We’re excited to announce a new and exciting partnership with the San Diego International Film Festival. Attendees of the 2019 San Diego International Film Festival that purchase a 6 Day Festival pass will receive Litecoin that they can use to donate to films accepted into the 2019 Festival line-up. The filmmaker/film that receives the most Litecoin donations will be awarded with the Litecoin Foundation award on Saturday Oct 19 at the Filmmakers Award Show. The Litecoin award includes an additional $1,000 in Litecoin currency.

[Update: Congrats to “Philophobia”! for winning the first ever Litecoin Filmmaker Award!]

Festival attendees will be encouraged to “vote” with their Litecoins and award their favorite film with it. Litecoin Foundation team members will be on hand to educate attendees on the transformative power of Litecoin, assist them with receiving their complimentary LTC and in donating it to their favorite filmmaker/film.

In addition to this sponsorship, Litecoin Creator Charlie Lee has teamed up with film producer and founder of Common Enemy Kyle Tekiela, a Litecoin Foundation volunteer and Executive Producer of the Acadamy Award nominated film Mudbound, to become an Executive Producer for the soon to be released film We Summon The Darkness. The film is an elevated horror/thriller set in the 1980’s heavy metal scene and stars Alexandra Daddario, Johnny Knoxville, Maddie Hasson, Logan Miller, Keean Johnson, Amy Forsyth, and Austin Swift. As part of the partnership, the Litecoin Foundation will be getting a company credit, as well as a logo animation at the beginning of the film which is currently making its festival run to rave reviews. Charlie will be donating proceeds from the film to the Litecoin Foundation.

“Mass adoption requires two things: awareness and real world use cases,” says Litecoin creator and managing director of the Litecoin Foundation, Charlie Lee. “The film industry checks off both of these boxes in a compelling way. Litecoin has the potential to be a powerful tool for film financing, and by collaborating with the creative and influential people in this space we have an opportunity to introduce Litecoin to millions of individuals across the globe.”

“As a filmmaker, Litecoin and the underlying blockchain technology, opens up tremendous opportunities for the financing of films, the payment of vendors and crew, and the distribution of the finished product,” says Kyle Tekiela Litecoin Foundation volunteer and Producer of We Summon The Darkness. “The current banking system of expensive escrows, wire fees, and limited banking times to transfer money is antiquated and cumbersome in today’s digital world. Litecoin and the Litecoin Foundation are forward thinking and actively working to provide solutions to the challenges we face in the movie business.”

About the San Diego International Film Festival

The San Diego International Film Festival presented by the San Diego Film Foundation (501.c.3) is the region’s premier film event and one of the leading stops on the independent festival circuit. SDIFF celebrates film’s power to create empathy via new perspectives that emerge from powerful and compelling storytelling. Great film sparks great dialogue, so we are dedicated to giving our audiences the unique opportunities to meet with and hear from first time and veteran filmmakers as they debut their latest work. Watch major studio premiers on the road to the Hollywood awards season. SDIFF also has a robust year-round calendar of unique events, special screenings and film tracks.