The Film-Makers’ Cooperative

What The Film-Makers’ Cooperative does

The Film-Makers' Cooperative (also known as The New American Cinema Group / FMC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1961 in New York City, operating as the world's largest archive and distributor of independent and avant-garde films. It functions as an artist-run cooperative: filmmakers submit work to become members, and the organization rents 16mm prints, DVDs, and digital files to theaters, museums, galleries, and academic institutions worldwide, while also operating a Video on Demand streaming catalogue, an Ecwid-powered online store, and the Charles S. Cohen Screening Room at 475 Park Avenue South for in-house screenings and workshops.

Its core technology is a physical archive dominated by 16mm prints (including 276 Stan Brakhage titles, 79 Takahiko Iimura titles, 51 Ken Jacobs titles, 48 Jonas Mekas titles, 47 Hollis Frampton titles, and 6 Maya Deren titles) layered onto a digital distribution stack. In April 2025 the Coop transitioned from its legacy Media Tracking System to Artlogic, a web-based database that processes digital bookings end-to-end in under an hour. Submissions are facilitated through FilmFreeway, and bookings flow to a globally distributed network of partner venues.

The revenue model is diversified across five streams: transaction-based film rentals to institutions, recurring membership dues from filmmaker-members, one-time DVD/merchandise sales (including RE:VOIR Video Paris collaborations), transaction-based event tickets and workshop donations, and recurring donations and grants (notably from Charles S. Cohen, NYSCA, and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs). Leadership transitioned from long-serving Executive Director MM Serra (30+ years) to Tom Day in May 2023, with Matt McKinzie appointed Artistic Director in 2025 and David Schwartz elected Board President effective November 2025.

Name

The Film-Makers’ Cooperative

Legal name

The Film-Makers' Cooperative

Website

https://film-makerscoop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Film-Makers' Cooperative is a nonprofit founded in 1961 that operates the world's largest archive and distributor of independent and avant-garde films, serving filmmaker-members and institutional venues with 16mm rentals, digital streaming, and curated programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Film Distribution

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212), Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829), Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Access & Distribution for Archives (Restored Masters, DCP Creation, Screening Deliverables) (MPADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Catalog / Library Distribution & Re-Release (MPADAJAK), Screening Rooms & Cinematheques (Nonprofit/Institutional) (MPADAKAF)

Keywords

• Experimental film distribution
• Avant-garde cinema archive
• Independent film rental
• Film preservation services
• 16mm film library

Headquarters

HQ city

Nyack

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Film Rentals: Rental of 16mm film prints and digital files to theaters, museums, galleries, and academic institutions worldwide. Renters request films through booking system; Coop processes requests, sends invoices, and delivers digital files or ships physical prints.
2. Membership Dues: Filmmakers become members to have their work distributed through the Coop's collection. Members receive quarterly newsletter and access to community events and services.
3. DVD and Merchandise Sales: Sales of DVD compilations (collaborations with RE:VOIR Video Paris), books, and other merchandise through the online Ecwid storefront.
4. Event Tickets and Workshops: Revenue from screening events, workshops (free with suggested donation), and special program tickets.
5. Donations and Fundraising: Benefactor support including Charles S. Cohen's contribution enabling operations; benefit events and donations support nonprofit mission. Q2 2025 saw booking income quadruple over previous quarter, stabilizing finances.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Film-Makers' Cooperative operates an artist-run distribution center and archive for independent and avant-garde films, founded in 1961. It rents and sells 16mm prints, DVDs, and digital files to institutions and individuals worldwide, hosts screenings and educational workshops at its Park Avenue screening room, streams films via on-demand digital access, and offers membership-based submission for filmmakers to have their work included in the collection.

Product overview

The Film-Makers' Cooperative is an artist-run distribution center founded in 1961, offering the world's largest archive and distributor of independent and avant-garde films. The organization operates a multi-channel distribution model consisting of: (1) Film Distribution providing physical 16mm prints, DVDs, and digital files for rental and sale; (2) Video on Demand/Digital Streaming enabling online access; (3) Screening Room & In-House Events hosting regular 16mm screenings at their Charles S. Cohen-named venue; (4) FMC Film Programs curating thematic programs at partner venues; (5) Screenings & Workshops offering educational programs; (6) Archive preserving historical materials; (7) On-line Store via Ecwid for merchandise; (8) Membership Program for filmmaker submissions; (9) Film Rental service; and (10) Books publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film Distribution The flagship service offering physical 16mm film prints, DVDs, and digital files for rental and sale to institutions, theaters, galleries, and individuals worldwide. Maintains the world's largest archive and distributor of independent and avant-garde films.
• Video on Demand / Digital Streaming Streaming platform offering digital access to films from the cooperative's collection, enabling viewers to watch avant-garde and independent films on demand via the internet.
• Screening Room & In-House Events On-site Charles S. Cohen Screening Room at 475 Park Avenue South, 6th Floor, NY, NY 10016, hosting regular film screenings, workshops, and special events featuring 16mm projection.
• FMC Film Programs Curated film programs and thematic screenings at various venues including BAM Rose Cinemas, Spectacle Theater, Millennium Film Workshop, and international locations. Includes special event series like INTERCAT festival and collaborative programs with museums.
• Screenings & Workshops Physical and digital educational workshops teaching filmmaking techniques such as cameraless 16mm filmmaking, with instructors like Joel Schlemowitz. Open to participants regardless of experience level.
• Online Store Ecwid-powered online store selling DVDs (including RE:VOIR collaborations), books, and other merchandise from the cooperative and filmmaker-members.
• Membership Program Annual membership program offering benefits including access to the filmmaker distribution database for submitting work, quarterly newsletter subscriptions, and community engagement.
• Film Rental Service Rental service allowing institutions and individuals to borrow physical 16mm prints and digital files for educational, theatrical, or private screenings. Pricing varies by format and rental duration.

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Spectacle TheaterflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Partnership for INTERCAT: The International Festival of Cat Films revival. Pola Chapelle founded the festival through the Coop in 1969. 2025 screening sold out and generated viral social media engagement (180K+ likes, 2M+ views), with follow-up at Pittsburgh Sound + Image.
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Larry Gottheim career retrospective presented as FMC collaboration; MM Serra and Erica Schreiner guest programmers for 'Queer and Uncensored' series (May-June 2025) featuring twelve thematic programs from Coop collection.
• Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Ongoing collaboration for film programming; hosted Giuseppe Boccassini 'Ragtag' and 'Desire' with Tom Gunning conversation; Tom Gunning programming weekend including Brakhage, Ken Jacobs, Peggy Ahwesh, Ernie Gehr.
• Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Pride Month programming 'Out of the Closet and Into the Co-op: Early Queer Cinema' curated by Matt McKinzie and Conor Williams, celebrating Coop's 65th anniversary.
• MetrographcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaborative program 'Love and Joy, Warren Sonbert' with Gartenberg Media Enterprises, premiering four Sonbert films and returning his early films to distribution on digital formats.
• Gartenberg Media EnterprisescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner in Warren Sonbert film restoration and premiere program with Metrograph.
• Cinebox and London Short Film FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration for digitization of Marguerite Paris's 'All Women Are Equal' (1972) in 2K resolution.
• Allied ProductionsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration on 'Come to My (Avant-)Garden' screening at Le Petit Versailles Community Garden.
• Bread and PuppetminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Upcoming collaboration for outdoor screenings around New York City in new fiscal year.
• Rockaway Film FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Upcoming collaboration for outdoor screenings around New York City in new fiscal year.
• Institute for Public ArchitectureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Upcoming collaboration for outdoor screenings around New York City in new fiscal year.
• RE:VOIR Video PariscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020DVD compilation collaborations: Storm De Hirsch - Mythology for the Soul, Larry Gottheim - Fog Line, and M.M. Serra - (Art)core, with beautifully designed booklets by Diana Vidrascu.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI): NYC-based nonprofit that distributes video and media art by artists. Closely aligned artist-run distribution model for time-based media, with overlapping institutional and museum clientele and similar revenue mix of rentals, sales, and programs.
• Video Data Bank: Chicago-based nonprofit video art distribution archive at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Distributes and preserves video and media art, sharing the same artist-distributor cooperative heritage and academic/museum buyer base.
• LUX: London-based nonprofit supporting moving image art through distribution, exhibition, and archiving. Closely comparable mission in distributing artist moving-image work to institutional and public audiences.
• Anthology Film Archives: NYC-based nonprofit experimental film archive and exhibition venue founded by Jonas Mekas (himself a Coop founder). Operates as both archive and cinematheque for avant-garde cinema, sharing the same filmmaker community and audience as the Coop.
• RE:VOIR Video: Paris-based distributor of experimental film on DVD and digital formats. Active DVD compilation partner of the Coop, serving the same collector and institutional audiences for avant-garde cinema.
• Light Cone: Paris-based nonprofit distributor and archive of experimental cinema, distributing 16mm prints and digital files to institutions worldwide. Direct international equivalent of the Coop's distribution function, with overlapping artist roster and clients.
• Arsenal – Institut für Film und Videokunst: Berlin-based distribution and exhibition institution dedicated to experimental, documentary, and essay film. Comparable function as both distributor and curator for non-mainstream cinema with international reach.
• Canyon Cinema: San Francisco-based nonprofit distributor of experimental and avant-garde film, maintaining a curated catalog of independent works. Closest functional peer to the Coop on the West Coast, with similar artist-run distribution model and institutional clientele.

Broad incumbents

• BAMPFA (Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive): Major university film archive and exhibition program that is a regular international booking venue for Coop films. Comparable in archival/exhibition mission but with broader programming and institutional scale.
• Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI): NYC museum dedicated to film, television, and digital media that regularly programs Coop films and partners on curated series. Functions as both customer and adjacent institutional peer in exhibition of experimental cinema.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/filmmakerscoop
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCz2ZQCdqO_h7YLQCTp4MHpQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/filmmakerscoop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Film-Makers’ Cooperative