Robert Schwartzman and Cole Harper, The co -founders of Utopiaannounced today from Sundance Film Festival launching their new technical platform, Powerflix. The platform combines software with real distribution services to provide a comprehensive solution that allows filmmakers to tailor and check their movie release globally. Utopia is the distribution company behind films such as “Red Rooms” and “Femme”, and it recently collaborated with Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate to help release “The Last Showgirl” and “Megalopolis” respectively.
The idea behind Power Flix is to give filmmakers the control to dictate their own release path – rather than waiting for acquisition offers from indie distributors, which Indiewire exclusively announces.
“Many fantastic, high quality films are made every year that struggle to get their intended sales or distribution agreement,” Schwartzman said in a statement. “We know how much time, energy and money is spent on producing each movie, so it is worrying to see so many films that can’t find a home or reach their intended audience. We believe that Powerflix gives filmmakers a huge advantage when it comes to making it happen. “
More about Powerflix, with permission of the team behind: “While Powerflix specializes in vod aggregation, including platforms such as iTunes and Amazon, Powerflix also offers important services to create assets for key art, trailers and captions. Requesting sales outreeing to streamers, theater booking support and consultations with distribution experts. With free and paid levels, Powerflix ensures that filmmakers all over the world can access its innovative tools, making professional quality distribution more accessible than ever. “
“Powerflix is not a streaming site or an app, it is a service platform for filmmakers who do not have distribution or who wants full control over their release,” Harper said in another press release. “In addition to Utopia, many of our distribution partners and experienced service providers will support independent filmmakers who use Powerflix. This platform is basically a highway for content and to get that content to the world.”
Powerflix will provide free demonstration videos and in -depth tutors for filmmakers, which makes it easy to see and understand how the platform works and how filmmakers can benefit from its tools. Powerflix is the only aggregation platform that offers a flexible price structure together with selected payment service options and supplements. The payment service options start as low as $ 399, making it significantly cheaper than any other option.
“We believe that all filmmakers will eventually use Powerflix in some capacity,” Harper added. “The great thing about the tool is that you only need to upload your assets once, and since you want to deliver these assets to downstream platforms or partners, they will be available with a click on a button. than existing methods used by traditional distributors and platforms, so this is a service that benefits everyone in the industry. Today’s launch is just the beginning, and we are pleased to get feedback from the film world and hope to continue to build the ultimate solution on one long neglected problem. “
Prior to the launch, a limited number of filmmakers received private beta access to provide feedback to the product team before launch.
“Filmmakers can’t just rely on the independent film acquisition market anymore,” Schwartzman added. “It is not a knock on our business- it is only the reality of how distributors have been forced to act based on consumer and buying behavior. As a filmmaker, we cannot continue to keep their thumbs and hope for the big exit that becomes more and more unpredictable. It is too often we see a movie premiere from very competitive, highly reputable film festivals, with well -known actors, strong reviews and interesting narrators involved, just to be unsold. At present, there are simply not enough meaningful acquisitions, so filmmakers have to plan for the scenario “We did not get the offer we wanted” even before they make their film. Thankfully, and as we have seen in other creative industries, it is not uncommon to find success with a DIY release strategy. After all, independent films are created. Most often in a do-it-yourself environment, so why stop there? You just have to be willing to do the job and find the right tools to get it out. We built Powerflix to collect all the necessary parts of a release the best available prices. ”
Interested filmmakers can visit Powerflix.com Creating a free account and seeing how the platform can support their movie.
