MicroFilmz is Cleveland filmmaker's big idea for short film platform

Shooting a scene on the short film Haphephobia

There’s something special about short films. Something beyond their utilitarian use as a filmmaker’s calling card or a feature film’s proof of concept. For artists who work in the form, they are sometimes more challenging than a feature film and often much more powerful.

They are also often hard to find. At least all in one place, nicely categorized and ready for view enjoyment. Anhedonia Pictures is about to change that.

The Cleveland-based production company will soon launch MicroFilmz, a platform purposely built for short film distribution and consumption. After its launch in early 2023, viewers can access it online and through its streaming application.

“We are really excited to launch the platform on Roku,” says Eric Swinderman, Anhedonia Pictures president. “Roku is in more than 60 million households worldwide. And we plan to expand through Fire TV and Apple TV+, providing more than 100 million homes with access to the platform.”

Big idea for small films

The idea for MicroFilmz began a few years ago, when Swinderman and Andrew Gordon, his business partner, started sketching out the idea. It wouldn’t be until after work was completed on the company’s feature, The Enormity of Life, that the two could get serious about the venture.

“We started talks with a company in Ukraine right before the pandemic,” Swinderman says. Covid slowed work, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine turned everything around. For safety’s sake, Anhedonia’s Ukrainian partners fled Ukraine, inhibiting their ability to move forward on the project. Eventually, Anhedonia had to engage with a new company.

“Things progressed quickly then,” Swinderman says. “After a couple of meetings, we pulled the trigger, and MicroFilmz was formed.

Big benefits for little movies

MicroFilmz will be built to showcase short films and pay filmmakers for their art, says Swinderman.

“I love that we can not only get eyes on these talented filmmakers - filmmakers who are often making these projects with blood, sweat, tears, and a mountain of credit card debt - but get them paid through our revenue-sharing model.”

Microfilmz will be subscriber-based, with initial subscriptions starting at about $1.99 a month, and part of that fee will go to moviemakers. It’s a bit of a Netflix-Spotify hybrid, says Swinderman.

“The more subscribers we have, the more revenue we can share with filmmakers,” Swinderman explains. “The more films those filmmakers have on the platform, the more revenue they earn.”

Filmmakers interested in submitting their work or learning more about the platform can send MicroFilmz a query or a pitch through its website, www.microfilmzacquisitions.com.

MicroFilmz’ content recruiters are also reaching out to filmmakers who have suitable content for the platform, and Swinderman hopes to land a few notable names to help showcase the platform. And the company already has plans to expand into original programming, as well.

Learn more by visiting MicroFilmz’ FAQ page