Cinando, the online platform owned and operated by the Cannes Marché du Film, has received a significant makeover, with the new site launched just ahead of Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM).
Key changes include technological upgrades to its digital services, a site redesign that aims to be more user-friendly, a new in-house curation feature, and an expansion into the TV and immersive content industries.
Launched in 2003 as a database for attendees at the Cannes market, Cinando has evolved to become a vital global film industry tool for networking, digital screenings and conducting business across borders.
The platform currently has 100,000 users worldwide and offers bespoke B2B services for major international markets and events including the American Film Market (AFM), Ventana Sur and its own Cannes market, which this year runs May 12-20.
The site has evolved over time, with Marche du Film launching a VoD facility for producers and sales agents to stream their films for targeted buyers in 2012 before upgrading to a premium streaming offering in 2016. However, gradual upgrades were struggling to keep up with rapid changes in the industry.
“Cinando was getting older. We felt it needed a complete redesign of its interface that would be more adapted to use on mobile formats,” Marché du Film executive director Guillaume Esmiol told Screen. “Technology has evolved so much since 2003 that it was no longer possible to continue with mini upgrades of an outdated system – it needed a complete overhaul.
“We have changed everything; the entire infrastructure is different,” he added. “It’s not just an update – it’s a complete relaunch with new ambitions.”
New functionality
Cinando will remain first and foremost a database for film professionals and markets, but with added benefits for users.
Each major international market and event will have a landing page, including new partners like Series Mania, while Cinando’s in-house team will be able to place selected profiles, companies and projects front and centre on the homepage for increased visibility via the new “Discover” curation feature.
“It will have a more proactive, editorial approach,” said Esmiol. “Before, it was mostly a search engine. Now, on the homepage, there will be different sections grouping specific types of contacts or films depending on the time of year or around a specific event.”
Cinando is also expanding to include TV series and immersive content. “The industry is evolving all the time, film, TV, streaming, and immersive media are increasingly intersecting,” Esmiol said, citing markets like Berlin and Ventana Sur that include series and host companies that sell both series and films.
However, Esmiol added, “for people who want to keep those industries separate, it will be easy to filter, and to focus on just feature films or just TV. Everyone can find what they are – or aren’t – looking for.”
As for screeners, the site will offer more statistics for sellers regarding the profiles of buyers who have viewed their films and everything will be, Esmiol confirmed, “faster and easier to navigate.”
The revamped Cinando will be available in English to start before expanding into other languages moving forward. While the site will be available during Berlin, Esmiol pointed out that it is still “in a transitional period”. (Screen can confirm this, having spent time navigating the relaunched site and experienced slow uploading times and search functionality that didn’t always locate the company or title that had been typed in.)
There will be a Cinando stand in the Palais des Festivals at the upcoming Cannes market and festival for professionals to come with questions or concerns, or to test out new modalities. The Marché team is also on hand throughout the year to host workshops or offer technical support. Some feedback from industry professionals invited to test out earlier versions of the relaunched site has already been integrated.
The road to relaunch has taken more than two years and has been funded by the Marche and Creative Europe MEDIA, which has supported Cinando since its launch. Revenue streams will continue to be subscriptions, advertising and B2B services.
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