YouTube Exclusive: “Home” to Settle In On June 5th

YouTube has scored an online exclusive for the 90-minute feature film called “Home“, an environmentally driven film produced by Luc Besson and directed by Yann-Arthus Betrand. Luc Besson is known best for Leon: The Professional starring Jean Reno, Gary Oldman and Natalie Portman and The Fifth Element starring Bruce Willis.  Yann-Arthus Betrand is a world renowned photographer, and many of his exhibitions feature environmental work. Here’s the hard sell from YouTube:

Through stunning displays of aerial camerawork, the film will give people from all corners of the world a glimpse of our planet like never before and visually demonstrate the urgency for preservation efforts. In addition to its Internet premiere, “Home” will also be shown in movie theaters, outdoors on the big screens at key locations around the globe, and it will air on TV stations around the world. Using this unique distribution model, one with a massive online and offline effort, the film creators are able to reach the widest audience possible. So whether you’d prefer to head to the theaters, watch it under the stars, or just stay put on the couch — the way you view “Home” is up to you. 

And starting today, YouTube channels in English, French, Spanish and German will feature behind-the-scenes looks from the making of the film, as well as interviews, and extras. To add even more dimension, Google Maps is featuring specially created layers that shed more light on some of the material covered in the movie. You can also use Maps to find a theater location near you. 

We continue to see this trend of premieres happening on multiple formats and the future of VOD is looking great. There’s a nifty countdown and a specialized YouTube page with tons of behind the scenes clips already up. Make sure you check out the film on June 5th. It will be interesting to see how YouTube handles the load.