What is an Independent?
Independent means a lot of things to different people. It's a business approach as well as a sense of creativity.
The independent film and television industry is comprised of companies that are in the business of producing and/or representing films and television programming and licensing such programming for distribution around the world primarily through third-party distributors and platforms.
IFTA is headquartered in Los Angeles,
but our members are based all around the globe.
The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA®) members are an influential community of creative entertainment companies as diverse in size and business models as the content they produce and sell.
An "independent film or television program" is made outside of the major studios by those that take on the majority of the financial risk for the production and rely on third-party distributors who, prior to production, contractually commit to pay a minimum guarantee license fee in exchange for the exclusive right to distribute the finished product in their particular territory. This distinguishes the Independents from major U.S. studios and online platforms who control all their own production and distribution.
IFTA membership consists primarily of small to medium-sized companies from 24 countries with the dedication, creativity, and acumen to bring those projects to life.
In total, IFTA members have produced, represented, and/or distributed more than half of the winners of the "Best Picture" Academy Award®, and consistently earn accolades and awards for their films around the globe.
IFTA represents the myriad people in the business of bringing these films to theaters and homes around the globe, which creates hundreds of thousands of jobs and millions of dollars, yuan, and euros in economic impact.
If you are in the business of making independent motion pictures or programming for television and streaming platforms, we represent you, work to make sure you are protected, and continue to have the ability to produce the entertainment that is sought by audiences around the world.
To see who our members are, visit our membership directory.