This September, The Popcorn List—the annual survey spotlighting acclaimed films without U.S. distribution—takes its impact beyond the page and onto the screen. With the launch of The Popcorn List: Pop Up Series, audiences across the country will get a first look at eight standout films, including three in-person screenings at art house cinemas nationwide and a five-film virtual showcase.
Championing filmmaker-first economics and community-driven visibility, the Pop Up Series highlights fresh voices—seven of the eight films are debut features, and six are directed by women. Presented by mama.film and The Film Collaborative, the initiative offers a new model for indie film distribution: one-night events, collective marketing, and solidarity-driven revenue sharing.
Cinema Femme had the opportunity to speak with Lela Meadow-Conner, head of mama.film and Kathy Susca, head of development at The Film Collaborative, about how The Popcorn List is rewriting the playbook for independent film visibility, the stories behind this year’s selections, and what audiences can expect from the inaugural Pop Up Series.
In addition to virtual screenings, the Pop Up Series will host in-person events at independent cinemas across the country. All three featured films are directed by first-time female filmmakers: “If That Mockingbird Don’t Sing” by Sadie Bones, “New Wave” by Elizabeth Ai, and “The Everything Pot” by Sherise Dorf. Each film will have a single sneak preview screening in September, supported by Simple DCP, at the following venues: cinéSPEAK (Philadelphia), The Downer Theatre (Milwaukee), FilmScene (Iowa City), The Independent Picture House (Charlotte), The Nightlight Cinema (Akron, OH), The Roxie Theater (San Francisco), Sidewalk Cinema (Birmingham), SIFF Film Center (Seattle), The State Theatre (Traverse City), and Vidiots (Los Angeles).
Learn more at The Popcorn List website and donate to support this amazing campaign!
Can you talk about the conception of The Popcorn List and what it’s all about?
Lela Meadow-Conner (LMC): The Popcorn List is an annual survey of acclaimed feature films that haven’t secured U.S. distribution yet. And by “distribution,” we mean theatrical, digital, or even self-distribution campaigns.
The films are recommended by film festival programmers across North America—people who are true tastemakers in their communities. These are films that have already played well with audiences, won awards, and yet somehow still haven’t landed distribution. So, this list is essentially a visibility and discovery platform for independent films that deserve a wider release.
That’s such a great concept—bringing attention to deserving films that might otherwise be overlooked.
LMC: Exactly. We’ve had opportunities to share this work at events like Gotham Week and Cannes, where we’ve highlighted how festival curation can lead to greater discovery. We’re also thinking about the Popcorn List evolving into an educational and mentorship initiative for emerging filmmakers.
It’s grown really quickly. We didn’t anticipate the level of attention it would receive, but it’s clearly filling a need in the industry.
Kathy Susca (KS): I’m so excited about the enthusiasm we’re seeing not just from the participating filmmakers, but from our industry partners, our donors, the cinemas, and other folks in the indie film community. I think we are all hungry for new ideas and new perspectives that might shake up the system. I’m energized by the excitement from our partners! Everybody is ready to roll up their sleeves and try something new. Every time we get the film teams on a call together, so much great brainstorming and building each other up happens – it’s really inspiring and reminds me why I love indie film.
I love that. What makes a film eligible for the Popcorn List?
LMC: They have to be recommended by a programmer from a participating festival and still not have U.S. distribution. This year, I tried not to repeat programmers from previous years in order to diversify the pool. But we kept some of the larger market festivals involved too—it’s interesting to see where the films premiered and how they move through the ecosystem.
We’ve found it’s becoming a trusted resource. Sales agents and producer reps are actually seeking out the list now. It’s that connector we didn’t know we needed.
And what are you most excited about moving forward?
LMC: So many things! One of the most exciting is The Popcorn List Pop-Up Series. I’ve been working on this with Kathy. We’ve selected three films from The Popcorn List—two narrative features and one documentary—all directed by first-time women filmmakers at different life stages: a younger woman, a new mom, and a mother whose child just graduated college. So it’s a diverse range of perspectives.
We’re planning to book the series in about 10 markets this September. Some theaters might do triple features on one day; others might spread them across three weeks. Then, the whole thing culminates in a virtual weekend pop-up—geo-blocked to the U.S.—featuring more films from The Popcorn List.
That sounds like such a thoughtful and impactful rollout. What’s the distribution model?
LMC: It’s a revenue-share model. Each film gets a percentage of their box office, and a portion goes into a shared solidarity pool. At the end, the pool is divided among all participating films—so there’s a real incentive to promote the series collectively. A rising tide lifts all boats, you know?
It’s not quite an incubator—it’s more of a co-op. We’re experimenting with a new model to support these films outside the traditional distribution pipeline.
That’s really innovative. And you’re hoping this model could apply to future Popcorn List films?
LMC: Exactly. We’re not sales agents or producers’ reps—we didn’t curate these films; programmers did. So it’s an aggregation of recommendations, not a curated slate.
It raises questions like: What is the Popcorn List, exactly? Is it a marketing initiative? A visibility campaign? A resource? I’d love to hear if you’ve seen anything like this before, because I haven’t. So many filmmakers feel completely lost in the distribution space. I think there’s huge potential here—especially since we’re building our own mentorship program at Cinema Femme. We’d love to be involved in some way, even if just through amplifying it on our platform.
LMC: That would be amazing. We’re trying to raise about $80,000 for this—to pay a marketing manager and cover other expenses. Marketing is such a pain point for indie filmmakers, and we’re trying to build a co-op toolkit for all participants—filmmakers, festivals, programmers. Shared marketing assets provide shared momentum.
What do you hope people see in the series?
KS: The Pop Up Series is a bet on the value of community and the importance in this industry of lifting each other up. I hope this experiment shows that there can be new models centered around empowering filmmakers, prioritizing collaboration over competition, and creating sustainable career paths for indie filmmakers.
Website: thepopcornlist.com
Substack: https://thepopcornlist.substack.com/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thepopcornlist
Donate to support the campaign via The Film Collaborative
