here & now

…Welcome Mubi. The Movie’s social network The Authors has changed its name to Mubi. Despite the controversy around the new name (and what is it supposed to mean) which is not by any means as glamorous as the previous one, the site exhibits new categories and features that make it even more attractive.

Though I’m not quite sure I would like to watch In the Mood for Love in a cafe in Tokyo (‘Why can’t you watch In the Mood for Love in a café in Tokyo on your laptop?’ they ask on their homepage) I’m quite sure I would still like to watch it when I feel like watching it!  Without having to search for it (for ages) in special video stores (when they exist) or having to download it illegally and with terrible quality! And that’s just one of the things Mubi is here to change.

They present themselves as a social network for films/online film library both for classical, independent and international movies that don’t have a worldwide distribution and thus become very difficult to find out there and watch. Directors like Antonioni, Godard, Kubrick, etc., are presented along not so well known authors from worldwide countries like Romania, India, Russia, and many others.

The site doesn’t only work as a screening room but also allows us to explore titles from the same (or different) authors we didn’t know previously. Also, the website connects all its users in a network that privileges the sense of community, the exchange of ideas, criticism and personal thoughts about the movies. Though some movies are offered to watch for free, most of the selection is to be paid. That doesn’t necessarily mean a downside to it since prices usually range between 1€ and 3€, for any type of movie. Excellent streaming and image qualities are also something worth mentioning.

In parallel to their permanent supporters, World Cinema Foundation, Celluloid Dreams, The Criterion Collection and Costa Films, they’re also supported by European Union’s MEDIA Program and occasionally set partnerships with undergoing film festivals, where Mubi gets to preview and screen some of their movies, usually for free.

This month, they set a partnership with KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic’s Film Festival, to show some of the competition’s films online. During the time of the festival, (July 2nd to 10th) four of the films from their competition program will be playing for free on Mubi’s site. Under the new section ‘cinema’, they also curate a special Mubi’s ‘festival’: every month they have someone curating a selection of special movies (some for free, some paid). June was the month curated by Martin Scorsese (acctually a Mubi’s member), exhibiting free films from the World Cinema Foundation.