Kristen Stewart’s Directorial Debut Is Fueled by a Small Distributor

When Kristen Stewart’s acclaimed feature directorial debut, “The Chronology of Water,” was acquired for domestic distribution by the Forge a few months after its Cannes premiere in May, one question crossed the minds of many people in the industry: What the hell is the Forge?

“After COVID started, it gave me an opportunity to think, as a film producer, about what sales entity I would want to work with, to have a vehicle to release films that we were intending to produce,” says founder Mark Mathias Sayre. “We had some early success, and a couple of contemporaries asked if we would handle their sales or distribution. Fast forward a couple years, and now it’s all we’re doing.”

As a flood of content has crowded the marketplace, so has an avalanche of new boutique distributors looking to release it, often prioritizing what their filmmakers want or targeting specific audiences. In the past year or two, companies like 1-2 Special, Cartuna x Dweck, the Future of Film Is Female, Joint Venture, Muscle Distribution, Suncatcher Prods., Watermelon Pictures, Willa and more have begun placing low-budget indies in theaters. It’s been happening on a larger scale as well: since launching in 2023, AMC Theatres Distribution has turned to domestic distribution experts Variance Films to get the lay of the land. Its operation has had big successes with concert docs like “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” and other event presentations.

But having more options doesn’t necessarily make a producer’s path easier. “The biggest thing you need is patience, and you have to find your niche,” says Mabel Tam, senior VP of film and head programmer at Landmark Theatres. “There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach anymore.” She cites the Jewish/Catholic interfaith comedy “Bad Shabbos” as one example. “They released it in Florida first, before they even hit New York or L.A., and then targeted where they wanted to go. You have to be…