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'Drive' Director Nicolas Winding Refn Is Launching His Own Free Streaming Service

It'll feature a different cult classic each month, as well essays, videos, photos and music.
Sarah Ward
July 15, 2018

Overview

From global behemoth Netflix to the arthouse, indie and documentary-focused Kanopy, picking a streaming platform can take as much time as actually picking something to watch on a streaming platform. The latest to enter the market has quite the point of difference, however — and not just because it's free.

If viewing the likes of Bronson, Drive, Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon has you on the same wavelength as filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, then you're in luck — the Danish writer/director is launching his own streaming service. Called byNWR.com, it's currently in beta testing before opening to the public at a later date this month, with the site dubbing itself "an unadulterated expressway for the arts".

A venture in conjunction with existing platform Mubi as well as the Harvard Film Archive, byNWR.com will highlight a restored cult classic each month that's picked by a guest editor, The Guardian reports. Each film will be supported by content themed around the chosen flick, such as essays, videos, photos and music. And if you're wondering just what titles will be on offer, Refn detailed the first four, as well as his reasons for highlighting them. They're not the type of movies that you're likely to have watched and rewatched endlessly, or even seen on a big or small screen recently, including 1961 thriller Night Tide starring Dennis Hopper, 1965 horror effort The Nest of the Cuckoo Birds, 1974's The Burning Hell and 1967's Hot Thrills and Warm Chills.

"I hope my site will inspire people to see the world a different way," the filmmaker outlined in his piece for The Guardian, while also writing about something fans of Refn's own work will be more than familiar with — pushing people out of their comfort zones.

If Refn's choices sound like the kind of thing you would like to see in a cinema, Little White Lies also reports that the streaming site will be accompanied by special screenings around the globe.

Via The Guardian.

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