Picl – the online screening room for independent cinemas
Picl is the new online screening room, exclusively for independent film theaters in the Netherlands. It enables cinemas to offer their local audiences the newest premiere films as Video on Demand for home viewing in their very own online screening room, embedded on their websites.
Picl makes the digital market accessible to cinemas for the very first time. It is a “non-disruptive” but innovative approach that connects the value of theatrical and digital distribution in a natural way by the use of digital technology and is open to ALL rightsholders. Because of its ‘cross-sector’ character, it’s the most efficient way for independent films to reach an audience. Day & Date releases are now also interesting for cinema owners. Because they offer the same films in their physical theater as well as on demand, they profit as well.
This goes hand in hand with our other objective to find a larger and more diverse audience for European arthousefilms and documentaries, as these films can now be offered both off- and online at THE most natural, strong and trusted platform existing for these films: the independent cinema.
Independent cinemas with their culturally divers programming are the flagship platform and natural homes of (Dutch) documantaries and arthouse films. They’re still the place where most of the arthouse films develop a life and gain cultural and economical value. However, more and more European arthouse films and documentaries are having a hard time finding an audience. An overabundance of titles available in the market increases the competition for the limited awareness of audiences.
And although we believe in the unsurpassed cinema experience of the big screen, there’s no doubt that the rise of the digital market and online availability of films has a significant impact on the entire value chain for films, including the cinemas. Cinemas can play a key role in unlocking independent films and documentaries for a loyal and well-targeted audience.
The competition of films in cinemas is big and once they leave the cinema, they have to compete with the overabundance of content on the large VOD platforms. IF they get a VOD release at all. Instead of creating yet another VOD platform trying to reach a new audience, we give the cinemas a tool to bring the best films straight to their core target groups. Filmthuis offers these films a real, high profile chance for an audience and by doing so, strengthen the position of the cinemas by offering them an innovative online tool, which is a natural extension to their existing value chain.
International partners of Picl:
Kino on Demand (Germany)
La Toile (France)
Nettkino (Norway)
Picl is a project of Stichting Nederlandse Filmpromotie, initiated by Herrie Film & TV.