L.A.-based screenlife movie pioneer Timur Bekmambetov is launching a new platform supporting projects using the format in which all the action takes place on a computer, tablet or smartphone screen.
Bannered Screenlifer, the initiative is modeled on the successful The Black List, which has helped bring some 450 unproduced screenplays to the big screen since its creation in 2005.
Russian-Kazakh director Bekmambetov, who is currently in post-production on his new movie Mercy with Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson for Amazon MGM Studios, put the screenlife format on the cinematic map with hits including Unfriended, Searching, and Missing.
His ambition for the new Screenlifer platform is to scale screenlife film production globally. The new ecosystem will identify, support, and promoting screenlife content from emerging filmmakers, and give it exposure to both audiences and industry professionals.
Projects that meet the platform’s standards will receive a The Black List-style mark of distinction, signifying their alumni status, which Bekmambetov believes will enhance their industry credibility. A list of the best concepts will be published on the project’s website.
Screenlifer-branded projects will not as a rule be produced under Bekmambetov’s own Bazelevs production banner, but rather the platform will offer consultancy, mentorship, and publicity in exchange for a minority stake in the projects.
Screenlifer will also offer education in screenlife development, production and post-production techniques and tools.
The development and production process will follow a startup-like model, with funding raised in rounds akin to venture financing. The goal is to ensure creators maintain their independence and autonomy, while Screenlifer will support these projects without taking over creative or production control.
The first two screenlife projects to receive the Screenlifer seal of approval are the thriller CTRL and stalker picture Howdy, Neighbor!, which is currently in post-production with Bazelevs on board as part of the Screenlifer community initiative.
Howdy, Neighbor! comes from former Disney Channel alumni, director Allisyn Snyder and actor-writer Matthew Scott Montgomery.
Based on a screenplay tapping into their real life experiences, the film stars Montgomery alongside Debby Ryan (Jessie, The Resort), as former child star and currently struggling actor Benjamin.
As he is preparing for the relaunch of the TV show that once made him famous, a mysterious new neighbor Chase (Grant Jordan) moves in across the hall.
Chaz Barsamian produces through Exit Strategy alongside Dylan and Snyder’s banner Watch the Footage. Adam Sidman is also an executive producer for Bazelevs.
CTRL is an India-produced screenlife thriller starring Ananya Pandey and directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, exploring the impact of technology’s control over people’s lives.
The film follows Nella and Joe, a seemingly perfect influencer couple, but when Joe cheats, Nella turns to an AI app to erase him from her life – until the app takes control. CTRL was released on Netflix last year.