CANNES, FRANCE – June 3rd, 2024 – The Squad, in collaboration with Theta Network, has successfully held the MetaCannes Film3 Festival, which took place May 12 through May 25, 2024. The 2024 edition of the event provided a blockchain-based, video on-demand film festival experience with world premieres, empowerment-focused content and live streaming (a first for 2024).
Event Highlights:
Community and Inclusion: MetaCannes continues to support underrepresented voices in the film industry, providing a platform for women and LGBTQIA+ communities to share their narratives and experiences. Sian Morson, founder of The BlkChain, curated one Short Film Block to celebrate the diversity of BIPOC voices in the festival lineup.
Women-Focused Content: MetaCannes also hosted a curated feed sponsored by Herflix, a leading streaming platform for movies, about, for, and by women. Herflix also hosted the Better World Foundation gala as part of the main Cannes lineup, with attendance from celebrated actress Juliette Binoche, virtuoso pianist Lang Lang, singer-songwriter Joyce Jonathan, and several members of European royalty.
Industry-Recognized Host: The Herflix gala was hosted by Swan Sit, dubbed the “Queen of Clubhouse” by Forbes. A top creator in marketing, Swan previously served as the Global Head of Digital Marketing at Nike, Estée Lauder, and Revlon.
Awards: Last year, the Best of Fest Award went to the BAFTA and Oscar winner AN IRISH GOODBYE, this year, The Squad introduced the Next Wave of Cinema Awards, the Grand Jury Golden Wave Award went to FREE FALL and Special Jury Prize AI Cinema to FALLING FROM GRACE.
AI Cinema: AI took the central stage as an essential element of Film3. This marked the second year MetaCannes curated AI Cinema, solidifying its commitment to innovation and inclusivity. This year, MetaCannes introduced MetaCannesNEXT, a new segment dedicated to AI Cinema, showcasing how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing filmmaking. This initiative follows the trends set by major festivals like Sundance and SXSW, focusing on new forms of storytelling and distribution technology.
Exclusive Screenings: Attendees enjoyed award-winning short films such as The Last Ranger, and The Anne Frank Gift Shop, starring notable actors like Ari Graynor and Chris Perfetti. The lineup also premiered a new short by Goya Award-nominated filmmaker Rafa Arroyo and works by AI cinema innovators Nicolas Neubert, Dave Clark and an additional world premiere from Chikai Ohazama.
Innovative Technology: Powered by Theta Network’s patented NFT-based digital rights management (DRM), MetaCannes offered a secure and transparent platform, allowing seamless access to film screenings and panel discussions. This technology ensures that filmmakers meet studio digital rights management requirements while offering an added layer of security.
NFT Access: The festival kicked off with the release of two exclusive NFT passes on May 3, 2024. The MetaCannes Film3 Streaming Pass and the prestigious Streaming Gold Pass unlocked access to a curated selection of films and special content, enhancing the viewer’s experience with blockchain technology. Passholders also unlocked exclusive access to creators in a token-gated Discord channel.
Statements from the Organizers:
Jordan Bayne, founder of The Squad, remarked, “At MetaCannes, community is the utility, and Film3 is the product. We are proud to lead the charge in transforming the film industry, making it more inclusive and accessible through technology.”
Mitch Liu, CEO of Theta Labs, added, “Our collaboration with The Squad for MetaCannes 2024 exemplifies our commitment to leveraging blockchain and AI technology to empower filmmakers and audiences worldwide.”
About MetaCannes:
MetaCannes Film3 Festival is the first on-chain, on-demand virtual film festival in the world, pioneering the integration of blockchain technology with cinematic experiences. By hosting a fully virtual festival, MetaCannes reaches a global audience, offering a unique platform for filmmakers and film enthusiasts to engage with cinema in new and innovative ways.
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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 700 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 her Podcast, The Film3 OG and the Next Wave of Cinema is on Spotify and Apple.
About Theta Labs
Theta Labs pioneered Theta Network, the leading blockchain decentralized cloud for AI, media and entertainment. Theta EdgeCloud is the first hybrid cloud-edge computing AI platform, powered by the Theta Edge Network with over 10,000 active global edge nodes and 80 PetaFLOPS of always available distributed GPU compute power. Theta is among the top 10 DePIN blockchains by market capitalization listed on both Coinmarketcap and Coingecko, and among the top AI tokens on Binance.com. Theta EdgeCloud Video is a turn-key Web3 video API for developers offering significantly lower video transcoding and content delivery costs. Theta’s Web3 infrastructure including ThetaDrop NFT marketplace and Theta Web3 Theatre enable entertainment companies to drive new revenues and community engagement.
Backed by Google, Samsung, Sony, Creative Artists Agency, and Binance, Theta’s enterprise validator and governance council is composed of global market leaders. Theta has partnered with leading entertainment brands including Lionsgate, MGM, Katy Perry, American Idol, The Price is Right, Taste of Home, and more. Popular platforms utilizing Theta’s Web3 infrastructure include MetaCannes Film3 Festival, FuseTV, CONtv Anime, WPT, PetCollective, FailArmy, and other OTT streaming services. Theta’s strategic corporate investors include Samsung NEXT, Sony Innovation Fund, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments and CAA.
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For all information about this release, please contact anna.ivanova@eakdigital.com.
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