In the 1930s, French film advocate Henri Langlois and his peers founded Cinémathèque Française —an archival cinema celebrated for its huge collection of arthouse and classic cinema. Cinémathèque Française has served Parisians for decades and nurtured filmmakers for generations. Other countries have also developed their own film preservation societies and cinematheques have become an integral part of film culture. Fast forward to November 2008, an online cinematheque is born in the form of The Auteurs (www.theauteurs.com). The Palo Alto-based company takes the concept of cinematheque to a new level. Besides streaming some of the best films from around the world over the internet, their handsomely-designed homepage also acts as a social-networking site, online magazine and forum for film buffs. We talk with Danny Kasman, the editor of The Auteurs’ online magazine Notebook, about The Auteurs and its global vision:
Film Monitor: I read about how Efe Cakarel, the founder and CEO of The Auteurs, came up with the idea of The Auteurs when he realized there was no way he could watch In The Mood For Love through the internet on his laptop. Could you describe the vision behind The Auteurs?
Danny Kasman: The vision behind The Auteurs is to create a global hub for the best of world cinema. This means a place where not only can one discover and watch the best independent, foreign, and classic films, but read intelligent international film criticism, and engage in passionate discussion with film lovers spread around the world. It’s about showing the best movies, connecting them to the people who love them, and then connecting those people to others just like them.
FM: So The Auteurs is like a social networking site for film buffs.
DK: We like to think of ourselves as an online cinematheque. A place not where you don’t just pick a movie, watch it, and be done with it, but a place where the discussion starts before the movie and continues after it. You are right on the money—a movie theater and social network for film lovers. Going to the movies used to be a social activity, something you shared not only with your friends but with an audience. Now with the popularity of DVDs, it is becoming more and more a sheltered experience. We want to utilize the social quality of the online world and invest it back in the movies. You don’t just watch a movie; you read about movies, you talk about movies, you meet other people who like movies, you might even make your own movie. We are providing the space to do that, to share the cinematic experience, and to share your love for cinema.
FM: How many films are currently available for the viewers in the United States?
DK: The Auteurs is a global online movie theater, which means we show a variety of movies in a great number of countries. Some films are available in some places and not others due to the difficulty in obtaining rights to show everything we want everywhere in the world. Currently, we are showing 83 films in the US and we keep adding more films to our line-up! We are showing movies in nearly every country in the world, so there’s something for everyone.
FM: How did the partnership between The Auteurs and Criterion Collection happen? What about any plans to partner any other film companies?
DK: After meeting Peter Becker, president of Criterion, at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival, we met with him and Jonathan Turrell, Criterion’s CEO, in New York in order to try licensing some films in their fantastic catalog. Instead of licensing a handful of movies, we left the office with a tremendous partnership and a new project: to create and power Criterion’s new website. Criterion is now programming a monthly, rotating online film festival at The Auteurs with films in their library. The Auteurs also has strategic partnerships with Costa Films in Argentina, Celluloid Dreams in France, and Fallon in England. We are always looking for interesting ways to expand our vision of an online cinematheque, and each of these partners has contributed invaluably to this vision.
FM: The Auteurs was present at a few big film festivals in the past year. What was your objective before you attended the festivals and what did you achieve from the experience?
DK: We approach major film festivals from several angles. First and foremost is to discover and acquire the most exciting movies, new and old, to show on our platform around the world. We also extensively cover the film festivals in our online magazine, The Auteurs’ Notebook. Additionally, we are always trying to shake things up and do something fun at each festival: last year at Cannes, for example, we staged a short film competition to challenge young filmmakers to make a movie in a limited time frame with limited hardware; and at the 2008 Telluride Film Festival we hosted online their officially selected short films. Film festival attendees—and those people who are unable to attend film festivals but wish they could—are one of our most important audiences, so our goal is always to do something exciting at the festival for people there, as well as to share with the people at home a part of the festival experience.
FM: Netflix is also streaming part of their catalog from their website, too. How do you see The Auteurs competing with other online movie-rental services?
DK: What Netflix is great for what they want to do: become the online videostore for the US. We think that in the very near future—if we aren’t already there—there will be dozens upon dozens of websites offering thousands upon thousands of movies, and it will simply be too much. We are creating a special place where the content is curated, where quality is preferred over quantity. If using Netflix is akin to walking into a massive videostore, using The Auteurs is a boutique where ever film is carefully thought about and selected, where world renowned programmers curate our library into interesting online film festivals, and where every single film is not just one item among thousands but something we known is special unto itself. Part of our mission is to make available online films that have been seen as too risky, financially or artistically, to release through traditional and conservative arms of distribution. In addition, The Auteurs is global: we are showing films around the world, and our audience is not limited to the United States.
FM: What are some of the possible features we can expect from The Auteurs in the near future?
DK: Part of the fun of The Auteurs experience is how we are organically evolving the site based on the needs and interests of our audiences. We certainly have exciting things in development. We can’t say too much at the moment, but we just started offering subscription service as an option for users, and will be re-vamping and re-launching key aspects of the site in the near future. Keep an eye towards Cannes to see what we’ve been up to!
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