From Karlovy Vary to Your Streamer: How 'Broken Voices' Travelled from Festival Prize to Distribution

Festival winners don’t automatically become streaming hits — but they get the runway. If you’re an indie filmmaker or an avid industry watcher, the toughest questions are the same: how does a prize at Karlovy Vary turn into a streaming premiere, who negotiates that path, and what can you do to position your film to travel? Using Ondřej Provazník’s Karlovy Vary winner Broken Voices and its sales campaign by Salaud Morisset as a case study, this guide maps the real-world festival-to-distributor pipeline in 2026 and gives actionable steps you can apply to your next release.

Fast take: what happened to Broken Voices (and why it matters)

At the 2025 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Broken Voices won the Europa Cinemas Label for Best European Film and picked up a Special Jury Mention for lead actress Kateřina Falbrová. Within weeks, the Paris- and Berlin-based sales company Salaud Morisset leveraged that momentum to close multiple distribution deals during market meetings at events including the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris. Variety reported the deals in January 2026, confirming a now-familiar route: festival recognition + smart sales strategy = territory-by-territory distribution agreements.

"Salaud Morisset has closed multiple deals on ‘Broken Voices,'" — Variety, Jan 2026

This sequence — jury prize, sales agent activation, market screening and dealmaking — is the basic highway for many independent films. But the lanes and tolls have changed since 2020. Below I break down the stages you need to master in 2026, the concrete moves Salaud Morisset and Provazník’s team used, and practical tactics you can copy.

The festival-to-distributor pipeline: step-by-step

1. Festival selection and positioning (pre-festival)

Choosing Karlovy Vary — a top-tier European festival known for championing auteur cinema and connecting films with European and global arthouse buyers — set the story in motion. In 2026, strategic festival selection means matching your film's language, tone and audience to the festival’s buyer profile. For a Czech-language debut like Broken Voices, Karlovy Vary offers: a warm arthouse press presence, Europa Cinemas exposure and a network of European theatrical programmers and SVOD buyers who specialize in subtitled content.

2. Hire a sales agent or go with self-distribution (before market)

A committed sales agent changes the negotiation dynamics. Salaud Morisset acted as the connective tissue between festival laurels and license agreements, organizing market screenings, buyer meetings and tailored territorial pitches. In 2026, sales agents add value beyond introductions: they manage data rooms, prepare performance forecasts, counsel on windowing strategies, and handle complex delivery requirements for streaming platforms. If you don’t have a sales agent, be ready to invest heavily in outreach and a market kit.

3. Market screenings and buyer outreach (festival week)

Market screenings — often private showings for distributors, programmers and press — are where initial interest becomes offers. Salaud Morisset used the Karlovy Vary prize as a lead magnet to secure high-quality buyer slots at subsequent markets like Unifrance Rendez-Vous. In today’s market, buyers expect contextual metrics: festival awards, press clippings, festival audience scores, and early social performance. Have those at your fingertips.

4. Using festival prizes as leverage (post-award)

A festival prize is concrete leverage in negotiations. Europa Cinemas Label, for example, signals theatrical potential across European circuits. Agents use awards in pitch decks to substantiate theatrical rollouts, to secure minimum guarantees (MGs), and to negotiate better backend percentages on SVOD/TV deals. In Broken Voices’ case, the Europa Cinemas Label plus Falbrová’s jury mention made the film more attractive to arthouse theatrical distributors and specialist streamers looking for prestige titles.

5. Deal structuring: territories, rights and windows

Distribution deals are a patchwork of territories, rights, timeframes and platform carve-outs. Expect offers to separate theatrical, SVOD, AVOD, TVOD, Free TV, airline and educational rights. Agents often sell territories piecemeal — theatrical in France, SVOD in the U.K., broadcast in Central Europe — optimizing revenue rather than signing a global deal with a single platform. That’s likely how Salaud Morisset closed "multiple distributors" deals for Broken Voices: territory-by-territory sales rather than one global buyout.

6. Delivery, localization and technical compliance (pre-release)

Buyers demand clean deliverables: DCPs for theatrical, mezzanine masters for OTT, versions with subtitles and dubs, closed captions, and metadata. In 2025–26, platforms also expect accessibility features (audio description) and precise metadata to optimize discovery. Having these assets ready shortens the lag between deal signing and release — a competitive advantage in a crowded calendar.

7. Release strategy: theatrical, festival runs and streaming windows

After deals close, releasing is its own strategic game. Many arthouse titles still follow a staggered release: theatrical premieres to build reviews and box office, followed by a curated SVOD window or placement on niche platforms. Some streamers now pay premiums for exclusives, while AVOD/FAST channels offer broader reach with lower upfront fees. Your sales agent should map release windows to maximize total revenue and visibility — consider a windowed SVOD premiere after a theatrical run to preserve theatrical revenue and critical momentum.

What Salaud Morisset likely did for Broken Voices — a practical breakdown

While the exact deal sheet for Broken Voices hasn’t been fully disclosed publicly, the route Salaud Morisset used aligns with best practices we’ve observed across 2025–early 2026 festival sales. Here’s a replicable playbook based on their approach:

• Pre-festival packaging: A concise press kit, director and star bios, trailer, and a one-sheet that highlighted the Europa Cinemas eligibility and the film’s festival trajectory.
• Buyer outreach: Targeted invitations for market screenings and private buyer slots at Unifrance Rendez-Vous and other European markets, emphasizing festival awards and press quotes.
• Data room preparation: Secure online assets with EPK, legal docs, and performance projections so buyers could do fast due diligence during the market week.
• Flexible deal terms: Territory-specific proposals with MGs where possible, and backend splits with reversion clauses for rights if exploitation targets were unmet.
• Clear delivery roadmap: A production timeline for deliverables and localization, reducing buyer friction and shortening the time to release.

Actionable advice for indie filmmakers (do this now)

If you're preparing for festivals or planning a sales push, here are specific steps to follow. These are practical, low-fuss, and based on what helped films like Broken Voices secure multiple deals.

1. Choose festivals strategically: Map festivals to buyer types. Karlovy Vary is a strong springboard for European arthouse. If your film is regionally specific, prioritize festivals with strong domestic or regional buyer attendance.
2. Hire a sales agent early: Get a sales partner before your premiere when possible. Agents can position your title for juries and buyers and prepare the market machinery.
3. Build a market-ready EPK: One-sheet, trailer, stills, director statement, festival plan, and a one-paragraph sell sheet for each buyer type (theatrical, SVOD, TV).
4. Prepare multilingual deliverables: Invest in professional subtitling and at least one dubbed version if targeting big territories. In 2026, automated AI subtitling can save time but always do human QC.
5. Create a buyer data room: Include contracts, clearances, festival invites, press quotes, audience ratings, and P&L projections. Make access secure and trackable.
6. Leverage festival awards: Use any prize in your pitch decks and press outreach immediately — awards still move deal value in 2026.
7. Negotiate reversion clauses: Protect your rights with time- or revenue-based reversion clauses so rights can revert to you if the distributor fails to exploit them.
8. Think windows, not one-offs: Ask buyers for a release plan and timing, and negotiate flexibility for simultaneous festival exposure and theatrical runs.

Common deal structures and red flags

Understanding deal anatomy protects you from costly mistakes. Here are common structures and what to watch for.

• Minimum guarantee (MG): An upfront payment that guarantees income. Check whether MG is recoupable against net receipts and whether fees are gross or net.
• Revenue share: A split after costs. Ask for clear definitions of allowable costs and waterfall mechanics.
• Exclusive vs non-exclusive: Exclusivity can increase MGs but limit your ability to sell to other platforms. Consider time-limited exclusivity.
• Reversion clauses: Crucial — set clear performance milestones and timelines for rights to revert if unmet.
• Delivery specs: Watch for punitive delivery deadlines and steep penalties for late delivery. Negotiate realistic windows and QC procedures.

2026 trends shaping festival sales and why they matter

Several market shifts that accelerated in 2024–2025 continued to reshape deals in 2026. Understanding them helps you negotiate smarter.

• More selective global SVOD slates: Consolidation among big streamers has reduced the number of suitors for global exclusive deals. That increases the importance of territory sales and specialist platforms.
• Rise of AVOD & FAST channels: These platforms expanded premium international acquisition budgets in 2025–26, creating new exits for festival titles that might not land big SVOD deals.
• Data-driven acquisitions: Buyers increasingly request audience data from festival and early screening runs; plan to capture engagement metrics.
• Faster localization tech with human QC: AI-assisted subtitling and dubbing workflows lowered costs, but buyers and platforms still insist on human quality control and accessibility features.
• Territory-first deals: With fewer global buys, smart sales agents assemble piecemeal deals to maximize total take and to place films across theatrical, SVOD and AVOD windows.

Predictions & advanced strategies for filmmakers and agents

Looking ahead, here are tactical moves to stay ahead in the evolving market:

• Own your narrative territory: Build an origin story and press arc that buyers can re-use. Festival prizes are one ingredient; sustained press and social proof amplify long-term value.
• Staggered release maximizes upside: Prioritize theatrical in markets with a strong arthouse circuit, followed by targeted SVOD and AVOD deals — this preserves value and builds word-of-mouth.
• Think modular rights: Offer modular packages (theatrical-only, SVOD-only, all-rights bundles) to widen the pool of potential buyers.
• Collect audience data at festivals: Use QR check-ins, post-screening surveys and ticketing analytics to present immediate KPIs to buyers.
• Plan for long-tail exploitation: Archive, educational and festival re-runs provide income beyond the initial release window. Don’t sign away those options without good compensation.

Why Broken Voices is a useful blueprint

Broken Voices illustrates a modern, repeatable trajectory for arthouse films: festival recognition → effective sales agent activation → market positioning → territory-by-territory deals. The key lesson is that a festival prize is a multiplier of value, not a guarantee. The right sales strategy and preparation convert that multiplier into real revenue and audience reach.

Final takeaways — actionable checklist

• Map your festival list to buyer profiles; don’t treat all festivals the same.
• Secure a sales agent early or build a market-savvy outreach plan.
• Prepare an investor- and buyer-ready EPK and secure data room.
• Have localization and deliverables ready before negotiations accelerate.
• Negotiate clear reversion clauses and realistic delivery schedules.
• Use festival awards immediately in buyer pitches and press outreach.

Ready to move your film from festival laurels to licensed screens?

The path that took Broken Voices from Karlovy Vary’s jury podium to multiple distribution deals is accessible if you combine festival strategy, a proactive sales approach and smart dealcraft. Whether you’re a director prepping a premiere, a producer planning sales, or a buyer scouting festival winners, the pipeline is navigable — and 2026’s market offers new outlets if you adapt to the trends above.

Want a checklist PDF, a sample EPK template, or a sample reversion clause you can use in negotiations? Sign up for themovie.live’s indie distribution toolkit and join our next live Q&A where we break down a real deal memo from 2025–26 festival sales. Take control of your film’s journey — from festival win to your viewer’s screen.

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