Mr. Soul!: A Case Study in Indie Film Distribution | Black Writers Week

The team built out a robust film festival rollout to build an audience and community, and allow as many people to experience the film as possible. Over the course of one year and over 50 festivals, the film won numerous awards. Says Melissa, “I might not be the ‘Little Engine That Could’ anymore, but I’m definitely still the caboose making this engine go. But I’m hopeful that all of that will change in the face of theatrical distribution and streaming. It’s been an extraordinary journey to have brought the film to over 45 festivals and to have received 14 awards. I’m beyond honored and humbled, and I believe it’s only the tip of the iceberg. We need stories of Black excellence now more than ever.”

Virtual Cinema Release and PBS Premiere

In August 2020, during the revolution and social uprising in response to the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the team decided to release the film virtually. “We wanted to give back to the Black community with an uplifting, positive film, and remind our people of their greatness,” says Melissa. The pandemic also inspired the filmmakers to pivot in the face of an uncertain distribution future. Melissa and her team, guided by David Magdael and his newly formed boutique, self-distribution company Open Your Eyes and Think MF, released the film in several theaters with virtual cinemas, in order to qualify for the Academy Awards and begin a robust Oscar campaign. The film went from streaming from two theaters to 60 to 96 virtual cinema partners, including independent theaters, arthouse cinemas, film organizations, and cultural institutions, and several drive-ins, which were a safe alternative to being indoors during the height of the pandemic. The team was innovative, holding virtual Q&A’s, livestreaming on Facebook and YouTube. During that time, Mr. SOUL! was shortlisted for the 93rd Academy Awards, for Best Original Song, nominated for 5 Critics Choice Documentary Awards, nominated for the Cinema Eye Honors for Outstanding Debut Feature, and nominated for 5 NAACP Image Awards. “Mr. SOUL!” won the 2020 Critics Choice Documentary Award for Best First Documentary Feature and the 2021 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Documentary (Television or Film).

On February 22, 2021, “Mr. SOUL!” made its PBS debut during Black History Month on Independent Lens. The film was cut down to broadcast length, and received such high ratings nationwide that PBS decided to preempt their national programming to rebroadcast the film that same week nationwide on a Friday, a first for the series. In the month leading up to the premiere, the film was highlighted on all of the PBS stations across the country as their main film for Black History month. The team held pop-up 1-hour screenings and community engagements, and created a robust Discussion Guide to be used as an educational tool, to help organizers, educators, and viewers generate dialogue about diverse representation and inclusion in media, as well as about using the arts as a tool for activism and civic engagement. The guide provides background information on the documentary, suggested discussion questions, and a list of resources dedicated to the arts, media, Black history, and culture.

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