Apr 15, 2026
The film screener is broken. WeTransfer links, expired passwords, no tracking. Here's what a professional screener looks like in 2026 and why it matters.
David Orman
Co-Founder & CEO
TL;DR
Hiway Screener Rooms are live now, ready for you ahead of Cannes.
Branded, secure, fully tracked screening environments with your logo, stills, look book, and financials all in one place.
The film screener hasn't changed in twenty years. WeTransfer links expire, files leak, and you have no idea if anyone actually watched.
Every view is tracked in real time. You know who opened it, how long they watched, and whether they came back. Every contact lands automatically in your CRM.
You leave Cannes with a database. Not a pile of business cards.
The Screener Is Broken. So We Built A New One. Just In Time For Cannes.
You spent two years making your film.
You agonised over the grade. You obsessed over the sound mix. You paid a designer to make your pitch deck look immaculate.
Then you sent the film itself on a WeTransfer link.
Think about that for a second.
The document you use to ask someone for money looks better than the film you're asking them to watch. That's backwards. And in a market as competitive as Cannes, where a buyer is choosing between your project and fifty others they received this week, how you present your film is part of whether they take it seriously.
First impressions don't start in the room. They start the moment someone opens your screener.
Why the screener process hasn't changed in twenty years
Links expire. Files corrupt. Watermarks get stripped. You have no idea whether anyone actually watched it, how far they got, or whether they forwarded it to someone you never intended to see it.
That's not a distribution strategy. That's guesswork with a deadline.
We built something different.
Hiway Screener Rooms give you a branded, professional screening environment that looks as good as the film inside it. Your logo. Your stills. Your look book. Your financials. All in one place, under your control, with full tracking on every single view.
You'll know who opened it, when they watched, how long they stayed, and whether they came back. Every buyer, distributor, financier and sales agent who engages lands automatically in your CRM.
You leave Cannes with a database, not a pile of business cards.
Free Screener Room
What a Screener Actually Needs to Do
A screener is not just a file. It is a business communication.
It represents your film, your company, and your ask. It needs to arrive securely, play reliably, and tell you something useful when it does.
At minimum, a professional screener should tell you: who opened it, when they watched, how much they watched, and whether they shared it onward.
That data changes every conversation you have with a buyer. Instead of following up blind, you follow up knowing whether they watched ten minutes or the full cut. That is leverage.
It should also expire on your terms, not the platform's. And it should carry your branding, not a third-party logo that makes it look like you cobbled it together.
The Hidden Cost of Unsecured Screeners
Beyond the workflow problem, there is a real rights risk.
Unsecured links are forwarded. Files are downloaded. Watermarks are removed. Films end up on piracy sites before their release date because someone in a distribution chain passed a link to someone they should not have.
This is not theoretical. It happens regularly, and independent filmmakers are the most exposed because they rarely have legal infrastructure to pursue it.
A properly built screener has permissions baked in. Access can be revoked. Views are logged. If something leaks, you know exactly where it came from.
What the New Screener Looks Like
The shift is from file-sharing to controlled streaming.
A SmartLink, rather than a download, means the film streams from a secure source rather than living on someone's hard drive. You control who has access, for how long, and what they can do with it. You see every view in real time.
The sales agent gets a clean, professional viewing experience. You get data.
Both parties benefit. The film is protected. The conversation that follows is informed.
Platforms like Hiway are building exactly this layer, replacing the cobbled-together screener workflow with a single system that handles secure sharing, analytics, and access control from one place.
Screener demo?
The Buyers Are Ready for This
Sales agents and distributors do not want to receive WeTransfer links either.
They are managing hundreds of submissions and spending time chasing broken links and misidentified files. A clean, trackable screener that arrives via a branded link, plays immediately, and includes full EPK materials alongside the film is not a nice-to-have. It is a competitive signal.
It says your project is professionally managed. That matters at the point of sale.
The screener is often the first impression a buyer has of your entire operation. Make it count.
The film industry is twenty years behind where it should be on distribution technology.
The screener is the most obvious place to start fixing that.
What is a screener and why is it important for filmmakers?
A screener is how filmmakers share their work with festivals, buyers, press and partners before release. It’s often the first way your film is seen by people who can fund it, distribute it or write about it. If the screener experience is poor, it can directly impact how your film is perceived.
What problems do traditional screener tools create?
Most screener tools were built for simple file sharing, not for managing films as valuable assets. Links get forwarded, security is weak, there’s little visibility on who actually watched the film, and no connection to audience data or revenue. Once you send it out, you lose control.
How is Hiway’s screener different?
Hiway keeps everything connected to one source. You upload your film once, control who can access it, track every view, and manage rights, access and data from one place. The film doesn’t get copied or moved around. It streams from a single master, so you always stay in control.
Can a screener also help generate revenue or audience data?
Yes. That’s the shift. A screener shouldn’t just be a private viewing tool. With Hiway, the same infrastructure can be used to monetise content, capture audience data, and move from private screeners to public releases without starting again. It becomes part of your distribution strategy, not just a one-off link.
About the Author
David Orman
Co-Founder & CEO
With a career that has taken me through venture capital, media, sport and digital content, I’ve picked up more stories than I can count, and too many I can't tell....