Yes, I know several documentary filmmakers whose films eventually came out on Netflix after years on the film festival circuit. They all have high hopes for th

Yes, I know several documentary filmmakers whose films eventually came out on Netflix after years on the film festival circuit. They all have high hopes for their films, and Netflix pays a maximum of $50k for a documentary, one-time, no royalties. So it is always the fallback consideration, while a distributor who thinks they can make a lot more, with royalties, is always the hopeful pick. So it takes years of trying to recoup what is often a few hundred thousand dollars by playing in festival circuits and sometimes limited on-demand streaming distributors. Then, finally, they almost all give up and take Netflix's money (and long-term exclusivity). If they wait too long, it often isn't even $50k, so it's all a big gamble. Of course, everything is changing now that there are no film festivals and theaters are closing permanently every day. Edit: spelling