by Michael Oliveira.

Patrick Boivin can’t say his debut feature film, “Enfin l’automne (Fall Finally),” will be in theatres everywhere this weekend alongside other new movies including “Shark Night 3D” and “Apollo 18.”

But the Montreal-based animator and filmmaker says he’s excited to be screening his film for an even larger audience. He’s premiering it Sunday on YouTube, and proudly says his movie will be the first Canadian feature to be uploaded to the site.

While most filmmakers would probably be disappointed if their film debuted online, for free, Boivin says it’s the ideal way to launch his movie.

“Enfin l’automne (Fall Finally)” is the story of two best friends, performing artist Jack and cafe owner Jerome, who both have eyes for the same girl. Jerome gets the girl, with Jack’s blessing, and the ensuing story is an urban tale of normal everyday life, friendship and love. Most of the dialogue is in French, with English subtitles, although one character speaks English.

Boivin and his filmmaking partner Olivier Roberge sank $45,000 of their own money into the movie after getting a series of rejection letters from financiers. Although they had a minuscule budget to work with, it doesn’t show; it’s beautifully shot and has the look and feel of a studio-produced film.

Read the rest of this article from Winnipeg Free Press.

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This article was written by Angelo Bell.

“The Tribeca Film Institute asked Intelligent Television to launch an examination of the current economics of independent film and video distribution in the United States to help producers, distributors, and funders better understand current realities and trends in the film and video distribution market.

This study, supported in part by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is intended to be of mainstream value—documentary films and education film and television remain popular, and education ranks high among the subjects American viewers watch online, tied in popularity with music, after news and comedy.”

Read the rest of this article from Angelo Bell.

This article was written by Nancy Van Valkenburg.

“A decade ago, Ogden was still warming to the idea of being a Sundance Film Festival satellite site.

This year, locals marked their 13th anniversary of supporting Sundance. And the number of screenings has also increased. Back in 2000, Ogden got five feature films. This year, Sundance gave us 14.

We also welcome back the Foursite Film Festival in June for its seventh year, and last fall we celebrated the 10th annual Gangrene Film Festival in Layton. This year, the festivities fall on Sept. 3 at the Kenley Centennial Amphitheater.

A decade has made a major difference on the local film festival scene.

“I think we started out with about 20 people, at our first official festival,” said Craig Nybo, Gangrene programmer and co-founder. “Last year, we saw about 1,300 people.”

Read this article from New England Film.

“We all love films for the boundless creativity in telling our stories. But let’s face it, as independent filmmakers, you don’t just need creative juices, you need the gritty resourcefulness of financial know-how to evoke the taste of success.

Business sense and artistic freedom are often strange bedfellows, but paired well, they can make a power couple. But these two don’t often find each other in this world. Admittedly, this is what stops many a filmmaker from stepping up to the director’s chair. The financial considerations are just too heavy, and clamp down on the creative desire.”

This article is from Videomaker.

“The recent South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, TX saw quite the gathering of filmmakers discuss the contentious issue of making money by way of digital distribution. Although the common belief is that DVDs will be obsolete sooner rather than later and that online video sharing sites are the future the truth is that the Digital Distribution doesnt provide the same reliable numbers as film and television does.” Read article.

This article is from Indie Wire.

“With limited theatrical options for getting their films in front of audiences today, numerous filmmakers have explored (or at least pondered) the Internet as an outlet. While most seem to covet a slot on iTunes—the platform that generates the greatest revenues—the need to work with an aggregator and the service’s limited offerings have led filmmakers in other directions. Sites such as Hulu, Joost, and SnagFilms, among many others, as well as services ranging from iTunes and Amazon, are aiming to draw filmmakers.” Read article.

This article is from Fans of Film.

“Making a dream a reality, beyond the life changing experience of stepping into the film industry in 2007, it’s truly been a roller coaster of a ride. Lets go beyond being a 20 year artist and trying to understand the medium of film making for myself as an aspiring filmmaker/producer working on my own productions/art.” Read article.