New Online Service For Documentaries

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Sunday, November 26----Geoffrey McNab reported yesterday in the printed IDFA Dagkrant Daily about a new online outlet for documentary films. Lychee-Films.com, founded a few months ago by the Belgian team of Regina De Martelaare and Barend Wayens, is set to provide a "comprehensive international sales channel for non-commercial films, DVDs, CDs and books about film.". The site will also allow film sellers to post information on their film library, along with links and video trailers.

The initiative has already received support from Flemish film promotion agency Flanders Image. "It all got started actually when the KASK film school in Ghent wanted to put their animation film archives onto a series of DVDs," De Martelaare was quoted as saying. Because the school could not afford to put the extensive archive onto DVD, De Martelaare and Wayens stepped in to put the information online. That experience gave them the inspiration to expand into the world of documentaries produced for film and television.

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In the short term, Lychee will work as a mail-order company, selling DVDs on behalf of its clients. Further down the line, the aim is to make short films (including documentaries) available to download. The company's principals will attend the IDFA event to sign up producers, distributors and sales agents who will want to sell their films via the website. Martelaare was quoted as saying that "our site can only be a success when we can offer a great and international variety of films and when we have the support of different players in the film business."

Sandy Mandelberger

Festival Online Dailies Editor