#44. Skoop : New Website: Movie Buffs' Dream?

1:17am UK, Wednesday January 28, 2009
http://news.sky.com

A new website for movie buffs and fans of obscure film genres is about to take on the might of an internet giant.The findanyfilm.com site allows users to search for movies and tells them where and how they can watch them.It also gives cinema listings, DVD sale and rental options, and suggests legal download sites.

The catalogue claims to boast more than 30,000 films, including action movies, thrillers, classics and Bollywood hits.

Searching for a film will bring up all the formats it is available in, broken down by proximity, price and popularity.

Cinemagoers can then read a synopsis of the film, watch the trailer and even click through to book tickets or buy or rent the DVD.

The site also promises that if the film the user is looking for is unavailable in the UK, they can sign up to receive an email alert when it finally reaches these shores.

But the idea for an all-encompasing website about movies is not new - the biggest fish in this arena is IMDB.com - a site that is habitually used by people all over the world.

Findanyfilm.com has been set up by the UK Film Council, which claims it will vastly speed-up and simplify movie searches.

"This new site is going to transform how consumers find the films they want to watch - we will soon wonder how we ever coped without it," Peter Buckingham, the head of distribution and exhibition at the council, said.

"We have turned what was often an incredibly time-consuming, frustrating process into one that makes it much easier for film fans to see films in the UK."

But Sky News entertainment correspondent Matt Smith says the site is not the first of its kind.

"It's a great idea because people do use the web to research what they will see in the cinema or on dvd," he said.

"But they are a bit late to the party because there is already a similar site that everyone in the industry and film buffs use, called IMDB.com."