Coming Soon, an ongoing editorial feature from Playback, highlights the distribution strategies for soon-to-be released Canadian films. Here, we speak to Robin Cass, co-president of Union Pictures about the distribution strategy for Big Muddy.

The film: Big Muddy tells the story an outlaw named Martha and her son Andy who flee their home after Andy commits a crime. The two head to the town of Big Muddy, SK, to live with Martha’s estranged father, where she is forced to face her past when a convicted murderer comes looking for her. Big Muddy stars Nadia Litz, Justin Kelly, Stephen McHattie, James Le Gros, David La Haye, Rossif Sutherland, Holly Deveaux and Rob van Meenen.

Production credits: Big Muddy is directed by Jefferson Moneo, who also serves as producer along with Coral Aiken and Bob Crowe. Crowe and Wally Start are executive producers on the film. Production companies attached to Big Muddy are Saskatchewan-based Angel Entertainment, Prowler Pictures and Aiken Heart Films.

Distributor: Union Pictures holds the Canadian distribution rights to Big Muddy, and will also be distributing the film in the post-theatrical windows.

Theatrical: Big Muddy opened on May 8 in Saskatoon at The Roxy and May 9 in Regina at the Rainbow Cinema Golden Mile, and will be followed by a cross-country rollout. It will open on May 15 in Calgary at The Globe, in Vancouver on May 22 at The VanCity Theatre and finally in Toronto on May 29 at the TIFF Lightbox. Big Muddy will have at least a week-long run at all of the theatres, in addition to a one-night-only screening at The Olympia in Assiniboia, where much of the film was shot.

The strong support in Saskatchewan for local director Jefferson Moneo prompted Union Pictures to start screening the film in the smaller centres before rolling it out to the rest of the country, said Robin Cass, co-president of Union Pictures. “We think it’s really smart to capitalize on the fact that we are building on a lot of hometown interest and goodwill for the filmmaker and for the film,” Cass said. The hope is that support from the local level will help build buzz about Big Muddy before it rolls out nationally, she added. The premiere screenings in Regina, Saskatoon and Toronto will feature Q&A sessions with the film with the filmmakers after the screening.

Marketing: The marketing push behind the film has been heavy on social media, with the distributor partnering with social media influencers in Saskatchewan to build buzz. Jenn Paul, a marketing consultant brought on to help promote the film ahead of its launch, has been very active on Twitter and responding to each interaction between users and the film’s Twitter account, Cass said. She has also run an online contest where contestants must identify where scenes of the film were shot for a chance to win tickets. The filmmaking team also banked a number of media interviews with various outlets when Big Muddy bowed at TIFF 2014, Cass said. Content  from those interviews have been embargoed until now, Cass said, and will start to appear in print and television outlets as Big Muddy tolls out across the country.

Target audience: The target audience for Big Muddy is adults over the age of 25, Cass said. The story centres around a mother-son relationship, which helps the film appeal to both male and female audiences, Cass said. He also noted that fans of the Coen brother’s work would also enjoy Big Muddy, as the film is similar in both tone and style.

Additional windows: The film will be available on various VOD and digital platforms, including iTunes. A firm date for Big Muddy‘s release on other platforms after the theatrical run has not yet been determined, but is tentatively set for this summer. “We are going to wait to see how much beyond Toronto we decide to extent the theatrical…depending on how we are feeling about things, we are open about taking it further if we can,” Cass said.

Budget/funding: Cass declined to provide specifics on the budget, but characterized Big Muddy as a “million-plus first feature.” Big Muddy received financial support from Telefilm Canada, SaskFilm and The Harold Greenberg Fund.