NYC Art House Unveils DIY Initiative

Filmmakers taking the DIY approach to distribution, particularly those hoping to launch a movie with a theatrical run, have a new ally in New York City. The program, with promotional benefits, gives filmmakers a run in the city for a flat fee.

Leading Manhattan art house, the Quad Cinema, has developed a new division called “Quad Cinema 4-Wall Select,” a program it styles as an opportunity for indie filmmakers to theatrically open a self-distributed movie in New York. The theater plans to “carefully select” films for the program to insure that titles participating in the new initiative “meet the Quad’s standards.”

Under the program, selected DIY features will receive a one-week theatrical run at the theater just off Manhattan’s Union Square. The program includes a pair of morning press screenings and a suite of marketing and PR services for the movie. Organizers are offering visibility in the Quad’s ads in the Friday edition of the New York Times and the weekly Village Voice. Additionally, 4-Wall Select includes a DVD sales program and an online digital outlet in cooperation with Amazon, enabling a film to be streamed and downloaded.

“I’ve come across more and more high-quality films without a distributor,” said Elliott Kanbar, president of Quad Cinema in a statement about the program.

“I know filmmakers spend a good deal of money and time to make a film,” Kanbar said, “It’s heartbreaking that, much too often, the filmmaker’s hopes and dreams crash simply because they couldn’t hook up with a distributor. That’s why I’ve decided to do something about this, by creating the Quad Cinema 4-Wall Select program.”

Other aspects of the new initiative include promotion in the Quad Cinema’s E-news letter, advertising discounts, access to the theater’s publicist at a “preferred rate” and listing on the Quad’s website.

Family owned and operated, the Quad Cinema was founded in 1972, and is Manhattan’s first four-screen theater.