Sen. Chris Dodd, the movie industry’s top lobbyist, said Tuesday that legitimate access to Hollywood content would spur creativity and economic growth in the U.S., and he pointed to the MPAA’s Where To Watch program as an important tool to provide it.
The chief executive and chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America made the remarks in his annual State of the Industry address at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
WhereToWatch.com is the MPAA’s one-stop search tool that makes it easier for consumers to find content online or in theaters, while also supporting the nearly two million workers in the American motion picture and TV industry.
“We believe WhereToWatch.com is an important opportunity for our industry to directly engage with your customers and, at the same time, support creators by driving audiences to legal sources of content — both in your movie theaters and online,” Sen. Dodd said to the audience of theater owners and industry executive.
“On a broader level, this effort is also a crucial recognition of the changing technological landscape, and the need to continue evolving to meet the demands of our consumers,” he said. “That will mean finding new ways to enable audiences to see movies where and how they want, while maintaining the magic and unrivaled appeal of the theater-going experience that has been this industry’s driving force for well over a century.”
The remarks come just a few days before the MPAA hosts the third Creativity Conference, which kicks off Friday at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., in partnership with ABC News and Microsoft. The conference will focus on global competitiveness: innovation and creativity.
25 Must-See Movies at Tribeca Film Festival (Photos)
"The Adderall Diaries" sees a troubled writer played by James Franco throw himself into a hot murder case in an attempt to curb prescription drug addiction and get his mojo back.
Rabbitbandini Productions
Richard Gere's "Franny" tells of a wealthy eccentric who meddles in the affairs of a recently deceased friend's daughter (Dakota Fanning) and her husband (Theo James).
Big Shoes Media
"Havana Motor Club" is a lively documentary about the underground automotive scene in Havana, which thrived long after Castro banned drag racing in the 50s.
Perlmutt Productions
From executive producer Michael Strahan, "Play it Forward" is a documentary following hall-of-fame hopeful Tony Gonzalez as he finished his last year in the NFL.
Tribeca Film
A legend in New York and documentary filmmaking, Albert Maysles' posthumous "In Transit" tugs appropriate heartstrings as it follows passengers on the nation's most highly trafficked train route "The Empire Builder."
Tribeca Film
"Song of Lahore," another documentary, celebrates the brave musicians who struggled to maintain their artistry after the Islamization of Pakistan in the 1970s.
Ravi Films
"Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle" positions the seemingly benign Taser, manufactured in 1999 as a deadly weapon police apply with little to no regulation.
Tribeca Film
Leah Wolchok brings unfettered access to the instution of The New Yorker's single panel cartoons with "Very Semi-Serious."
Tribeca Film
In "A Courtship," Amy Kohn takes a sensitive lens to the conventions of a modern Christian courtship, wherein young women entrust their families to find a suitable husband in step with their faith.
Tribeca Film
Jean Finlay gives a fascinating look at a mysterious singer who sounded note-for-note like Elvis Presley, was exploited by record companies and heard by adoring fans since the 1970s in "Orion: The Man Who Would Be King."
Tribeca Film
Comic filmmaker and Internet child Patrick O’Brien documents his journey with ALS, aimed to fly in the face of the degenerative disease as well as offer a few laughs in "TransFatty Lives."
Tribeca Film
"Anesthesia" packs a major star cast in this drama about the intersecting lives of lonely New Yorkers played by Kristen Stewart, Sam Waterston, Glenn Close, Corey Stoll, Gretchen Mol and Michael K. Williams.
Hello Please
"Bleeding Heart" sees another leading lady effort from Jessica Biel, content in a yuppie clean living existence until she's burdened with taking in her troubled younger sister. The latter has a deeper effect on the former, as Biel's character's perfect world comes undone.
Super Crispy Entertainment
In a strange but sweet scenario, "Maggie" sees Arnold Schwarzenegger as a father in denial about his daughter's (Abigail Breslin) affliction: she's rapidly become a zombie thanks to an outbreak in their farming town.
Silver Reel
Equal parts comical and violent, "Mojave" reteams Oscar Isaac and Garrett Hedlund ("Inside Llewyn Davis") on a road trip adventure with a dark bend.
Atlas Independent
"A Nazi Legacy: What Our Fathers Did" finds two living sons of Nazis convicted in the Nuremberg trials, probing at memory, legacy and the remembrances of a historical horrors.
Tribeca Film
"Prescription Thugs" sees documentarian Chris Bell dress down the giants of the American pharmaceutical companies as he previously did steroids in "Bigger Stronger Faster."
Tribeca Film
A four year lesson from Noam Chomsky on what has created profound American economic disparity is packaged in "Interests," from directors Peter Hutchison, Kelly Nyks, and Jared P. Scott.
PF Pictures
Executive producer Martin Scorsese and director Nick Sandow ("Orange Is The New Black") weave a fascinating tale of a man obsessed with mob movies (Vincent Piazza) and his wife (recent Oscar winner Patricia Arquette) as they chase drugs and money in efforts to recreate the lifestyle.
Electric Entertainment
Amber Heard and Christopher Walken make an odd and wonderful father-daughter team in "When I Live My Life Over Again," where Heard's flighty city girl heads to the Hamptons home of her dad, a former singer.
Maybach Film Productions
Famed Italian filmmaking brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani offer up "Wondrous Boccaccio," a gorgeous tale about a group that escapes the plague in Florence for an artistic retreat in the country.
Stemal Entertainment
"A Ballerina's Tale" is the hotly anticipated documentary starring Misty Copeland, the first African-American female soloist at New York’s American Ballet Theatre
Romance Productions Inc.
"Rifftrax Live: The Room" reteams Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" to skewer cult classic films. In this case, they set their sights on Tommy Wiseau's "The Room."
Tribeca Film
"Goodfellas" clearly isn't a premier title but rather a 25th anniversary screening, and what better place to roll out the Ray Liotta classic than Tribeca?
Warner Bros.
Traditional production of Saké has changed very little over the centuries. Erik Shirai’s "The Birth of Saké" offers a rare glimpse into a family-run brewery that’s been operating for over 100 years.
Tribeca Film
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From thoughtful documentaries like ”A Courtship“ and ”In Transit“ to dramas such as ”Anesthesia,“ see the can’t-miss premiere titles
"The Adderall Diaries" sees a troubled writer played by James Franco throw himself into a hot murder case in an attempt to curb prescription drug addiction and get his mojo back.