FAQs

Please send us an email at [email protected]

Yes, we’re happy to consider films for all or just one, two or three distribution opportunities. Please let us know if you are looking for Global Sales Representation, North American Educational Distribution, or Digital TVOD Sales globally (iTunes, Google, Amazon).

We are looking for films produced within the last year that focus on a current event, a cultural or social phenomenon, an influential person, scientific discovery, that have global relevance and a unique point of view or unique access to the subject. They must be at least 45 minutes in length and can’t have been previously represented in the market.

Please include a synopsis, trailer or clip to be used as trailer (if available), screener link, festival update, description of any rights commitments already made (co-production partners), and any available information about constituencies/organizations who are on board to support the film.

We give priority to films that come to us with a personal referral from a filmmaker we’ve worked with or an industry contact.

We receive hundreds of submissions and don’t respond unless we think we might be the right company for your film.

We don’t typically take on shorts or series, we have made some exceptions when compelled by the film content and messaging.

We only take on a few films for Global Sales Representation every year. We are looking for films produced within the last year that focus on a current event, a cultural or social phenomenon, an influential person, scientific discovery, that have global relevance and a unique point of view or unique access to the subject. We ask ourselves, is this a story that can’t be told with local characters, in their local language. Films must be at least 45 minutes in length and can’t have been previously represented in the global market.

We don’t handle festival submissions, we consult on festival strategy and can put in a good word for your film with festivals we have relationships with. We can also recommend a couple of companies that will handle the festival submission process for you.

Our commission rates are non-negotiable, we believe in keeping the films we represent on equal footing. It is 30% for licenses outside of North America which includes all legal, delivery and collection services with quarterly reporting, 15% for licenses in North America (legal, delivery and collection is the resposnibility of the filmmaker), and 15% of revenues from our direct to digital distribution (no middle man or aggregator).

We have tried to make it easy for you to determine which license is the right for you! Please search for a specific film or browse our collection and click licensing options. Once there, you will be asked a series of questions which will determine the type of license you need. Need some extra help? Contact [email protected] and we are more than happy to walk you through it.

Any time a film is shown outside of a private home, public performance rights are required. A film shown without the proper rights/license is a violation of copyright law. Public performance rights grant you the permission to host an unlimited number of in-person screenings at a single location.

To show a film to an audience, you are required to license the film which does require you pay a licensing fee. We work on behalf of filmmakers who in many cases spend years making their films. We return most of the license fee to them.  Occasionally foundation and private donors will underwrite the cost of screening licenses which allows us to offer a license free of charge.  You can see which films are sponsored by going to the Our Films page and selecting “Sponsored Screening Licenses Available” in the Rights Represented filter.

In most cases you are allowed to charge a small ticket fee or ask for a suggested donation to help offset the cost of your license. However, this is not intended to be used to make a profit. If you are hosting a screening at a commercial theater, the theater may not charge a ticket fee.

In many cases yes! Once you have purchased your license and if a discussion guide is available, you will receive a link to download the discussion guide and all other materials.

Yes! You can email the purchase order to [email protected] and we will send you an invoice.

Yes! If we have record of your previous purchase, we can replace a lost or damaged DVD.

We do not accept returns. However, if your DVD was damaged in shipping or you received the wrong product, please contact [email protected] and we are happy to help.

Please email [email protected] to discuss alternative options. Please be sure to include the title of the film you would like to license in your email.

Film Platform is an EVOD platform (educational video on demand) platform and they are our trusted streaming partner. We offer their streaming licenses for purchase through our site but their team will be in touch with you to help get your license set-up. More information can be found on filmplatform.net

Purchasing a streaming license allows defined users of your institution to view a documentary in its entirety for an unlimited amount of times during your streaming period. Streaming packages are first segmented by institution type. Under each institution segment, streaming packages are priced based on the length of time of your selected streaming period, as well as the amount of users from your institution you choose to give access to.

Streaming the film through any platform other than Film Platform, such as Zoom or Google Meet, is not permitted with any license and is a copyright violation.

A streaming subscription is intended for ongoing use over the course of your 1 year or 3 year subscription. A virtual screening only allows access for a single 72 hour period and is more suitable for eventized screenings.

Yes! We accept purchase orders and invoice requests sent to orders [at] rocofilms.com

Impact services are fee-based and are completely separate from educational distribution.   Services include customized outreach and partnership building to support a defined screening campaign strategy.   With that said, impact campaigns are typically designed to be complementary to educational distribution, and to drive long-term interest in screenings, educational usage, etc.

Yes! For the majority of our impact campaigns, ROCO is also the educational distributor for the film. This allows us to leverage the success of the impact campaign to achieve even greater impact in the educational sales space for years after the campaign concludes.

Fees vary based on size, scope, timeline, and goals for the campaign. Contact us directly at [email protected] and we are happy to provide more information and a customized proposal.

We’d love to hear from you! Please email us at [email protected].

While we are happy to advise and make connections whenever possible, ultimate fiscal responsibility rests solely on film teams. 90% of campaigns have funding secured prior to engaging with ROCO.

We are happy to see that distribution and impact are now being thought of much earlier in the production process, with impact campaign line items often being included in initial production budgets. With that said, it is still quite common to fundraise for an impact campaign after your film is complete. Funders for impact campaigns are typically partners who have supported other elements of the project and/or whose mission aligns closely with the film. Funders can include private donors, foundations, corporations, etc.

No. ROCO uses an approved film lab for deliveries, but ROCO Films is a DIRECT content provider to iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vimeo on Demand in North America and Internationally.

We have a direct relationships with iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. We also recommend a Vimeo on Demand offering to cover all territories. We have found that these are the strongest performers for documentaries.

We use Deluxe/Burbank for encoding. Encoding and packaging for TVOD platforms is done at our negotiated costs. Additional package delivery to each platform varies. Estimated costs for project with captions already done can be less than 2k. Estimated costs for a project needing captions done can be over 3k.

“Film and trailer as Apple Pro Res 422 (HQ). Original Frame Rate

5.1 audio is required if exists.

Closed captioning is required.

*Closed caption files can be coordinated for purchase through our lab.

Additional Assets:

Trailer as Apple Pro Res 422 (HQ)

Required artwork for digital platforms (.jpg 300 dpi):

Posters – Title and image ONLY

Google Play (1000 x 1440)

Amazon (1200×1600)

Amazon Horizontal (1920×1080) (16:9 ratio)

iTunes (2000 x 3000)

iTunes Horizontal (3840 x 2160)

Optional:

iTunes Banner (4320 x 1080) – no title, image only. Ask about image safe area. “

While we can place your film on platforms, it’s up to a film team to bring an audience to the content. If there is a marketing budget, or a specific organization connected to a film, we do have some great recommendations for marketing partners!

All reports are collected from the individual platforms and royalties are generated transparently via ROCO Films quarterly.

ROCO produces live virtual events which are broadcast to audiences globally. These typically take the form of a panel discussion or Q&A with film subjects, filmmakers, or experts on the relevant topic.

We typically produce live events for films we distribute in the educational market or as part of one of our impact campaigns. If your film is already a part of our collection, we would love to chat more about it. Contact us at [email protected]. Please note live events are fee-based.

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