CDSA

At the Dec. 16 Content Protection Summit event in Los Angeles, Mathew Gilliat-Smith, EVP of Convergent Risks, will lead a panel diving into the security around virtual film festival technology.

The panel — “Journey of the Virtual Film Festival Platforms” — will chart the path the film festival circuit took in 2020 when pandemic lockdowns took hold, and how the combination of new technology and sensitive pre-theatrical screening is naturally under more scrutiny from rights’ holders and this panel discusses different perspectives of the virtual festival film journey.

Gilliat-Smith detailed the four panelists and how they are approaching the challenge:

• Iddo Patt, founder and CEO of Eventive, a filmmaker and founding board member of the Indie Memphis Film Festival, said he had felt that film festivals had been too exclusive for too long. The first barrier to access was ticketing, so he asked his son Theo, a 15-year-old high school student, to find a solution. Theo envisioned a pass and ticketing hub that would also serve as the basis for engaging old and new audiences and festivals. Then came the global pandemic, and with it the total shutdown of cinema exhibitions around the world and they developed the Eventive virtual screening platform.

• David White, founder and CEO of Shift 72, has been at the cutting edge of streaming since 2010 when he formed Shift 72 in Hamilton, New Zealand. He’s a leading expert and authority in VOD distribution, digital film marketing and the film industry’s paradigm shift from physical to digital. He has a unique mix of technical knowledge on VOD platforms, digital rights management, and on how filmmakers and distributors can use technology to leverage their brands and increase revenues in the digital landscape. Today, Shift 72 is a leading platform provider for the film festival sector.

• Benjamin Oberman, founder and CEO of Film Festival Flix, is an expert in digital platforms, streaming technology, festival and event production, film distribution and marketing. He has produced, written, directed and developed multiple features, documentaries, TV properties, commercials, and ad campaigns. Film Festival Flix, was formed 2011, and is at the forefront of distribution platforms for niche market content and a leading end-to-end solution in the Virtual Film Festival space.

• The combination of new technology and sensitive pre-release screenings through these virtual platforms is naturally under closer scrutiny from content owners and rights holders. Access control, DRM, watermarking, encryption, controlled playback devices are all important considerations in convincing people like Anthony Anderson, senior director of film security at Universal Pictures, to use these platforms for sensitive content.

The Content Protection Summit — the premier gathering of the top security and asset protection minds in the M&E industry — will be held as a hybrid virtual and in-person event.

Produced by MESA and presented by IBM Security and Synamedia, the Content Protection Summit is sponsored by Convergent Risks, Richey May Technology Solutions, PacketFabric, archTIS, Code42, INTRUSION, NAGRA, StoneTurn and Vision Media.

To register for the event, click here.

To join CDSA or sponsor the Content Protection Summit, contact Evie Silvers at [email protected] or email [email protected]