seimetz
Amy Lynne Seimetz is an American actress and filmmaker. She has appeared in several productions, including AMC's '' The Killing'', HBO's ''Family Tree'', and films like '' Upstream Color'', '' Alien: Covenant'', ''Pet Sematary'', and ''No Sudde ...
and
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer.
In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroes ...
;
''We Are Kings'', the feature-film debut of ''
America's Got Talent'' winner
Bianca Ryan
Bianca Taylor Ryan (born September 1, 1994) is an American musician, singer and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ryan was the first winner of NBC's ''America's Got Talent'' at the age of eleven. Singing two Broadway show tunes along t ...
;
and ''Druid Peak'', starring
Spencer Treat Clark and winner of Best Feature Film at the 2014
Omaha Film Festival
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...
.
Indie Rights became part of the
Independent Online Distribution Alliance
The Orchard is an American music and entertainment company, specializing in media distribution, marketing, and sales. It is a subsidiary of Sony Music, based in New York City. In 2019, the company sold off its film and television division, whic ...
in 2008,
and is a member of the
Independent Film & Television Alliance
The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) is the trade association that represents companies that finance, produce and license independent film and television programming worldwide. The association is headquartered in Los Angeles, but has ...
, which presents the
American Film Market each year in November. Nelson and Madison also conduct seminars for independent filmmakers looking to build an audience through
social networking.
In 2016, Indie Rights launched its own subscription channel available through services including
Roku
Roku ( ) is a brand of hardware digital media players manufactured by American company Roku, Inc. They offer access to streaming media content from online services.
The first Roku model, developed in collaboration with Netflix, was introduced ...
.
Filmmaking
Starting in 2010, the budgetary constraints of independent film-making required that Nelson Madison Films go
tapeless. ''Delivered'', their second "crime thriller", was their first to utilize
Red Digital Cinema
Red Digital Cinema (''Red Digital Cinema Camera Company'') is an American company that manufactures professional digital cinematography cameras and accessories.
The company's headquarters is in Foothill Ranch, California, with studios in Hollyw ...
cameras and
Adobe CS5 production software.
Madison directed, and played the lead role in an "uneven performance" where "at times he's spot-on".
Films
By early 2018, Indie Rights had distributed a catalog of more than 450 films.
The list includes:
*
''Bluff'' (2022 film) Sheikh Shahnawaz's feature film debut starring Gurj Singh,
Nisaro Karim,
Joe Egan from
Sherlock Holmes and
James Jaysen Bryhan from
Shadow and Bone.
* ''Active Shooter'' (2020),
Robert Bryce Milburn's feature film debut starring Joshua Mikel from
The Walking Dead and Catherine Dyer from
Stranger Things.
*''American Songwriter'',
Michael Altman 's award winning 2012 documentary that spawned a sequel
* ''
Butterfly Crush'', the 2010
Australian film that won multiple Best Feature awards on the U.S. independent film circuit
* ''
Carving a Life'', a 2017 romance drama about the effects of
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
.
* ''char-ac-ter'' (2009), a documentary about "the life and craft of acting" featuring
Dabney Coleman
Dabney Wharton Coleman (born January 3, 1932) is an American actor.
Coleman's best known films include ''9 to 5'' (1980), '' On Golden Pond'' (1981), ''Tootsie'' (1982), '' WarGames'' (1983), '' Cloak & Dagger'' (1984), ''The Beverly Hillbillies ...
,
Peter Falk and
Charles Grodin
Charles Sidney Grodin (April 21, 1935 – May 18, 2021) was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Grodin began his acting career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including '' The Virginian''. After a small part ...
* ''Delivered'', winner for Best Supporting Actress (
Alana Stewart) and of the Special Jury Award (Action/Adventure) at the 44th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival
* ''
Dreams on Spec'', a 2007 documentary featuring interviews with
James L. Brooks,
Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron ( ; May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for her romantic comedy films and was nominated three times for the Writers Guild of America Award and the Academy Award for ...
and
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983). She reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (2015), ''The Last ...
* ''
Ekaj'', winner for
Best Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at several
Film Festivals
A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...
that include the 201
NY Downtown Urban Arts Festivalin
Tribeca
Tribeca (), originally written as TriBeCa, is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Its name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street". The "triangle" (more accurately a quadrilateral) is bounded by Canal Stree ...
,
NYC
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, the 9th Annua
Philadelphia Independent Film FestivalQCinema Fort Worth, TXIbiza Cine FestFestival de Cine Marbellaand others worldwide.
Amazon Prime Video has ''Ekaj'' listed as an
Outfest
Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...
br>
Film Festival Favoritein 2019.
* ''Entwinement'' (2013), multiple award nominee at the Madrid International Film Festival and London
Portobello Film Festival
The Portobello Film Festival is an independent international film festival based in London, which annually premiers over 700 new films, including features, shorts, documentaries, music films, and animation. Additionally, workshops and talks wi ...
* ''
Flesh On Fire: Addicted to a Dream'', winner of the 2014 LA Film, TV & Webisode Festival Audience Award for best documentary
* ''Fools On the Hill'', a 2012 political documentary featuring
Ed Begley Jr. and
Dean Cain
Dean George Cain ( Tanaka; born July 31, 1966) is an American actor. From 1993 to 1997, he played Clark Kent / Superman in the TV series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''. Cain was the host of '' Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' a ...
* ''
Fray'', 2012 Best Feature Film winner at both the
UK Film Festival and the
Arizona International Film Festival
The Arizona International Film Festival is the oldest and longest running independent film festival in Arizona. Taking place yearly, film programs include a mix of shorts, children's films, feature-length films, documentaries and animation films. ...
* ''
Love All You Have Left
''Love All You Have Left'' is a 2017 drama film written and directed by Matt Sivertson. The film stars Caroline Amiguet, Sara Wolfkind, Michael Christopher Shantz, Mike Burnell and Kathleen Sheehy. The story depicts Anne Frank surviving in the a ...
'', a 2017 drama about
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – )Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new light on Anne Fra ...
living in the attic of a grieving family.
* ''
OzLand'', a 2014 fantasy/sci-fi drama inspired by
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...
's ''
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz afte ...
''
*
''The Playground'', a 2017 thriller about five individuals intertwined in a fable orchestrated by a dark entity.
* ''
Purdah (film)'', a 2018 documentary by Jeremy Guy that is 100% Fresh on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
* ''
Sincerely, Brenda'', the 2018 film by Kenneth Nelson Jr. that won multiple Best Feature awards on the U.S. independent film circuit
* ''Shifted'' (2006), the company's first production, featuring
Jeris Poindexter
Jeris Lee Poindexter (born December 22, 1950) is an American actor, comedian and musician. He is known for his recurring role as Kill Moves on the UPN/The CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris''.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
Exte ...
,
Jill Wagner
Jill Suzanne Wagner (born ) is an American actress and television personality. She was the on-field host for the ABC game show '' Wipeout'' from 2008 to 2014. Since then, Wagner has starred in several made-for-television films for the Hallmark ...
and
Vanessa Johansson
* ''Skid Row'', a 2008 documentary starring
Pras
Prakazrel Samuel Michel (; born October 19, 1972) is a Haitian-American rapper, producer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the hip hop group Fugees, alongside Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill. After the Fugees, he earned two ...
(credited as Pras Michel) of
Fugees
Fugees (; sometimes The Fugees) is an American hip hop group formed in the early 1990s. Deriving its name from a shortening of the word "refugees", the group consists of Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, and Lauryn Hill. The group rose to fame with i ...
* ''The Story of Lovers Rock'' (2012) featuring
Maxi Priest
Max Alfred "Maxi" Elliott (born 10 June 1961), known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. He was one ...
* ''
Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead
''Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead'' is a documentary film by Stuart Urban about his father Garri Urban (1916–2004), and also the title of an autobiographical book by Garri Urban describing his survival in, and escape from, Joseph Stalin's Soviet Uni ...
'', a documentary by
Stuart Urban first screened in theaters in 2007
* ''Transatlantic Coffee'', winner of seven awards (including First Place
eature filmand Best Directing) at the Spring 2012 Los Angeles New Wave International Film Festival
* ''
We Make Movies'', a 2017 comedic mockumentary about a group of college students making a movie for their town's Film Festival.
*''
The Forgiving'' (2020), a drama centered around a despondent writer finding his salvation through the ghosts of his past.
*''
Goodbye, Petrushka'' (2022), a comedy about an American girl who goes to Paris.
See also
*
Film distribution
Film distribution (also known as Film exhibition or Film distribution and exhibition) is the process of making a movie available for viewing by an audience. This is normally the task of a professional film distributor, who would determine the marke ...
*
References
Footnotes
Sources
* Cited as Parks 2007.
* Cited as ''Minding VOD Windows''.
* Cited as ''New VOD Platforms''.
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Indie Rights
2003 establishments in California
Companies based in California
Companies based in Los Angeles
Film and video technology
Film distributors of the United States
Film production companies of the United States
Video on demand