In the run to the Berlin Film Festival, MovieChainer, the cloud-based app allowing right-holders to model and track the legal and financial structure of their film projects, has added German sales powerhouse The Match Factory and France’s Memento Film Distribution, to its client roster.
Created by the Paris-based production banner Backup Films in 2014, MovieChainer also caters to TF1 Group, MK2, Bankside Films, Memento International, Charades, as well as Superights, Fintage and Endemol Shine.
A prominent sales banner which boasted six films, including Fatih Akin’s “Golden Glove” (pictured) at last year’s Berlinale, The Match Factory will be MovieChainer’s first client out of Germany. Memento Film Distribution, meanwhile, will be the service’s first member focusing on theatrical distribution.
The app improves filmmakers, producers, sales agents and distributors’ ability to perform quick and accurate revenue simulations and keep track of their revenue shares throughout the commercial life of their films.
As the structure of deals becomes more complex, notably with the arrival of streaming services, MovieChainer has proven highly useful for many companies in the film and TV world.
“More than ever believe that the content industries will increasingly look into for tools to achieve transparency and efficiency towards their rights-holders,” said Baptiste Babin, co-founder of MovieChainer, who also co-founded Backup Films and ran the animation studio Millimages for several years. “It’s not so much a matter of personal ethics than a sheer necessity to be competitive and attract talents,” added Babin.
MovieChainer has also been recently expanding its scope and has diversified its services portofolio. Last month, for instance, the company signed up Polygram Entertainment, the Universal Music Group-owned music film producer and distributor.
“Exporting our service abroad has always been one of our top priorities. We are really proud to be trusted by Polygram Entertainment and The Match Factory,” said Clement Baerd, the business developer for MovieChainer. “We believe it is a new dynamic for MovieChainer and are willing to set up other flagships in strategic places.”
MovieChainer has also raised debt with the French State-baked IFCIC (Financing Institute of Cinema and Cultural Industries) in order to broaden its canvas, bolster its team and increase its commercial prospects.
“As we have always been partnering up with TV and film producers, we believe it is essential to open new services and broaden our offer to help content structures manage their rights.” said Philippine Roy, the sales manager for MovieChainer.