Why we are building this
The cinema outing is one of the best things about being alive.
Sitting in the dark with strangers, watching something that moves you, hearing people react in real time. The ritual matters as much as the film.
That ritual has been slowly losing ground. Not because people stopped loving cinema. Because the economics of physical distribution are broken for anyone who is not making franchise films, and the films that most deserve to be seen are the ones that have no path to a screen.
Contraband is our attempt to fix that. A VR cinema for films with no other home, run by people who believe that the shared experience of watching a great film together is worth protecting.
Who we are
We build tools for the people who tell stories.
Contraband is a product of Quanten Media, a company that started as a film club. Filmmakers would bring cuts they were working on, show the room, and talk about their instincts. Directors who knew exactly what the film needed. Producers who could not always convince them to trust the data they had. What we kept noticing was a gap. In a room, you know instantly if you are losing people. That feedback loop disappears the moment a story moves to a screen.
We have spent years building tools to close that gap. Quanten Arc analyses a screenplay's structure before a frame is shot. Quanten Pulse measures audience response before a film releases. Contraband is the third piece. It puts finished films in front of real audiences, at a set time, with real feedback at the end. The loop from page to screen to audience, closed.
What we believe
Stories are the operating system of human belief. They shape what people fear, trust, build, and aspire toward. The ability to tell them well is not a creative luxury. It is civilizational infrastructure.
Distribution should serve that. A film that deserves an audience should find one, whether it was made by a studio, an independent filmmaker working alone, or someone who used AI tools to bring something real into the world. We do not ask how you made it. We ask whether it has something to say.
Contraband exists because we believe the shared experience of watching a great film together is worth protecting. Not as nostalgia. As a form.
A note on AI films
We support storytellers. Not categories.
You can use clay. You can use a camera to shoot 24 images a second. You can choose to hand draw each and every frame yourself, or sculpt those frames in 3D. You can use AI generation tools. The choice is yours. What we care about is whether the story is worth telling, not the instrument you used to tell it.
FAQs
Common questions.
Do I need a VR headset?
Yes. Contraband screenings require a Meta Quest 3 or Quest 3S headset. You do not need one to sign up, but you will want one before the first screening.
How much does a ticket cost?
Tickets start at $3 for a one-time purchase. Members who top up a Contraband wallet pay $1 per screening. We are keeping prices low on purpose. This should feel like a cinema, not a streaming subscription.
What films will you show?
Independent features, AI-made films, and documentaries selected by our founding community. Films that have no other distribution home. We are building the first slate now.
Can I watch with friends?
Yes. When a user books tickets for guests, the system automatically groups you together. Users sign in, guests use their codes, and everyone is placed in the same circle, no setup required. You will hear each other clearly. The rest of the audience is there too, but faintly, and you can turn them off entirely.
What happens after the screening?
You vote. Three questions: did you like it, would you watch it again, would you recommend it. Those votes determine whether a film gets more screenings or makes way for something new.
I do not own a Quest headset yet. Should I still sign up?
Yes. Knowing that an audience exists is what gives us leverage to bring great films to the platform. Sign up and we will make sure you have everything you need before the first screening.