You Can’t Upload to Amazon Anymore, But You’re Not Out of Options

If you were hoping to release your indie film directly to Amazon Prime Video, it may already be too late. Amazon Prime Direct, once a wide-open platform for filmmakers to upload their work without a middleman, has quietly finished phasing out open submissions from independent creators.

No fanfare. No press release. No dramatic public takedown. Just a slow fade into the background, replaced by a preference for aggregators, gatekeepers, and pre-vetted content pipelines.

And just like that, one of the biggest self-distribution routes for indie filmmakers is gone.

What Just Happened to Prime Video Direct?

In its early days, Amazon’s Prime Video Direct (PVD) felt revolutionary. You could upload a film, set territories, choose monetization options (TVOD, SVOD, AVOD), and start collecting revenue with almost no barrier to entry. It was imperfect: glitchy, bureaucratic, and often inconsistent, but it was yours.

That era is over.

Amazon has spent the last two years slowly tightening the screws. First, it stopped accepting new content from non-U.S. accounts. Then it raised internal quality requirements and quietly began rejecting more and more indie submissions. Then came the algorithmic takedowns of “low engagement” titles. And now, the platform has cut off nearly all new direct submissions unless you’re going through an aggregator.

If You Don’t Work Through an Aggregator, You Don’t Work With Amazon

Let that sink in. You no longer have the option to go direct. If you want your film on Prime, you’ll need to go through a distributor or aggregator, companies like Filmhub, Quiver, Bitmax, or Premiere Digital.

And yes, those aggregators take a cut. Some charge upfront fees. Others take a percentage of revenue. All of them act as filters between you and your audience. The wide-open internet you thought you were releasing your film into? It just got fenced in.

Why Amazon Made the Shift

Let’s be honest: Amazon doesn’t care about indie film. They care about watch time, ad revenue, and subscriber retention. Prime Video is no longer trying to be YouTube for long-form content. It’s trying to compete with Netflix, Max, and Disney+. That means they want prestige shows, studio deals, and films with marketing machines behind them.

From their perspective, indie content is high risk, low return, and hard to vet. By outsourcing curation to aggregators, Amazon saves time and protects its brand from amateur-looking uploads that dilute viewer trust.

Distribution Is Getting More Controlled

Amazon’s move is part of a larger trend. Distribution isn’t getting more accessible. It’s getting more centralized. Fewer platforms are accepting direct indie submissions. More are building walls around their content libraries. And more filmmakers are being funneled through third parties who act as curators, gatekeepers, and toll collectors.

That doesn’t mean you’re out of options. But it does mean you need to adapt fast.

Welcome to the Era of Platform Strategy

In this new landscape, spraying your film across every possible platform isn’t going to work. You need a strategy that starts before your film is finished. That includes:

• Knowing which platforms fit your genre
• Understanding the monetization model (AVOD vs SVOD vs TVOD)
• Tracking what aggregators distribute where
• Building an audience so you’re valuable before you even pitch
• Gathering the metadata and analytics to support your film’s case

In short, you need to be your own distribution department. Or you need to partner with people who can do it with you, not just for you.

Why Garvescope Exists

Garvescope was built for exactly this moment. We’re not a distributor. We’re not an aggregator. We’re a visibility engine. We help you build your film’s presence, showcase audience data, and connect with the people who can get your film licensed, sponsored, or sold.

When platforms start raising walls, we build ladders. We make it easier for streamers to find you. We make it easier for you to prove your film’s value. And we help you navigate the rapidly shifting landscape without getting blindsided by the next “quiet shutdown.”

So What Should You Do Right Now?

If your film isn’t released yet:

• Stop waiting. Get serious about your distribution plan today.
• Research aggregator options and compare their deals and delivery timelines.
• Build a digital marketing strategy that drives real viewership and proof of demand.

If your film is already out:

• Audit your performance data. Who’s watching? Where? How long?
• Use that data to pitch to new platforms, aggregators, or AVOD outlets.
• Leverage Garvescope to increase visibility and extend your film’s lifecycle.

And if your plan was to upload your film to Amazon Prime Direct in the next few weeks?
You need a new plan.

This Is a Wake-Up Call

Distribution is no longer a free-for-all. It’s a filtered, data-driven process that rewards strategy, clarity, and reach. Amazon closing the door isn’t the end of indie film. But it is the end of a particular illusion: that access alone guarantees discovery or revenue.

Your film deserves to be seen. But that won’t happen by default anymore. It happens because you push, plan, pivot, and prepare.

Garvescope can help. The gate may be closed, but we’ve got the map to the side entrance.