In the latest significant move, “The Quiet Maid,” a forthcoming social satire film entirely directly by Spanish filmmaker Miguel Faus, has secured a global sales deal. This deal was signed with FilmSharks, an Ibero-American entertainment company.
It was confirmed at Iberseries, an industry conference hosted last week in Madrid. The film was originally titled “Calladita.” Interestingly, it explores the life of a Colombian maid who navigates the complex dynamics of going to work for a wealthy and possibly deceptive Spanish family in Catalonia.
The Growth From Short Film To Feature-Length Production
Miguel Faus first came into the limelight with a short film that was eventually adopted by streaming service Max after making many rounds in the festival circuit in 2022. Seeing the potential for a highly in-depth narrative, Faus utilized the 15-minute film to unleash a feature-length project. He leveraged non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to raise funds to make the transition financially possible.
The NFTs were sold to investors who mainly were promised behind-the-scenes access to the film’s production. Moreover, by using a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), NFT holders have been offered a level of control over some of the film’s future earnings.
This fundraising strategy proved quite effective, since it raised a production budget of $750,000. CALLADITA is scheduled to make its global debut at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, an event described as one of the world’s 12 A-Class Film Festivals.
When Blockchain Integrates With Traditional Filmmaking
Steven Soderbergh, the famous director behind films like “Ocean’s Eleven,” gave Faus $100,000 in January 2023 to enhance the project further. The financial injection came from an on-chain fund linked to Decentralized Pictures. The fund’s primary aim is to help promising filmmakers who desire to explore non-traditional strategies of film financing.
Nevertheless, while Faus celebrates the technological advancements that enabled him to cross the financial finish line, he warns against conflating the role of blockchain in financing with the artistic quality of any film project. Based on his words, technology can just take a project so far and must not be viewed as a factor that defines its artistic worth.
Movies And NFTs
Contrary to the traditional film financing strategies, the developers of ‘CALLADITA’ turned to non-fungible tokens as a funding source. Renowned filmmakers such as Kevin Smith and Spike Lee have also started using digital collectibles to secure adequate funding and boost audience interaction.
By using NFTs, film projects can produce and sell distinct digital assets to different buyers, including investors, collectors, and film enthusiasts. This strategy transforms the entire traditional movie-going experience. Instead of just buying a ticket, fans can own a digital asset, helping them contribute to the film’s financing directly.
Furthermore, NFTs provide innovative methods for audiences to interact with and claim ownership over their favorite films and movies. For example, a film studio may issue a limited set of non-fungible tokens representing ownership of digital avatars for use in a virtual world linked to the movie. Alternatively, non-fungible tokens may offer fans entry opportunities to special events and distinct experiences linked to the film.
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