As a former publicist for huge Hollywood movies (I, Robot, Spider-Man 2), Middle of Nowhere director Ava DuVernay comes at filmmaking from an interesting perspective. She’s an artist whose obviously experienced the importance of film marketing. A part of the process often lost on new filmmakers who otherwise have sweated through the miracle of actually getting their films made. With hundreds of ways to get your work seen on multiple platforms, the need to be fearless about selling yourself will be increasingly crucial.

At first I was disheartened to see DuVernay’s team outside the my theater desperately pleading with passerby to come see Middle of Nowhere. However, the more I saw the passion in these people, the more I was encouraged about the one-on-one exposure future films might experience.

In this video, shot a few years ago, DuVernay offers some helpful strategies for Indie film distribution and film festival optimization:

Also, one of the most exciting aspects of Middle of Nowhere is its vibrant cinematography. Click below to watch interviews with DuVernay and cinematographer, Bradford Young: