Fort Smith International Film Festival Collaborates With Muvi To Enhance Film Screening Experience

April 16, 2024, Virginia, USA: The Fort Smith Film Festival, presented by The River Valley Film Society, has announced the 4th edition of the annual gala slated for August 22-24, 2024, at TempleLive. The event is poised to revolutionize the cinematic experience through its strategic partnership with Muvi, a leading product-based end-to-end steaming SaaS company. Fort Smith collaborated with Muvi to deploy Muvi Playout, its cloud based playout software for  automating scheduling and playback process for screening films to multiple rooms simultaneously.  The festival is set to showcase a diverse selection of films, while also introducing the MidAmerica Film Market, an online extension of the festival from August 29th to August 30th.

The Fort Smith International Film Festival has established itself as a prominent cultural event, attracting filmmakers, industry professionals, and cinephiles from around the globe. Submissions for the 2024 Festival are now open from February 2nd to May 24th, welcoming diverse cinematic creations from across the globe. This inclusive platform not only showcases artistic talent around the River Valley but also helps in networking between filmmakers, industry professionals, and enthusiastic audiences.

Dr. Brandon Chase Goldsmith, Executive Director of the Fort Smith International Film Festival, emphasizes  on the strategic significance of Fort Smith's location, positioned within a six-hour radius of major cities like Dallas and Kansas City. This proximity facilitates unprecedented access to industry buyers, bridging the gap between local filmmakers and global opportunities, ultimately bringing the essence of Hollywood to the Midwest.

Fort Smith and River Valley's film community, guided by the Fort Smith International Film Festival, sets forth an ambitious agenda for its upcoming season, with film submissions spanning from February 2 to May 24. They offer four distinct deadlines: Early Bird March 1, Regular April 5, Late May 3, and Extended May 24, with the increasing entry costs.  The festival welcomes submissions across three categories, Narrative Feature, Documentary Features, and Episodic, eligible for both the market and festival. Additionally, there are exclusive festival categories: People of Color Shorts, Indigenous Shorts, Music Videos, Animation, High School & College Student Films, and all genres of short films with no production date limits. Submissions are open to everyone and can be made via FilmFreeway or by visiting FortSmithFilm.com.

Executive Director Dr. Brandon Chase Goldsmith emphasizes on the festival's strategic vision, stating, "We've sealed a multi-year deal, appointing Porter + Craig Film and Media as the sole distributor for the MidAmerica Film Market. This collaboration aims to attract buyers affiliated with leading theatrical companies and streaming platforms globally. Our goal is to bring a taste of Hollywood to the middle of the United States.!" This collaborative effort aims to present Fort Smith as a cinematic epicenter, highlighting inclusivity and industry connectivity on both regional and global scales.

Consecutively for the 4th year in a row, Fort Smith continues to trust Muvi’s services to deploy Muvi Playout, the feature-intensive cloud playout software for launching cloud TV or FAST channels. Fort Smith leveraged Muvi Playout’s EPG feature to deliver an automated pre-scheduling and playback process for streaming exclusive films back-to-back across multiple rooms simultaneously. Also the criteria of secure video streaming is met with Muvi Playout’s enterprise-grade DRM feature that helps prevent illegal access and piracy of exclusive films streamed during the festival.

"We are glad to collaborate with the Fort Smith International Film Festival in their mission to celebrate and promote independent cinema," said Mr. Subrat Roy, the VP of Account Management and Support at Muvi. "With Muvi Playout's technology, we aim to enhance the festival experience, making it more accessible and engaging for attendees." 

As the Fort Smith International Film Festival continues to push boundaries and redefine the cinematic landscape, Muvi Playout stands as a dedicated partner, committed to delivering an unforgettable experience to attendees while supporting the creative endeavors of filmmakers worldwide.

For more information about the Fort Smith International Film Festival and Muvi Playout, please visit Forts Smith Film and Muvi respectively.

About Muvi: Muvi is a leading product-based streaming SaaS company that offers end-to-end video-on-demand streaming, live streaming, video hosting, and cloud playout solutions. Headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia, Muvi has served some of the leading brands across the globe, including MGM, Axen Capital, Capelli GoZone+, Pickbox, Earth+Sky, Gold Data, ETC Play, Simply South, and many more. It has over 350+ clients spread across 50 countries across the globe. 

Muvi’s solutions fulfill every streaming need across industries, starting from cloud-hosted streaming platforms to streaming and broadcasting solutions for content creators, broadcasters, and TV networks. Their products help launch your own-branded, multi-screen, multi-format OTT streaming service such as Netflix, Prime Video, Spotify, Deezer, etc. that can offer both Live and on-demand content and be delivered across Web, Mobile, and TV instantly.