Change is constant. The seasons come and go; the waters ebb and flow; and the stars traverse the night sky. That being said, the spate of changes engulfing the cinematic realm takes some serious ‘getting used to’. Do you remember the bygone days of VHS cassettes or 35mm cameras? Do you get nostalgic when you see your once prized DVD collection gathering dust in some god-forsaken nook of the basement? It’s hard to fathom that so much has changed in both the production and dissemination of the moving image over just the last ten years. It is against this backdrop that more and more films are embracing the omnipresence of the Internet. The shifting power dynamics within the film industry will certainly have far reaching consequences as the studio systems give way to the new order.
Acclaimed Indian stoner film M Cream has now been released online worldwide and is available to buy/rent on VHX, a film distribution platform that is fast gaining popularity with independent filmmakers. The film follows the exploits of four friends who set out on a road trip to the Himalayas in pursuit of a mythic drug. The film was screened at over 30 International film festivals and won 10 awards including the Best Feature Film Award at the Rhode Island Film Festival and a Platinum Remi at WorldFest-Houston. M Cream has now been made available online following a theatrical run in India this past July. “The digital age has completely changed film and filmmaking. Purists bemoan the demise of celluloid but I feel that it’s empowered so many of us to tell the stories that we want to tell”, commented Agneya Singh, writer/director of M Cream.
( A still from M Cream)
VHX was founded in 2010 by Jamie Wilkinson and Casey Pugh. According to the mission statement, “VHX provides a comprehensive technology for businesses to create custom video experiences across all major platforms and connected devices.” They certainly have an impressive roster of films and filmmakers including Kevin Spacey’s NOW, Aziz Ansari’s Dangerously Delicious and the HBO documentary Foo Fighters by Dave Grohl. As theatrical audiences dwindle, initiatives like VHX stand poised to redefine the cinematic experience as we know it. Certainly the advent of Netflix took everyone by surprise as it evolved from a once modest DVD rental store into a multi-million dollar global enterprise. As we hurl headlong into the uncertain future, we can be rest assured about one thing; this is just the tip of the iceberg.
“Digital distribution has completely altered the film and music industries. We’re thrilled to finally be able to share M Cream with friends and fans across the globe. It’s almost surreal to contemplate that your work can today be accessed by just about anybody with an Internet connection anywhere in the world. The possibilities are endless…” quips Singh. It really does appear that in light of falling production costs coupled with ingenious crowd funding platforms (such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo and Wishberry) and alongside novel distribution avenues (such as Netflix, VHX and Youtube), the monopoly on cinema will soon be yanked away from the legacy studios only to be replaced by a more equitable and hip way forward.
M Cream is available to BUY/RENT online worldwide at: https://mcream.vhx.tv/