Factory 25

Overview

Factory 25 is a Brooklyn-based independent film distribution and production company founded by Matt Grady in 2009. The company releases conceptually provocative narratives and documentaries from filmmakers working outside the mainstream commercial cinema model. Factory 25 typically handles 5 to 10 releases per year, with a catalog that now exceeds 170 titles spanning microbudget features, experimental documentaries, music films, and restored indie classics. The company operates with a small team and an aesthetic identity inspired by punk and post-punk record labels of the 1970s and 1980s.

Grady founded Factory 25 after leaving his position as director of production at Plexifilm, a Brooklyn-based music and film label where he spent seven years working on titles like Helvetica, Style Wars, and I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco. The first Factory 25 release was Ronald Bronstein's Frownland (2007), a film Grady believed no other distributor would touch. The company name comes from the factory number printed on the Honus Wagner T206 tobacco card, one of the most fetishized pieces of 20th-century ephemera. The number 25 is also the Factory Records catalog number for Joy Division's Closer.

Distribution Model

Factory 25 distributes theatrically through independent arthouse venues in New York and select US cities. Regular theatrical partners include Alamo Drafthouse (Brooklyn and Manhattan), Nitehawk Cinema (Williamsburg), Metrograph, Anthology Film Archives, The Quad, Roxy Cinema, and Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn. Theatrical runs typically last 1 to 2 weeks at a single venue, with occasional city-wide expansions. The company handles its own theatrical booking and press outreach.

Physical media is central to the Factory 25 business model. The company produces limited edition DVDs, Blu-rays, VHS tapes, CDs, and vinyl LPs, often packaged with found objects like 16mm film strips, drawings, and written essays. A typical production run consists of approximately 1,000 DVD-LP pairs (movie paired with soundtrack), with break-even at roughly 40% of the run sold. Grady has described the physical releases as designed to be "like a fetish item," drawing inspiration from record label designers Peter Saville and Vaughan Oliver.

Digital distribution follows theatrical and physical release through major TVOD platforms. Some titles are also available via subscription services and through the Factory 25 website directly. The company has partnered with Mubi for digital releases of select titles, including Kit Zauhar's This Closeness (2024), which had its theatrical run at IFC Center before a worldwide digital release on Mubi.

Acquisition Behavior

Factory 25 acquires films at Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and other US festivals, with a focus on microbudget features with nontraditional narratives. The company also acquires titles through direct filmmaker outreach and through relationships with the Brooklyn independent film community. Grady has produced several Factory 25 titles in addition to distributing them, including Onur Tukel's Summer of Blood (2014) and Applesauce (2015), Queen of Lapa (2019), You Mean Everything to Me (2021), and Graham Mason's Inspector Ike (2021).

The company does not pre-buy films or finance production. It acquires completed works, typically picking up North American theatrical and digital rights. MGs are minimal, often ranging from a few thousand dollars to low five figures, reflecting the microbudget nature of the films. The economic model relies on physical media sales and long-tail digital revenue rather than theatrical gross.

Notable Releases

Factory 25's catalog includes Funny Ha Ha (2002, Andrew Bujalski), Frownland (2007, Ronald Bronstein), Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (2009, Jessica Oreck), Impolex (2009, Alex Ross Perry), The Color Wheel (2011, Alex Ross Perry), Art History (2011, Joe Swanberg), Buttons (2011, Safdie Brothers), Bad Fever (2012, Dustin Guy Defa), Exit Elena (2012, Nathan Silver), Christmas, Again (2014, Charles Poekel), Ham on Rye (2019, Tyler Taormina), Vulcanizadora (Joel Potrykus), This Closeness (2023, Kit Zauhar), Or Something (2024, Jeffrey Scotti Schroeder), City Wide Fever (2026, Josh Heaps), and Skateboard: The Movie (George Gage).

The catalog also includes music documentaries and experimental titles like Crass: The Sound of Free Speech, Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young and Pavement, Better Than Something: Jay Reatard, and The Gits - 20th Anniversary Edition. Music and film crossover releases are a defining feature of the catalog, reflecting Grady's background in music distribution at Plexifilm.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Factory 25 is an accessible acquisition target for filmmakers working in the microbudget, experimental, or mumblecore-adjacent categories. The company's commitment to unconventional work makes it relevant for films that have screened at festivals but lack commercial arthouse prospects. Grady has been called "one of the most important curatorial voices of new, independent American films" and was named "One of the Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture" by Brooklyn Magazine.

Filmmakers should understand that Factory 25's economic model is built on small margins and physical media sales. The company does not offer the MG levels of larger specialty distributors. The value proposition is curation, brand identity, and the collector-quality physical releases that give films a second life beyond digital availability. Filmmakers whose work aligns with the Factory 25 aesthetic should approach Grady directly through the company website or through festival connections.

The company's theatrical reach is limited to a small number of independent venues, primarily in New York. Filmmakers seeking broader theatrical distribution should consider whether Factory 25's venue network aligns with their release goals. For films where physical media and cult audience building are priorities, Factory 25 offers a distribution model that few other companies match.

See Also

For comparable US independent distributors with adventurous programming identities, see Oscilloscope Laboratories in this directory. For how unconventional independent films find distribution in the US market, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue from a limited theatrical release with physical media sales, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.