Project Overview

THE FILMMAKER: Davide Maldi is an Italian born filmmaker, On the River marks his first feature film, which had it's international premiere at the International Environmental Film Festival in Turin, Italy in June.  Influenced equally by Sicilian documentarian Vittorio de Seta and Mark Twain, Davide has made a film that highlights the best of the modern independent cinema coming out of Italy today.  

THE PRODUCER: Poorhouse Pictures is a Brooklyn based Production company dedicated to fostering unique and director driven content to distribution on the international market.  Founded in 2008, our first feature On the River is currently in its international roll out.  Poorhouse Pictures represents an impressive slate of properties in development and pre-production, including Austin Jennings'Ghosts of the Sharpanova (2012).   

THE FILM and THE AUDIENCE: On the River a story that audiences can identify in a very straight-forward and meaningful way.  It is the story of three independent filmmakers who decide to get on a boat and head down the river of their childhood. While the river in question for these filmmakers is the Tiber in Rome, it is a story that can connect with anyone who posesses a sense of adventure, curiosity, or idenpendence. While one the one hand On the River is a descriptive narrative of a journey down one the world's famous rivers, the film is also a chance to reflect on environmental concerns and the importance of our waterways and natural ecosystems. It therefore has the power to tap into environmental circles, most especially water conservation advocates, city-planning engineers and historical preservation.  

THE GOAL: Davide Maldi and Poorhouse Pictures want to see On the River become part of the canon of "river films" that not only tell a great forward-moving narrative but also provide the opportunity to reflect on the bigger picture. As a documentary, the goal is for the film to be seen as a valuable educational tool for community events and organizations concerned with the state of our waterways and the ecosytems they support. The film has already had success in Italy and other European markets, so the focus now is to bring it to new audiences - and rivers - in North America.

THE STRATEGY: Poorhouse Pictures will be using SoKap's innovative territorial micro-licensing model and digital distribution system in order to drive the film's exposure at the grassroots level.  Poorhouse will set up demonstration screenings of On the River, in conjunction with local "water guardians" of the Waterkeepers International advocacy group. Starting with a community and venue in the United States and another in Canada, these screenings will be used to show how SoKap can help other grassroots organizations license independent films for local venues. These events can not only generate exposure for new films and for causes such as Waterkeepers, but can also generate real revenue for the local event promoters.

NEXT STEPS: Poorhouse Pictures feels this local incentive is really the key to the success of independent film and is excited to work with SoKap on the launch of Davide Maldi's On the River. Stay tuned for updates on the times, locations, and program information for these exclusive future screenings. In the meantime, if you would like to host your own screening right away, the theatrical download for a community screening will be available in the SoKap store. In addition, territorial 'micro' licenses can be purchased that will earn the license holder a cut of the screenings and other digital download revenues from their area. See license terms for more info.

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