True Story

Overview

True Story is a London-based documentary streaming platform and distribution company that operates from the website truestory.film. The company is registered as True Story Documentary Platform Ltd (Companies House number 12568363), incorporated on 22 April 2020 and classified under SIC code 5913 for motion picture, video, and television programme distribution activities. The platform launched with approximately 120 curated documentary films and has since grown to over 113 titles on its Letterboxd profile, adding a new documentary every Friday.

True Story operates as a subscription-based streaming service priced at EUR 5.99 per month, with a 7-day free trial available for new subscribers. The platform is available in 12 different currencies with multiple language subtitles, making it accessible to international documentary audiences beyond the UK. This global SVOD approach distinguishes True Story from UK-only documentary distributors and positions it as a niche competitor to larger documentary-focused platforms like DocAlliance and Sundance Now.

The platform has curated collections from partners including London's Open City Documentary Festival and Tehran's Cinema Verite Festival, alongside dedicated strands for celebrated filmmakers such as Austrian documentarian Nikolaus Geyrhalter. Film highlights on the platform include Flight of a Bullet (dir. Beata Bubenec), The Trial (dir. Sergei Loznitsa), The Image You Missed (dir. Donal Foreman), and No Data Plan (dir. Miko Revereza). Sight and Sound has described True Story as "a welcome home for curated non-fiction from around the world."

Distribution Model

True Story licenses documentary films for streaming on its platform under non-exclusive SVOD agreements. Filmmakers retain their rights while granting True Story a license to stream the film to its subscriber base. The platform's curated approach means each title is selected individually rather than acquired in bulk, and the programming team focuses on documentaries that align with the platform's editorial identity: investigative non-fiction, access journalism, first-person documentary, and artist-led non-fiction work.

The platform also supports theatrical distribution for select titles. Films on True Story have screened at UK documentary venues including the Curzon group, BFI Southbank, and independent cinemas. The company's distribution model allows for hybrid theatrical-and-streaming releases, though the streaming platform is the primary distribution channel for most titles.

Revenue for filmmakers is structured as a revenue-share based on subscription views, with exact terms negotiated per title. The platform's subscriber base is not publicly disclosed, but the EUR 5.99 monthly subscription price point and the curated catalog model suggest a smaller, more targeted audience than mainstream SVOD platforms. Filmmakers should expect modest but consistent revenue from a global documentary audience.

Submission Process

True Story accepts film submissions directly from filmmakers. The platform's contact page directs filmmakers to email info@truestory.film with submission enquiries. This open submission policy is unusual in the streaming distribution landscape, where most platforms require filmmakers to work through aggregators or sales agents. For documentary filmmakers without representation, True Story offers one of the most accessible streaming distribution routes available.

Films submitted to True Story should align with the platform's curatorial focus. The platform prioritises documentaries that demonstrate strong authorial vision, investigative depth, or intimate access to subjects. Commercial documentary formats, reality-style content, and branded non-fiction are unlikely to fit the platform's programming. Filmmakers should review the existing catalog on truestory.film/browse before submitting to assess whether their film matches the editorial direction.

The UK Documentary Distribution Landscape

True Story operates within a UK documentary distribution ecosystem that includes Dogwoof, the leading UK theatrical documentary distributor, and Together Films, which operates Dogwoof's digital arm. These companies handle larger-scale theatrical and digital documentary releases, while True Story occupies a complementary niche as a curated streaming-only platform.

The UK documentary market has expanded significantly since 2020, driven by streaming platforms commissioning documentary content and the sustained theatrical audience for documentary features at venues including the Curzon group, BFI Southbank, and Vue. True Story's subscription model captures a segment of this audience that prefers curated, ad-free documentary viewing over the AVOD model used by platforms like Tubi and Pluto TV.

For documentary filmmakers building a UK distribution strategy, True Story can function as a complementary platform alongside theatrical distribution through Dogwoof or broadcast sales to the BBC, Channel 4, or Sky Documentaries. The non-exclusive licensing model allows filmmakers to pursue multiple distribution windows simultaneously.

Notable Titles on the Platform

True Story's catalog includes documentaries across several categories:

• Investigative and political: Solidarity (dir. Lucy Parker, 2019) about UK construction industry blacklisting and undercover policing; The Trial (dir. Sergei Loznitsa) documenting the Moscow show trials
• Music and culture: Sound It Out (dir. Jeanie Finlay, 2011) about the last surviving vinyl record shop in Teesside; The Great Hip Hop Hoax (dir. Jeanie Finlay, 2013) about two Scotsmen who duped the record industry
• Historical: Asunder (dir. Esther Johnson, 2016) about an English town during the First World War, narrated by Kate Adie
• Place and community: Liverpool Story (dir. Daniel Draper, 2024) a year-in-the-life documentary about Liverpool
• International cinema: No Data Plan (dir. Miko Revereza), Harmony (dir. Frederick Paxton), The Image You Missed (dir. Donal Foreman)

The platform adds one new documentary every Friday, maintaining a steady content pipeline that gives filmmakers ongoing visibility rather than a single release window.

What Filmmakers Should Know

True Story is a realistic distribution target for documentary filmmakers whose work aligns with the platform's curatorial identity. The open submission process, non-exclusive licensing model, and global reach make it one of the most accessible streaming distribution options for independent documentary features.

Filmmakers should understand that True Story is a small, curated platform. Revenue per title will be modest compared to what a Dogwoof theatrical-and-digital release or a Netflix licensing deal might generate. The platform's value lies in its targeted documentary audience, its global availability, and its curatorial reputation within the documentary film community. For filmmakers seeking maximum revenue, True Story works best as part of a multi-platform distribution strategy rather than an exclusive home.

The platform's non-exclusive model means filmmakers can simultaneously pursue festival circulation, theatrical bookings, broadcast sales, and other streaming deals while their film is available on True Story. This flexibility is particularly valuable for documentaries that have completed their initial festival run and are entering the long-tail distribution phase.

Filmmakers based in the UK or producing UK-relevant documentary content should also consider the platform's relationships with UK documentary institutions. True Story has partnered with Open City Documentary Festival and other UK documentary organisations, which can provide additional visibility for films distributed through the platform.

See Also

For broader UK documentary distribution, see Dogwoof and Together Films in this directory. For how documentary distribution fits into a multi-platform release strategy, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model the revenue contribution of a curated streaming deal alongside theatrical and broadcast sales, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.