Last week I learned from my sales reps, Integration Entertainment, that my distributors, filmnic, finally decided upon a reputable video label to release Claustrophobia through. That label is Artisan Entertainment, perhaps most famous for releasing The Blair Witch Project five years ago, and who are now owned by the respected indie distributor Lions Gate. With all these company names getting thrown around, you can see how complex film distribution is, and how many entities ultimately get involved, even in the sale of one little low-budget movie like mine. (I won't even mention all the insurers, DVD authorers, attorneys, etc.) That byzantine business structure may be why it'll be a year between the film's sale and its availability: though there is no actual date yet, the word is that it will be released in the United States and Canada this summer. Let's hope "summer" means late May and not late September. I'm very excited because Artisan is major enough to get Claustrophobia into big-name stores like Blockbuster, though only time will tell. Oh - and before you ask, no, I do not know if Artisan will keep filmnic's video artwork, if they will use my original design, or if they will come up with their own.
Will you see this logo in front of my film?