Glen Basner & Roeg Sutherland Open Their Global Sales Playbook: “You Have To Reset Yourself Every Two Weeks” — TIFF: The Market
News Source
•Sat, 12 Sep 2026 19:51:16 +0000
📰 What Happened
Two big names in indie film sales, Glen Basner and Roeg Sutherland, spoke at TIFF's new market in Toronto. Sutherland, from the agency CAA, said the film business is changing faster than ever. Instead of resetting your plans every six months, he said, "you have to reset yourself every two weeks." The pair also shared tips on how to package independent films.
🔍 The Backstory
Basner runs the company FilmNation. He complained that distributors are too afraid of risk and lean on selling films to streamers. That, he said, makes movies for streaming instead of for theaters. Still, he was hopeful. He said filmmakers are finding ways to tell their own stories, audiences are responding, and 2027 could be a great year at the box office.
🎯 Why It Matters
Indie films are often the most original stories on screen. How they get funded and sold decides which movies you can actually see in a theater.
Two big names in indie film sales, Glen Basner and Roeg Sutherland, spoke at TIFF's new market in Toronto. Sutherland, from the agency CAA, said the film business is changing faster than ever. Instead of resetting your plans every six months, he said, "you have to reset yourself every two weeks." The pair also shared tips on how to package independent films.
Basner runs the company FilmNation. He complained that distributors are too afraid of risk and lean on selling films to streamers. That, he said, makes movies for streaming instead of for theaters. Still, he was hopeful. He said filmmakers are finding ways to tell their own stories, audiences are responding, and 2027 could be a great year at the box office.
Indie films are often the most original stories on screen. How they get funded and sold decides which movies you can actually see in a theater.