VOLTA: New Irish VOD platform offically launched
A new Irish video on demand service featuring the best of Irish and international independent films, Volta, was officially launched by Element Pictures and Jimmy Deenihan T.D, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht today. The Minister was joined at the event by Andrew Lowe and Ed Guiney of Element Pictures and guests including representatives from the Irish Film Board and the Irish film industry.
Volta is unlike any other video on demand services currently available in Ireland, in that it focuses on Irish films and the best of independent world cinema, with titles to rent from €3.99 and to purchase from €6.99. There are no subscription fees and users can stream or download films in full. Volta is also unique in bringing selected films to the site ‘day-and-date' with their theatrical release (on the same day that they are available in cinemas). New films on the service are otherwise made available at the same time as the DVD release. It is currently the only Irish VOD platform showing The Guard and other Irish highlights include The Secret of Kells, Garage and As If I'm Not There with more added weekly. Recent Irish films including Sensation and Parked will join the catalogue soon, alongside classic Irish films like The Wind That Shakes the Barley. Volta is working closely with leading Irish and U.K independent producers and distributors to add future content to Volta's growing offering. Hundreds of top international titles alongside independent features are also available on the site.
Volta also plans to partner with RTÉ to acquire premium RTÉ produced drama that will feature on the service in the future. The addition of Irish produced content of this quality is testament to Volta's support of the Irish television and film production sector.
Minister Deenihan, who spoke of the significance of the service for Irish consumers and the Irish film industry said "This unique new service will bring the best of Irish and international independent films to a much wider audience than was previously possible. As part of the Element Picture group, Volta marks a major shift in the development of online platforms for film consumption in Ireland. Developments such as this will provide the Irish film industry with a distribution channel which has the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of homes in Ireland. The impact Volta will have on the film industry is likely to be significant, especially in its efforts to combat film piracy."
Speaking at the launch, Andrew Lowe said "We are delighted to launch Volta, the first Irish owned Video On Demand service in the Irish market. As an active production, distribution, and, since the re-launch of the Light House cinema in Dublin's Smithfield, an exhibition company, we are uniquely placed to present and promote the best Irish and international independent cinema in a convenient and cost effective way. We are launching Volta now as advances in technology and broadband infrastructure make the service technically viable, changes in the retail sector make it essential to create a space where specialist cinema can be discovered and consumed, and there is an onus on the industry to provide safe and legal alternatives to pirated films. We are very pleased to launch Volta with The Guard available exclusively on our service."
The site also features editorial content with exclusive articles, interviews and behind the scenes footage from many of the films available. The search and filter features allow users to browse films by director, cast, crew, year, country of origin or keyword, a unique feature unavailable elsewhere. Consumers can browse the full catalogue of before entering any personal or payment information and the Volta CinePass offers significant savings for those who pre-purchase rental credits.
About Volta
Volta is an initiative of Element Pictures, a company which includes Element Pictures Production, Element Pictures Distribution and most recently, The Light House Cinema. Volta has received support from the Irish Film Board and the European Union MEDIA programme. Volta has been developed for the Irish market by Element Pictures in conjunction with Universciné, one of the largest video on demand providers in France. Volta is a founding member of EuroVod, a European federation of independent video on demand platforms. The goal of the federation is the promotion of video on demand as a channel of distribution for independent film in Europe.
The site has been live for almost a year, during which time the company has focused on gathering content for the site and perfecting the technology and user experience. The coming months will see technological developments and further deals with major distributors and other key media partnerships.
Volta was also the name of the first cinema in Ireland, opened in 1909 by James Joyce.
About Element Pictures
Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe run film and television-drama Production Company Element Pictures, based in Dublin and London. Recent productions include SHADOW DANCER (James Marsh) and THE GUARD (John Michael McDonagh) starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle, THIS MUST BE THE PLACE (Paolo Sorrentino) which stars Sean Penn & Francis McDormand, which screened in competition in Cannes 2011 and also screened this week at Sundance Film Festival.
ESSENTIAL KILLING (Jerzy Skolimowski) starring Vincent Gallo which won the prestigious Jury Prize at last year's Venice Film Festival and ALL GOOD CHILDREN (Alicia Duffy) which was selected for Director's Fortnight at Cannes 2010. The company is currently in post-production on Lenny Abrahamson's new film WHAT RICHARD DID.
Ed and Andrew also run Ireland's leading independent film distribution company, Element Pictures Distribution, handling STUDIOCANAL's slate in Ireland including, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, SUBMARINE & BLUE VALENTINE, as well as direct acquisitions such as HIS & HERS, GARAGE and THE GUARD. THE GUARD was a smash hit in Ireland becoming the highest grossing independent Irish film of all time when it was released in Ireland in July 2011. THE GUARD went on to be Ireland's third highest grossing film for theatrical box office in 2011 and the No 1 DVD.
The company also recently reopened the Light House Cinema in Smithfield, a week before the public launch of Volta.