Kinema

What Kinema does

Kinema is a two-sided film distribution and exhibition platform that connects independent filmmakers and distributors with screening hosts (community organizers, educators, nonprofits, cultural institutions) and audiences globally. The company, founded in 2021 in New York and backed by a $2 million seed round from Kindred Ventures, Lupa System, Galaxy Interactive, and I2BF Global Ventures, operates the kinema.com marketplace where creators upload and price films and where hosts discover, license, and run screenings in physical venues or online. Its core customer base spans independent documentary and feature filmmakers, community-based screening hosts, film audiences, and a network of 30+ distributor/content partners including Patagonia, National Geographic, ESPN, Participant, Frameline, Neon, Magnolia, Greenwich Entertainment, Film Movement, and Bullfrog Films.

The platform's technical stack is built around secure film delivery. It supports three screening modalities: (i) in-person screenings via a proprietary Offline Cinema Player that downloads encrypted files for playback without internet, eliminating the need for DVDs or DCPs; (ii) Live Virtual Cinema, which provides synchronized live streaming with real-time chat and optional Q&A broadcast; and (iii) Event VOD, which allows 1–30 day on-demand windows with 48-hour completion windows per viewer. Surrounding these delivery modules is a rights management layer — multi-platform DRM, geo-blocking, watermarking, single-session locking — and a self-service filmmaker dashboard for pricing, territory, capacity, and revenue-share configuration. Native video playback supports up to 4K resolution with captions and subtitles.

Kinema monetizes through a mix of recurring subscription and transaction-based streams. Filmmakers pay $22.50/month per film on the Pro plan ($270 annually) or $9/month on the Lite plan ($108 annually). Ticketed screening revenue splits 45% to the filmmaker, 45% to the host, and 10% to Kinema after Stripe processing fees. Licensors can alternatively pay a flat upfront licensing fee (Kinema retains 20–40% depending on plan). TVOD 'Watch Now' rentals — including 'Pay What You Wish' options — carry a flat 99-cent Kinema fee per rental. All payouts are routed through Stripe on a weekly cadence and never touch Kinema's bank account, a deliberate trust signal in the marketplace.

Name

Kinema

Legal name

Kinema, Inc.

Website

https://kinema.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kinema is a two-sided film distribution and exhibition platform connecting independent filmmakers and major distributors with global screening hosts and audiences, supporting live virtual, in-person, and on-demand screenings through proprietary DRM-protected video delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Distribution & Exhibition Software (Social Cinema Platform)

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212), Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (53311)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Rights & Licensing Management (Contract, Territory/Window, Royalty) (MPAHALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Programming, Booking & Repertory Exhibition Services (MPADAKAL)

Keywords

• Film distribution platform
• Virtual cinema events
• Screening host marketplace
• Video streaming software
• Direct-to-audience films

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Filmmaker Subscription Plans: Kinema charges filmmakers a monthly subscription fee for hosting their films on the platform. The Pro plan costs $22.50/month per film (billed $270 annually), offering higher revenue shares. The Lite plan costs $9.00/month per film (billed $108 annually) with lower revenue shares. Films are reviewed and encoded within 2–4 business days.
2. Ticketing Revenue Share: Hosts can sell tickets to screenings with revenue shared among filmmaker (45%), host (45%), and Kinema (10%). Standard payment processing fees of 2.9% and 30 cents are deducted before splits. Hosts may alternatively pay an upfront licensing fee to offer free screenings.
3. TVOD Watch Now Rentals: Filmmakers can enable direct rental of their films to audiences at self-set prices through Kinema's Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD) option, including 'Pay What You Wish' pricing. Kinema charges a 99-cent fee per rental, with weekly payouts from rentals.
4. Licensing Fees: Hosts can pay upfront licensing fees set by filmmakers to book screenings. Fees vary based on host type and audience size. Filmmakers receive 80% of licensing fees with Kinema retaining 20% on Pro plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kinema operates a cloud-based, two-sided film distribution and exhibition platform that enables independent filmmakers and content distributors to programmatically launch in-person, live virtual, and on-demand screening events worldwide, while giving community screening hosts free access to a curated legal film library and event management tooling. Revenue flows through filmmaker subscriptions (Pro/Lite per-film plans), ticketing revenue shares on hosted screenings, transactional video-on-demand rentals, and upfront licensing fees.

Product overview

Kinema is a unified film distribution and exhibition platform that enables filmmakers to reach global audiences through multiple channels. The core Kinema Platform provides the foundation, supplemented by distinct delivery modules: the Offline Cinema Player for in-person screenings without internet, Virtual Cinema for synchronized live streaming events with chat and Q&A capabilities, Watch Now for direct TVOD rentals with 48-hour viewing windows, and Event VOD for partner-hosted on-demand screening windows. Supporting features include a Self Service Dashboard for filmmakers to manage pricing and territory controls, Custom Film Pages for individual titles, a Ticketing System for event management, a Native Video Player supporting up to 4K resolution, and dedicated Customer Support. The platform integrates Stripe for secure payment processing and offers Google/Facebook OAuth authentication for user accounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kinema Platform A cloud-based, two-sided film distribution and exhibition platform that enables filmmakers to upload films, set pricing and territory controls, launch in-person, live virtual, and on-demand screenings, and receive weekly payouts, while community screening hosts browse a curated legal film library, book screenings, and manage ticketing through a dedicated console.
• Watch Now (TVOD Rentals) A transactional video-on-demand rental service that lets audiences rent films directly at filmmaker-set prices (typically $4.99–$24.99), with filmmaker proceeds subject to a 99¢ Kinema fee per rental and a 48-hour viewing window once playback has started.

Quantifiable outcome

• Filmmakers receive 80% of licensing fees and 45% of ticket sales on Pro plans
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WEALTH UNTOLDcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2025WEALTH UNTOLD, a documentary on marine conservation in Belize, launched its second phase of distribution through Kinema's global community screening network. The film had previously premiered at major international festivals and conferences, and now expands via Kinema's platform to reach community audiences worldwide.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationKinema is built on Stripe's secure payment platform. All payment information is submitted and securely stored with Stripe, a PCI-certified Service Provider Level 1. Revenue from licensing and ticketed events is paid out weekly, and filmmakers receive payouts directly to their Stripe account — funds never touch Kinema's bank account.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Eventive: Eventive is the leading virtual cinema and film festival platform powering ticketed online screenings, drive-ins, and live events for independent cinemas, festivals, and distributors. It is Kinema's closest direct competitor, serving the same filmmaker and host segments with overlapping virtual cinema and ticketing features.
• Gathr Films: Gathr operates a theatrical on-demand platform enabling filmmakers to book single screenings at local theaters, sharing box-office revenue with exhibitors. It directly competes with Kinema's in-person screening use case (community hosts as exhibitors) using a complementary theater-network model.
• Shift72: Shift72 provides video-on-demand and live streaming infrastructure for film festivals, distributors, and content owners to monetize online screenings. It serves the same festival and distributor customer base as Kinema with a comparable SVOD/TVOD toolkit and event-streaming capability.
• Film Festival Flix: Film Festival Flix is a streaming platform curating award-winning films from festivals and offering virtual theatrical screenings for independent filmmakers. It directly competes with Kinema's curated independent film distribution and community screening model.

Broad incumbents

• Vimeo OTT: Vimeo OTT (formerly VHX) is an established white-label OTT platform enabling creators and distributors to launch subscription, rental, and purchase streaming services. It competes for the same independent filmmaker and distributor segment as Kinema with broader enterprise tooling and significantly more resources.

Emerging players

• Filmocracy: Filmocracy runs a virtual film festival platform with ticketed streaming events, filmmaker distribution, and audience engagement tools. It is an emerging player in the same virtual-cinema and festival-distribution space as Kinema, with partial feature overlap.
• Athena Films: Athena provides secure film delivery and virtual screening infrastructure for distributors and festivals, including DRM-protected streaming. It is an emerging player with overlapping technology stack (secure delivery, rights management) but is more focused on delivery infrastructure than marketplace dynamics.

Regional players

• Moviefone (by Anthem): Moviefone operates theatrical showtime discovery and ticketing infrastructure for cinemas in the US. It serves the broader cinema-discovery and ticketing ecosystem that Kinema's screening host network operates within, though focused on theatrical exhibition rather than community screenings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kinemahq
• Facebookfacebook.com/KinemaHQ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kinema