I emailed the BFI with these questions and got no reply

How does the distribution of independent and foreign films affect their budget?

Makers/financiers/etc (When considering initial budget)

• How much do they know about consumers?
• How much do they know about distributors?
• What do they look for when financing a film?
• How much market research is done to find out about consumers of independent and foreign films?
• Do the makers of foreign films take UK sales into consideration when thinking about financing a project?
• Do the financiers of independent or foreign films do research into distributors who may be interested in their films?

Distributors

• How are they found?
• What are they looking for?
• How much do they know about consumers?
• What kind of cinema attendance is considered good/bad/average for an independent or foreign film?
• What kind of DVD/Blu ray sales are considered good/bad/average for an independent or foreign film?
• How much market research is done to find out about consumers of independent and foreign films?

Consumers

• Who are they?
• How are they found?
• How do you generate interest in foreign and independent films?
• How do you make a film available to someone who may be interested in it?
• How much are consumers taken into consideration at the initial stages of making a film?