19/05/2010

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has announced at Cannes a partnership with leading online film library MUBI, to bring to popular gaming platform PlayStation3 (PS3) a new world cinema service.

Available from autumn 2010, MUBI will be a free, downloadable application that gives PS3 users in UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Iberia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Nordic countries, Australia and New Zealand access to around 500 films. This will include Agnès Varda's entire body of work and everything from Audiard to Zeffirelli.

There will be free-to-watch movies alongside pay-per-view films that users can rent for a week as well as an all-you-can-watch monthly subscription. The key rights holders whose libraries form the basis of the MUBI catalogue are Celluloid Dreams, Criterion Collection, Costa Films (Latin America), Artificial Eye (UK), Bac Films (France), Cinéart (Belgium and Netherlands), Hopscotch (Australia) and the World Cinema Foundation, which was founded by Martin Scorsese. MUBI founder Efe Çakarel said, “MUBI is the fastest growing online destination for lovers of independent, foreign and classic film - and it is amazing how many people that covers! Our partnership with PlayStation brings online cinema to TV screens in homes around the world giving PlayStation owners a whole new world of entertainment to explore.”

Celluloid Dreams and MUBI Europe President Hengameh Panahi said, “MUBI provides a unique opportunity that allows filmmakers to deliver content directly to their audience. What this means for content providers like Celluloid Dreams is that we can take risks on films that might not otherwise find an outlet, knowing that we have this new distribution channel in place.”