Videomart's Blockbuster Weekend: A Resounding Success at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival
Jan. 20 2024, Published 9:09 p.m. ET
A new streaming on-demand platform, Videomart launched at The Sundance Film Festival to great applause from Independent Filmmakers and Film lovers everywhere. Videomart reimagines the video-on-demand sphere, leveraging blockchain technology.
Think NETFLIX on eBay. Unlike traditional streaming platforms, Videomart creates a two-way avenue: empowering users and offering unprecedented transparency to creators. Here, users can buy, sell, and transfer digital movies, metamorphosing them into direct business partners. Simultaneously, creators receive unparalleled data transparency, direct fan access, and an enticing profit-sharing model. It’s an evolution from mere viewership to active marketplace participation.
Videomart stands distinctively apart from conventional VOD models like SVOD, AVOD, and TVOD. Imagine purchasing a digital movie, akin to Amazon, but with the freedom to resell it. Or, envisage curating collector-worthy content with added extras. For creators, it's an avenue to host live streams or ticketed IRL events.
The game-changer? Transforming word-of-mouth into a tangible asset. Every new user brought in through an affiliate link generates a 20% commission for the referrer. With an easy sign-up, Videomart is ushering in a revolutionary change in entertainment engagement.
Videomart is expected to cause quite a ripple in the film industry with its mission. The successful weekend at Sundance resonates beyond the festival grounds, signaling a shift in how films are distributed and consumed. They understand the struggle many independent filmmakers face in the digital age. Knowing where and how they want to distribute their project is a challenge for many. Videomart’s goal is to provide these independent films with their distribution home.
Co-founders Fernando Ferro, Ivón Rodriguez, and Moisés Zamora take tremendous pride in their Latino roots, and with that, one primary goal they had for Videomart was to help not only independent filmmakers but specifically Latin filmmakers who don’t get the same opportunity that others in the film industry might.
“We often find ourselves demanding a seat at the table. With Videomart, we’re building our own table,” said showrunner Moisés Zamora. Attendees praised the platform's commitment to transparency, diversity, and empowering filmmakers. This weekend was the first step in helping new creatives launch their business in the hope that people will start to shy away from subscription streaming and once again return to on-demand service.
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One key takeaway from this weekend was their panel in which they showcased Videomart. On January 20th, from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM at The Cabin in Park City, Utah, the innovators took center stage. Many industry intellectuals got to ask hard-hitting questions regarding their new service and the future of digital streaming in general.
The entertainment industry is constantly evolving, putting Videomart ahead of the curve for new and not-yet-established filmmakers. Throughout the panel, Ferro and Zamora discussed the unparalleled blockchain technology used within Videomart that is completely changing the ways of film distribution.
Ferro stated, "A great point of pride for Videomart is the fact that we provide, with complete transparency, all data in respect to the distribution of the film. Who is buying it, where are they buying from, total gross…We wanted our filmmakers to have these tools to continue to grow their careers with all the metrics, and we hope this will lead to a shift of current industry practices.”
In addition, they’ve announced numerous partnerships. These include film distributor Gonella Productions, giving them the right to over 500 short films.
In addition to holding panels for their fellow industry professionals, Moisés Zamora also debuted the long-awaited, uncensored, never-publicly released film "Los Leprosos y El Sexo." The only Western of the Mexican hero, El Santo. The film’s presale launch held great success, attracting national attention in the press, and marking its release as a historic moment in Latino cinema. Digital copies are available for pre-sale on the Videomart website.
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival marked the official launch of Videomart onto the film industry stage, and the platform's successful weekend is a testament to its commitment to industry disruption. By forming strategic partnerships, and providing a platform for diverse voices, Videomart is poised to make a lasting impact on the global filmmaking landscape. The atmosphere of support for Zamora and Ferro’s new business venture was electric this past weekend, and the Sundance Film Festival was the perfect stage to display Videomart’s launch in a new era of film distribution.