Babelgum Premieres New Doc

LOS ANGELES/LONDON: The online TV service Babelgum is premiereing the environmental documentary Downstream as it enters the U.S. market this week with a tailored version of its mobile video application and a redesigned Flash-based website.

The documentary, from filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, was shortlisted for an Oscar in 2008. It is hosted on Babelgum’s dedicated channel for nature and the environment, Our Earth. One of the producers on the film, about oil operations in Alberta, Canada, is Mark Cranwell, the director of content at Babelgum. “Downstream is our first original production that serves as an example for future programming and complements our library of licensed programs. It is also our first effort to demonstrate the initial and ongoing value of programs released first, and exclusively, on the Internet, whether it be by mobile or the pc or both. We have a powerful and moving film, together with short clips and a full length feature film also on the way. We hope our film will raise the awareness of what is happening in Northern Alberta.”