I love movies and I’m very lucky to work in an industry that I genuinely love.
The independent film world is an exciting and fragile industry. It allows for unique stories to be told by bold filmmakers. This adventurousness and ability to surprise us, is why we love indie movies.
Unfortunately film piracy is damaging this fragile ecosystem. It drains the life blood from independent film makers and curbs their will to push boundaries that could raise the bar of film for our generation.
In Peter Pan every time a child utters “I don’t believe in fairies” a little fairy somewhere falls down dead. The phrase “I’ll just download it” has much the same effect on independent film makers.
My fellow contributors have spoken very eloquently about the damage that piracy inflicts on our film industry. 1000’s of people working in the Irish film industry are now in risk of losing their jobs, not to mention the links between film piracy and organised crime gangs.
Piracy is illegal, but the nature of the crime is so detached from reality, it’s quite easy to turn a blind eye to the devastating affects it has on real lives.
The thing is you are being affected.
The loss of revenue caused by piracy has resulted in studios and production houses making less adventurous choices when it comes to films – just think of the prequels, sequels and remakes released in cinemas this year.
So what are we in the film industry going to do to tackle this problem?
If you want to see the upcoming release of ‘JOE’ starring Nicholas Cage (on a good day), usually a trip to your local cinema is on the cards, that is if your local cinema is actually playing the latest independent cinema release. For those Independent film fans that do not live close to Dublin the reality is that you will more than likely have to wait until the DVD release to watch this film.
As a film fan myself I can empathise with frustrated audiences who have anticipated watching a movie and because of location are forced to wait for the DVD release. The fact is the only other option was just a click away. This drives people, who would rather support independent film, to source an illegal copy online.
Finally there is another option for you!
An option that enables film lovers to legally access cinema releases from home and by doing so contribute to the generation of quality independent film.
Many Independent film distributors are now trialling ‘Day & Date’ release strategies. This means films like ‘JOE ‘are now available through online video-on-demand platforms, such as Volta.ie , on the same date they’re released in Cinemas. Now you can watch the film on demand at home while it also plays in National Cinemas.
This won’t stop everyone from illegally downloading, but it will give real film lovers an opportunity to watch a new release legally, safely and at the best quality it can be from the comfort of their own home.
As a film lover what can you personally do sustain our excellent film industry?
Go watch an Indie film in your local Cinemas or on VOD. This tells the industry and cinema owners to make/play more Indie films.
By doing this you are creating physical and financial evidence that independent film has value. This will not go unnoticed.
Your next favourite movie, the one that will stop you in your track’s or even that movie you are planning on making yourself, may not have a place to be seen, or may never even get made if we continue hurting the value of independent films.
Nobody wants to hear about the best film that was never made! Support Moments worth paying for and spread the word.
For more information on Volta and our upcoming Day & Date releases click here- http://www.volta.ie
