About
The Film Atlas is a tool for movie afficionados and curators to visualize the geographical diversity of their collections. It does so by creating a choropleth map of the world based on data from a user's watched films: the more films watched from a region, the darker the shade of that region will be. This simple coloring exercise can help viewers become aware of biases in the global distribution and consumption of media, while advocating for the appreciation of cinema from underrepresented regions in the world.
PHASE ONE  |  SEARCH, INTERACTION & MAP DISPLAY
  Completed
Overview
In the initial phase, The Film Atlas aims to function as (1) an interactive map that promotes engagement with world cinema, and (2) a movie lookup site that emphasizes the curatorial experience. The map component will allow user to discover films from any country that they click on, and apply relevant sorts/filters. The curatorial experience centers on treating each director as the auteur principal of a film, and implementing a strict 3-star rating system on each of their creation. These two functionalities work together to to minimize user input, while maximizing the visualization of their engagement with cinema from a cultural, geographical, and even gendered perspective.
Key features
  •  Search, filter, and sort over 1 million films and associated directors from The Movie Database.
  •  Like a film (Watched), save it for later (Watchlist), and/or Rate it.
  •  Watched films are projected onto a choropleth map based on their origin(s).
  •  Each director gets assigned a score based on the user's interaction with their films.
PHASE TWO  |  REGIONAL FOCUS
  In progress
Overview
In the second phase, The Film Atlas aims to granularize its map to serve as an archiver of films from culturally rich and distinctive cities around the world. It hopes to do so by collaborating with local organizations to create its own database of films that had left a significant cultural impact on the chosen city, as well as finding ways to make those films more accessible to the public. The Film Atlas would also like to serve as a resource provider for filmmakers looking for opportunities in such cities, featuring information concerning grants, fellowships, festivals, or community gatherings.
Key tasks
  •  Design independent database and create custom management tools for collection and input.
  •  Community outreach and engagement.
  •  Develop new features based on available data.
Interested? Join our team!