SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IMDb, the #1 movie website in the world, today announced that filmmaker Kevin Smith will host four days (January 20-23, 2017) of original celebrity video interviews and other exclusive film festival coverage in the third annual IMDb Studio (#IMDbStudio) at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. IMDb’s 2017 Sundance Film Festival presence will also include the presentation of an IMDb STARmeter award to Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, Rememory) at a private event on Monday, January 23 followed by an industry party later that night to celebrate the 50th birthday of Col Needham, IMDb’s Founder and CEO.
“We are proud to be an official sponsor of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, which exclusively relies on IMDb’s Withoutabox to manage film festival submissions,” said Col Needham, IMDb’s Founder and CEO. “2017 will be our most significant film festival presence ever because Kevin Smith, a Sundance Film Festival legend, will be conducting four days of celebrity interviews in The IMDb Studio on Main Street. We are also thrilled that Peter Dinklage, star of Game of Thrones, the #1 TV show of 2016 and the previous four years as determined by the page views of IMDb’s more than 250 million monthly customers worldwide, will be accepting the IMDb STARmeter Award.”
Kevin Smith is back by popular demand after hosting talent interviews aboard The IMDb Yacht (#IMDboat) at San Diego Comic-Con® International 2016. IMDb’s vision for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival is to give its hundreds of millions of customers all over the world a virtual front row seat while providing celebrities with an oasis from which they can promote their Sundance Film Festival titles. IMDb will be also be collaborating with Amazon Video Direct to create an educational opportunity for filmmaker customers who can come to The IMDb Studio to learn more about the unique and powerful ways they can effectively self-publish, distribute and promote their work on IMDb, IMDbPro, Withoutabox and Prime Video.
“I started my career with Clerks at the Sundance Film Festival in 1994 and I might've finished my career with Yoga Hosers in Park City last year,” said Kevin Smith. “I look forward to starting a new career as a guy who talks to talented people at the Sundance Film Festival this year! I had an IMDblast this summer with all my IMDbuddies on the IMDboat at Comic-Con. I can't wait to get IMDback with them and talk to the IMDbeautiful people in Park City.”
The IMDb Studio & Filmmaker Discovery Lounge
IMDb's invitation only celebrity video and photo studio will be back for a third year in a row in a spacious, new venue: The Prewitt Gallery, a two-floor setting located at 570 Main Street. Upstairs, filmmaker and superfan Kevin Smith, whose career began at the Sundance Film Festival in the 1990s, will host four days (January 20- January 23, 2017) of on-camera interviews with leading actors, writers and directors that will be the cornerstone of IMDb's Sundance Film Festival coverage. Downstairs will be the new Filmmaker Discovery Lounge, presented by Amazon Video Direct, a warm, friendly stop where filmmakers and industry professionals can relax, recharge and explore the filmmaker services offered by IMDb, IMDbPro, Withoutabox (film festival submissions software) and Amazon Video Direct (digital self-publishing distribution offerings). Representatives from IMDb, IMDbPro, Withoutabox and Amazon Video Direct will be on hand to present their services and assist with questions. The Discovery Lounge will be open to invited guests and credentialed festival filmmakers (as space permits) on Friday, January 20 through Monday, January 23 from 10AM to 5PM.
The IMDb STARmeter Award Ceremony & The Amazon Video Direct Inaugural Filmmaker Awards
On Monday, January 23, IMDb and Amazon Video Direct will host a private cocktail party (accessible by invitation only) to honor talent and filmmakers. Col Needham (Founder and CEO of IMDb), members of the IMDb, IMDbPro and Amazon Video Direct leadership teams, Kevin Smith and other special guests will attend IMDb’s annual Sundance Film Festival award ceremony and cocktail party at The IMDb Studio on Main Street from 6:30PM to 7:45PM. Also, Amazon Video Direct will honor filmmakers at this event with their inaugural Amazon Video Direct Filmmaker Awards. Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, Rememory) will receive the 2017 IMDb “Fan Favorite” STARmeter award at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The inaugural Amazon Video Direct Filmmaker Awards will be presented to Justin Doescher (The Break-In) and Danishka Esterhazy (Black Field).
Col Needham’s Private 50th Birthday Party, Presented By Amazon Video Direct
On Monday, January 23 (immediately following the 2017 STARmeter Award ceremony and cocktail party) IMDb and Amazon Video Direct will host a private (by invite only) 50th Birthday party for Col Needham, IMDb’s Founder and CEO, at The IMDb Studio on Main Street. Members of the IMDb and Amazon Video Direct leadership teams, Kevin Smith and other notable celebrities will enjoy cocktails, appetizers, birthday cake and music in celebration of Needham’s half century milestone. This private industry event is accessible by invitation only and will take place from 8PM to 10PM.
Amazon Video Direct Filmmaker Panel
On Sunday, January 22 beginning at 4 PM, Amazon Video Direct will host a panel in The IMDb Studio featuring filmmakers who have found success self-publishing with Amazon Video Direct. Filmmakers including Justin Doescher (The Break In), Danishka Esterhazy (Black Field), Micky Meyer (JASH) and Peter Goldwyn (Samuel Goldwyn Productions) will discuss the value and impact of self-publishing and distribution on Amazon Video Direct. The panel will be moderated by Kevin Smith and is an invitation only event.
To follow IMDb’s exclusive 2017 Sundance Film Festival coverage, visit http://www.imdb.com/sundance, follow #IMDbStudio on Twitter (https://www.twitter.com/imdb) or visit IMDb’s official Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/imdb) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/imdb/) accounts. Coverage will be accessible by IMDb’s more than 250 million unique monthly visitors worldwide via IMDb’s website, mobile apps and social media accounts.
About Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith first came to attention at the Sundance Film Festival in 1994 as the writer/director of a film called Clerks. It's been all downhill ever since.
About IMDb
IMDb is the world’s most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. The IMDb consumer site (www.imdb.com) is the #1 movie website in the world with a combined web and mobile audience of more than 250 million unique monthly visitors. IMDb offers a searchable database of more than 185 million data items including more than 4 million movies, TV and entertainment programs and more than 6 million cast and crew members. Consumers rely on the information IMDb provides -- including local movie showtimes, ticketing, trailers, critic and user reviews, personalized recommendations, photo galleries, entertainment news, quotes, trivia, box-office data, editorial feature sections and a universal Watchlist – when deciding what to watch and where to watch it. IMDb’s portfolio of leading entertainment apps (http://www.imdb.com/apps/) includes its popular “Movies & TV” app for iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android phones, Android tablets and its mobile-optimized website. To date, there have been more than 115 million downloads of IMDb’s mobile apps worldwide. IMDb's X-Ray for Movies & TV Shows (www.imdb.com/x-ray) is a feature that revolutionizes the viewing experience by bringing the power of IMDb directly to Kindle Fire HD, Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. IMDb’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/imdb) and official Twitter account (https://twitter.com/imdb) are followed by more than 10 million passionate entertainment fans. IMDbPro (http://www.imdbpro.com) is the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals. This membership-based service includes comprehensive information and tools that are designed to help entertainment industry professionals achieve success throughout all stages of their career. IMDbPro offers members the following: detailed contact and representation information; IMDb profile management tools; exclusive STARmeter rankings that are determined by user searches on IMDb; a casting service to post breakdowns and apply to roles, a mobile optimized website and more. Additionally, IMDb owns and operates Withoutabox (http://www.withoutabox.com), the premier submission service for film festivals and filmmakers, and Box Office Mojo (http://www.boxofficemojo.com), the leading online box-office reporting service. IMDb.com is operated by IMDb.com, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) (http://www.amazon.com). To learn more, go to: http://www.imdb.com/press.
About Amazon Video
Amazon Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that offers customers the greatest choice in what to watch, and how to watch it. Amazon Video is the only service that provides all of the following:
- Prime Video: Thousands of movies and TV shows, including popular licensed content plus critically-acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Original Series and Movies from Amazon Studios like Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, Love & Friendship and kids series Tumble Leaf, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime membership. Prime Video is also now available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe at www.primevideo.com.
- Amazon Channels: Over 80 video subscriptions to networks like HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, PBS KIDS, Acorn TV and more, available to Amazon Prime members as add-ons to their membership – to view the full list of channels available, visit www.amazon.com/channels
- Rent or Own: Hundreds of thousands of titles, including new-release movies and current TV shows available for on-demand rental or purchase for all Amazon customers
- Instant Access: Instantly watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Video app on TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online. For a list of all compatible devices visit www.amazon.com/howtostream
- Premium Features: Top features like 4K Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and mobile downloads for offline viewing of select content
In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalogue with Audible Channels for Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more visit: www.amazon.com/prime.
