It’s official: Decentralized filmmaking platform Film.io is making its public debut, and its coinciding with this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Film.io, which democratizes the filmmaking process by allowing fans to ‘greenlight’ projects, had been in Early Access mode, open only to a select group of fans and creators. Now, with the foundation set and the ecosystem humming, anyone can sign up and participate.
In a statement shared with Rarity Sniper, Bryan Hertz, Co-Creator of Film.io, said that the support and excitement seen by participants in the Early Access phase shows that there is a need for a more collaborative and equitable path for green-lighting films in the entertainment industry. He added that filmmakers and fans alike are already embracing Film.io.
A quick perusal of films on the platform shows some heavy hitting creators, including comedian Craig Shoemaker, renowned animator David Feiss, and director Nate Smith, whose project “Saurus City” stars Dennis Quaid, Ron Perlman, Emma Roberts, Julia Ormond, and Tim Meadows.
After signing up for the platform, fans can stake $FAN tokens to projects they want to green-light. They can also review projects, assessing them with a rating, the aggregation of which is available for all to see. These all affect a project’s “Go Score,” which is a proprietary tool that Film.io uses to gauge a project’s market reception.
“Film.io is offering a revolutionary approach, placing decision-making power into the hands of diverse creators and passionate fans,” Lauren Magura, Co-Creator of the platform, said in a statement. “Film.io represents a new era, where the community greenlights films collaboratively, paving the way for more inclusive storytelling.”
Film Industry Makes Waves in Web3
The public debut of Film.io is big news, especially for movie enthusiasts. But it is not the only entity in the film industry that has made waves in the next iteration of the internet. In fact, every few months, another project at the intersection between film and the Web3 makes its way to our desks.
Here are three such stories.
First, four months ago, the NFT-funded film “The Quiet Maid” secured a global sales deal. The movie, which explores the story of a maid working for a wealthy family in Catalonia, raised $750,000 initially from an NFT launch, promising holders behind-the-scenes footage and an eventual share in the profits of the film.
Next, nine months ago, Legend Holdings, an American movie production company, filed Web3 trademark applications for its film “Godzilla x King Kong: The New Empire.” The trademarks covered a variety of uses, from non-fungible tokens and the metaverse to virtual currency.
Lastly, about a year ago, another NFT-funded film won the Andrews/Bernard Award at the Film3 on the Mountain conference. The film, called “Calladita,” follows the story of Ana, a member of the Catalan bourgeoisie, blending satire and realism. The award, created by director Steven Soderbergh and Decentralized Pictures, came with a $100,000 prize.
As these stories show, the film industry has started to take to Web3, especially to fund projects and gain support for independent filmmakers. Film.io’s public debut is another step in that direction, and a much needed one.