Chicago producer, director offers NFT distribution

(The Hidden Man?)

Chicago Producer Anthony Gibson and Director Zach Lona are introducing a new distribution mode with their feature film He Who Lives in Hidden Lakes, a wacky mockumentary comedy about faith and folklore.

The film will be released this year via Film Hub, but only after it has been auctioned off as an NFT- that’s a non-fungible token. The best analogy I’ve found to understand NFTs compares them to digital baseball cards. 

Once you buy an NFT, you’re the only one with the original “card” in your possession, trade or sell that card and someone else will own the property.

Now extend that logic to this film- the person who purchases this original token of He Who Lives in Hidden Lakes will own the original Blu-Ray copy of the film along with the certificate of authenticity and token ID, AND they will hold the rights to 50% of all profits the film will make in distribution.

Watch the trailer below:


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Director Zach Lona has joked about how this distribution model is entirely new- so new that this experimental approach to his film’s distribution could be met with rave success… or shocking failure. 

One thing of which Lona remains confident? The entertainment value of the film itself, and the film is incredibly entertaining! Surprisingly insightful in its depiction of how people of different walks of life experience a local mystery, the film shines as a character study.

The premise of He Who Lives takes us to the nature preserve of Hidden Lakes Illinois. In the world of the film, Hidden Lake locals are both terrorized and inspired by mysterious sightings of “The Hidden Man”- a creature akin to BigFoot or The Lochness Monster. 

So who is a prime candidate to purchase the NFT of the film? Influencers, or others with a large following on social media, could stand to make a huge profit from purchasing the non-fungible coin. The larger the film’s initial fanbase the better it will fare on streaming platforms like Amazon.

The right buyer could leverage their online following into viewership, but as Lona jokes, anyone could sit back and make money from the filmmakers’ hustle.

Lona and Gibson are both committed to garnering an audience for the film. After the last few years, the world should be ripe for a playful depiction of a group of people confronted by a mysterious figure who may represent an apocalyptic omen. 

If you’re interested in purchasing the film, act fast, as bidding will officially close this Friday. You can visit the link to purchase here.


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Contributor Laura Day covers the indie film scene for Reel Chicago and Reel 360.