Nat Boltt — 10 Years To Make Holy Days & The Broken Indie Distribution System
Writer-director Nat Boltt joins Off The Lot to break down the decade-long journey behind her feature directorial debut, Holy Days.
The film stars Judy Davis, Jacki Weaver and Miriam Margolyes, topped the box office in New Zealand, and went on to a global theatrical release — but getting there meant surviving years of development, financing setbacks, international co-production challenges, lost investors and an ambitious 26-day shoot.
Nat takes us inside how she landed her cast, navigated funding through Canada and New Zealand, shot complex road sequences using LED stages, and pulled off a major snowstorm sequence with limited resources.
But some of the biggest lessons came after the movie was finished.
We talk about the realities of independent film distribution, why filmmakers are increasingly being forced to build and market their own audiences, what she believes is broken about the current system, and why she plans to approach the release of her next film very differently.
A candid conversation about getting a first feature made, getting it seen, and what indie filmmakers need to understand if they want to build sustainable careers outside the studio system.
