FanForce TV Streaming Platform Launches

FanForce has rolled out FanForce TV, a new streaming platform focused on driving community-led viewing and discussion of cinema online amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A theatrical film distributor founded in Australia and now operating in 37 countries, FanForce is bringing the shared experience of the cinema to living rooms around the world via a pay-per-view model with live-streamed Q&As and live chat, enabling global audiences to connect to discuss films with those in their community and expert panelists. The platform has launched with a number of films, including the 2020 Oscar winner Parasite, as well as Australian documentaries such as Maya Newell’s In My Blood it Runs and Damon Gameau’s inspirational climate change doc 2040. Michal Kondrat’s docudrama Love and Mercy: Faustina, from Sonovision in Poland, and Fat Fiction, from WideEye Films in Seattle, have also joined the platform.

The platform’s features include Home Premieres, which allows organizations, schools and businesses to host their own screenings and discussions. It also introduces a feature called the Affiliate Program, which enables customers to get paid cash and receive free views for recommending a film. Those who join the program receive a unique link to recommend a film or Home Premiere they like to their friends. If someone purchases a ticket via that link, the affiliate receives a cash reward.

Danny Lachevre, FanForce founder, said: “Community has always been at the heart of what we do at FanForce with our cinema-on-demand releases, but with the arrival of the coronavirus, we were forced to reschedule over 250 cinema screenings with Q&As across 37 countries. So, we moved them online instead and rallied the directors and panelists to live stream their scheduled Q&As and take questions from the audience via live chat. We’re hoping it will bring together audiences in a more intimate way than traditional streaming and video-on-demand platforms, especially those who are really feeling the absence of the unique shared experience of going to the cinema to promote discussion and a sense of community.”

Jennifer Isenhart, the director of Fat Fiction, said: “Our film Fat Fiction has close ties to a number of groups all aiming to raise awareness and discussion about healthier approaches to diet. FanForce TV enables us, as American filmmakers, to reach a global audience easily with scheduled premiere events around the world. Our events scheduled for the U.S., Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand feature live stream Q&As with some of the world’s most respected experts in diet and health. This helps us to make a big impact.”

Desh Amila, the producer of Islam and The Future of Tolerance, said: “While audiences can still simply purchase a pay-per-view screening of films on FanForce TV, these premiere events enable us to talk to our community from the comfort of their homes. In such uncertain times, this is an absolute must for any producer looking to release their film at scale.”

Sonovision CEO Konrad Sosnowski said: “Our film Love and Mercy: Faustina was planned to run in cinemas in multiple territories and was cut short by the virus. With FanForce TV, we are now able to reach audiences globally and continue to have communities organize their own screenings. It’s a great, unique way to get films out.”