One of the better films I saw at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival was Flannel Pajamas. Although it did well at the festival–and even grabbed the love and affection of Roger Ebert–it hasn’t had much luck finding distribution. This is all slightly ironic, considering that the film’s writer/director, Jeff Lipsky, has made his name in film distribution.

Lipsky’s career spans everything from working with John Cassavetes distributing A Woman Under the Influence to sheparding titles like My Life as a Dog, Stranger Than Paradise and Sid & Nancy (which introduced the world to Gary Oldman) into the marketplace.

On November 15th, Flannel Pajamas finally received limited theatrical distribution and may even be playing at a neighborhood Landmark Theater near you. Take a listen to KCRW’s The Business and Claude Brodesser-Akner’s interview with Lipsky. It covers his career-jump from distributor to filmmaker, and the challenges of promoting your film in the industry. It’s a very insightful conversation with someone who knows both sides of the coin well.