August 12, 2013–IndieFix got the rights to stream Stanley Kubrick’s first color film, the documentary “The Seafarers.”
“The Seafarers,” available now, will be part of IndieFlix’s Royalty Pool Minutes payment model, which pays filmmakers based on how many minutes their films are watched on devices that offer IndieFlix, from smartphones to smart TVs, rather than a flat licensing fee.
Released in October 1953, the 30-minute short film is considered one of the key pieces of the Kubrick filmography, considering it’s the first color feature Kubrick directed and produced.
Written by Will Chasen and narrated by CBS News’ Don Hollenbeck, the documentary extolls the benefits of membership to the Seafarers International Union, the largest North American union representing merchant mariners.
“The Seafarers” is notable not only for its use of color, but because it features an extended dolly shot that tips its hat to other signature cinematic tricks Kubrick was later noted for in his more popular pics. Money earned from the film helped Kubrick fund his first feature, “Fear and Desire,” released in 1953. It had previously been distributed on DVD in 2008 and was the third documentary short that he produced.
“Many of today’s greatest directors got their start in the independent film space, so getting the rights to an early work of such an important filmmaker is a huge honor,” said Scilla Andreen, CEO of IndieFlix. “It shows that we’re doing something right.”