Film Business Affairs 101: From Chain of Title to Recoupment

Learn from an international producer whose films have won awards at TIFF, Zurich, and the Pan African Film Festival

Get a Chain of Title Certificate, Equity Term Sheet, Cashflow template, Recoupment Schedule, and Int'l Distribution & CAMA Agreement that you can apply to your own film!

Getting a film made isn't just about a great script and the right cast — it's about understanding the business machinery that turns a passion project into a financed, distributed reality. Whether you're chasing your first greenlight or you've produced a dozen films, the difference between a project that gets made and one that stalls in development almost always comes down to business affairs: clean rights, smart financing structures, and contracts that protect you at every stage. If you want your next project to actually happen, this is the foundation you need.

The trouble is, too many producers learn this the hard way. You've probably seen it yourself — a producer gets lured by a financing scheme that promises a fast path to funding, only to discover the rights weren't properly secured or the real cost of that "easy money" wasn't so easy after all. Without a clean chain of title, the right entity structure, or a realistic budget tied to your financing plan, even a great project can collapse before it reaches set. Like building a house, you need a firm foundation before you start stacking floors — and that foundation is exactly what trips up so many filmmakers.

You'll be learning directly from Sidney Chiu, a producer with a track record of getting international productions financed and made. Sidney's credits span award-winning coproductions across Canada, Germany, and South Africa, including Love Jacked (Best Narrative Feature, Pan African Film Festival), Coconut Hero (Best Film in Focus, Zurich Film Festival), and Bang Bang Baby with Jane Levy and Peter Stormare. Sidney also served as Production Manager on Finding Mr. Right, which grossed over $80 million, and produced A Night for Dying Tigers, which premiered at TIFF. This is someone who has navigated the exact financing, packaging, and distribution challenges you're facing — and come out the other side with produced, recognized films.

Over the course of this webinar, you'll walk through the full producing journey: why incorporation matters, how to build a clean chain of title, how to package and finance your project using both public and private sources, how to budget realistically, and how to navigate contracts, lenders, and stakeholder relationships from production through distribution. You'll also get a clear breakdown of recoupment schedules, financing waterfalls, and CAMAs — the pieces that determine how and when you actually get paid. By the end, you'll walk away with a real working knowledge of how to finance, structure, and recoup your project the right way, the first time.

PLUS! You will receive the following handouts to help you:

• Equity Term Sheet Sample

•  Cashflow

• Recoupment Schedules, Int’l Distribution Agreement & CAMA Agreement

Praise for Sidney's Previous Courses

"I would have been happy for this course to have gone on for days. Sidney is a very talented lecturer. I couldn't be more grateful." -- Attendee Canadian Independent Screen Fund Webinar