Break Free From The Feed

The Reelist began with a feeling. 

I’ve been on the board of the Heartland Film Festival for years (and am a documentary filmmaker myself). Everyone loves the film festival experience. This huge community comes together to experience these stories, interface with the filmmakers, dive into the filmmaking process, get behind the scenes stories.

But after the festival ends, the momentum ends with it. Even the films taking home the big awards struggled to find a home on a major streaming service (who optimize for celebrity projects or true crime). And even for the ones who did land a short-term contract with a major streamer, too often the films were buried under an avalanche of algorithmic slop.

We made the decision to change that. We wanted to give our community the ability to feel that festival feeling whenever and wherever they want to.

What that meant boils down to three simple premises: 

• Find and platform the boldest, most human, most moving movies out there. The ones that indie filmmakers alone can (or will) tell.
• Fund and invest in the filmmakers making those stories so they can keep doing it
• Create a community of like-minded film lovers to enjoy and discuss the art, together

That means a human-curated library, chosen by filmmakers and film lovers. The best, boldest, most human stories available on demand. Material investment in the filmmakers who we feature. Director interviews, live Q&As, and Behind the Scenes commentary. A community of film lovers gathered in one digital place to discuss and share and feel, together.

Our tagline is “Break free from the feed.” For too long now, content happens to us. It’s passive absorption, algorithmically tailored for maximum watchtime. But our attention is perhaps one of our most valuable currencies. I wanted to create a place for you to spend your attention with intent, and to find others who want to seek out the boldest, most authentic, most human stories out there.

We hope we deliver on that aspiration.

Join the Reelist. Break free from the feed.

Warmly,
Michael Husain | Founder, The Reelist | Director