The movie industry has been battered by the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak. Streaming now ensures audiences can still see films, while securing much-needed revenue for theaters.
To aid independent films, a new exhibition service, Kino Marquee, has debuted online, reports The Wrap. It’s a partnership between art house theaters nationwide and Kino Lorber, an indie distributor.
The initial screener is the Brazilian film “Bacura,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes last year. Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles, it stars Sônia Braga and Udo Kier. IMDb describes the movie as: “After the death of her grandmother, Teresa comes home to her matriarchal village in a near-future Brazil to find a succession of sinister events that mobilizes all of its residents.”
For the 60 theaters previously signed to screen the film, Kino Marquee will provide digital releases. The company will continue the program until theaters are allowed to re-open.
Going forward, films will be booked from Fridays to Thursdays and will stream during a set rental period. But to access the films, users must utilize the website of a local art house theater. Movies that perform well will be held over virtually, with revenue shared by the exhibitor and distributor.
To date, the participating theaters include: Film at Lincoln Center (New York, NY), BAM (Brooklyn, NY), Jacob Burns Film Center (Pleasantville, NY), The Little Theatre (Rochester, NY), Santa Barbara International Film Festival Riviera Theatre (Santa Barbara, CA), The Frida Cinema (Santa Ana, CA), Denver Film/Sie Film Center (Denver, CO), Belcourt Theater (Nashville, TN), Loft Cinema (Tucson, AZ), Austin Film Society (Austin, TX), Wexner Center for the Arts (Columbus, OH) and Aperture Cinema (Winston Salem, NC).
“As a company whose mantra has always been ‘experience cinema,’ we’re keen to help our exhibition partners maintain their visibility and value in launching the whole media career of the carefully curated films we all care so much about,” Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber stated.
Photo credit: Film at Lincoln Center