Encore showcases bold new slate of Oscar hopefuls at APEX/IFSA EXPO
Share
The pandemic may have changed the way passengers engage with content, but the demand for fresh, unique and artfully-curated IFE has never been stronger says Encore Sales and Client Service Director, Edwin Cheung.
Even when we were all stuck at home with our families watching our own content on our own devices finding content that felt fresh and stood out from the pack was challenging, says Edwin Cheung, Sales and Client Service Director at Encore Inflight Ltd. That goes double for today’s post-pandemic passenger.
“What was good in the past is not good enough now,” says Cheung. “Because there has already been so much content on all of the different streaming platforms, passengers board the plane having already seen much of it. So, how can you excite them further?“
One way is to showcase top-tier independent films from around the globe, something that Encore has been doing for years. And though they are working with a smaller team now, Cheung says Encore’s mission to source boldly original content remains.
“I think the main question for us this year, after Jovita [Toh, Encore’s longtime CEO] left, was how do we continue as we did before? But, we have two people in Hong Kong, one in Singapore and one in Germany – so, multiple times zones! – and we still maintain the same level of output every month,” says Cheung. “Plus, I think our content really speaks for itself.”
Currently showcasing a variety of buzzy titles from a host of international film festivals, three of Encore’s films have already been shortlisted as their countries’ submissions for Best International Film at this year’s Academy Awards.
The Quiet Girl, from writer-director, Colm Bairéad, is a delicate Irish drama that follows a shy nine-year-old who has been separated from her immediate family and left in the care of two distant relatives for the summer. Corsage, from Austria, is a revisionist biopic on the rebellious Empress Elisabeth of Austria starring Phantom Thread’s Vicky Krieps as the royal in question. And Plan 75 from Japan imagines a near future where the government offers senior citizens cash if they agree to be voluntarily euthanized at age 75.
“We maintain our belief that unique, original content is essential to helping our airline customers stand out from the pack,” says Cheung. “So, our mission at Encore is to continue searching the world to find the best content.”
Visit Encore at stand 235, at APEX/IFSA EXPO