labs Module: From Screens to Fields: Innovative Film Distribution
IDL course - Module 3

From Screens to Fields: Innovative Film Distribution

What you'll learn in this module

  • Why it’s still so challenging to find your audiences, even though technological advances have made production and distribution much easier


  • Why traditional promotion methods (festivals, sales agents, distribution deals) may not work— or can even be counterproductive


  • What questions to ask yourself when searching for your audience in the right places


  • How to expand your film’s reach beyond cinephiles

About the expert

Carlos Gutierrez (USA)

Carlos is co-founding executive director of Cinema Tropical, the New York-based media arts non-profit organization founded in 2001, which is the leading promoter of Latin American cinema in the United States.

You can watch the videos organized by topic, or listen to the full audio recording of the conversation with Carlos Gutierrez from the Alternativa Impact Distribution Lab 2025.
Listen to the Full Lecture

For more than 80 years, the film industry has largely followed the same — highly capitalistic — formula: production → distribution → exhibition. Carlos offers a critical perspective on this model. He highlights several key problems and poses a central question: if the audience is right here, why not bring films directly to them? There are many screens out there — and new paths to reach them.

Key challenges discussed:

Accessibility: Can audiences actually reach the film? Visibility: How can we make sure audiences know about the film? Overcrowding: Why aren’t we exploring new distribution channels instead of chasing the same festivals? Fragmentation: Are there too many intermediaries involved in the commercialization of films?

“The easy part is making the film. The difficult part is getting it seen.” With this observation, Carlos invites you to reflect on how to democratize access to good films and bring them to audiences. What do you want to achieve with your film, and how will you measure its success — or lack of it? Where can you find the communities, both inside and outside the film world, where your film can truly resonate? And how can you connect with audiences around the world in a cost-effective way?

Work on your project

If you’re actively building your impact campaign, use the Course Journal to turn ideas from this module into concrete steps.

Download PDF

Explore Further

Cinema Tropical — the New York-based media arts non-profit organization, that has become the leading presenter of Latin American cinema in the United States

All images, film clips, posters, and stills are used for non-commercial educational purposes only and are included solely for critical commentary and teaching. All copyrights in the underlying films and promotional materials belong to their respective rights holders.

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