When you’re reaching out with a pitch email to a film distributor, you have one goal: get the acquisitions person to actually click your trailer and want to see more. That’s it. Most filmmakers overthink this, or worse, they send the wrong things and blow their chances before anyone even watches a second of the movie. In this article, I’m walking you through exactly what to include, what not to include, and how to give your completed film the best shot at getting picked up.
Find the Right Acquisitions Person
The first step in sending a pitch email to a film distributor or sales agent is simple: contact the right person. Don’t blanket email the entire company. Don’t CC every executive they have listed on their website. And please don’t CC me along with ten other sales agents—I’ve seen it, and it never goes well.
You want one person: the Manager, VP, or Head of Acquisitions. That’s the person whose job is literally to watch movies and decide if they might fit their catalog. If you’re emailing assistants, general inboxes, or random execs who aren’t in acquisitions, you’re wasting your shot.
Why Your Trailer Has to Be a Banger
Your trailer is the biggest piece of the pitch. If you don’t have a trailer—or worse, if you have a slow, dragging trailer cut by a filmmaker friend who “kinda edits”—you’re hurting yourself. You need a fast, clean, powerful trailer cut by a real trailer editor. A minute and a half is perfect. Two minutes max.
I’ve seen people send ten-minute scenes instead of trailers, or links to the entire movie with no context. That never works. A great trailer does all the heavy lifting. Make sure yours does.
Professional Artwork Matters
Right alongside that trailer, you need real artwork. Not a Photoshop template. Not a poster with mismatched fonts. Something clean, professional, and eye-catching. Remember: acquisitions execs click what grabs their attention. If your artwork looks weak, they won’t even make it to the trailer.
In your email, highlight the genre, attach the artwork, and place the trailer link front and center. Keep the wording short, clear, and respectful.
Ask Before You Send the Screener
This is where most filmmakers make the biggest mistake. Don’t send the full screener in the first email. Don’t attach an 18-gigabyte downloadable file. Don’t send a Dropbox link. And definitely don’t send an open, downloadable version of your movie floating around the internet.
Instead, ask: “Would you like me to send a screener?”
If they’re interested, they’ll say yes. And when they do, your screener should be a password-protected Vimeo or Indee link with downloading turned off. Keep it secure and professional.
Follow Up the Right Way
Sometimes they’ll reply and say it’s not for them. Sometimes they’ll say they already have a similar title. And many times, they won’t reply at all. That’s normal. Follow up after a week or two. Stay consistent but polite. The goal isn’t to bother them—it’s to keep the door open until you get a yes or a no.
There’s a simple rule in this world: if you don’t get a no, you’re still in the game.
Final Thoughts on Your Pitch Email to a Film Distributor
This whole process is about respect, professionalism, and making it easy for acquisitions execs to say, “Yeah, I’ll click that.” When you send the right pitch email to a film distributor—with the right person, the right artwork, and a killer trailer—you stand out. Most filmmakers never do these simple steps. But if you do them, your odds go way up.
