Los Angeles, May 2nd, 2023 – Jordan Bayne, founder of the Web3 native studio The Squad and leader of the Film3 movement, is thrilled to announce the MetaCannes Film3 Festival, in collaboration with the leading video and entertainment blockchain Theta Network. The festival will launch on May 16th, 2023, during the legendary Cannes Film Festival, and will run through May 29th.
Theta Network will power the entire video and streaming experience using its patented studio-level NFT-based digital rights management (DRM). In contrast to traditional content distribution, NFT-based DRM will grant transparent and irrevocable on-chain proof for users to access specific on-demand video and live-streaming content.
The METACANNES Streaming Pass will be available for sale on May 2nd on Theta Drop, Theta Network’s native NFT Marketplace. The Squad community on Ethereum will be airdropped the METACANNES Streaming Pass to access the Netflix-style pop-up event.
The METACANNES Streaming Pass will include 14 days of access to the highly curated library of short films, and a Special Screening of the historic BAFTA and Oscar-winning short The Irish Goodbye, with many of these films exclusively available for the MetaCannes Film3 Festival. The panels and Q&A will remain available on Theta’s video portal for any holder of the METACANNES Streaming Pass even after the event.
The MetaCannes Film3 Festival will feature the top leaders in the Film3 media and entertainment industries. Oscar winners Phil McKenzie and Nick Sadler, distinguished actors and directors including Jonathan Keltz, Julie Pacino, and Miguel Faus, will examine the crucial innovation in Web3 in trendsetting panel talks and showcasing exclusive films.
The MetaCannes Film3 Festival will present 25 hours of Q&As, panels, films, and short films native to the Film3 movement or made within the traditional industry to expose those filmmakers to this innovative new pathway to sustainable filmmaking careers. In addition to the leaders above, industry pioneers like Moises Zamora, Sarah Cole, Stephen Murray, and Haz Dulull will discuss:
- The Future of Distribution in Film3
- Marketing: Film3 Is the Product
- Financing in Film3
- Bridging Film3 and Legacy Hollywood
- Unreal and AI Disruption
- Creator Led Communities as Studios
This library of films and panel discussions will be available from May 16th to May 29th to holders of the METACANNES Streaming Pass, which will be for sale up until May 28th
The MetaCannes Film3 Festival has received support from several companies within the Film3 movement, including Oscar Winner Studios First Flights and Goldfinch Entertainment, Keepers of the Inn, and Bingeable, as well as allies such as Film3 Summit, Future of Cinema, Next Wave Studio, and OnCyber.
In early May, The Squad and Theta Labs will give anyone a chance to interact and network with their favorite creator on the virtual MetaCannes Yacht, created on OnCyber. Holders of the streaming pass will be able to watch the exclusive films curated library on the upper-level deck of the Yacht.
Jordan Bayne, the founder of The Squad said, “The Film3 movement is aimed at transforming the film industry by proving that creator-led, engaged communities can operate as mini studios producing content for built-in audiences, which in the end bypasses gatekeepers, creating more opportunity for underrepresented voices and their respective cultures. Those underrepresented communities are powerful. Community is the utility, and Film3 is the product, the result is an innovative way to move the needle forward for a better future for all filmmakers.”
“This partnership comes at a crucial time for the film industry, as it embraces Web3 and next-generation creator-centric models,” said Mitch Liu, co-founder and CEO of Theta Labs. “The MetaCannes Film3 Festival is the perfect opportunity to showcase Theta’s patented digital rights technology for decentralized video and live streaming. With token-gated digital rights management, we can offer a solution that empowers filmmakers and event organizers to reach a global audience like never before. We are also providing a secure, transparent, and efficient platform to connect creators and users.”
“Bingeable is thrilled to be a founding sponsor of the MetaCannes Film3 Festival. We are committed to reinventing the way films are made, marketed, and sold, and this unique festival, powered by our friends at Theta, will serve to show the world how creators and communities are going to change the entertainment industry forever,” said Stephen Murray, Founder and Co-CEO of Bingeable.
Julie Pacino, Founder of Keepers of the Inn — the first feature film fully funded by NFTs — added “MetaCannes Film3 Festival and The Squad furthers Keepers commitment to championing creative opportunities for underrepresented voices, particularly Women and LGBTQIA+ communities within our industry.”
The MetaCannes Film3 Festival is the latest initiative in The Squad’s mission to promote Film3 as the Next Wave of Cinema. The Film3 movement, pioneered by Bayne and other innovators in the space in February 2021, promises a better, more equitable future for filmmakers, to fight systemic discrimination within the industry and offer a new pathway for creatives to build sustainable careers. The live event during the Cannes Film Festival will mark the firm stance of Web3 in the film industry and celebrate a new wave of innovation.
About Jordan Bayne
Jordan Bayne is an award-winning filmmaker and founder of The Squad, the original media collective producing content on Web3 x film, the originators of the Film3 movement, and the premier destination for those building the new Film3 ecosystem. Her short film THE SEA IS ALL I KNOW starring Academy Award Winner Melissa Leo was an Oscar contender, and her historic short motion picture RED FLAGS was minted on Zora in January 2022 and collected by the iconic Claire Silver. She has always been passionate about building a better future for filmmakers and has spoken on over 500 spaces/panels/interviews on Film3 as the Next Wave of Cinema. She is also the founder of MetaCannes Film3 Festival, co-founder of the Film3 Summit, and is launching her new Podcast, The Film3OG and the Next Wave of Cinema in May 2023.
About Theta Labs
Theta Labs pioneered Theta Network, the next-generation video and entertainment blockchain, and ThetaDrop NFT marketplace in partnership with Katy Perry, ABS-CBN, WPT, Jukin Media, Fuse Media and others aiming to disrupt the digital collectibles industry. Theta’s Web3 infrastructure enables media and entertainment companies to drive incremental revenues, user engagement and new Web3 business models. Theta Video API is a turn-key decentralized video API for developers offering significantly lower video transcoding, storage and content delivery costs.
Theta’s enterprise validator and governance council is led by global leaders including Google, Samsung, Sony, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Binance, Blockchain Ventures, DHVC, and gumi. Theta leverages its user base of millions of viewers on THETA.tv to seed its peer-to-peer video network along with premium content partnerships with Lionsgate, MGM Studios, NASA, and others. Popular video platforms integrated with Theta infrastructure include CONtv Anime, World Poker Tour, Cinedigm, Samsung VR, GameTalkTalk, GFUEL, and other OTT media, entertainment, and live streaming services. Strategic corporate investors include Samsung NEXT, Sony Innovation Fund, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI), Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and Silicon Valley VCs including DCM and Sierra Ventures. Learn more at www.thetalabs.org