Theatrical on Demand

New distribution models are the lifeblood of films that don’t fit into the blockbuster agenda. No, studios aren’t evil for focusing on the tentpole model; they’re businesses that have found that to be very profitable. And sometimes those can be excellent flicks, well worth the price of admission. But that franchise factory tends to obviate unusual fare. Controversial stories, small and personal films, experimental and foreign films and documentaries have little to no place in that machine.

VOD (video on demand), dayand-date (release in more than one medium at the same time) and other innovative approaches are alleviating that problem — especially for ultra-niche films. Take “Life in a Walk,” a personal documentary about the filmmaker’s physical journey with his ailing father, which is being released via a new platform called Theatrical On Demand.

Pioneered by Gathr Films, this approach starts with viewers requesting a screening in their community and the crowd signing up to see it. Once a certain threshold is met, the screening is “green-lit.”

“Life” gets its one-shot screening in Berkeley on Monday, Sept. 28, with one in San Francisco in the works for October.