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Viddsee streams Asian films to audiences
âShort films are not screened in film theaters â and therefore are not censored either,â local film critic Makbul Mubarak said
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'Short films are not screened in film theaters ' and therefore are not censored either,' local film critic Makbul Mubarak said. 'This makes them the most critical and honest medium so far in terms of filmmaking. Now, Viddsee can take this role. People don't need to go to film festivals anymore to find these kind of films.'
The idea is the brainchild of two engineers, Derek Tan from Singapore and Ho Jia Jian from Malaysia, who met in 2006 at a university film club.
The pair was building a digital television platform for a local cable company when they saw a lack of Asian content ' and the need for a platform for Asian filmmakers.
Tan and Ho worked for two years on what would become Viddsee, launching the platform in 2013. The start-up currently employees seven people, including Tan and Ho.
'We wanted to show that there are a lot of good local stories. In cinema, there is only a small percentage of Asian stories,' Ho said in a Skype interview with The Jakarta Post. 'We are in Asia, yet it is still so hard to find Asian short films.'
How it works is simple: Filmmakers submit their films on the website. Those that make the cut of Viddsee's curators are streamed 'and promoted through multi-platform advertising, such as on Yahoo and Youtube.
Viddsee presents projects from 12 Asian nations in their original language with English-language subtitles. Viewers can watch on their computers or through an iPhone app. Currently, over 800 films, including the works of 30 Indonesians, are available.
'Derek and I used to use channels like Youtube and Vimeo, but it was so difficult to get films discovered. Initially you have a hit, but after that ' when music videos and cat videos became more popular ' it was hard to be seen as a filmmaker,' Ho said.
Viddsee takes a different tack from Vimeo and curates the videos it presents, as opposed to Vimeo's open-upload system. The approach seems to work, with Ho and Tan's website racking up 3 million streams in January alone.
'Filmmakers can find support to continue filmmaking and make a feature film, as well,' Ho said. 'Sometimes films on the website were made three or four years ago, then we market it on this platform and the film appears to be new. When it goes viral in the community, it brings a new life to them.'
One example is the popular video CINta, from Steven Facius Winata. Originally made in 2009, the film, whose title translates as 'Love' was the most-watched video on Viddsee in 2014.
This led to another, more recent screening with the Japanese Kisssh Kissssssh film festival.
Prima Rusdi, whose 2008 anthology of Reform films titled 9808, is also available on Viddsee. Prima, who co-wrote the blockbuster hit Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? (What's Up with Cinta?) is upbeat about the collaboration.
'I think it's great to know that even if the film has passed its screening date in the cinema chains, or is 'too old' for festivals, or was not televised or not released on DVD, it still has the possibility to be seen,' Prima said in an email interview.
Viddsee is also useful for filmmakers wanting to present their work to film festivals, something that's been problematic for local directors, Makbul says. 'It depends on your Internet provider, but officially Vimeo is still banned. So a website like this definitely helps in terms of spreading short films online.'
Rusdi says that distribution in Indonesia has always been an issue, due to a lack of access in the more rural parts. 'Alternative distribution, such as streaming, or video on demand should make sense. This technology ' which is Internet- based ' is pretty new and not yet available throughout the country, yet it should be growing faster in the next few years.'
The company received a government grant in 2013 to cover part of its expense; Derek and Ho cover the rest.
Ho says that they want to increase the number of visitors to the site before taking on more ambitious projects, such as streaming feature films.
Mubarak sees more options for Viddsee in the future.
'I am thinking that Viddsee should not just stop at screening films online, but could also function as a label, like a DVD label for short films throughout Southeast Asia, or take on the role of an online film festival,' Mubarak said,
Viddsee is moving in that direction, working with the 21 Short Film Festival in Jakarta, which used the site to present its films to a wider, international audience.
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The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.
