Film Festival Matchmaking: Where Some of This Year's Hottest Titles Could End Up, Including 'Bad Apples,' 'Christy,' and 'Dead Man's Wire'

"Every year, the agents tell us the sales market at festivals takes longer to materialize, and every year they turn out to be (mostly) right. Still, before each film festival kicks off, we take the time to round up the handful of movies that could still fetch those illusory bidding wars and fantastic 8-figure deals."

"Sources have characterized this year's Toronto lineup of available sales titles as rich with compelling debuts and sophomore efforts - and largely very indie. More of the commercial-leaning indies and prestige pictures have already arrived with distributors in tow, which one executive described to IndieWire as a reflection of the industry today. The bigger-budgeted indies are still struggling to get made without the backing of a distributor in advance, and plenty of packages are simply not finding the right timing or home."

Festival sales markets increasingly take longer to materialize, with only a handful of films capable of generating major bidding wars or eight-figure deals. Numerous smaller movies remain worthy of distribution and will eventually find homes, though final sales can take weeks or months to lock. Toronto's available slate leans heavily toward indie debuts and sophomore efforts, while more commercial indies and prestige pictures often arrive with distributors already attached. A few larger-scope titles could attract aggressive offers, and emerging North American distributors may pursue select indie packages to make market impact.

Read at IndieWire