This idea did not in anyway start with the intention of distribution. In my 20s there were a group of 12 of us, who shared a whatsapp group and every thursday, we had a standing appointment to decide and watch the interesting movie for the week.Over the years as life happens and folks got married, moved, priorities shifted, that ritual that almost lasted a decade fell apart.During the pandemic, given that most of us had a VR headset, we reconnected and started watching movies together - we d setup a shared stream and would have a google chat going on the side, so that we can hear each other while the movie played.VR has been surprisingly good to recreate that theatrical atmosphere - but the worst bit is sitting in a virtual cinema as the only person. Dimming the lights out (within the virtual environment so that you don t see the empty chairs) and having a video call where we can hear each other on one of the ears, kinda felt a bit like the gang was back together.Even if it hasn t been as much, we have done this on and off since the pandemic and we enjoy it. It helps us stay connected with something that was our shared ritual - movies. And as of late it has expanded to shows as well.I recently met a filmmaker friend and was showing them this and they asked why we arent thinking about rolling this out as a platform. And that got some gears turning.Given that I love films, and also have a background in software meant we can think about building a dedicated VR app that doesn t involve setting up a separate video call for the audio. So we built one and have been testing it and love it.We are now opening it up. Indie filmmakers face a mountain of issues making a film - and distribution (like Stephen Follow s recent article shows) is another big mountain to climb. And most folks would just get overwhelmed by that. And given that filmmakers are building audiences through instagram / youtube, having an avenue where they can monetize their audience directly (by ticketing) and not having to do a roadshow for years across the entire country to recoup their money back, seemed like a problem worth solving.You can check it out at www.contraband.watch - its only been a week and we have quite an active community that has signed up and is engaged. If you are a filmmaker (or have a friend who is one) who d like to leverage this / test it out, let me know. If you are someone who has a VR and likes watching movies, join the tribe?Related reading:Why this seems to be at the right time:1. Stephen Follows a prominent data guy in the film and entertainment space, breaks down the numbers behind filmmakers trying to find distribution : https://stephenfollows.com/p/costs-of-self-distribute-and-promote-indie-film2. There was a post earlier this week by Aaron who has made a film named withdrawal and is doing a roadshow across the country trying to get screenings and the fees that makes it unviable for him to get his film to market : https://substack.com/home/post/p-198129278