Celebrating Film, Festivals, and the Future of Cinema

With a goal to promote all aspects of cinema, Film at Lincoln Center uses a video-on-demand (VOD) platform to serve their mission and elevate the craft of filmmaking. 

“To be perfectly blunt, Shift72 was a lifesaver for us. We’ve focused a lot on getting people back into theatres because that’s the principal business, but we know that our audience - and even a number of our filmmakers - are really supportive of all of the efforts to put [films] on a streaming platform.”

-Matthew Bolish, Senior Director of Operations and Production 

‍

About Film at Lincoln Center

Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) has been providing a platform for all contexts of film and filmmaking since the 1960’s. In addition to their crown jewel, the annual New York Film Festival, FLC hosts year-round screenings at their two theatres, publishes Film Comment magazine, and provides a platform for a variety of niche festivals to host their programs. 

To ensure they can fulfil this mission of celebrating the art and craft of film, FLC maintains the ability to screen everything from deteriorating 8mm reels to 15 different types of digital formats and everything in between. So naturally, when VOD started gaining popularity, FLC decided to add yet another tool to their screening toolkit.

‍

Opportunity to Serve Their Mission

Recognising the bright and broad spotlight that VOD provides, Film at Lincoln Center partnered with Shift72 to create FLC’s Virtual Cinema, a vehicle for enabling cinephiles around the U.S. to engage with the festivals and filmmakers they champion. 

Film at Lincoln Centre’s Virtual Cinema hosts:

• New York Film Festival’s digital program
• Contextual content like film introductions, interviews, and Q&A’s
• The FLC Luminaries series featuring voices from all aspects of the filmmaking process
• 10 niche film festivals highlighting a variety of cultures, voices, and perspectives in film

‍

Looking Forward

In 2022, New York Film Festival celebrates its 60th anniversary with a hybrid event that runs from 30 September to 16 October. In addition to NYFF’s upcoming celebration, Film at Lincoln Center has plans to:

• Revamp their membership program to enhance benefits and access models
• Develop a strategy for digitising “missing link” films and raise awareness
• Explore more opportunities to expand their VOD presence for audiences across the U.S.

‍

A fierce advocate of all things cinema, Film at Lincoln Center continues to find new and exciting ways to highlight the craft of film and support those who make it happen. 

“[More access through VOD] is something we keep hearing from our customer service and development departments: more, more, more, more, more. To me, as a non-profit, it’s all about the art and craft of cinema and that platform. What better way to suddenly elevate yourself to a national brand?”

-Matthew Bolish

‍