Powerhouse New SVOD Film Streaming Platform Ovid.TV Launches March 22

Missing Fandor? Missing Filmstruck? Can’t find high-quality, independent feature films on Netfilx? Where are all the hard-hitting docs on issues you care about?

New York(22 Mar 2019)

Today marks the official launch date of Ovid.TV, an unprecedented collaborative effort amongst eight of the most noteworthy independent film distributors in the U.S., who have come together to support the innovative new subscription video-on-demand service, Ovid.TV.
 
In the face of the paradox of booming SVOD companies (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu) spending millions at festivals like Sundance, yet diminishing space and falling revenues for most independent documentaries and feature films, it has become apparent that despite the odds and with little capital, those smaller companies long dedicated to championing alternatives would need to step forward and claim a new, dedicated space for themselves, their films, and their audiences.

Beginning Friday, March 22, 2019 Ovid.TV will offer more than 350 quality arthouse, documentary, and social issue films from its founding content partners Bullfrog Films, The dGenerate Films Collection, Distrib Films US, First Run Features, Grasshopper Film, Icarus Films, KimStim, and Women Make Movies.

Presenting works by important filmmakers such as Chantal Akerman, John Akomfrah, Patricio Guzman, Heddy Honigmann, Anne Makepeace, Chris Marker, Ross McElwee, Bill Morrison, Jean Rouch, Wang Bing, and Travis Wilkerson, and fiction feature films such as, the mystery I, Anna, starring Charlotte Rampling and Gabriel Byrne; the Japanese horror film Creepy by Kiyoshi Kurosawa; the Tiger Award Winner at last year’s Rotterdam Film Festival, The Widowed Witch, by Cai Chengjie; and Shoehei Imamura’s remarkable (and all too little seen) classic from 1967, A Man Vanishes.

Plus, new films will be added approximately every two weeks (14 fiction feature films and one 10-part documentary series are scheduled for release between now and April 5. More details on these titles is available soon).
 
Director of Ovid.TV Jonathan Miller says, "In the face of ever consolidating forces (Disney & 20th Century Fox, ATT & Time Warner – goodbye Filmstruck!) the goal of Ovid.TV is to preserve opportunities for independent films and alternative voices and visions in the culture. Not only for those compelled to make these films, but even more importantly, for audiences who value them and will, we hope, search them out by supporting and subscribing to Ovid.TV."

New subscribers enjoy a free 7-day trial period, after which the cost is only $6.99 a month, or $69.99 annually.Currently the service is only available in the U.S., but access in Canada will be added later this year.
 
Ovid is an initiative of Docuseek, LLC, which operates Docuseek (www.docuseek2.com), an online SVOD streaming service for colleges and universities that was established in 2012, and currently makes available a library of over 1500 titles. John Hoskyns-Abrahall, director of Docuseek, remarks, “Docuseek now has six years’ experience developing and operating its platform—growing a customer base, building solid relationships with distributors—and we are profitable. We are strongly positioned, together with our content partners, to step forward and build on what we’ve accomplished so far.” 
 
The eight content partners are:
 
BULLFROG FILMS
The leading U.S. publisher of independently produced documentaries on environmental and related social justice issues, in business for more than 45 years, it currently distributes over 750 titles.
www.bullfrogfilms.com
 
THE DGENERATE FILMS COLLECTION
dGenerate Films distributes contemporary independent film from mainland China to audiences worldwide. They are dedicated to procuring and promoting visionary content, fueled by transformative social change and digital innovation.
www.dgeneratefilms.com
 
DISTRIB FILMS US
An independent distributor of international feature films, Distrib Films US is known for its strong collection of French and Italian fiction feature films.
www.distribfilmsus.com
 
FIRST RUN FEATURES
Founded in 1979 by a group of filmmakers to advance the distribution of independent film, First Run has been honored with a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art for its significant contributions.
www.firstrunfeatures.com
 
GRASSHOPPER FILM
A distribution company founded in 2015 by Ryan Krivoshey, dedicated to the release of independent, foreign, and documentary film.
www.grasshopperfilm.com
 
ICARUS FILMS
A leading distributor of documentary films in North America, with a collection exceeding 1000 titles. It recently celebrated its 40th anniversary.
www.icarusfilms.com
 
KIMSTIM
A distribution company dedicated to the release of exceptional independent, foreign, and documentary film.
www.kimstim.com
 
WOMEN MAKE MOVIES
Women Make Movies (WMM), a non-profit feminist social enterprise based in New York, is the world’s leading distributor of independent films by and about women.
www.wmm.com
 
THE FOUNDING EQUITY PARTNER OF OVID.TV IS DOCUSEEK:
Docuseek, LLC, operates Docuseek.com, an SVOD streaming platform for colleges and universities. Founded in 2013, it currently has a collection of over 1500 titles. Docuseek was established and is owned by Bullfrog Films and Icarus Films. www.docuseek.com