According to a press release, this one-time digital celebration of cinema will hereby be known as “Prime Video presents the SXSW 2020 Film Festival Collection.” The launch date has not been announced yet, but Amazon is targeting a late April date. Filmmakers who choose to participate will receive a screening fee for streaming their film over the 10-day period. SXSW has shared details on the opportunity with 2020 filmmakers, who can opt in starting today.
So here’s the thing – Amazon should’ve waited until some filmmakers had actually opted into this digital festival to announce this thing. That would’ve made this announcementa lotstronger. While I certainly respect this initiative, I also have no idea which titles will stream for free, and I suspect they won’t really be the cream of the crop. Because if you’re a hot acquisition title, why would you want to stream for free for a very limited time on Amazon? If one million people watch your film on Amazon, that’s the equivalent of $10 million in box office sales, which is no small number for an indie release. Meanwhile, the really hot movies, like, say,Judd Apatow’s SXSW openerThe King of Staten Island, already have distribution, and it’s not like Universal is going to hand Amazon that movie on a platter.
So again, while I appreciate what Amazon is doing here, as I’m sure many filmmakers will, I also think it’d be wise for a lot of filmmakers to wait. Some don’t have the luxury of time, and I understand that. Credit cards have been maxed out, and people are eager to see their blood, sweat and tears pay off. But Amazon’s past forays into paying indie filmmakers haven’t always worked out to the benefit of those individuals, from what I’ve heard. Now’s not the time to rehash it, but Google is your friend. It’s my job to be skeptical, and as a reporter/blogger, I understand the “take what money you may get now” approach, but in the long run, I don’t know if this idea will prove to be a preferable alternative to the way business is traditionally done.
Or… I have no idea what the hell I’m talking about and this experiment — and granted, itisan experiment, and a noble one at that — will work out, and everyone will get rich and have a great time entertaining America. I know Amazon bossJennifer Salkeis excited!
“We’re honored to be able to provide a space for the SXSW filmmakers to share their hard work and passion with audiences for the first time," Salke said. “It’s been a privilege collaborating with Janet Pierson and the SXSW team to bring these diverse and inspiring films to viewers around the country. We are supporters of SXSW and other independent film festivals, and hope this online film festival can help give back some of that experience, and showcase artists and films that audiences might otherwise not have had the chance to see.”
I’ve got to hand it to her, that’s a good quote. Let’s see what SXSW’sJanet Piersonhas to say about the partnership.
“Ever since SXSW was cancelled by the City of Austin, we’ve been focused on how we could help the incredible films and filmmakers in the SXSW 2020 Film Festival lineup. We were delighted when Amazon Prime Video offered to host an online film festival, and jumped at the opportunity to connect their audiences to our filmmakers. We’re inspired by the adaptability and resilience of the film community as it searches for creative solutions in this unprecedented crisis."
Another well-crafted quote, reminding folks that it wasn’t SXSW’s call to cancel the festival, it was the City of Austin. As we’ve sadly seen, that call was the right one, and who knows how many more cases of coronavirus there would be if SXSW had gone forward this year.
Indie filmmaking godJay Duplassalso weighed in on the arrangement, saying that unprecedented times call for unprecedented solutions. “I’m thrilled that these two great champions of indie film are teaming up to resurrect this year’s canceled film festival. These are unprecedented times, and it’s going to take unprecedented solutions to carry on and celebrate these great films and the people who worked so hard to make them.”
Even though they pulled the trigger early on the release, this is a smart PR move for Amazon, seeing as Netflix has had all the heat this month thanks toTiger King, the return ofOzark, and original movies likeSpenser Confidential. Plus, withDaveproving to be a big hit for FX on Hulu, Quibi all over the news ahead of its launch next week, and a giant like HBO Max coming next month, Amazon had to do something to get on the board. I lovedZeroZeroZeroandBlow the Man Down, but those aren’t moving the cultural needle in the same way as anything listed above, so if Amazon can convince the filmmakers behind some of SXSW’s hottest titles to take part in this experiment, more power to them. To all of them, really. There are few film fans who love independent cinema more than myself, so while I’m personally excited to watch these movies, only time will tell whether this 10-day festival will prove fruitful for filmmakers' careers.
To read my review ofZeroZeroZeroclick here, and to check out my interview with starHarold Torres, who was Collider’s Up-and-Comer of the Month for March,click here.
