Sooner streams into Europe

A new streaming service focusing on European films and series has launched in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Sooner is operated by Franco-German outfit ContentScope and hit the market yesterday with a 14-day free trial followed by a subscription cost of €7.95 (US$9.34) per month.

Its line-up is made up of independent films and documentaries, with Sooner announcing a string of pickups from UK distributor VideoPlugger on its day of launch.

The Sect (Sekta) is an 8×42’ horror drama series from French producer Les Films de la Strada. Directed by Gela Babluani (Money, 13 Tzameti), it focuses on a psychotherapist who specialises in deprogramming sect members using shock therapy.

Pank (The Bank) is a 10×56’ series from Estonian producer Itamambuca, inspired by real-life events in 1990s Estonia and the growth of a successful Baltics bank.

Finally, The Cleaning Lady (La chica que limpia) is a 13×26’ crime thriller from Jaque Content in Argentina about a single mother who is forced to become a cleaner for the local mob after witnessing a mafia-related killing.

“Series content is native VoD content more than single films; the whole 90-minute film is an arbitrary leftover from the 1920s, it just never changed, that’s what I find so interesting with series. Sooner is not just for arthouse movies but we are interested in auteur-driven content,” said Andreas Wildfang, chief executive director of ContentScope.