05/02/2009

New times call for new media. This appears to be the view of Spanish company Filmax, who have just launched Yodecido.com, an Internet distribution platform for film and music.

Site users will be able to rent or buy films from a catalogue of 700 features currently available. Moreover, certain films can be viewed for free in streaming format, accompanied by advertisements.

For the time being, the platform only includes films from the Filmax catalogue, but the plan is to host content from as many companies as possible in the near future.

Aware that he is embarking on a complex and risky enterprise, Filmax president Julio Fernández willingly shoulders the pressure of being the only platform of this type dedicated to Spanish content. He is convinced that “we are dealing with a new audience, a new culture and we want to be a part of this change".

As for the eternal threat of piracy – one of the major pitfalls for this type of service – Fernández remains optimistic about the success of Yodecido.com, which offers users "quality, security, speed and accessible prices".

Filmax is Spain’s most prolific production company, having invested an annual average of €23m over the last three years. Their co-productions include Cédric Klapisch’s Euro Pudding (2002), Brad Anderson’s The Machinist [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2004) and Transsiberian [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2007), Tom Tykwer’s Perfume: The Story of a Murderer [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2006) and Rec [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza
interview: Julio Fernández
film profile] (2007) by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza.

(Translated from Spanish)