Letterboxd Video Store to launch this week in 23 countries with previously unreleased Indie Movie ‘Gems’
Cinephiles, prepare to dig your heels into something new that could satisfy your desire for indie filmmaking. According to reports, Letterboxd, the popular social platform and cataloging service for movie lovers to track, review, rate, and discover films, is launching an online film rental program on Wednesday, December 10, with a special focus on indie films. Letterboxd plans to launch its Letterboxd Video Store in 23 countries, boasting it’s “the next evolution of the platform’s core mission of film discovery.”
How much will the Letterboxd Video Store cost?
When the Letterboxd Video Store launches on December 10, the platform will feature nine films, including several exclusive titles, across two curated shelves: Unreleased Gems and Lost & Found. Films on offer span nine countries, with additional selections expected to arrive before the end of 2025. Pricing and availability vary by film and by country, with many titles exclusive to Letterboxd in the regions where they are shown. Pricing will vary but remain standard for video-on-demand releases in each territory. In the U.S., films found on the Letterboxd Video Store will cost $3.99 to $19.99 to rent. Customers will have 48 hours to watch the title once you hit Play.
How does Letterboxd know what you want to watch?
To enhance the experience, the Letterboxd Video Store features curated “shelves” programmed by the Letterboxd team, utilizing millions of users’ watchlists, reviews, and behavioral signals to inform their selections. To ensure quality over quantity, each film “has been selected based on genuine member demand, while leaving room for discoveries the community has yet to find.”
According to Letterboxd, titles found in the “Unreleased Gems” category focus on films that haven’t been released in the specific countries where Letterboxd Video Store makes them available. Meanwhile, the “Lost & Found” section brings “underseen underdogs with stellar community ratings” to the table.
Letterboxd CEO Matthew Buchanan on the value of its new platform
“We’re incredibly proud of what we and our community have built,” Letterboxd CEO and co-founder Matthew Buchanan said in a statement. “We take their lead, and believe that has been integral to Letterboxd’s success. They tell us what’s really happening — a 1980s action film suddenly trending, a festival title from two years ago still being added to watchlists. Video Store lets us act on that real demand, whether it’s helping a distributor unlock value from a forgotten gem in its vault or giving a filmmaker direct access to the audience they’ve been building on our platform.”
Buchanan added: “It’s our way of saying to the industry: Let’s harness this interest to get films to the people who want them most.”
The Letterboxd Video Store will launch in the following countries: U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, and Cyprus.
What’s coming to the Letterboxd Video Store at launch?
You’ll find a list of films coming to the Letterboxd Video Store at launch below:
UNRELEASED GEMS
It Ends (2025): Director Alexander Ullom’s directorial debut about recent college grads trapped on an infinite, nightmarish backroad made waves when it premiered at SXSW 2025, going on to win best first feature at Fantasia International Film Festival and the narrative feature grand jury award at the Atlanta Film Festival.
Sore: A Wife From the Future (2025) – Director Yandy Laurens’ inventive time-loop sci-fi romance about a woman who travels back in time to change her husband’s destiny received eight nominations at the 2025 Indonesian Film Festival, including best picture, and has been selected as Indonesia’s submission for the best international feature film for the 2026 Academy Awards.
Kennedy (2023) – Anurag Kashyap’s neo-noir thriller following a presumed-dead insomniac ex-cop seeking redemption in Mumbai’s dark streets premiered at Cannes in 2023, going on to screen at over 20 international festivals.
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (2025) – Director Diego Céspedes’ feature debut about an eleven-year-old girl protecting her town’s queer community from superstitious panic won the Un Certain Regard Prize at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and has been selected as Chile’s submission for the best international feature film for the upcoming Academy Awards.
LOST & FOUND
Tiger on the Beat (1988) – Legendary 1988 action-comedy starring Chow Yun-Fat and directed by Lau Kar-Leung remains a beloved classic of Hong Kong cinema. For most of the world, this is the first opportunity to see the new 4K restoration — a digital exclusive to Letterboxd at launch.
Kisapmata (1981) – Considered one of the greatest Filipino films of all time, Mike de Leon’s masterpiece about a young woman living under her domineering father’s suffocating control won ten awards at the 1981 Metro Manila Film Festival including best film and screened at Cannes. This new 4K restoration premieres digitally, celebrating the late director’s uncompromising vision that faced censorship under the Marcos regime.
It Must Be Heaven (2019) – This comedy won both the special mention from the main competition jury and FIPRESCI Prize at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, but its theatrical release was delayed for over a year due to the pandemic, limiting its reach despite widespread praise. Palestinian director Elia Suleiman’s distinctive visual satire continues his acclaimed tradition of observational comedy that speaks to universal themes of displacement and belonging.
Poison (1991) – Todd Haynes’ groundbreaking film won the grand jury prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival and became a lightning rod in the culture wars, with conservative politicians attempting to defund the NEA over its support. The first feature from future Oscar nominee Haynes established him as a fearless voice in independent cinema.
Before We Vanish (2017) – Based on a cult Japanese stage play, master filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s alien invasion story screened in Un Certain Regard at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, showcasing the acclaimed director’s distinctive take on the genre.
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