The State of Film Financing

Key findings

The numbers, cited

Each finding below is a descriptive count from the FILM.FUND dataset with a stable anchor id, so it can be cited directly. Figures describe what exists in the dataset as of July 20, 2026. They are not projections or investment advice.

1. 01

   FILM.FUND tracks 194 verified capital providers across banks, gap financiers, tax-credit lenders, and public funds.

   167 of those (86 percent) are marked active in the dataset as of 2026-07-20.

   #providers-total
2. 02

   Gap and bridge financiers are the single largest private-capital category, at 81 of 194 tracked providers (42 percent).

   Gap financing bridges the space between soft money and senior debt on independent budgets.

   #providers-gap-largest
3. 03

   64 percent of tracked providers are private capital (banks, gap, and tax-credit lenders); 36 percent are public funds, film offices, or non-profits.

   That is 124 private-sector organizations against 70 public-sector ones in the dataset.

   #providers-private-vs-public
4. 04

   88 percent of tracked providers operate in the United States, the most common single market in the dataset.

   Geography reflects where each organization publicly states it finances, not exclusivity.

   #providers-geography
5. 05

   Among the 122 providers that publish a check range, the median floor is 500K and the median ceiling is 15M.

   Check ranges are descriptive of publicly stated typical sizing, not commitments to any project.

   #providers-check-size
6. 06

   72 verified content buyers are tracked across 8 categories, led by broadcasters and streamers (svod).

   Buyers span streamers, FAST and AVOD, broadcasters, cable, transport, educational, library, and specialty distribution.

   #buyers-total
7. 07

   Subscription video-on-demand is the most common window offered, appearing in 46 of 72 buyer mandates (64 percent).

   A window is a distribution right a buyer publicly states it licenses.

   #buyers-svod-window
8. 08

   94 percent of tracked buyers accept feature films, the most widely accepted format in the dataset.

   Series and documentary are the next most commonly accepted formats.

   #buyers-feature-format
9. 09

   401 film and media securities offerings are tracked from public SEC EDGAR filings.

   These are historical filings, provided as comparative operational context, never a securities recommendation.

   #offerings-total
10. 10

    66 percent of tracked offerings are Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) filings; the remainder are Regulation A / A+.

    Reg CF caps a raise at 5 million dollars; Reg A / A+ allows up to 75 million dollars.

    #offerings-regulation-mix
11. 11

    The median maximum offering amount across tracked filings is about 1.2M.

    Computed across the 398 filings that disclose a maximum offering amount. Descriptive of past filings, not a projection.

    #offerings-median-max
12. 12

    DE is the most common issuer jurisdiction, at 48 percent of tracked offerings.

    Jurisdiction of organization is a formation choice, not a measure of where the film is made.

    #offerings-top-jurisdiction
13. 13

    40 production vendors are tracked across E and O insurance, completion bonds, music clearance, and production payroll.

    35 of those are marked active in the dataset as of 2026-07-20.

    #vendors-total
14. 14

    E and O insurance brokers are the largest tracked vendor category, at 15 of 40 (38 percent).

    Errors-and-omissions cover is the most common gate before a distribution deal can close.

    #vendors-eo-largest

Capital Graph

Who finances independent film

Across 194 verified capital providers, gap and bridge financiers lead the dataset. 167 providers (86 percent) are marked active. Private capital and public funders each hold a distinct share of the landscape.

Buyer Mandates

Where finished films can sell

72 verified content buyers publish mandates across 8 categories. The mix of windows and accepted formats describes what the demand side of the market is openly asking for.

SEC EDGAR film offerings

How independent film raises have been structured

401 film and media securities offerings from public SEC filings, provided as comparative operational context. The regulation mix, security types, and issuer jurisdictions describe how past raises were structured, never a recommendation or a projection.

Production vendors

The services every production needs

40 verified vendors across E and O insurance, completion bonds, music clearance, and production payroll, 35 of them active. These are the gates a film clears on the way from greenlight to delivery.

Cite this report

Reference the data