An interesting article by John Jurgensen about the recent online-only film releases:

Independent filmmakers are known for taking risks with their art, but many are wary of digital distribution. Now, as perceptions shift, they’re going online in growing numbers. Thursday, “Haze,” a film making its debut at the Hamptons International Film Festival in New York, also got a wide release on the Web through SnagFilms.com, a service that lets anyone host the movie for free on their own Web page. Other full-length films are following a similar path with online-only premieres on iTunes and video hubs such as Hulu.

Behind the shift: a glut of movies jockeying for theater screens. Last year 603 feature films were released in the United States, a 29% increase from 2002, according to the Motion Picture Association of America. Meanwhile, the once-bullish market for movies with budgets under $15 million recently lost some of its core buyers. For instance, Time Warner and Paramount have either closed or scaled back three of their specialty divisions. Read the entire article>>