state of inde film distribution

"The rest of the market never really got fired up. Part of the problem was that there was a distinct lack of commercial product with known names, buyers griped. That’s bad news for the smaller-scale dramas that need big names in order to guarantee foreign sales. As studio executives and indie players noted privately, the movie business has done a terrible job of minting new stars over the past decade, and that’s creating real headaches for riskier movies looking for some insurance by casting big names in order to get bankrolled."

-- from an article on the Toronto Film Festival. What annoys me is the statement - distinct lack of commercial product with known names. 

Is this really why less indie films are being sold at festivals? It probably is but what a shame. Why don't these mind numbing idiots look at films with a different mind set, like if it's a great story or not. Are they really qualified to judge if something is commercial? I do not think so. Example, I'm sure the knuckleheads who made Righteous Kill, a film starring DeNiro and Pacino surely thought it had a commercial product with big name talent. What happened? Perhaps the story sucked? Who saw it?

Get off your high horse and forget the notion you can tell if something is commercial. Don't see it as a product. It's not a fucking hamburger! It's a story. Aren't good stories commercial?

To read the full article click here:
http://variety.com/2014/film/news/toronto-smaller-deals-show-tough-market-for-indie-film-business-1201304117/

Toronto: Smaller Deals Show Tough Market for Indie Film Business