Streaming has changed the possibilities for film distribution in Australia, opening up a world of new channels for local and independent cinema to find an audience. Now Dendy and Foxtel will be launching a new route to market for Australian and international film content by combining theatrical and premium on demand channels of distribution.
Similar to the Amazon Studios model in the US, the new model aims to achieve a national footprint through a theatrical season at Dendy Cinemas and partnering exhibitors, followed by a near simultaneous premium on demand season on Dendy Direct and Foxtel Store that launches one week after the theatrical release.
The first film released under this model is Kriv Stenders’ AUSTRALIA DAY, hitting cinemas on September 21 and then available one week later ‘Express from Cinema’ in Foxtel Store and on Dendy Direct on September 27.
In the film, which takes place over one day in Brisbane, Sonya (Shari Sebbens) is an Indigenous cop wracked by guilt following the accidental death of young girl in a high-speed chase. She is trying to find the fleeing sister, the 14-year-old April (Miah Madden). 17-year-old Iranian boy Sami (Elias Anton) comes into conflict with violently jingoistic Dean (Sean Patterson) and his mates. Lan (Jenny Wu) is escaping sexual slavery, and Bryan Brown, a cattle farmer who has lost everything, is roped into helping her.
Dendy’s position as both a distributor and a cinema chain has long made this a possibility, and one that other studios may follow in the future. How this will impact on traditional distribution models is yet to be seen, with Palace being one of the other similarly positioned distributors in the country.
