- WIFSFBA Presents -
Breaking Boundaries: Self-Distribution & the Direct-to-Consumer Model
Presented by Women in Film San Francisco Bay Area
Moderated by Julie Rubio, President of Women in Film SF Bay Area
Date & Time: Tuesday, December 2, 2025 | 6:00 - 7:30pm PST
Location: Zoom
Tickets: $10 Members / $15 Non-members / $5 Students
Open to all filmmakers, producers, actors, and students ready to explore smarter paths forward in today’s film industry.
Description:
Independent filmmaking has never been more exciting or more challenging. While many artists struggle to navigate the shifting distribution landscape, a new wave of filmmakers is finding innovative solutions: embracing direct-to-consumer self-distribution to take control of their audiences, their financial futures, and their creative rights.
Join us for a candid and empowering conversation with four accomplished creatives who are redefining what it means to succeed in today’s independent film market:
Lisa Hurwitz – Director/Producer of The Automat, whose hybrid release achieved remarkable success.
Lisa Hurwitz discovered her love for cinema as a 35mm projectionist cutting her teeth in art house, film festival and arts administration and programming. Lisa’s first film, The Automat, premiered at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival and went on to receive nominations for four 2022 Critics Choice Documentary Awards. Upon its completion the documentary entered into a multi-year TV/SVOD license deal with Warner Media to stream on Max and play on Turner Classic Movies. She lives in New York City working on her forthcoming docudrama Singles.
Jeremy Workman – Director of The Secret Mall Apartment and The World Before Your Feet, known for innovative audience engagement.
Jeremy Workman is the director of the documentaries Lily Topples the World (Discovery), Deciding Vote (The New Yorker), The World Before Your Feet (Greenwich Entertainment / Kino Lorber), Magical Universe (IFC Films), his latest Secret Mall Apartment among others. Jeremy’s documentaries have played at prestigious film festivals and been released in theaters and on TV across the globe. Secret Mall Apartment which Jeremy self-distributed grossed nearly $900,000 in theatrical box office. Lily Topples The World won the Jury Grand Prize for Best Documentary at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival and was soon acquired by Discovery. It can be streamed on MAX. The World Before Your Feet was released theatrically in nearly 100 global cities in 2019, played in theaters for nearly 6 months, and currently stands at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Deciding Vote premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, screened at the inaugural DC/DOX film festival, and won multiple film festival awards, before being acquired by The New Yorker for a 2023 release. It was shortlisted for the 96th Academy Awards in the Documentary Short Film category.
Heather Spore – Producer of Make Me Famous, now pioneering direct-to-consumer distribution with her latest independent projects.
Heather Spore is a producer and actress dedicated to bringing bold, artist-driven stories to the screen and committed to innovative approaches to independent film exhibition. She is the producer of the cult-hit art documentary Make Me Famous, directed by Brian Vincent, which is now in its third year of an ongoing 55+ city theatrical-exclusive release. The film became the #3 top-grossing documentary about art among 2023 limited releases and holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Julie Rubio – Director, Writer, and Producer of the award-winning documentary The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival; President of Women in Film SF Bay Area. leading her own way in independent film with innovative direct-to-consumer self-distribution, building lasting connections with audiences worldwide.
Together, they will share strategies for thinking outside the box, taking intelligent risks, and building sustainable careers in a marketplace where many still struggle. From negotiating deals to creating new revenue streams, and from protecting your copyright to connecting directly with audiences, this conversation will give filmmakers practical tools to take charge of both their creative and financial futures.
Key Takeaways:
- How to find solutions in an unpredictable independent film market
- Effective strategies for negotiating deals and maximizing revenue
- Connecting directly with audiences while protecting creative rights
- Turning challenges into opportunities with practical, actionable steps
