Making a film is one thing. Making sure it reaches the people it was meant for — that’s the real challenge. Director Ime Etuk guest posts on his journey with the film and the 8 Above Distribution Lab
I’m heading up to the Woodstock Film Festival to be on one of the juries, work with some filmmakers and be on a panel about the Future Film Coalition. However, I’m very excited to do the Q&A with Ime N. Etuk the writer director of Outdoor School, who is a wonderful new talent. Ime generously offered to write this guest post about why he made his film and about his experience in our Distribution Lab.
Guest Post by Ime N. Etuk:
When I set out to make Outdoor School, I wasn’t just trying to tell a story — I was trying to bridge worlds. The film, based on a true story from Portland’s Black community, follows a young boy who, after growing up homeless in the inner city, attends outdoor school for the first time — and finally gets to feel like a kid.
That simple but profound moment — a child allowed to just be — became the emotional center of the film. It’s a story about belonging and healing, but also about the overlooked opportunities that can change a life.
As a first-generation Nigerian kid raised in Portland, I understood that longing for place and identity. Portland shaped me in both beautiful and complicated ways — a city of striking natural beauty and deep contradictions, where belonging often depends on which side of the line you’re standing on. I wanted to make a film that captured both that tension and that hope — a story rooted here, yet resonant far beyond it.
We made Outdoor School independently, with a cast and crew who believed in the vision. Many were stepping onto a feature set for the first time, some through Lion Speaks — the nonprofit I founded to mentor and train Black and BIPOC storytellers in Oregon. Lion Speaks has always been about more than one project. It’s about access, ownership, and sustainability — building pathways so underrepresented filmmakers can tell their own stories on their own terms.
Last year, I joined Jon Reiss’ 8 Above Distribution Lab, which helped me think deeply about what comes after a film is made — how to build an authentic audience and lasting impact. The Lab gave language to something I’d always felt: distribution isn’t the end of storytelling, but its continuation. It’s how we make sure the work reaches the people it was made for.
Like many independent filmmakers, I’d spent years focused on how to make the film, not how to move it through the world. The Lab became the bridge between creative completion and strategic release, grounding me in the realities of modern distribution while reigniting my belief that every film can find its audience.
Jon’s approach is refreshingly practical and deeply human. Over twenty-plus sessions, one-on-one consultations, and talks with visiting experts, our small cohort learned to see distribution as part of storytelling itself — from identifying core audiences to crafting press strategies and navigating the evolving relationships between festivals, streaming platforms, and communities.
What stood out most was Jon’s honesty. He doesn’t offer a one-size-fits-all model — instead, he gives you the tools to design your own. He urges filmmakers to interrogate their film’s DNA, goals, and values, then build a release strategy that aligns with them.
The Lab’s focus on audience connection and authenticity gave me a framework for every decision — from which festivals to pursue to how we communicated with press and partners. It shifted my mindset from simply getting seen to being strategically remembered.
Equally meaningful was the community that formed within our small cohort. The Lab’s intimacy fostered collaboration and lasting friendships with filmmakers on similar paths — including one whose feature has traveled the festival circuit alongside mine. We’ve now attended multiple festivals together, sharing resources and lessons learned. That mutual support remains one of the Lab’s greatest gifts.
By the end, I had not only a comprehensive plan for Outdoor School’s release but a new way of thinking about sustainability as an artist. I now consider distribution from the moment I start a project — who it’s for, where it lives, and how it contributes to a larger cultural conversation.
Through that lens, Outdoor School’s journey took on a new shape. The film — rooted in Portland’s Black community — found resonance far beyond what we expected. When it premiered, it was humbling and surreal. Since then, we’ve built on the Lab’s lessons to craft a focused festival and impact strategy that’s taken us across the country — from the American Black Film Festival in Miami, to the National Black Film Festival in Houston (where it won Best Feature), to the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham (where it won Best Black Lens Feature). Now we’re honored to be nominated for Best Narrative Feature and Best Editing at the Woodstock Film Festival — one of the most respected showcases for independent cinema.
Awards are wonderful, but what stays with me are the moments after each screening. Teachers, parents, and young people come forward to share their own stories — of struggle, resilience, and belonging. They tell me they saw themselves in the film. That’s why we made it. Outdoor School isn’t just about one boy; it’s about all of us finding our way back to each other.
Meanwhile, Lion Speaks continues to grow. Alumni from the film are now working on professional sets, joining unions, and creating their own projects. Watching the people we trained step confidently into the industry — and then turn around to mentor others — has been one of the most meaningful parts of this journey.
For any filmmaker navigating today’s unpredictable landscape, Jon Reiss’ 8 Above Distribution Lab offers something rare: clarity, community, and the courage to chart your own path. It’s not just about releasing a film — it’s about redefining success and ensuring your work reaches the people it was meant for. I’m deeply grateful for the experience, the relationships it sparked, and the lasting impact it’s had on both my film and my career.
Every independent film is a small miracle — held together by belief, sacrifice, and community. Outdoor School reminded me that storytelling isn’t just about entertainment; it’s about legacy. It’s how we preserve memory, affirm identity, and repair what history tried to erase. At its best, storytelling becomes a bridge — connecting generations, cultures, and people who might never have met otherwise.
Portland will always be home. It’s where I learned to listen, to see, and to tell stories that matter. Outdoor School is one of them — and my hope is that it inspires others to tell theirs too.https://jonreiss.substack.com/p/how-outdoor-school-found-its-way