The Duplass Bros Want to Help Filmmakers Whose Premieres Were Affected by COVID-19

Things have been pretty dire in the past few months, especially for filmmakers. So much of what was planned has gone away. The theatrical experience is like church for many of us, and we're not allowed to worship. 

Well, the Duplass brothers are bringing us back to the light. 

In an interview with IndieWire, Mark Duplass offered all the resources of Duplass Productions to boost indie filmmakers’ works. He said, “[The streamers] are all doing their best overtime watching pretty much every movie that’s being submitted to them from the festivals that didn’t have their premieres. We as Duplass Brothers have also come forward to those people and said, ‘If you find a movie where you feel like ‘This is really great but it’s not there yet,’ bring it to us and we will help partner with you to make that movie what you feel like it needs to be for your service.”

The theatrical experience is wonderful, but with so many people at home needing entertainment, there has never been a better time to get multiple eyes on your work. 

So it's not just about the Duplass brothers lifting up filmmakers as much as putting the work in to help them. 

And he and Jay didn't stop there. 

They offered actual strategies on how to use streaming to build your career. 

While they know theatrical is many people's goal, he wanted people to know that streaming and digital can provide just as emotional of an experience, saying, “There are so many positives and negatives to where we’re at with the prominence of streamers, what they have done to places like IFC and Magnolia who’ve been around for years and who are an integral part of our ecosystem. They were really damaged by some of these acquisition prices at film festivals. We used to … sell our movies to these niche distributors, and we wouldn’t hammer them for too much money because if we did, they wouldn’t be around to make our movies next year.”

So what does this mean to filmmakers? 

We need to be the courageous bastions of the 21st century that go beyond just Zooming with production teams. 

It means sharing tips and strategies with people you know to hold others up. 

The best thing we can do is come together now. 

Use the Duplass' example and think about what you can offer fellow filmmakers. 

What I love about this profession is the willingness for people to stick their neck out for one another. Now is the time to mentor someone. To give a friend notes, and not do what you can to foster a community. 

What do you think you can do for the filmmaker next to you?