Fandor
 | |
| Type | Subscription independent film streaming service |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 2011 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, United States |
Area served | United States, Canada |
Key people | Philip Hopkins (President) |
| Products | Fandor: www |
| Services | Independent Film Streaming Service |
| Owner | Cinedigm (2021-present), Our Film Festival, Inc. (2011-2021) |
| Website | www |
Fandor is a film streaming service, dedicated to independent films, documentaries, international titles, and classics, and is a division of the American entertainment company, Cinedigm. Relaunched in 2021, Fandor offers thousands of films, ranging from silent films from the earliest years of cinema, up to current festival films. Fandor is offered as an Advertising Video on demand (AVOD)/Subscription Video on demand (SVOD) streaming service available on web, iOS, Android, and Roku; an Amazon Prime add-on channel; and is available on Comcast Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex, and YouTube TV.[1]
History[edit]
Fandor was founded in 2010 in San Francisco, California, by Dan Aronson, Jonathan Marlow, and Albert Reinhardt.[2] Fandor first announced its initial launch in 2011 at SXSW. Leadership has included former Facebook chief privacy officer Chris Kelly;[3] Ted Hope,[4] independent film producer and former director of the San Francisco Film Society; and Larry Aidem,[5] former Sundance Channel head. In 2018, Fandor announced the layoff of its staff and the sale of its assets to an undisclosed investment firm.[6]
In January 2021, Cinedigm, the American independent entertainment company, announced the acquisition of Fandor, with plans to relaunch the independent streaming service and digital editorial publication, Keyframe.[7] Cinedigm announced that Fandor would relaunch under the leadership of film producer, film archivist, and President of The Film Detective, Philip Hopkins.[7] Fandor returned to SXSW, ten years after its initial launch, to announce the next chapter of Fandor and the return of the service, dedicated to cinephile culture and independent filmmakers.[8]
In October 2021, Fandor launched its revamped independent streaming service, with a focus on independent films, documentaries, international titles, and classics.[9] The app is available on web, iOS, Android, and Roku. Fandor has remained available as an add-on channel on Amazon Prime since its initial launch in 2016. In November 2021, Cinedigm announced Fandor’s launch on Comcast Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Flex.[10]
Services[edit]
Fandor offers over 1,300 independent films from dozens of genres and subgenres ranging from comedy, drama, and festival favorites, to Pre-Code, creature feature, film noir, j-horror, LGBTQ+, and vigilante.[11]
Fandor is available to stream for free with ads or via a paid premium subscription on the Fandor app, available across web, iOS, Android, and Roku. Fandor is also available as an add-on independent film focused channel on Amazon Prime, available for $3.99/month following a 7 day free trial. Fandor is also available on Comcast Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex, and YouTube TV.[11]
Films and episodic titles available on the Fandor service include independent films, festival favorites, documentaries, international films, and classics. Films throughout the entire history of cinema are available on Fandor early silent films starring Mary Pickford, Buster Keaton, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin, up to current festival films and independent titles including thrillers like Into Schrödinger's Box; star studded features like Distancing Socially, starring Rory Scovel, Jessika Van, Alan Tudyk, Melanie Chandra, Sarah Levy, Connor Paolo, Andy Buckley, and Jim O'Heir, dramas like A Girl Like Her and Our Father, shorts like Turducken, and documentaries like How to Start a Small Business and Opeka.[11]
The Fandor Festival Podcast[edit]
The Fandor Festival Podcast is a podcast dedicated to independent filmmakers, film festivals, and the exploration of cinema and is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and across multiple major podcast platforms. The podcast blends the talents of veteran morning radio personality and producer Hooman Khalili; entrepreneur, producer, and former Fandor executive Chris Kelly; and executive producer Bryn Nguyen.[9]
The Fandor Festival Podcast features weekly episodes with a new interview every week, racing from RogerEbert.com CEO and publisher Chaz Ebert, Noir Alley host Eddie Muller, Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, filmmaker Camille Griffin, University of Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh, and celebrity chef Tyler Florence.[12]
Keyframe[edit]
Keyframe is Fandor’s digital publication dedicated to independent and international film. An extension of Fandor’s independent film streaming service, Keyframe publishes film reviews, written interviews, video essays, podcast episodes, and other written and video works connected to the art of filmmaking.[9]
Fandor features written and video works from a global community of filmmakers, film writers, film reviewers, video essayists, and cinephiles. Keyframe offers viewers curated recommendations in Weekly Watchlists, covering topics from director George A. Romero, to grindhouse filmmaking, spaghetti westerns, and 1980s slashers.[13]
Fandor Exclusives[edit]
In addition to over 1,000 film, episodic, and short titles, the Fandor streaming service offers exclusive films to premium subscribers. Fandor exclusives range from poignant dramas to documentaries, and ensemble comedies. Fandor exclusives are available to stream on the Fandor independent film streaming service on web, iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Prime, Comcast Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex, and YouTube TV.[11]
| Fandor Premiere Date | Film Title | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|
| 2/15/22 | Black Belt: Kuro-Obi | The events take place in 1932 in Japanese-occupied Manchuria, where the corrupt leaders of the Japanese army are trying to take over all the Karate dojos /training halls for their own benefit. In the midst of the chaos, the master Eiken Shibahara dies before passing on the Kuro-obi/ black belt to his successor. Three of his pupils—Taikan,Giryu, and Chouei—have the task of deciding amongst themselves who deserves it most. |
| 2/11/22 | Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony | What destined this young boy from Wales to become the incarnation of absolute evil when he took on the role of cinema’s most notorious serial killer? This captivating documentary tells the lesser-known story of a well-known actor: two-time Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins, whose career has spanned more than 60 years and 300 movies. |
| 2/1/22 | Maizidian | Through the eyes of Greek photographer George Doupas, this beautifully shot documentary captures the experiences of nine expats from the U.S., Italy, Brazil, and beyond during the Covid-19 pandemic in China. |
| 1/28/22 | Break | A young Japanese-American man crosses the line with the underworld element in Tokyo, while dealing with his own personal struggle of being an outsider trying to fit in with Japanese society. |
| 1/21/22 | Way of the Cross | A faithless Filipino American FBI agent comes to the Philippines to bury his estranged Father but gets tangled in a case where a serial killer is murdering people according to the Stations of the Cross. |
| 12/1/21 | Distancing Socially | Composed of a series of comical vignettes that share a telecommunications application as a common thread, Distancing Socially focuses on loosely connected human interactions – from food delivery to family drama – taking place virtually across a world in lockdown. |
| 12/1/21 | Into Schrödinger's Box | In this daring psychological thriller, musician Sofia must cope with the stress and isolation of quarantine after her husband is infected with COVID-19. Upon the arrival of a mysterious woman named Lilith, Sofia's loneliness morphs into confusion, fear, and paranoia as her grip on reality falters. |
| 11/26 | A Girl Like Her | Everybody’s dream girl. One girl’s nightmare. Based on a million true stories. 16-year-old Jessica Burns has a secret that she’s afraid to share with anyone except her best friend Brian Slater. For the past year she’s been bullied by Avery Keller, her former friend and one of the most popular and beautiful girls at South Brookdale High School. With Brian’s help and a hidden digital camera, the evidence of Avery’s relentless harassment is captured and finally exposed. But as Jessica begins to face her bully, the two girls reach a critical point and ultimately reveal there truly are two sides to every story. |
| 11/19/21 | The River | The River is a documentary about how communication and purpose play into the success and failures of managing the homeless encampment in Aberdeen, Washington. Director Rick Walters, a 14-year US Army veteran, will go to The River to live with and talk with the displaced inhabitants and search for meaning in their experience, and catharsis for his own battles with addiction and security. Communication is key. We will look closely at the ways local government, the media, and the general population identify the problem, and how they communicate about it. What should we be doing? What ARE we doing? What can we do better? Whose problem is it? We will show how purpose drives the City Council, the police, social services, and the wide variety of people who live at The River. |
| 10/22/21 | Opeka | Nobel Peace Prize nominee Father Pedro Opeka, an iron-willed Argentine priest, inspires hope for an entire nation by teaching people living in Madagascar's largest landfill to build a highly functional city in the capital of their failing African country. |
| 9/1/21 | Our Father | Beta (Baize Buzan) and Zelda (Allison Torem) don't have much in common, but after their father's suicide the one thing holding them together is a shared desire to find their uncle Jerry (Austin Pendleton), a "religious nut" who vanished thirty years ago. Finding several clues while clearing out his house, the two sisters go on a journey through Chicago to find him, and find him, they do. A comedic odyssey in an intimate package, OUR FATHER is an occasionally mournful look at how, in our desire to be taken care of, we sometimes forget to take care of each other. |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2021-01-19). "Cinedigm Acquires Fandor, Plans to Reboot Indie-Film Streaming Service". Variety. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Sengwe, Stephanie. "Cinedigm Acquires Independent Film Streaming Service Fandor". The Streamable. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2018-10-17). "Fandor's Chris Kelly Takes CEO Spot, Streamer Taps John Zamoiski as CMO". Variety. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Kilday, Gregg (2014-01-08). "Ted Hope Named CEO of Fandor, Film Streaming Service". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2015-09-24). "Larry Aidem Joins Fandor as CEO (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Lopez, Matt (2018-12-08). "Fandor Lays Off Entire 40-Person Staff Ahead of Pending Assets Sale". Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ a b Hayes, Dade (2021-01-19). "Cinedigm Acquires Fandor, Will Expand Film Streaming Service With Free Tier". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ "Fandor Returning to SXSW Online 2021 to Celebrate 10 Years Streaming Independent Cinema – Media Play News". Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ a b c "Fandor Unveils New Look, User Experience and Podcast". Cord Cutters News. 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Jon Lafayette (2021-11-08). "Comcast Launches Fandor, Screambox on X1, Flex and XClass TV Platforms". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ a b c d "The Home for Cinephiles | Fandor". www.fandor.com. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ "Podcasts". Fandor: Keyframe Editorial Hub for Cinephiles. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ "Home". Fandor: Keyframe Editorial Hub for Cinephiles. Retrieved 2022-02-16.