Your film. Your questions.

We work with independent films at different stages of their journey. From development and production to festival strategy, market positioning, sales, distribution and audience pathways. Our involvement depends on where a film is and what it needs. Most of our work begins once a film is finished, or nearly there: festival strategy, premiere planning, positioning, sales, distribution and audiences. For projects and stories we deeply believe in, we come in earlier, from development, as co-producers. How we get involved depends on where your film is and what it needs.

We can be involved in all three, but we are not limited to any one of them. Alongside producing and co-producing films, we work on the pathways that help completed films reach festivals, markets, distributors and audiences.

Three things working together: a pathway model drawn from more than 300 South Asian independent film journeys, the judgement of people who have spent their careers in this industry, and access to a wider network of practitioners. We also don't stop at getting a film made or into a festival. We think about the whole journey, and what comes after each step.

Three founders who came to film from different directions. Triparna Banerjee is an award-winning writer, director and producer whose films have travelled to major international festivals, markets and labs. Ramakanth Thumrugoti has spent three decades building businesses and partnerships across finance, industry and government. Mohit Arora brings two decades in global brand strategy, data and behavioural insight, and leads the research behind our Pathway Model.

No. Our office is in Hyderabad and our focus is South Asian independent cinema, but our networks and the pathways we build are international.

The After Cut is our podcast conversation series about what happens after a film is made: festivals, markets, sales, distribution and audiences. Each episode is a conversation with someone who has spent their career in that world, about what worked, what didn't, and what they'd want a younger filmmaker to know. You'll find it on YouTube and on audio platforms.

Yes. We work primarily with independent filmmakers and producers, particularly those working on South Asian stories with potential for wider festival, market or audience engagement.

Yes, gladly. You don't need previous credits or a production banner behind you. We look at the project, what you want to do with it, and what the film needs right now.

You can approach us at any stage of your filmmaking journey. From script and development to production, post-production, festival strategy, sales and distribution.

Yes, this is the heart of what we do. We assess the film's positioning and build a plan around it — where to premiere, in what order to approach festivals and markets, and how to reach sales agents, distributors and audiences. If you haven't submitted anywhere yet, even better. The earliest choices shape everything that follows.

Potentially. For projects that align with our vision, we can collaborate across development, packaging, production partnerships and international positioning. We are selective about it; we take on work on films and stories we believe in.

Before picture lock, ideally. When the locked cut is in sight, that's the moment to decide premiere strategy, eligibility and timing. If you wait until the film is finished, some doors, such as deadlines and premiere options, may already have closed.

That's completely fine. You don't need to arrive with a strategy. Tell us where your film is and what you're hoping for, and we'll look at where our involvement could genuinely help.

Yes, as part of a wider strategy. We identify the festivals that genuinely fit the film, sequence the submissions, map premiere rules and costs before anything is filed, and prepare the materials. We take care of the entries too.

Yes. It's one of the most important decisions in a film's life, and we treat it that way. We look at the film's positioning, what each festival has actually been programming, timing, market opportunities, and where the film needs to be seen in the long run, not just at its first screening.

More than most people expect. Strong films often lose momentum for reasons that have nothing to do with how good they are, and a premiere in the wrong place is one of the most common. Where a film starts shapes which festivals, markets and buyers are open to it afterwards.

Not every film needs the festival journey. For some, an international premiere and a long festival journey is right. For others, a more direct route to platforms and distributors at home makes more sense. The answer should come from the film.

At minimum, a logline, a synopsis, a director's statement and a deck, plus buyer-facing materials once you approach the market. They should tell the same true story everywhere, and then be shaped for each reader: what a programmer needs to read isn't what a buyer needs to see.

Plan before you pay. Build a festival calendar around your film, check premiere rules, eligibility windows and fees up front, and only enter the festivals that genuinely fit. Scattershot submissions cost money, and they can use up a premiere that a better-matched festival would have wanted.

No, and no one honestly can. Selection is decided by film festival teams and programmers. What we do is build a considered strategy around the film, so it reaches the right festivals, at the right time, presented in the right way.

Sometimes, yes. On some films, we act as the sales agent ourselves. On others, we connect the film with the sales agents and distributors who suit it best. Which way we go depends on the film and what it needs.

Yes. We help build the distribution pathway, find the right sales agents, distributors, platforms and buyers, position the film for international markets, and support the introductions and conversations that follow. We also look beyond the home market, to diaspora, cinephile and crossover audiences, wherever the film can travel.

No. We build the process and pursue it with you, but the final decisions belong to distributors, sales agents, platforms and buyers.

Pathway Intelligence is Elsewhere's research-led approach to understanding how independent films travel through festivals, markets, distribution and audiences. We studied the journeys of more than 300 South Asian independent films, some that travelled widely and some that quietly stalled, and compared what was knowable before each release with where the film actually went. The patterns help us make better decisions for every film we work on.

No. Patterns and data inform judgement, they don't replace it. The model isn't built to predict creative success. It's there to support decisions, alongside the experience of filmmakers, programmers, producers, sales agents and distributors. And it keeps learning, checked against what actually happens at festivals and in distribution.

Three hundred South Asian independent films, each coded by hand on more than thirty parameters using only what was knowable before release, then compared with where the film actually went. Alongside it sits a study of what thirty international festivals have selected over the past two years, and ongoing research with programmers, producers and sales agents in India and abroad.

Start a conversation through the form on our website. Share your name and email, the film's title, the stage it's at and a line about the film. If you have a screener, add the link too.

At minimum: a logline, a synopsis, the project's stage, and details of the director, producer and team. Depending on where you are, a script, deck, lookbook, or screener helps too. But you don't need everything to be perfect before getting in touch.

No. An established production company is not essential, particularly for filmmakers at an early stage.

Yes, for scripted projects, script or story/synopsis registration with SWA or an equivalent form of copyright protection is a requirement. It protects you, and it's a requirement for us.

Not automatically. We review submissions first. Where we believe we can meaningfully add to a film's journey, we'll get in touch to set up a conversation. We look at creative alignment, the film's stage and needs, and the kind of partnership that would work for both of us.

No. Submitting is the start of a conversation, not a commitment either way. We assess each project on creative alignment, stage and needs, and on the kind of partnership that makes sense for you and for us.

Every engagement is shaped around the film, from a single festival scheduling brief to a full pathway plan or a co-production. It's structured per film, as a fixed fee, a retainer or a partnership, depending on what the work involves. We talk about scope once we have talked about the film.

Yes, please do. We work across the independent film ecosystem, and we welcome conversations with producers, sales agents, distributors, programmers, institutions and other industry partners.

In a few different ways: project-based engagements, co-productions, strategic partnerships and research initiatives. Tell us what you have in mind, and we will see what fits.

We work with South Asian independent films around the time they are finished, and we plan and manage their festival journeys, so we often see strong new work early. Programmers looking for new voices from the region are welcome to get in touch.

That there's far more strong work than the world gets to see. South Asian independent films are made in real volume but reach a fraction of the audience they could. Support for making films has grown; much less exists to carry a finished film into circulation. And doors tend to open for known names, so strong first films without a banner are often the least seen.