Transmission Films

Overview

Transmission Films is one of Australia's leading independent film distributors, founded in 2008 by Joint Managing Directors Andrew Mackie and Richard Payten. The company is headquartered in Paddington, Sydney. Transmission distributes 15 to 25 films per year theatrically across Australia and New Zealand, focusing on arthouse, prestige drama, documentary, and international cinema. The company operates in partnership with Paramount Pictures Australia, which provides theatrical and home entertainment infrastructure while Transmission oversees creative marketing and acquisitions.

Over their 23-year partnership (including their prior tenure at Dendy Films), Mackie and Payten have released more than 180 films and generated over $340 million at the Australian and New Zealand box office. Films they have acquired and distributed have won 9 Palme d'Ors, received 51 Academy Award nominations, and earned over 220 AACTA nominations. They have handled the release and marketing campaigns for more than 100 Australian films.

Transmission's annual revenue is approximately $4.7 million. The company is privately held and active. Its sister company, See-Saw Films (founded by Iain Canning and Emile Sherman), has a first-look arrangement with Transmission, meaning all See-Saw titles receive Australian distribution through Transmission. See-Saw produced The King's Speech (which grossed over $28 million in Australia alone), Shame, and Slow West, among others.

Paramount Partnership

The distribution partnership between Transmission and Paramount Pictures Australia has been in place since the company's founding in 2008 and has been renewed multiple times. The structure combines Transmission's independent acquisition focus and hands-on marketing with Paramount's theatrical and home entertainment infrastructure. Paramount handles theatrical bookings for jointly acquired titles, while Transmission manages creative marketing and acquisition decisions.

The partnership typically covers films released on more than 40 screens. Transmission also distributes films independently of the Paramount deal, handling 16 or more theatrical releases on its own for titles where all rights are not available through Paramount or where the film targets a narrower arthouse audience. This dual structure allows Transmission to operate at both the crossover commercial level (with Paramount) and the specialty arthouse level (independently).

For filmmakers, the Paramount partnership means that a Transmission acquisition can access Paramount's theatrical booking infrastructure and home entertainment distribution network across Australia and New Zealand, providing wider reach than a purely independent distributor could achieve alone.

2025 to 2026 Release Slate

Transmission's recent and upcoming theatrical releases include:

• Nouvelle Vague (2025) - Richard Linklater's French-language black-and-white film about the making of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, entirely in French. Transmission acquired Australian rights.
• Spit (2025) - Australian theatrical release across all media.
• A Private Life (2025) - Theatrical release.
• Last Meals (2025) - Theatrical and all-media release for Australia.
• I Swear (2025, theatrical release 2026) - Theatrical release.
• Fing! (2026) - Theatrical release.
• &Sons (August 27, 2026) - Directed by Pablo Trapero, written by Sarah Polley and Trapero. Stars Bill Nighy, Noah Jupe, George MacKay, Johnny Flynn, Anna Geislerova, Dominic West, and Imelda Staunton. World premiered at TIFF. Transmission is releasing August 27, 2026.
• Untitled 2025 Mike Leigh Project (2026) - All-media release for Australia.

Notable Releases and Box Office History

Transmission's catalog tracks the major arthouse and prestige releases in Australia over the past 18 years. Key titles include:

The King's Speech (2010, over $28 million Australian box office), Parasite (2019), Moonlight (2016), Nomadland (2021), Roma (2018), Birdman (2014), Spotlight (2015), Lady Bird (2017), Belfast (2021), Aftersun (2022), Tar (2022), A Separation (2011, Australian release), Ida (2013), The Great Beauty (2013), Amour (2012), The King's Speech (2010), Shame (2011), Tracks (2013), Holding the Man (2015), Suffragette (2015), Carol (2015), Brooklyn (2015), Lion (2016), Samson and Delilah (2009), Boy (2010), The Railway Man (2013), Calvary (2014), Mr Turner (2014), Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013), 20 Feet From Stardom (2013), The World's Fastest Indian (2005), Good Night and Good Luck (2005), Control (2007), The White Ribbon (2009), Rabbit Proof Fence (2002), and Strictly Ballroom (1992).

Distribution Model

Transmission acquires films both as finished projects (from international sales agents at markets and festivals) and through pre-sale agreements prior to production. Pre-sales to Transmission are a realistic financing mechanism for Australian and international co-productions targeting the Australian market. The company attends Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Venice for acquisitions.

Transmission distributes theatrically through its own distribution infrastructure (with Paramount's booking support for jointly acquired titles), placing films in arthouse cinemas, independent venues, and multiplex screens for crossover titles. The company handles its own marketing and publicity for theatrical releases and manages the home entertainment and digital release window through partnerships with major VOD platforms in the Australian market.

A Transmission acquisition for an international film typically covers theatrical rights in Australia and New Zealand, with home entertainment and digital following the theatrical window. The minimum guarantee (MG) structure reflects the scale of the Australian theatrical market, which is smaller than North America or the UK but commercially meaningful for prestige titles. MGs for Australian and New Zealand rights to a mid-profile arthouse title typically range from $10,000 to $75,000 depending on festival pedigree, cast, and genre.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Transmission is an active acquisition target for international filmmakers seeking Australian and New Zealand distribution. The company acquires through relationships with international sales agents and attends all major festivals and markets. Films in the prestige drama, documentary, international arthouse, and genre categories are the most common Transmission acquisitions.

For Australian filmmakers, Transmission is one of the primary domestic distribution options alongside Madman Entertainment, Palace Films, and the major studio arms. Films with Screen Australia financing or involvement from Australian funding bodies are regularly distributed by Transmission. The company has strong relationships with the Australian film financing ecosystem, including Screen Australia, state screen agencies, and the Producer Offset program.

Transmission's partnership with See-Saw Films gives the company first-look access to all See-Saw productions, which include some of the most commercially successful arthouse films of the past decade. Filmmakers whose projects are produced by or attached to See-Saw will automatically have Australian distribution through Transmission.

The company does not operate a public open-submission portal. Filmmakers or their representatives should approach Transmission through a sales agent, entertainment lawyer, or producer representative. The most reliable pathway is through a film's international sales agent, who will pitch the title to Transmission's acquisition team at a festival or market where the film premieres.

See Also

For how Australian co-production financing structures interact with distribution deals, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model the revenue from an Australian theatrical release as part of a broader international distribution strategy, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For understanding how distribution fees and P&A recoupment affect filmmaker receipts in the Australian market, see What Does a Distributor Keep?. For comparison with other Australian distributors, see Madman Entertainment in this directory.