MoonPay and Julie Pacino collaborate on first film inspired by NFT-Native Photography
The alpha
- Crypto payment platform MoonPay announced that it will collaborate with filmmaker, producer and photographer Julie Pacino on her upcoming film, I live here now, according to a press release shared with nft now. The company will act as Co-Executive Producer.
- The film marks Pacino’s feature directorial debut and is based on her 2021 NFT photography collection of the same name. The production makes it the first NFT-native photography IP to inspire a film.
- The film is partially financed by Pacino’s follow-up collection to I Live Here Now, Keepers of the Inn, and has yet to receive a release date, but will drop “soon,” according to MoonPay.
Dive deeper
A longtime proponent of NFTs and Web3, Pacino established himself as a household name in the space after releasing I Live Here Now in August 2021 and its follow-up, Keepers of the Inn. That same year, Pacino was invited to be a part of TIMEPieces’ Build a Better Future Genesis drop, further raising her profile and drawing attention to the fact that photography was increasingly finding a home in Web3 circles.
The Live Here Now collection allowed Pacino to explore character development through photographic stills, which eventually led her to develop a feature film. The psychological horror story behind the project focuses on a struggling actress struggling with the resurgence of childhood trauma. The main character escapes to a remote hotel in the woods, where a mysterious and abnormal presence makes her question her reality.
While this upcoming release will be Pacino’s feature film debut, she has directed several well-received short films at Tiny Apples, her production company, including Hard Work, Nowhere to Go and Harmony in Gold.
Pacino has consistently advocated using Web3 technology in the film industry, believing that NFTs free all types of advertising from relying solely on major production studios and crowdfunding platforms to fund their work.
“I want to help pave the way for the next generation of artists coming into Web3, which is why I’ve joined MoonPay, as they’ve built a platform that makes listing easy, efficient and effective,” Pacino said in press release. “Visibility for NFT artists – especially women and the LGBTQIA+ community – is important, and with MoonPay’s support on this film, we hope to help more individuals join Web3 and amplify their film projects.”
What will be next
The news of MoonPay’s involvement in the film comes just two months after the company announced the acquisition of Web3 creative agency Nightshift, which was renamed Otherlife as part of the deal. MoonPay has made no secret of its ambitions to bring as many people to Web3 as possible, and supporting Pacino’s work could help raise awareness of the brand and its far-reaching goals.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be a part of I Live Here Now, a historic project that highlights the power of Web3 to create community, break boundaries and allow artists to share their stories,” said Tom Capone, MoonPay Chief Entertainment Officer. in the press release.
“Julie is an outstanding filmmaker, photographer and collaborator, and her work is pioneering the way forward in Web3. We have no doubt that in many years, students at the film school will see Julie and I living here now as a landmark in modern filmmaking. We are so proud to support her brilliant vision.”
Pacino also has a new intimate NFT portrait series in the works titled Hollywood Mornings which is scheduled for release later this year and will also take place in partnership with MoonPay.
