Hopscotch and Umbrella sign deal with MUBI
Hopscotch Films and Umbrella Entertainment have become the first Australian distributors to sign a deal with the on-demand platform MUBI, as the service launches on Sony’s PlayStation 3.
The agreement will see their catalogue join the thousands of independent and art house films in MUBI’s catalogue, and their new titles released day-and-date with the DVD/Blu-ray.
According to Cakarel, Australian distributors, rights’ owners and producers are “very progressive and open to new things”, and MUBI is currently in discussions with other potential sources of local content.
Starting today, PlayStation users will be able to download a free application to access MUBI and stream its content directly to their TV screens. Its collection includes content from major international studios and partners such as Celluloid Dreams and Martin Scorsese’s World cinema Foundation.
The service, however, is not a platform developed for emerging filmmakers to promote their films. MUBI has a ‘Garage’ section where users can upload their content, but only a hand-picked minority – the ones that generate buzz and views – will graduate to the actual title library.
Cakarel said he’s currently developing a strategy to set up a local team next year, which would allow MUBI to offer the right Australian offering.
According to Cakarel, services such as MUBI are flourishing in Asia because of its young population, fast broadband and ‘healthy’ disrespect for copyright: “Piracy exists because we’re not making the content available; people do want to pay for convenience and quality. Film consumption is moving from ownership (physical medium) to access (download),” he explained.
MUBI will offer unlimited 30-day subscriptions for $19.95, as well as individual shorts ($1.75) and features ($6.25) and some free content – including Ki-young Kim’s The Housemaid and Metin Erksan’s Dry Summer, as well as MUBI’s first theatrical/on-demand simultaneous release, the Mexican film Revolucion.
The future for independent films, said Cakarel, is word of mouth and online social networks; MUBI is linked to Facebook allowing users to discover and consume content they might not have heard about otherwise.
