We are sincerely disappointed to report…
We are sincerely disappointed to report a very distressing experience with this distribution platform. It is particularly disheartening as we have supported it since its early days and genuinely believed in its mission to empower independent filmmakers.
Our films have been available on the platform since 2023. During the first year, we chose to offset our royalties through a marketing offer that promised to multiply their value by reinvesting them into promotional activity for films hosted on the platform. As a result, we did not experience the royalty payment process directly in that first year.
In 2024, we opted instead to receive our royalties. That is when the difficulties began.
The royalty statement (rendicontazione), due in January 2025, was not delivered on time — not a week or a month late, but only on 14 May 2025. On that same day, we promptly followed the platform’s instructions and issued an invoice with a due date of 31 May 2025, providing all required documentation correctly and on time.
Despite this, no payment has been received to date.
The distribution agreement itself clearly specifies the payment timeline, stating that the royalties shall be paid by the first week of January each year (in respect of royalties accrued throughout the previous year) unless otherwise agreed upon in writing between the Parties.
Yet, we have not received the royalties accrued for 2024, even after multiple reminders and extensions of good faith.
During this process, we also identified errors in the royalty estimates — one of which referred to a film that was not ours — and we immediately and politely reported it. We also noted that the royalties accrued for 2024 were inexplicably equal to those of 2023, despite the platform having raised its subscription costs. We accepted their explanation in good faith, choosing to trust rather than question.
However, the core issue remains: our royalties, due at the end of May 2025, remain unpaid.
After the due date passed, we had to follow up repeatedly — approximately once or twice per month — to request what was owed. The amount in question is modest, but that is precisely why we felt compelled to persist. Small sums, when multiplied across thousands of films, become significant.
Independent filmmakers should never be discouraged from claiming what is rightfully theirs. In the UK, there are dedicated bodies that assist filmmakers in recovering unpaid royalties and defending their distribution rights. To put this into perspective: if a single film generates even £30, and a platform hosts 2,000 titles, those “symbolic” amounts quickly add up.
It is not only unfair — it is immoral for others to profit from filmmakers’ work while returning only crumbs in exchange.
Throughout this ordeal, we have received three contradictory explanations from the same representative: one citing unspecified “technical issues,” another claiming the transfer had already been made (without proof), and the most recent, dated 30 September 2025, stating that the invoice had “just been paid.”
To this day, no payment has been received.
On Thursday, 23 October 2025, we were sent a cropped screenshot of a supposed transfer attempt. They claimed the bank transfer failed, despite our bank details being correct — and despite us regularly receiving payments into that same account. We even offered alternative solutions, including PayPal, to facilitate immediate payment. We later provided a second bank account, yet no funds have arrived.
We requested the removal of our films in early October 2025, and the platform has since taken them down. However, our films remained available for most of 2025 and therefore continued to accrue royalties throughout that period. Given the disheartening experience we have had in pursuing the royalties from 2024, we sadly do not expect the company to acknowledge or settle the royalties accrued in 2025 either.
We delayed making this statement, hoping the matter would be resolved promptly and professionally. Unfortunately, it has not been — and this has become the most disappointing distribution experience we have encountered to date.
We share this account not out of resentment, but out of duty.
If such treatment can be extended to a registered company, one can only imagine how easily first-time or independent filmmakers might be disregarded or taken advantage of.
We sincerely hope that by reporting our experience, we can encourage greater transparency, accountability, and fairness within the independent film distribution sector.
28 October 2025
Unprompted review
