Getting to Know… Benten Films

In March 2004, the New York-based film blog Like Anna Karina's Sweater appeared, penned by an anonymous author under the name "Filmbrain." The site’s intelligent essays on obscure cinema quickly gained it a loyal following among cinephiles. Eventually, critic Andrew Grant unmasked himself as the man behind Filmbrain, and this year, with friend Aaron Hillis (a critic for the Village Voice, Premiere, and IFC News), he branched out into DVD distribution with Benten Films, seeking to support the same kinds of little-seen films he was writing about.

The duo launched Benten, named for a Japanese goddess of art and culture, last August with LOL, a comic, improvisational meditation on Internet relationships from Chicago-based low-budget auteur Joe Swanberg (Kissing on the Mouth, Hannah on the Stairs). A combined set of Portland-based director Aaron Katz's first two films, Dance Party USA and Quiet City comes out in January, followed by Todd Rohal's surreal debut The Guatemalan Handshake next spring. With their first successful release behind them, the Grant and Hillis shared their thoughts on acquiring new films, curation as a brand identity, and the much-maligned new “mumblecore” label.

Tribeca: Your first release, LOL, appeared in the IFC Center's series "Generation DIY: The New Talkies," which prompted an explosion of press over “mumblecore,” the newly christened indie film movement that’s marked by microscopic budgets, improvisational performances, and lots of awkward comedy. And your upcoming releases are also associated with this trend. Is Benten the mumblecore label?

Andrew Grant: I can't remember the first time I heard the m-word, but it was well after we began pursuing LOL. Aaron and I just like these movies. We'd rather just say that these are new American independent films that we like. Todd Rohal's The Guatemalan Handshake is nothing like a Joe Swanberg or Aaron Katz film.

Aaron Hillis: Mumblecore is a journalistic hook. It's not a movement, it's not a genre. These films are thematically different, they're even aesthetically different. They just happen to be low-budget films, and when you have a low budget, you're limited in the kinds of stories you can tell. But it’s not like Andrew and I heart mumblecore.

How do you decide whether to pursue a film?

AH: There are so many small companies out there doing similar things, but I haven't really seen anybody whose brand is their curation. I think when we have a dozen titles in our slate, it's going to be very strange trying to find what they have in common. But what they will have in common is the Benten seal of approval. Our taste is really our niche.

What are you looking for in terms of future acquisitions?

AG: I think a lot of what we release is going to be a result of what we can successfully close. When we were at the Berlin Film Festival this year meeting a lot of sales agents, people were very receptive to us, but at the same time, there was some reluctance because we didn't have a track record. So doing these releases—Swanberg, Katz, Rohal—is certainly going to prove the concept, and already the tide has turned. We've sent some copies of LOL to sales agents we met, and they said "Wow. These guys are pretty serious." So that will help a bit. When it comes to overseas art films and independent films, the process is just a lot longer.

What about those foreign titles? What has been the big roadblock in acquiring those films?

AG: Money.

AH: A lot of foreign companies are out of touch with the US market. They think that the streets are paved with gold, but already a foreign title is going to be more challenging than an English-language one. You can't compare the audience of some challenging Korean drama with a summer blockbuster, and yet, many of these foreign companies tend to think they're going to get the same audiences. It's tough when you're trying to acquire someone's film, and you're also having to educate them on the film market.

Have you encountered resistance from people who don't want to talk DVD without first finding a theatrical home for their films?

AG: That's one of the reasons we're not going after brand new films. I think there are a lot of misconceptions about the US market from foreign sales agents. There was a film at Tribeca a few years ago called The Free Will (TFF' 06). I talked to the producer in New York, and he really had hopes that someone like Sony Pictures Classics would pick up the film. And it just wasn't going to happen.

AH: It's a three-hour film about a rapist in recovery!

AG: At the same time, we were very surprised to talk to sales agents in Berlin who did get it. They understood that in the US market, theatrically, foreign films don't do that well. You have your breakout films like The Lives of Others, but they're relatively rare. So I think some companies are progressive enough to say, “You know what? The film is a year old, it's been on the circuit. Let's get a great DVD of it rather than let it lie in obscurity.” But we've also had situations where people are very proud of their films and want a ridiculous amount of money, or hold out for a theatrical release, and it's a shame.

AH: That's the most frustrating thing, because if we're going after a film, it's not like we're doing it because we think it's going to be a moneymaker. We're doing it because we love these films and we want to put them out. It's a real headache to see people who would rather just hold out and never get a release than to sign for a DVD-only release.

How do you go about finding films?

AG: Besides festivals, there is certainly word of mouth. We're still in the stage where we encourage filmmakers to get in touch with us.

And do you have any advice for filmmakers looking to give their works a life beyond the festival circuit?

AG: Look at the deals that companies are offering you. Most companies are pretty tight-lipped, but larger ones will definitely try to get away with giving you little money and a small percentage, but you have their name. That may mean something, but are they really behind it?

AH: Take a look at the distributors themselves. See what they're doing. See what other films they have, and how they're marketing those films. If you end up getting a few thousand dollars, that's a fantastic thing, but what if the company then squanders your film by marketing it poorly, or in a way that degrades the integrity of the work? How is that really any better than another company that is going to do everything to the nines but maybe not pay as much? That's the trade-off. Don't just sign anything. Just because money is flashed in your face doesn't mean it's a good thing. Do your research.

You’re trying to release DVDs that take advantage of all the possibilities of the format. What can people expect from future Benten releases?

AG: With LOL and with Katz's films, we didn't just throw in commentaries as filler. We wanted to know what it was like making a film in the early years of the 21st century, because I see the DVD as a document that captures the process of everything the director went through. I think that’s why both Joe and Aaron made the decision to go with us. As each new DVD comes out, I think other filmmakers are going to see that we're two guys who really care.

I think it's always in the interest of the filmmaker to get involved, but we may also find ourselves in a situation where they don't want to do anything, and then we need to ask ourselves what we can do on our own—maybe bring in a specialist, some film critics to do a commentary track, or someone related.

In terms of packaging, we want to make it a fetish package. We're always going to do the outer sleeve/inner sleeve with a different concept on each. Like Criterion. We don't have deep pockets like they do, but within our budget we're going to do what we can.

Have you spent a lot of time looking at and learning from the other DVD distributors out there?

AH: There are passionate cinephiles out there, and there are businessmen, but I think it's very rare that the two are the same person, and I think that really shows when you look at something on a shelf. I think for the most part, we're just trying to trust our instincts, and as film and DVD lovers ourselves, to think about what we would want to own.

AG: We're putting ourselves out there. There's total transparency. This is Aaron Hillis and Andrew Grant. These are movies we like and here's why. If you don't like them, call us.

LOL is available at all major retailers, including Amazon.com, and can be rented from sites like Netflix and Greencine. For more information about Benten, or to contact Andrew and Aaron, visit www.bentenfilms.com.