After setting up Europe's first support scheme to help independent theatres back in March (read news), Göteborg Film Festival’s VoD service Draken Film has announced it is launching an initiative to boost independent cinema and refresh existing business models.

The initiative is intended to coax audiences back into theatres in a unique collaboration with the country’s cinemas, as they prepare to re-open after months-long closures. Starting 19 August, Draken Film subscribers will have access to opening weekend screenings of a hand-picked selection of new releases as part of their monthly subscription.

Several titles will be included every month, starting with Jessica Hausner’s Little Joe [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Jessica Hausner
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intervista: Jorunn Myklebust Syversen
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"We are in a crucial position for the film industry as we know it," says Göteborg Film Festival's artistic director Jonas Holmberg. "That means we have to dare to rethink traditional distribution models and the relationship between streaming and theatrical. We are convinced that cooperation will be key in the future, especially for arthouse cinema, which for several years has struggled in the Swedish market. With a cross-window subscription model, we want to encourage the audience to return to the cinemas again in a safe way, and also to see really good films."

The selection of current theatrical releases is made by the festival's and VoD platform's combined programming teams. Subscribers will have access to opening weekend screenings in local cinemas across the country, from Malmö in the South, to Luleå up North. The idea is to incite cinema-goers to attend screenings more often and to encourage risk-taking in their choice of films, whilst securing some important income for cinemas during the challenging months ahead. Sweden’s top arthouse distributors, such as Nonstop Entertainment and Folkets Bio, and an initial number of thirty cinemas, are currently signed up to the initiative.

Other theatrical titles included in the initiative so far are Swedish documentary Meanwhile on Earth [+leggi anche:
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