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Indie Film Festivals as Network Programmers? Jan 27, 2012

News for TV Majors brought to my attention an interesting think piece from IFC President Evan Shapiro on whether some independent films might work better as television shows, listing 15 examples, including The Wackness (trailer above):

“First, the best films in the world are Indie. They are pure, they are original, they are art. Yet, despite this, many Indie films have a hard time finding screens and audiences. Second, much of the best filmed content in the world is on TV, and specifically on cable (see the Emmys and Golden Globes, or hey, just watch). TV is in the middle of a golden era for both quality AND viewership.”

He might be right. The success of low-budget, art-house series like Louie and Enlightened suggest this transition is financially possible for cable networks, pay- and ad-supported alike. Moreover, the recent deal matching Sundance Festival entrants with web video distributors like Netflix and Hulu, who are moving fast into episodic programming, indicates the institutional pathways are almost in place, if there’s interest from development executives and some bravura from marketers.

-Contributed by Aymar Jean Christian, -

This entry was posted in Alternative Distribution, Cable Channels, Television Industry and tagged film. Bookmark the permalink.

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