Director Nicolas Winding Refn has been buying and restoring old exploitation films for a few years now, and his work will finally be available in his new byNWR streaming service. This is the first streaming venture for the writer-director, best known for Drive and The Neon Demon, and separates itself from other services by focusing on “good, challenging art, not good-taste art."
The service first launched with three films and has been dubbed “Regional Renegades” on the byNWR streaming service. The films in this collection were all released between 1965 and 1967 and were not movies found in the era's respectable theaters. The films are essentially examples of seedy grindhouse movies and were carefully curated and edited to showcase examples of grindhouse cinema.
The byNWR streaming service is currently available for free and will continue to showcase titles curated and supplemented by a group of guest editors.
What's Driving This Trend
- Exploitation Film Restoration
- Opportunity to restore and digitize old exploitation films to preserve and share unique cinema experiences.
- Director-curated Streaming
- Creating niche streaming services curated by influential directors to cater to specific audience tastes.
- Grindhouse Cinema Revival
- Reviving the popularity of gritty and low-budget grindhouse films through curated collections and streaming platforms.
Who This Affects Most
- Film Restoration
- Film restoration companies that specialize in digitizing and preserving old films for new distribution platforms.
- Streaming Services
- Emerging streaming platforms that offer unique content curated by influential individuals or groups.
- Independent Film Distribution
- Opportunities for distributing and promoting niche cinema, such as grindhouse movies, through specialized platforms and curator-driven services.
