Pijama Aims to Globalize Indie Film Distribution
▼ Summary
– Pijama is a new VOD streaming service created by filmmakers Juan de Dios and Pablo Larraín to help independent films reach audiences after festival debuts.
– It addresses a distribution crisis by charging filmmakers a flat $100 fee to host and stream their films for up to two years.
– Filmmakers set their own rental price ($3.99-$9.99) and receive 80% of the revenue after costs and taxes, while also getting access to viewing metrics.
– The service aims to democratize access, as 80% of films never get traditional distribution, preventing festival audiences from seeing them.
– Pijama’s launch follows similar platforms like Letterboxd’s Video Store, representing a potential new model for supporting indie filmmaking.
A new streaming platform is tackling one of the film industry’s most persistent challenges: the vast number of independent movies that premiere at festivals but never find a wider audience. Pijama, a video-on-demand service founded by acclaimed filmmaker brothers Juan de Dios and Pablo Larraín, offers a novel solution by providing a direct, low-cost path to global distribution for creators. For a one-time fee of just $100, the service will host, encode, and stream a film on its platform for up to two years, bypassing the traditional gatekeepers of studios and distributors.
The Larraín brothers, known for award-winning films like Spencer and Jackie, launched Pijama to democratize access. They aim to dismantle the “traditional distribution barriers” that leave many films unseen. In a statement, they highlighted a stark reality, noting that an estimated eighty percent of films never secure any distribution deal. They see a cultural crisis emerging from the decline of physical media and the narrow commercial focus of the current market. “We ask ourselves how audiences can see most of the films that played festivals like Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Venice, and Toronto last year when, in most cases, it simply isn’t possible,” they explained.
On Pijama, filmmakers retain significant control. They set their own rental price, which can range from $3.99 to $9.99. Viewers who rent a film then have a flexible “72-hour viewing window over 30 days” to watch it. Crucially, the revenue model is designed to favor the creators. After accounting for transactional costs and taxes, a full eighty percent of the revenue from each rental is paid directly to the rights holders, which include producers, sales agents, and distributors.
The platform also provides filmmakers with valuable tools on its backend. Creators can access viewing metrics and analytics, allowing them to understand their audience. They also have the ability to design and implement their own online marketing campaigns to help drive visibility for their work in a crowded digital landscape.
Pijama’s arrival follows closely on the heels of other new initiatives aimed at indie film distribution, such as Letterboxd’s recently launched Video Store. This trend suggests a growing recognition of the need for alternative models that serve both creators and niche audiences. If these platforms gain traction, they could represent a significant shift, offering a sustainable avenue for films that otherwise might vanish. For viewers eager to explore this new catalog of global independent cinema, the Pijama app is available for download on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV devices.
(Source: The Verge)
