The Oldenburg International Film Festival, known for its comprehensive coverage of the global movie scene since its inception in 1994, has announced its plans to enter the metaverse as part of its 30th-anniversary celebrations.
In a pioneering move, Oldenburg has partnered with the metaverse platform MILC and the film critics’ site The Film Verdict, becoming one of the first international film festivals to venture into the virtual realm.
By embracing the virtual festival format, Oldenburg aims to provide filmmakers from around the world with a platform to premiere their works, breaking free from the constraints of traditional digital distribution channels.
Torsten Neumann, the founder and festival director of Oldenburg, explained that the festival’s decision to explore new and innovative formats was influenced by the world’s shift into digital isolation in 2020. He believes that this foray into the metaverse has the potential to offer fresh perspectives and support, particularly for independent films.
Earlier this year, MILC and The Film Verdict collaborated to launch the Alpha Film Festival, the first-ever film festival exclusive to the metaverse.
Beyond the film festival, MILC also operates a blockchain-based multimedia marketplace that facilitates the trading of licenses for various forms of professional content, including movies, streaming, television, music, art, and more.
The film industry has been increasingly embracing Web3 technologies. In April 2022, “KillRoy Was Here” became the first film to be minted as an NFT (non-fungible token), with a 5,555-piece generative art NFT collection released on Secret Network’s Legendao. In May 2022, Studio Pictures and director James Newton launched an NFT collection for “A God Amongst Men,” a film based on Muhammad Ali’s visit to Tyneside in 1977.
Most recently, Aventus partnered with the rightsholders of “The Wolf of Wall Street” to commemorate the film’s tenth anniversary through the creation of NFTs.
