Pijama: How Indie Films Finally Get Global Distribution [2025]

How Indie Films Are Finally Breaking Through the Distribution Barrier

Every year, thousands of independent films premiere at festivals like Sundance, Cannes, Berlin, and Venice. Directors pour years of work into these projects. Cast and crew sacrifice sleep and money. The final film screens to thunderous applause. Then it vanishes.

Nobody sees it again.

According to industry data, roughly 80% of films produced never secure traditional distribution deals. That's not a typo. Four out of five films—including some of the most creative, daring, and honest work being made—never get released to the public. They exist in festival databases and filmmaker portfolios, but they're essentially invisible to everyone else.

This isn't a new problem. For decades, the film industry operated on a simple model: make a movie, get a distributor, hope someone in a theater near you decides to watch it. When that failed, the film died. No Plan B. No audience waiting online. Just gone.

Then streaming happened. Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others promised to democratize access to films. But they created a new gatekeeping system. Now instead of one or two distributors controlling what gets released, a handful of algorithms determine what gets seen. Studios spend millions marketing tent poles. Indie films get buried in recommendation feeds.

This is where Pijama enters the picture.

Created by filmmaking brothers Juan de Dio and Pablo Larraín—whose credits include the acclaimed films Spencer and Jackie—Pijama is a VOD (video-on-demand) platform designed specifically for independent filmmakers. It's not Netflix competing for your attention. It's not another subscription service trying to build an empire. It's a tool that puts control back in the hands of the artists who made the films.

Here's the thing: Pijama doesn't ask filmmakers to hand over their creative work to some algorithm. Instead, it gives them a storefront, a payment system, and a global audience. Filmmakers set their own prices. They keep 80% of the revenue. They own the relationship with their viewers. Pijama just provides the infrastructure.

For indie filmmakers, this is genuinely groundbreaking. Not in the hype-driven Silicon Valley way, but in the practical, life-changing way. A filmmaker who spent three years shooting on a shoestring budget can now actually make back their investment. They can reach people in Tokyo, Berlin, and São Paulo without begging a distributor to buy their film.

The platform launched as the indie film ecosystem is fracturing in interesting ways. Traditional theater releases are getting rarer for smaller films. Streaming has fragmented into a dozen subscription services. Festival premieres count for buzz, but they don't count for revenue. Filmmakers are stuck: their work is ready, but the infrastructure to reach audiences feels broken.

Pijama is one answer to that problem. And understanding how it works, what it means for the film industry, and how it compares to other emerging platforms reveals something important about the future of independent filmmaking.

TL; DR

• **Pijama charges a flat
  $100 to host indie films** for up to two years, with filmmakers setting rental prices between$
  3.99 and $9.99
• Filmmakers keep 80% of revenue, making it a genuinely filmmaker-friendly distribution option
• 80% of films never get traditional distribution, creating an enormous market opportunity for platforms like Pijama
• Multiple competing platforms are emerging (Letterboxd Video Store, Criterion Channel, etc.), all targeting underserved indie audiences
• The economics are legitimately better than traditional distribution, which often leaves filmmakers with little after studio cuts, marketing costs, and theater splits

Filmmakers keep approximately

The Broken Distribution Problem: Why 80% of Films Disappear

Let's be clear about what "no distribution" actually means for an indie filmmaker.

You've shot your film. You've edited it, color-corrected it, gotten sound design dialed in. You premiere it at SXSW or Toronto Film Festival. Critics write about it. Other filmmakers tell you it's brilliant. You feel momentum building.

Then the festival ends.

Your distributor doesn't materialize because you never had one. Your film sits on hard drives. Theater chains won't book it—they want Marvel and DC. Streaming platforms reject it—they want series that will keep subscribers coming back monthly.

So what happens? You lose money. Investors lose money. You move on to the next project, grateful the film even got made, frustrated that nobody will ever see it.

This is the structural problem that created Pijama.

Traditional film distribution works like a pyramid. At the top are the major studios: Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros. They have massive marketing budgets, relationships with theater chains, and the power to guarantee 3,000-screen releases on opening weekend. Below them are mid-tier distributors who handle 500-1,500 screen releases. Below that are small distributors handling 50-200 screens. And at the bottom: everything else.

For an indie film to get theatrical distribution, it typically needs to fit the distributor's business model. They'll only take films they believe can gross enough to cover their marketing spend (usually $2-5 million minimum) plus give them a profit. A beautiful, thoughtful indie drama? Probably not. A niche documentary? Definitely not. A genre film with some buzz? Maybe.

The economics are brutal. Theaters take roughly 52% of ticket revenue. The distributor takes another large cut. Marketing gets deducted. What's left for the filmmaker is often measured in thousands of dollars, even if the film makes a respectable profit.

Streaming was supposed to fix this. And in some ways, it did. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video made previously "undistributable" content suddenly valuable. They could license old films, catalog content, and build large libraries without requiring massive per-title marketing.

But streaming created its own gatekeeping. Netflix gets 100,000+ pitches per year and greenlights a tiny fraction. Unless your film has a known director, actor, or built-in audience, streaming services won't touch it. They're looking for content that drives subscriptions. An indie film that plays to 500,000 people over two years doesn't move the needle.

This is where the distribution gap widened. Between theatrical being impossible and streaming being uninterested, a filmmaker's only option became hoping someone would buy their film for direct-to-DVD release. Which meant basically no one would see it.

Pijama is designed to plug that gap. It's not trying to be Netflix. It's trying to be the infrastructure for films that Netflix doesn't want—which happens to be the vast majority of the world's films.

How Pijama Works: The Filmmaker's Perspective

Let's walk through what actually happens when a filmmaker uses Pijama.

You've finished your indie film. It's 90 minutes, beautifully shot, genuinely unique. You're proud of it. Now you need to get it seen.

You go to Pijama and upload your film file. You pay a flat $100 fee. This covers hosting, encoding (converting your file to work across different devices), and streaming infrastructure for up to two years.

That's it. No percentage cut. No revenue share. Just $100.

Next, you set your price. Pijama allows rental pricing between

Let's say you set the price at

This is where Pijama's model becomes genuinely interesting. You get the money directly. You see the metrics. You know exactly who's watching your film, when they're watching it, and from where.

Viewers get a 72-hour viewing window over a 30-day period. They can start watching anytime within 30 days and have 72 hours to finish once they start. This is standard for VOD platforms—it gives people flexibility while preventing unlimited sharing.

On the backend, you get access to analytics dashboards showing you real data about your audience. You can see geographic heat maps, watch time metrics, and completion rates. This is invaluable information that traditional distribution never gives filmmakers. You're learning what actually works.

You can also run marketing campaigns directly through the platform. You're not paying Pijama to market your film—they're not doing traditional advertising. You're marketing it yourself through social media, email lists, festival contacts, and direct outreach. But Pijama gives you the tools to point people directly to your film.

The economics are straightforward. If your film gets 500 rentals at

Scale it up. What if your film gets 5,000 rentals? That's

The real power is that Pijama lets films find their audience. A niche documentary about beekeeping might only get 500 rentals globally. But those 500 people are genuinely interested in beekeeping documentaries. They found your film because they were looking for exactly that content. Compare this to traditional distribution where a theater might screen your film to 50 people, most of whom are there because nothing else was playing at that time.

This chart compares Pijama, traditional distribution, and streaming deals across key aspects. Pijama offers high revenue share and marketing control, while streaming deals provide the best upfront revenue. Estimated data.

The Technical Infrastructure: What Filmmakers Don't Have to Worry About

Here's what most people don't appreciate about digital distribution: the technical side is complicated and expensive.

When you upload a film to Pijama, the platform handles encoding. This means converting your master file (likely a massive Pro Res or DCP file) into formats optimized for different devices. Your iPhone needs different specs than an Apple TV needs. A Roku needs different encoding than a Fire Stick. Without proper encoding, your film could look terrible on certain devices or not work at all.

Pijama handles all of this automatically. They optimize for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and web browsers. One upload, multiple platforms.

They also handle content delivery networks (CDNs). When someone in Tokyo buys your film, their data has to travel from servers across the internet to their device. Poorly configured CDNs mean buffering, quality degradation, and frustrated viewers. Good CDNs mean smooth playback globally. Pijama uses reliable infrastructure to ensure this works.

Payment processing is handled. Tax compliance is handled. DRM (digital rights management) protecting against piracy is handled. Storage is handled.

What would normally cost a filmmaker tens of thousands of dollars—hiring a tech team to build a VOD platform—is now bundled into a $100 flat fee.

This is actually revolutionary, even if it doesn't sound exciting. For decades, the barrier to digital distribution was technical and financial. You either needed to be Netflix-sized or you needed a distributor. There was no middle ground. Pijama creates a middle ground.

Revenue Economics: Comparing Pijama to Traditional Distribution

Let's do some actual math comparing how much money a filmmaker makes through different distribution channels.

Scenario: An indie film that generates 10,000 rentals at $6.99 average price

Traditional Theatrical Distribution:

• Gross box office: $69,900
• Theater share (52%): -$36,348
• Distributor marketing and P&A: -$20,000 (bare minimum)
• Distributor profit margin (typically 20-35%): -$6,600
• Filmmaker net: $6,952

Streaming (licensing deal, per-film):

• Platform pays: $50,000 (typical for small indie film)
• Filmmaker gross: $50,000
• Filmmaker net: $50,000

Pijama (direct):

• Gross revenue: $69,900
• Filmmaker share (80%): $55,920
• Pijama fee: -$100
• Filmmaker net: $55,820

The difference is staggering. Traditional theatrical returns

But here's the catch: those numbers assume the film actually sells 10,000 rentals on Pijama. With traditional distribution, you have guaranteed access to theaters. With Pijama, you're competing for visibility on the platform and relying on your own marketing to drive sales.

The math only works if people can actually find your film.

This is why filmmaker marketing becomes critical on Pijama. You need festival connections. You need social media presence. You need people to know your film exists. Pijama provides the infrastructure, but you provide the audience.

For films that already have an audience—whether through festival success, critical acclaim, or built-in communities—Pijama economics are genuinely superior to traditional distribution. For films without any existing buzz, Pijama is harder because you have to build your audience yourself.

The Broader Ecosystem: Pijama Isn't Alone

Pijama launched into a landscape where similar platforms are emerging. This is important to understand because it shows the market recognizing a real gap.

Letterboxd Video Store launched around the same time as Pijama. Letterboxd is a social network for film enthusiasts with millions of users who rate, review, and discuss films. Their video store leverages that community—films curated by film critics and community members. It's not filmmaker-submitted; it's more curatorial. But it serves a similar function: making indie and international films accessible.

Criterion Channel has expanded beyond classic cinema to include more contemporary independent films. Criterion is curator-driven and reputation-focused, so it's harder for an unknown filmmaker to get on there. But it proves that audiences want curated indie content.

Vimeo offers on-demand sales tools but operates more as a creator platform. You get hosting, but you're competing with millions of other creators.

Without Walls (from Sundance Institute) specifically supports documentary distribution and aims to help docs find audiences.

What separates Pijama is that it's filmmaker-first: low entry barrier, filmmaker sets pricing, filmmaker keeps most revenue. It's not curated by a gatekeeper. Any filmmaker can upload their film.

This can be a strength (democratized access) or a weakness (potential quality control issues). But it's fundamentally different from other platforms that maintain editorial control.

Filmmakers retain 80% of revenue on Pijama, significantly higher than the less than 10% typically retained through traditional distribution channels.

The Creator Economics: What This Means for Filmmakers' Financial Models

Pijama changes something fundamental: it makes independent filmmaking potentially sustainable without needing to land a studio deal.

Historically, indie filmmakers funded projects through grants, personal investment, crowdfunding, or investor relationships. They made the film hoping to either:

1. Land a major festival prize that would attract a distributor
2. Get acquired by a streaming service
3. Successfully distribute theatrically (rare)

If none of those happened, they broke even if they were lucky. More often, they lost money.

With Pijama, there's a new path: make the film, upload it to Pijama, market it to your existing network and community, earn revenue directly.

For a filmmaker with a built-in audience—whether through social media, previous films, or festival reputation—this is genuinely transformative. Let's say you have 10,000 engaged followers on Instagram who care about your work. You premiere your new film on Pijama at

This creates a new incentive structure. Instead of making films for abstract "filmmaking success," you can make films for your actual audience. You can be profitable at smaller scales than ever before.

The challenge: most filmmakers don't have 10,000 engaged followers. Building that takes years. So Pijama works best for:

• Established indie directors with multiple films and reputation
• Filmmakers with specific communities (niche documentaries with passionate audiences)
• Genre filmmakers where fans actively seek out new releases
• Filmmakers with existing film audiences (people who follow your work)

For completely unknown first-time directors? Pijama is harder. You have the tools to reach a global audience, but you still need to do the work of building an audience.

Encoding and Technical Requirements: What Filmmakers Need to Know

When you upload to Pijama, your film needs to meet certain technical specifications. This isn't arbitrary—it ensures your film plays properly across all devices.

You'll need your film in a master file format that Pijama accepts. Typically, this is Pro Res 422 HQ, DCP (Digital Cinema Package), or other professional formats. Your final color-corrected, sound-designed film file.

The resolution should be 1920x1080 (1080p) minimum, though 4K (3840x2160) is increasingly expected for premium releases.

Audio needs to be properly mixed: stereo or 5.1 surround sound at standard broadcast levels. Bad audio is the #1 reason people stop watching streaming content, so this matters.

Subtitles should be included if your film will appeal to international audiences. Pijama doesn't require subtitles, but they dramatically expand your potential audience. A film in a regional language without subtitles is essentially unwatchable to most viewers.

Once Pijama has your master file, they encode it for different playback scenarios:

• High-bandwidth playback (desktop/fiber): Full quality, minimal compression
• Medium-bandwidth (typical home internet): Balanced quality and file size
• Low-bandwidth (mobile/weak connections): Smaller file size, adequate quality

This happens automatically. Viewers' devices automatically select the version that works best for their connection speed. This is why Pijama's infrastructure matters—bad encoding results in visible pixelation, buffering, or failures.

Global Reach: How Pijama Gets Your Film Seen Worldwide

One of Pijama's core selling points is global distribution. You upload once, your film becomes available in every country where Pijama operates.

Currently, Pijama is available on major platforms (iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, web browsers), which means it can theoretically reach viewers globally. But there are practical limitations.

Geo-blocking and licensing complexity:

Some films have territorial restrictions. Maybe you sold theatrical rights in France to a local distributor. You can't sell your film on Pijama in France because you don't own the rights there.

Pijama allows you to geo-block by country. You can make your film available worldwide except France. This is crucial for films with complicated rights situations.

For completely independent films with no pre-existing distribution deals, you own worldwide rights and can make your film available globally. This is the dream scenario for Pijama.

Language and cultural considerations:

A film made in Portuguese might have a natural audience in Brazil and Portugal. But it could also find audiences in Portugal, Angola, and Portuguese diaspora communities globally. With traditional distribution, you'd need separate distributors in each country. With Pijama, your film is available to all of them immediately.

Subtitles become critical here. A Portuguese film with English, Spanish, and French subtitles reaches exponentially more people than one without. Pijama doesn't provide subtitle translation services, but filmmakers can hire services to create professional subtitle files.

Currency and payment:

When someone in Japan rents your film, they pay in Japanese Yen. Pijama converts that to USD (or your preferred currency) and deposits it to your account. This is handled automatically and transparently.

Payment typically happens monthly. You submit your film, viewers rent it, at the end of the month you receive your 80% share via direct deposit or other methods.

Pijama stands out with a strong filmmaker-first approach, unlike other platforms that focus more on curated content. Estimated data based on platform descriptions.

The Role of Film Festivals and Critical Acclaim

Film festivals are where Pijama filmmakers get credibility.

A film that premiered at Sundance or won an award at SXSW comes to Pijama with built-in legitimacy. Festival audiences are critics, industry people, and serious film fans. If your film resonated with that crowd, you can market that. "Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival" on your Pijama page tells viewers this isn't some random upload—it's a real film that passed professional curation.

Critical reviews are gold. A positive write-up in a major publication or respected film website drives rentals. Filmmakers can link to reviews, use them in marketing, build credibility.

This is actually where Pijama has structural advantages over traditional distribution. A festival success story normally dies after the festival. With Pijama, the momentum can be captured. You premiere at Sundance, you get press, you immediately available on Pijama while that press attention is active.

The timing is crucial. You want to launch on Pijama within a few weeks of festival premiere, while press attention is fresh and your community is engaged.

Marketing Strategies for Success on Pijama

Having your film on Pijama doesn't mean viewers will find it. You need a marketing strategy.

Festival-to-launch strategy:

Premiere at a festival, generate press, build social proof. Then launch on Pijama 3-4 weeks after festival premiere. This windows the content slightly (protecting the festival's premiere value) while capitalizing on press attention.

Direct-to-audience marketing:

You likely have a mailing list from your film's development. You have festival attendees who saw your film. You have social media followers. Use all of these channels to drive rentals. Your most engaged audience is your target.

Niche community targeting:

If your film addresses a specific community (LGBTQ+, specific cultural group, specific genre enthusiasm), market directly to those communities. Online communities dedicated to your film's subject matter are goldmines for marketing.

Press and influencer outreach:

Send screener links to film critics, streamers who review indie films, and influencers in your niche. One positive review from a respected voice can drive hundreds of rentals.

Social media clips:

Create shareable clips from your film (30-60 seconds). Post them on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter with links to your Pijama page. Let people see your film's quality before they decide to rent.

Tiered pricing strategy:

Consider launching at a premium price point (

Comparison: Pijama vs. Traditional Distribution vs. Streaming Deals

Filmmakers making a choice between Pijama, traditional distribution, and streaming deals need to understand the trade-offs.

Pijama: Low entry ($100 fee), filmmaker sets pricing and keeps 80%, requires filmmaker to market and drive audience, gives filmmakers audience data, up to 2-year hosting window.

Traditional theatrical distribution: High entry barrier (you need a distributor to want your film), filmmaker keeps minimal revenue after all cuts, distributor handles marketing, limited geographic access, time-bound theatrical window then transition to home video/streaming.

Streaming licensing deal: Moderate entry barrier (need to be appealing to a platform), filmmaker gets upfront licensing fee but gives away most long-term rights, platform handles discovery/marketing but might bury your film in algorithm, typically higher upfront revenue but zero ongoing participation in viewership.

Each model works for different filmmakers:

• Pijama works if: You have filmmaking reputation, built-in audience, ability to market your own work, want ongoing revenue participation
• Traditional distribution works if: Your film has genre appeal (horror, thriller, comedy), you can attract festival attention, you want hands-off experience
• Streaming deals work if: You want guaranteed upfront money, prefer stability over speculation, have confidence in a platform's reach

The choice depends on your film, your skills, and your financial needs.

Engagement is highest on launch day and gradually decreases. Consistent efforts and data-driven adjustments help maintain engagement. Estimated data.

The Impact on Independent Film Culture

Pijama represents something bigger than just another distribution platform. It's part of a larger shift in how creative work gets financed, created, and distributed.

For decades, filmmakers depended on gatekeepers. Festivals gatekept which films got seen. Distributors gatekept which films got released. Studios gatekept which filmmakers got funded. This created a narrow path: make the "right kind" of film, impress the "right people," hope you're one of the few selected.

Pijama opens an alternative path. Make your film however you want. Put it on Pijama directly. Find your audience yourself.

This won't kill festivals or traditional distribution. But it does mean filmmakers aren't entirely dependent on those systems anymore. You have options. You can hedge your bets: submit to festivals AND put your film on Pijama. Get the prestige from festival selection, the revenue from Pijama direct sales.

This is genuinely democratizing in the truest sense. It's not hype. It's not promise. It's a real tool that lowered barriers for a group of people who faced impossible gatekeeping.

For the broader indie film ecosystem, this means:

• More films reaching audiences because filmmakers don't have to give up after festivals reject them
• More sustainable indie filmmaking because filmmakers can actually recover costs
• More diverse films getting made because you don't need to please gatekeepers anymore
• Different economics where revenue flows directly to creators instead of through middlemen

Potential Challenges and Limitations

Pijama is not a perfect solution. Filmmakers considering it should understand the limitations.

Discovery is hard: Pijama doesn't have Netflix's recommendation algorithm or Instagram's reach. Your film is one of millions of possible options. Getting visibility requires real marketing effort. You can't just upload and hope.

2-year window is limited: While you can list your film on Pijama for up to 2 years, after that you need to decide: renew, take it down, move it elsewhere. This is shorter than some filmmakers might want. You don't have perpetual, forever distribution.

No quality curation: Anyone can upload to Pijama. There's no editorial board deciding what's "good." This is democratizing, but it also means your film competes for attention with every other film, regardless of quality. This differs from Letterboxd Video Store (curated) or Criterion (highly curated).

Filmmaker marketing burden: You have to do a lot of the marketing work yourself. If you lack social media presence, festival connections, or marketing skills, you'll struggle to drive rentals. Pijama gives you tools, but you have to do the work.

Audience expectations: VOD audiences expect recent releases, recognizable names, or highly curated selections. An 80-minute experimental film shot on 16mm might have trouble finding an audience on Pijama, even though it might find a dedicated audience on Letterboxd Video Store.

International tax complexity: Different countries have different tax rules for digital goods and streaming services. Pijama handles some of this, but filmmakers in certain countries might face complexity in how their earnings are taxed.

The Future of Indie Film Distribution

Where does this trend go?

Most likely, the indie film distribution landscape will continue fragmenting. Instead of one or two platforms dominating, we'll see multiple platforms serving different niches: Pijama for filmmaker-controlled direct sales, Letterboxd for curated recommendations, Criterion for prestige cinema, streaming services for limited select indie content.

Filmmakers will use multiple channels simultaneously. A film might premiere theatrically in limited release, launch on Pijama, premiere on a streaming service in different territories, show in film festivals, and be available through traditional rental channels.

The power dynamic shifts toward creators. Instead of needing to convince a single gatekeeper to distribute your work, you convince your audience directly. This requires different skills (marketing, community building, audience engagement), but it's actually more democratic than traditional gatekeeping.

As more filmmakers succeed with direct distribution, more will try it, which will lead to bigger audiences on platforms like Pijama, which will attract better films, which will grow the ecosystem.

But there's risk too. If Pijama gets crowded with low-quality films, audiences might leave. If the platform doesn't scale technically, it might crash under demand. If creators don't see real revenue, adoption will slow.

The next 2-3 years will be critical for determining whether Pijama becomes sustainable or becomes another well-intentioned platform that failed.

Press and influencer outreach is estimated to have the highest impact on driving rentals, followed by festival-to-launch strategy. Estimated data based on typical marketing effectiveness.

Creating Your Pijama Marketing Campaign

Assuming you're a filmmaker ready to launch on Pijama, here's a practical framework for a marketing campaign.

Pre-launch phase (2 weeks before):

Build anticipation. Announce your film is coming to Pijama. Share clips. Get press coverage. Build email list sign-ups. Prepare social media content calendar.

Launch day:

Go live on all platforms simultaneously. Email your list with Pijama link. Post across all social channels. Reach out to press contacts to revisit your film.

Week 1-2:

Push hard. Daily social posts. Influencer outreach. Community engagement. Price point: premium (

Week 3-4:

Maintain presence. Secondary press push. Organic growth starts to matter. Consider price drop if rentals are slow.

Month 2-3:

Optimize based on data. Shift marketing focus to long-tail SEO, community word-of-mouth. Price adjustments based on performance.

Month 4+:

Maintain presence, seasonal promotions, international outreach, all-markets release if applicable.

The key is consistency and data-driven optimization. Watch your analytics. Learn what's working. Double down on what works.

Real-World Scenarios: How Different Filmmakers Use Pijama

Let's imagine a few different filmmakers and how they'd approach Pijama.

Scenario 1: The Festival Darling

Your film won Best Director at a major festival. You got press coverage. Agents and studio executives saw it. But nobody has offered distribution. You have momentum but no deal.

Pijama decision: Launch immediately while press attention is hot. Price at

Scenario 2: The Niche Documentary

You made a documentary about competitive air hockey players (niche example). You have a small but passionate audience: competitive air hockey enthusiasts, documentary fans interested in subcultures.

Pijama decision: Market directly to air hockey communities and documentary forums. Your audience is small but highly engaged. Even 500-1,000 rentals is a win. Price at

Scenario 3: The Emerging Filmmaker

You just finished your first feature film. You submitted to festivals and got rejected or selected for minor festivals. You're relatively unknown. You have a small social media following.

Pijama decision: This is trickier. You're competing with established filmmakers and you don't have press credibility. You'd need to build audience first through social media, YouTube, TikTok. Price low (

How Pijama Affects the Film Industry Structure

On a macro level, Pijama is a signal about shifts in the film industry.

Traditional theatrical is declining. Fewer films get theatrical releases. Fewer people go to theaters. This is not Pijama's fault—it's been happening for years. But it means fewer filmmakers have access to theatrical distribution.

Streaming didn't fix this. Streaming platforms are increasingly selective, focusing on tentpoles and series rather than film content. A filmmaker can't just "get on Netflix." Netflix gets thousands of pitches and green-lights a fraction.

Pijama fills the gap by removing the gatekeeping. You don't pitch Pijama. You just upload. This is radically different.

For the film industry as a whole, this could mean:

Economic shift: Money flows differently. Instead of studios funding films through distribution deals, filmmakers bootstrap through direct audiences. This changes power dynamics.

Quality questions: With open platform, "quality" becomes defined by audience preference rather than critical gatekeepers. Is that good or bad? Probably both.

Career paths: New filmmakers don't need to follow the "make festival rounds, get distribution deal, make bigger film" path. They can bootstrap audiences directly.

Niche flourishing: Films that never would have been made because they didn't fit traditional models suddenly become viable. This could mean less mainstream appeal but more diversity.

Maximizing Your Pijama Presence: Advanced Tactics

Once you're on Pijama with a film, here are advanced tactics to maximize rentals.

A/B testing: Create different film thumbnails, descriptions, and pricing points. See what converts best. Double down on winners.

Seasonal campaigns: Bundle promotions during holidays. "Film gift rentals for the holidays" campaigns. Seasonal themed marketing.

Cross-platform promotion: Build presence on YouTube, TikTok, Twitter specifically to drive Pijama traffic. Use these as marketing channels.

Email list building: Drive sign-ups through your Pijama page. Build mailing list. Use email for announcements, behind-the-scenes content, personal messages to fans.

International localization: If your film works for international audiences, create localized marketing in key languages. Focus on countries with strong streaming adoption.

Analytics optimization: Study which geographic regions are renting your film. Focus marketing there. If your film is unexpectedly popular in France, double down on French marketing.

Community building: Use Pijama's viewing data to identify engaged fans. Build community around your film. People who watch your film might become fans of your future films.

FAQ

What exactly is Pijama and how does it differ from Netflix or other streaming services?

Pijama is a VOD (video-on-demand) platform designed specifically for independent filmmakers. Unlike Netflix, which curates content and pays filmmakers a licensing fee, Pijama is filmmaker-controlled. You set your film's rental price (

How much does it cost to upload a film to Pijama, and what does that fee cover?

Pijama charges a flat $100 fee per film for up to two years of hosting. This covers server infrastructure, encoding for multiple devices (iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, web), payment processing, viewer support, and streaming delivery. After the initial two-year window, you decide whether to renew, remove your film, or move it to another platform. There's no additional percentage cut or revenue share beyond the standard payment processing fees.

What percentage of revenue do filmmakers actually keep on Pijama, and how does this compare to traditional distribution?

Filmmakers keep 80% of rental revenue after payment processing and applicable taxes. If your film generates

Do I need to have festival recognition or critical acclaim to succeed on Pijama?

Festival recognition and critical acclaim help significantly—they provide social proof and marketing material. But they're not required. What actually matters is whether you can market your film and reach an audience. This might be through social media presence, an engaged fanbase, community interest (for documentaries with niche appeal), or direct marketing effort. A filmmaker with 50,000 TikTok followers interested in indie horror films could launch an original horror film successfully on Pijama without festival recognition. The barrier is audience-building, not gatekeeping.

How does Pijama handle international distribution, currencies, and geo-blocking?

Pijama is globally available on all supported platforms (iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, web). Viewers in any country can rent your film if it's made available to them. Filmmakers can geo-block by country if needed (for territorial rights restrictions). When international viewers rent your film, payment is processed in their local currency and automatically converted to USD. Payouts happen monthly via direct deposit. The infrastructure handles international viewers automatically, so a Brazilian documentary can reach viewers in Japan, Portugal, and Brazil without separate distribution deals in each territory.

What technical specifications does my film need to meet to upload to Pijama?

Your film needs a master file in professional formats (Pro Res 422 HQ, DCP, or similar high-quality codec). Resolution should be 1920x1080 (1080p) minimum, preferably 4K (3840x2160). Audio must be properly mixed at broadcast levels (stereo or 5.1 surround). Subtitles are optional but strongly recommended for international reach. Pijama handles encoding for different devices automatically, converting your master file into optimized versions for iOS, Android, web, and smart TVs. You don't need to provide multiple versions; one quality master file is sufficient.

How do viewers watch films on Pijama, and what are the viewing restrictions?

Viewers can access Pijama on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and web browsers. They search for or discover your film, purchase a rental at your set price, and get a 72-hour viewing window over a 30-day period. This means they can start watching anytime within 30 days, and once started, they have 72 hours to finish. This is standard for VOD platforms and prevents unlimited sharing while giving viewers flexibility. Viewers need an internet connection to stream (though some platforms offer offline download options, depending on licensing).

What marketing and promotional tools does Pijama provide to filmmakers?

Pijama provides analytics dashboards showing geographic heat maps, watch time metrics, completion rates, and viewer retention data. You can see exactly where your viewers are and how they're engaging with your film. On the marketing side, Pijama gives filmmakers tools to create campaigns and design landing pages, but Pijama doesn't do the marketing for you. You handle social media, press outreach, email marketing, and audience building yourself. Think of it as Pijama providing the storefront and tools; you provide the traffic.

How does Pijama compare to Letterboxd Video Store, and which platform should I choose?

Pijama and Letterboxd Video Store serve different niches. Letterboxd Video Store is curated by film critics and community members, so it's harder to get on but provides editorial legitimacy. Pijama is open to anyone, filmmaker-controlled, and requires you to market your film directly. Letterboxd leverages an existing audience of film enthusiasts; Pijama requires you to bring your own audience. If your film is critically acclaimed or fits editorial sensibilities, Letterboxd might be better. If you have a built-in audience or want more control over pricing and marketing, Pijama is better. You can actually use both simultaneously.

What happens after my two-year hosting window on Pijama ends?

After two years, your film is no longer available on Pijama unless you renew. You have several options: renew for another two-year cycle, remove your film and take it to another platform, transition your film to a different distribution channel, or leave it up if Pijama allows renewals beyond the initial term. The exact renewal process and costs haven't been fully detailed, but the two-year window is designed to prevent indefinite hosting of unwanted films. You maintain ownership and can move your film anywhere anytime.

Conclusion: The Future Is Creator-Controlled Distribution

Pijama represents a philosophical shift in how films get distributed. For decades, filmmakers made their work and hoped someone would distribute it. They had no control over how much to charge, where it would be released, or how much they'd earn. They were supplicants asking for permission.

Pijama inverts that. You make your film. You set the price. You get the audience data. You keep 80% of the revenue. You're in control.

This doesn't mean traditional distribution is dead. Theatrical releases still matter for certain films. Streaming licensing deals still provide upfront money. Film festivals still provide prestige and discovery. But the monopoly is broken. Filmmakers now have options.

For indie filmmakers with festival success, critical acclaim, or built-in audiences, Pijama is genuinely economically superior to traditional distribution. You'll make more money. You'll keep more creative control. You'll have direct relationship with your viewers.

For emerging filmmakers without existing audiences, Pijama requires more work. You have to market your own film. You have to build community. You have to be part marketer, part filmmaker. But the opportunity is real. You're not shut out by gatekeepers. You just have to do the work.

What makes Pijama significant isn't that it's technologically revolutionary. VOD platforms have existed for years. What makes it significant is that it's filmmaker-first. It was created by filmmakers (the Larraín brothers) who understand the problems they're solving. And it's solving a real, urgent problem: the disappearance of independent films.

The 80% of films that can't get distribution? They don't have to disappear anymore. They can be rented for

That's genuinely valuable. Not as hype. Not as promise. But as real, working infrastructure that makes independent filmmaking slightly less impossible.

The next few years will determine whether Pijama becomes sustainable. Can the platform scale? Will filmmakers continue uploading? Will audiences come? Will the economics remain filmmaker-friendly?

Those questions will be answered by actual use. But what's undeniable is that for the first time in film history, an indie filmmaker doesn't have to pray for a distributor's approval. They can distribute their work themselves, reach a global audience, and keep most of the money.

That's worth paying attention to.

Key Takeaways

• Pijama charges $100 to host indie films for 2 years and lets filmmakers keep 80% of rental revenue—fundamentally better economics than traditional distribution
• Roughly 80% of films never secure distribution; Pijama solves this by removing gatekeeping, but filmmakers must market their own work
• For films with existing audiences or festival recognition, Pijama's economics outperform theatrical distribution, streaming licensing, and traditional VOD
• Multiple platforms are emerging (Letterboxd Video Store, Criterion Channel, others), but Pijama stands out as filmmaker-controlled and lowest-barrier entry
• Filmmaker success on Pijama requires active marketing, community engagement, and ability to drive audience—Pijama provides tools and infrastructure, not audience

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