Amazon has acquired the streaming rights to 40 films that screened at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival, costing the company $1.9 million in cash bonuses to filmmakers.
According to a press release, Amazon Video Direct (AVD), Amazon’s self-publishing platform for creators and filmmakers, swept up the rights to the more than three dozen titles. Celebrating its first anniversary, AVD’s revenue model allows creators to monetize views and engagement on their work when they opt-in to publish their content on the platform. Since its launch, tens of millions of dollar in royalties have been earned by distributors, filmmakers and creators. The company also claims the AVD Stars program distributed $12 million to hundreds of providers in AVD’s first year.
Among the 40 acquired titles are 10 SXSW award winners including Grand Jury winner for Narrative Feature, “Most Beautiful Island,” Special Jury Recognition for Best Ensemble, “A Bad Idea Gone Wrong,” as well as SXSW Audience Award winner for Narrative Feature Competition, “The Light of the Moon.”
Under AVD’s Film Festival Stars program, filmmakers will receive a non-recoupable cash bonus up to $100,000 based on qualifying categories and must agree to license their titles to Amazon for streaming exclusively on Prime Video prior to the 2018 SXSW Film Festival. The bonus is upfront and the films will also receive double the standard royalty rate (30 cents per hour viewed in the U.S.; 12 cents per hour viewed outside the U.S.).
Under AVD’s Stars program, a $1 million monthly fund will offer bonus distributions to top creators on the platform.
See the full list of films that opted in to the Amazon Video Direct program below.
“Inheritance”
“Assholes”
“Win By Fall”
“Signature Move”
“Like Me”
“Sylvio”
“Satan Said Dance”
“Paa Joe & The Lion”
“A Bad Idea Gone Wrong”
“Maineland”
“The Cloud Forest”
“The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin”
“Bad Lucky Goat”
“Bill Frisell, A Portrait”
“Divine Divas”
“Pornocracy”
“Tormentero”
“Inflame”
“The Secret Life of Lance Letscher”
“I Am Another You”
“Most Beautiful Island”
“A Critically Endangered Species”
“Dara Ju”
“Spettacolo”
“Ramblin’ Freak”
“DRIB”
“Two Pigeons”
“Going to Brazil”
“Daphne”
“Meatball Machine Kodoku”
“The Honor Farm”
“The Light of the Moon”
“Flesh and Blood”
“Fits and Starts”
“La Barracuda”
“MFA”
“California Dreams”
“Easy Living”
“Let There Be Light”
“Infinity Baby”