Liosngate is reviving its powerful “Twilight” franchise by selecting five female directors to make short films based on the series’ characters.
The short films, financed by Lionsgate and its production partners, will be shown exclusively on Facebook next year.
The series will be called “The Storytellers — New Creative Voices of ‘The Twilight Saga.’” It’s backed by the Women in Film organization. The five directors will be selected and mentored by a group of judges that includes “Twilight” star Kristen Stewart and book author Stephenie Meyer. Fans will help select the grand prize winner through Facebook and crowdsourcing platform Tongal.
“The female voice is something that has become more and more important to me as I’ve worked in the film industry,” said Meyer. “I’m honored to be working with Women In Film, Lionsgate, and Facebook on a project dedicated to giving more women a chance to be heard creatively.”
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The project is another example of Facebook’s continued focus on videos and images.
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“More people than ever before are creating, discovering and engaging with videos on Facebook,” said Facebook VP of partnerships Dan Rose. “This collaboration with Stephenie Meyer, Lionsgate and Women In Film is a great opportunity to engage ‘Twilight’s’ massive global audience on Facebook through an innovative premium video program.”
Liosngate CEO Jon Feltheimer and Vice Chairman Michael Burns said in a joint statement that the initiative will help the studio find a way to grow its franchises.
“We’re delighted to expand our longstanding relationship with Stephenie and confident that her participation in the Twilight short films campaign will add an exciting new dimension to the incredible world she has created as an author and producer,” the duo said. “Our partnership with Facebook and Women In Film underscores the opportunities for growing our franchises in exciting new directions, and we’re pleased to introduce fresh creative talent to the Twilight universe as part of our commitment to female empowerment in front of and behind the camera.”
The five “Twilight” films, released between 2008 and 2012, grossed $3.3 billion worldwide.
The news was first reported by The New York Times.