Execs representing five film companies joined a very crowded room Monday afternoon for the "An Acquired Taste" panel to listen to the thoughts, opinions and advice on how to strategize getting a film picked up for distribution. THINKFilm's Daniel Katz provided a little perspective at the beginning of the discussion, when responding to a question on the number of films made versus the number that will ultimately receive theatrical distribution, "The odds aren't good," he said, which solicited a laugh from the audience. The group of acquisitions execs, in addition to THINKFilm were also from Newmarket, Magnolia, Wellspring, and Samuel Goldwyn, and they offered some tips on how to go about increasing the chances for catching the attention of film companies.

Tamara Lecker said that for her team at Goldwyn, having a "good" sales rep is very important. Tom Quinn from Magnolia concurred, saying a reputable sales agent "indicates" something about the film itself, but Katz also offered, "If you make a great film, you don't need an agent." And Lecker joked, "We love to take advantage of filmmakers who don't have good sales agents!"

Strategizing the festival circuit is also an important part in the life of a film, according to the panel. Nevertheless, the group said filmmakers should not feel defeated if their film does not get into Sundance for instance. "Sundance isn't necessarily a good thing if your film is going to be overshadowed by 'Hustle and Flow.' A film that [screens] well at SXSW may be better," said Quinn who also said that SXSW was a top tier film festival and has grown in stature, a consensus that seemed to be generally agreed upon by many festival veterans who are attending here. Still, Quinn and others on the panel said that they only have "limited time" in which to attend screenings, and a film that has been at many festivals may be 'lower' on their priority.

Marie Therese Giurgis from Wellspring also added that getting positive critical response at a festival is also a strong advantage for a film. "If you know a critic in Chicago likes a film, then you know you already have a good review in Chicago," said Giurgis in giving the crowd an insight in how distributors go about planning for a film's release. Film festival audiences, however, can also be deceiving. "Toronto audiences love everything," said Quinn in warning that festival reaction does not always indicate how a film will be received in release. Giurgis also encouraged filmmakers to consider taking their films overseas.

"Foreign festivals may be the best places for certain [genre] films," said Giurgis, suggesting that 'quarky' or 'arty' projects might be best represented in foreign countries.

Still, making a good film is ultimately the most important thing. "The best films do [seem] to find their way into theaters," concluded Katz.

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