Alamo Drafthouse is launching a distribution program that’s designed to showcase film festival releases that never scored distribution.
Through Alamo Exclusives, the dine-in cinema will offer limited runs of titles that weren’t acquired from festivals including Sundance, SWSW, Tribeca, TIFF, Cannes, Berlin and its own genre-focused Fantastic Fest. The company’s hope is creating a platform for well-received movies that don’t necessarily fit the traditional theatrical model. Post-pandemic, it’s been a challenging time for independent cinema, which has resulted in recent films leaving festivals without a buyer. Drafthouse plans to work directly with filmmakers to bring their movies to audiences nationwide, providing marketing support and big-screen exposure.
“From the very beginning, Alamo Drafthouse has championed independent film and built strong relationships with filmmakers because we know our audiences value discovering great cinema,” says Michael Kustermann, CEO of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. “Time and again, they’ve shown they’ll come out to support bold, original films when given the opportunity. ‘Alamo Exclusives’ is a natural extension of that. It gives us another way to champion filmmaker-driven films that deserve to be discovered and connect them with the wider Alamo Drafthouse audience.”
Alamo Exclusives will launch with the SXSW documentary “Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt.” The film, which chronicles the Austin-based punk band, will receive an exclusive theatrical engagement across Alamo Drafthouse locations nationwide late this summer.
“Too many incredible films premiere at festivals and then never receive the theatrical life they deserve,” says Lisa Dreyer, director of Fantastic Fest and Film Innovation. “We are actively searching for films across all genres, from horror to comedy, to everything in-between, to champion in this new, exciting way. We’re thrilled to launch the program with ‘Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt,’ a film that’s bold, entertaining, unapologetically original, and deeply connected to Austin’s creative DNA. We couldn’t imagine a better film to kick off this new chapter.”
Alamo Exclusive builds on the company’s existing efforts to platform all kinds of movies, not just the biggest blockbusters. Alamo Drafthouse already pads out the release calendar with repertory programming, special events and exclusive engagements. They also have Drafthouse Recommends, a distinction that comes with a stamp of approval from the movie fans who program the chain’s slate.
“I love that Alamo audiences are passionate moviegoers who genuinely embrace great documentaries and independent cinema,” says “Butthole Surfers” director Tom Stern. “Knowing this film will be experienced on big screens by that kind of audience makes this release especially meaningful.”
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