In a landmark move, “The quiet girl”, an upcoming social satire film directed by Spanish filmmaker Miguel Faus, has secured a global sales deal. The deal was made with FilmSharks, an Ibero-American entertainment company. It was announced at Iberseries, an industry conference held in Madrid this week. Originally titled ‘Calladita’, the film explores the life of a Colombian maid who navigates the complex dynamics of working for a wealthy and potentially deceitful Spanish family in Catalonia.
The evolution from short film to feature film production
Miguel Faus first caught the industry’s attention with a short film that was subsequently picked up by streaming service Max after making the rounds on the festival circuit last year. Recognizing the potential for a deeper story, Faus used the 15-minute film to launch a feature film project. To make this transition financially possible, he turned to NFTs to raise money.
These non-fungible tokens were sold to investors who were promised behind-the-scenes access to the film’s production. Additionally, the NFT holders have been given a degree of control over a portion of the film’s future revenue through a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). This fundraising method proved very effective, as it generated a production budget of $750,000. CALLADITA is scheduled to make its worldwide debut on the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festivalan event that has the distinction of being one of the twelve A-Class Film Festivals in the world.
When Blockchain Meets Traditional Filmmaking
To further solidify the project, Steven Soderbergh, the renowned director behind films like “Ocean’s Eleven,” gave Faus $100,000 in January of this year. This financial injection came from an on-chain fund associated with Decentralized Pictures. The aim of the fund is to help promising filmmakers who want to explore non-traditional methods of film financing.
While Faus celebrates the technological advances that helped him cross the financial finish line, he cautions against confusing blockchain’s role in financing with a film’s artistic quality. In his words, technology can only take a project so far and should not be seen as a factor determining its artistic value.
NFTs and movies
Unlike conventional film financing methods, the makers of “Calladita” turned to NFTs as a source of financing. Well-known filmmakers such as Spike Lee and Kevin Smith have also started using digital collectibles to secure financing and increase audience interaction.
Using NFTs, film projects can produce and sell unique digital assets to a range of buyers, including collectors, investors and film enthusiasts. This approach transforms the traditional movie experience. Instead of just purchasing a ticket, fans can acquire a digital asset that will directly help fund the film.
Additionally, NFTs provide innovative opportunities for audiences to interact with and claim ownership of their favorite films. For example, a movie studio could issue a limited series of NFTs that indicate ownership of digital avatars for use in a virtual world associated with the movie. Alternatively, NFTs can give fans access to special events or unique experiences related to the film.