Unstoppable co-founders, Juliet Romeo, Taylor Miller and Peter Baxter explain Slamdance’s latest foray into distribution.
I am a big fan of the Slamdance Film Festival – not just the festival and their punk ethos, but how they have leaned into their audience to extend the festival into uncharted territory – first into year round screenings now pretty common then into their own streaming platform. I asked Peter Baxter, Juliet Romeo and Taylor Miller to talk about their next iteration – the Unstoppable Tour.My questions are in bold.
I wrote back in Think Outside the Box Office that film festivals, who already have a deep connection with their audiences, should expand into other forms of distribution (I also feel that if you are in film festivals you are in distribution – which is still a newsflash to many). Slamdance has been a pioneer in this regard, what was your motivation to make that happen and what were some of your first efforts?
Peter Baxter: Early on we thought we could play a role in distribution for our filmmakers by expanding audiences for their work outside of the festival circuit. By organizing event screenings as a filmmaking collective and with other collaborators, we worked out we could replicate the energy of the festival on the road. There was added value in doing this because as well as increasing audience size in many cases we provided filmmakers with box office revenue and made our work accessible to art houses and other film communities. Our approach was unconventional. We showed in all kinds of places, like the Hirshhorn museum in Washington, a public square in Zanzibar and classic art houses like the Roxy in San Francisco. It was exciting to do, in the same way the Unstoppable tour is now.
How did the Unstoppable tour come about? Why did you select this strand of your programming to feature?
PB: Creators with disabilities have been marginalized beyond belief. It’s long overdue to share their unique work more broadly. In collaboration with several US arthouses, we saw the need to increase representation of disabled filmmaking in movie theaters.
Juliet Romeo: Disabled filmmakers don’t always get the spotlight they deserve, and this tour makes sure their stories move. The Unstoppable program was built to center creators like us, and now it’s time to take that energy beyond the festival circuit and into real communities. At every stop, we’re doing more than just a screening—we’re connecting, holding space for conversations, and making sure people feel seen.
How were the films chosen? Were they only part of the Slamdance festival Unstoppable lineup?
Taylor Miller: Our lineup has been curated from several progresses including Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, ReelAbilities, Slamdance, Sundance and Superfest, signaling visionary, impactful works of art.
JR: While the lineup includes standouts from Slamdance, we also curated powerful films from other festivals that truly got it right—projects that portray disability with honesty, depth, and inclusion that hits home.
How are you connecting with audiences in each of the cities? What are the strategies to get butts in seats?
TM: Our journey involves genuine engagement with each arthouse cinema. Understanding how their community works and how they value accessibility leads us to tapping into local partnerships and connecting us with audiences seeking overlooked narratives in their hometown. Collaborating with each Arthouse allows us to use their existing marketing channels—subscriber lists, local press, and community outreach—to promote screenings. Combining these channels with additional local partner support and Slamdance’s existing marketing efforts forms the basis of getting butts in seats.
PB: Organic partnerships are key to the Unstoppable tour. Each involves a mutually beneficial relationship. It has to be personal. Essentially, real connection drives and expands our audience.
JR: We’re partnering with grassroots organizers, cultural spaces, and advocates who know their cities and know their people. So, this tour isn’t just a moment—it’s a movement.
Are there influencers that you have reached out to? How has that experience been? Any tips for filmmakers in working with influencers?
We’ve reached out to influencers that are local to our tour stops. At this point, it’s still not clear how influential they have been in bringing audience members to any Unstoppable screening though.
A tip? Make sure your relationship with an influencer represents the authenticity of your work and theirs.
Press and regional press have been tough these days – have you done anything unique to engage press either nationally or locally for the release? Any tips for filmmakers?
Yes, like film distribution, press and regional press are going through challenging times. Even if you are working with a publicist this doesn’t guarantee media success. But, all is not lost. Many are still working, usually for less now while having to do more. This being the case, put time into making personal press connections well ahead of your release to allow for increased workloads. We’ve found taking the time to do this has made for some great press results.
Can you talk about some of the groups that have gotten involved in the marketing?
Local groups, dedicated individuals advocating for disabled arts and our alumni are our most important partners. Their messages about Unstoppable are trusted and followed. Working with the Seattle film festival has been great and shows us how festivals can be stronger together.
Salt Lake Film Society showed us the power of being able to connect to a local film community. We’ve found social media advertising groups to be less valuable. While engagement might have been good, there’s not enough evidence to show people actually bought a ticket directly from an ad. Again, it’s the personal connection that is making this tour work.
Tips for filmmakers working with groups?
We began working with some groups for Unstoppable nine months before the tour began. To maximize your marketing campaign leave plenty of time to form meaningful relationships, to allow time for those in your group to adjust and improve a strategy. If groups and individuals are good at what they do, they’re already busy. No one is waiting for you. Be patient in nurturing results and leave time for patience.
I know some theaters have difficulties in accommodating disabled audiences – how have you addressed this in the release?
We addressed location accessibility from the start. Each theater confirmed their space was accessible for both audiences and filmmakers. It was a prerequisite of being able to move forward. Then came additional accessibility needs for the event itself. All of our tour stops involve ASL and there’s a significant cost to this. Most theaters have shared this expense with us. This underscores the tour’s sense of collaboration.
How is the release going so far? How has the turnout been?
PB: Really well! Each tour stop involves a rotation of Unstoppable filmmakers, Slamdance staff and theater organizers putting on the show. While we haven’t seen a sold out theater yet when we look at other screenings taking place around the same time we are the main attraction. Our Salt Lake partner is already looking forward to building upon our initial success for next year. You get the sense there’s little room for error in this market place and the theaters we are working with are rising to the challenge. It’s also become clear just how important neighborhood communities are to the art house scene. In 2025, it appears a growing number of people want to walk to their theater, or at least take an easy train ride to it.
Some closing thoughts?
PB: We tend to judge success in numbers. Obviously we want good numbers for our screenings (business disclosure: we’ve arranged a 40% box office split for the filmmakers. Slamdance takes 10%) but disability sometimes doesn’t look at numbers. It often can’t and sometimes it can’t hear those numbers. What counts most for a person who can’t see or hear is what they’ve experienced in the theater so when you find out from someone like this just how important it was to make space for them in a movie theater their power of one might mean much more. How can you really measure this if you are not disabled? Like independent film itself, it makes you consider other lives lived.
The next stops on the Unstoppable Tour:
- Manhattan’s JCC (July 29)
- O-Cinema in Miami (August 1–3)
Each venue offers a unique lineup, full accessibility, and in-person filmmaker Q&As—delivering a powerful and inclusive cinematic experience. Don’t miss this celebration of bold voices, creative resistance, and disability-forward films.https://jonreiss.substack.com/p/slamdance-unstoppable-tour-is-100