Case study / Tribeca Film Festival - Shadow Brother Sunday

Charity Auction at Tribeca Festival

For the first time, original 35mm film frames have become collectible items on the blockchain.

Back to Case Studies

Client

Shadow Brother Sunday
Vanishing Angle

Industry

Entertainment

Services

Conceptualization and event organization
Hardware design and fabrication
Application design & development
Auction experience Service design
Marketing

Overview

At the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, COZ partnered with Neo, Vanishing Angle, and degenz.wtf to deliver a groundbreaking, blockchain-native charity auction tied to the premiere of Shadow Brother Sunday.

This activation showcased COZ’s Non-Fungible Item (NFI) technology—specifically the OneBand smart ring—as a seamless gateway between physical experiences and digital authenticity. By binding original 35mm film clips from the movie to the Neo blockchain, COZ created provably authentic, collectible memorabilia, enabling attendees to interact with Web3 without friction. The event proved the commercial and experiential power of NFI technology, bridging mainstream audiences and crypto-native communities in a real-world, high-profile cultural setting.

Challenge

Streamlining the auction experience with Blockchain

Our team was tasked to design and implement an innovative blockchain-powered charity auction at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival after-party for the Oscar® contender short film Shadow Brother Sunday, directed by Alden Ehrenreich.

The goal was to create a seamless auction experience, using physical cryptographic assets that combined blockchain technology and real-world memorabilia to captivate attendees and highlight the Neo N3 platform's capabilities.

Primary challenges include invitation and hype generation for the exclusive client list as well as the different levels of familiarity with the technology, given the variety of profiles on the guest list—actors, directors, executives, investors, and crypto enthusiasts.

Solution

Rising to the challenge

Premier event guests were invited with an exclusive OneBand ring, a cryptographically unique, blockchain-native physical object.

The ring served the purpose of granting access to the event and allowing the holder to bid on the unique auction items.

To encourage guest participation in the auction, our team set up a gallery in one of the party lounges, showcasing scenes from the film pieces up for sale.

Additionally, the floor plan integrated the bidding experience into the space, making the process quick and easy—it was possible to place a bid in under 2 minutes in one of the five stations around the venue.

This activation was built around two main components, exclusive NFI Film Frames and the OneBand Ring.

OneBand Ring for Auction Interaction

Event attendees received a OneBand ring with NFI technology that facilitated the auction process. The COZ tech team developed the entire software suite for the auction experience, allowing attendees to bid on film frame memorabilia through a simple tap-scan mechanism at designated tablet stations. Rings were distributed prior to the event as an exclusive invitation, which authorized access to the venue.

The OneBand rings were designed to be counterfeit-proof, providing both secure bidding and reusability for future blockchain engagements.

Exclusive NFI Film Frames

Our product team conceptualized and developed a unique collection of physical 35mm film frames from Shadow Brother Sunday that were embedded with non-fungible item (NFI) technology and paired with digital twins on the blockchain.

The film is inlaid in custom wax-cast bronze holders with the NFI's unique public key and an embedded microchip linked to a tokenized digital twin on the blockchain. Each piece is a tangible, cryptographically unique work of art, ensuring authenticity and traceability.

Event Experience and Features

Attendees went through a quick onboarding process, enabling them to use the OneBand ring for bidding without needing prior blockchain knowledge or mobile application installation.

Web Application

A custom web application that allowed participants to track and place bids on the auctioned NFIs. The app supported WalletConnect 2.0, ensuring users maintained custody of their private keys during the entire process.

Results

Efficiency through innovation

During the three-hour event, the activation engaged 500 attendees, distributing 200 OneBand rings and facilitating bids on 20 NFI collectibles. All interactions occurred on the Neo N3 MainNet without users needing any blockchain experience. The event demonstrated COZ’s expertise in creating accessible blockchain experiences and positioned Neo as a leader in combining physical and digital collectibles.

In numbers

500

Attendees at the Tribeca after party

200

OneBand rings distributed

NFI collectibles

Bonus

Proceeds from the auction were donated toRed Eyea non-profit committed to enriching children’s lives through art and community support.

Event recap

Check out all the action

Request a call

Want to make a lasting impact at your next event?

Get in touch with our team and discover how our solutions can fit into your art & entertainment project.

Get in touch