1. History

2. Partnerships

3. Theatrical Releases

4. Original content

5. Accolades

6. Criticism

7. See also

8. References

9. External links

MUBI ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|uː|b|i}}; formerly The Auteurs) is a film website that integrates a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, a film database and an online magazine known as The Notebook. It has been described as an "online cinematheque".^[2][3] The service focuses on international arthouse cinema.

History

Originally called The Auteurs, MUBI was founded in 2007 by Turkish-born entrepreneur Efe Cakarel as a social network for cinephiles, with an interface specifically geared towards aesthetic design and simplicity.^[4] Çakarel says that he began work on the business model for MUBI after being unable to watch In the Mood for Love online while in a café in Tokyo.^[5]

In May 2010, under the new name MUBI,^[6] the company announced that their subscription service would be available on PlayStation 3^[7] in Europe. MUBI launched their app on the PSN store in November 2010, followed by a channel on Sony’s line of Bravia Internet devices in 2011.^[8]

In 2012 MUBI launched a new, highly curated VOD model in select territories.^[9] Instead of a large à la carte library, MUBI instead shows a continually rotating lineup of 30 films at once. A new film is added every day, and every film runs for 30 days. The model was expanded worldwide in February 2014.

In 2013, MUBI released apps for both iPad^[10] and Android,^[11] allowing users to stream the selection of 30 films on their devices or cast it via Chromecast, or to Apple TV using AirPlay. Other devices supported include Sony Bravia, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Stick, plus Samsung SMART TV and Blu-ray players (in the UK and Ireland).

In June 2017, MUBI launched Feed,^[12] a continuously updated feed of the best reviews, news, trailers and films awards & festivals information from its film database.

In February 2018, MUBI (in partnership with the CILECT, the International Association of Film and Television Schools) began giving free access to its streaming service to 60,000 students at 180 film schools.^[13]

In April 2018, MUBI launched Rentals,^[14] a transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) service which allows users to rent films which were previously streamed as part of their 30-day screening window model.

As of 2018, MUBI's website, apps and content are available in 11 languages (English, French, Norwegian, German, Italian, Turkish, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Danish and Brazilian Portuguese).

MUBI has over 8 million registered members^[15] and has offices in London and New York.^[16]

Partnerships

MUBI's original partners include The Criterion Collection (whose website MUBI designed and managed), the European distributor Celluloid Dreams, and Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Foundation (WCF). In 2009, the WCF^[17] released restorations of films like Touki Bouki (dir. Djibril Diop Mambety, 1973), The Housemaid (dir. Kim Ki-young, 1960), Dry Summer (dir. Metin Erksan and David E. Durston, 1964), and Trances (dir. Ahmed El Maanouni, 1981).^[18] During the museum tours of these films, they were made digitally available on MUBI.^[19]

Since 2012, MUBI has partnered with such British cinema chains as Picturehouse and Everyman,^[20] offering extended trials to Picturehouse members and hosting special matinées at Everyman venues. It has also screened films in association with the volunteer-run Deptford Cinema, a not for profit space providing affordable and diverse film screenings for the local area.

In 2013, MUBI collaborated with the UK-based fashion and trends magazine Dazed and Confused.^[21] For its 20th anniversary, Dazed and Confused curated a selection of films on MUBI's UK subscription service that were all themed to fit the year “1993”. Titles included cult films like Naked by Mike Leigh, and Strawberry and Chocolate by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío.

In 2014, MUBI partnered with Cannes Film Festival’s Court Metrage competition to exclusively screen a retrospective of short films that played in previous competitions. The short films were featured on MUBI during the 67th edition of the festival and included films such as Peel by Palme d'Or winner and 2014 Jury President Jane Campion, and 2007’s Ah, Ma by Caméra D'Or winner Anthony Chen.^[22]

MUBI also screened a selection of Christoph Schlingensief’s films in collaboration with the Schlingensief retrospective at MoMA PS1 and the screening series at The Museum of Modern Art.

In 2015, MUBI collaborated with Berlin International Film Festival to mark the 60th anniversary of the Golden Bear for short films, bringing the festivals award-winning shorts to MUBI’s global audience. Shorts available for streaming on MUBI included 2005 Silver Bear winner ‘The Intervention’ from the Duplass Brothers, Mark and Jay Duplass, as well as 2014 Golden Bear winner As Long As Shotguns Remain by Jonathan Vinel & Caroline Poggi, which made its international debut exclusively on MUBI.^[23]

MUBI continued their partnership with The Human Rights Watch Film Festival in 2015, programming films in tandem with the festival, including the worldwide online premiere of Fernand Melgar’s The Shelter^[24] and 2014 entry The Mulberry House.^[25]

In 2015, director Paul Thomas Anderson released his acclaimed music documentary Junun exclusively on MUBI.^[26]

Theatrical Releases

In 2016, MUBI began branching out into theatrical releases in the United States and United Kingdom.

Original content

In 2012, MUBI produced a short film with Cannes Palme d'Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul entitled Ashes, shot almost entirely using a MUBI branded LomoKino Camera.^[27]

Accolades

In 2010, MUBI won a Webby Award for Best Movie and Film Website.^[28]

The site has been praised or endorsed by public figures including critic Roger Ebert,^[29] and directors Paul Thomas Anderson,^[30] Rian Johnson,^[31] Barry Jenkins^[32] and Denis Villeneuve.^[33]

Criticism

MUBI Europe was reported to the British statutory Advertising Standards Authority in 2016 after a complaint that MUBI's online advertising in The Independent newspaper included graphic and offensive material. MUBI Europe did not respond to the ASA's enquiries and were referred to the Code on Advertising Practice (CAP) Compliance team. The Independent announced that advertisements from MUBI Europe would no longer be accepted by the online newspaper.^[34]

See also

• Fandor (film site)
• FilmStruck
• Netflix

References

External links

• {{official website}}

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