Tyler Perry is opening a new door for independent filmmakers. The mogul has launched Maxscene, a new specialty division of Tyler Perry Studios dedicated to expanding theatrical opportunities for filmmakers with distinctive voices, Variety exclusively reports. The division will be overseen by Antoinetta Stallings, Head of Development and Acquisitions at Tyler Perry Studios, who previously launched the studio’s joint venture with Pantheon Media Group.
Maxscene will serve as a distribution and support label, a home base where independent filmmakers who have made films but struggle to get them in front of audiences can find a path to theatrical release. Rather than leaving talented storytellers without the infrastructure to reach viewers, Maxscene aims to provide the resources, backing and distribution pipeline that can take a film from completion to the big screen.
Named after Perry’s mother Maxine, the label carries deep personal significance for the filmmaker, who credits her unwavering belief in him as the foundation of everything he has built.
“Everything I’ve built in my career carries my mother with it, and Maxscene is named in her honor,” Perry said. “My mother, Maxine, believed in me before anyone else did, and that belief is the reason I never stopped chasing this path. Maxscene exists to be that same source of belief for the next generation of storytellers. It’s about taking the confidence and encouragement she poured into me and paying it forward by championing filmmakers who need someone to believe in them, open the door, and help them reach the audience waiting on the other side.”
“I’ve spent my career working alongside filmmakers and watching incredibly talented storytellers struggle to find distribution for films that deserved to be seen,” Stallings said. “That’s why launching Maxscene is such an exciting and necessary moment. We’re creating a home where independent filmmakers can build a career, not just release a movie. Maxscene gives creators the resources, support, and a path to distribution so their films have every opportunity to reach the audiences who may not have otherwise discovered them.”
Tyler Perry Studios is founded by Perry and headquartered in Atlanta, where it has produced dozens of feature films and thousands of hours of television.