Scilla Andreen started her film distribution company IndieFlix in 2005, and since that time has worked to make independent films more available to mainstream audiences.
A holiday lunch with her girlfriends, who asked for more of the great indie shorts she had shared with them, inspired her to develop the Film Festival in a Box. Launched in 2010, the product contains a DVD of four short films from indie artists. Film Festival in a Box is available in 10 genres, such as Love, which contains romantic shorts, or Zombies, which has shorts about the living dead. These genres, in Andreen's words, "can meet whatever movie mood you are in." After viewing the films, participants can vote for their favorites or play interactive games on the dedicated website.
Even with a "big learning curve" for retailing, IndieFlix has seen a 40% increase in sales. "Even though I call them indie 'appetizers,' the short films do leave you feeling full," she said. The company has since sold 500,000 units and now is offering a larger menu of independent films that will be available on the IndieFlix website.
The trial run launch this month. For a fee, members have access to a library of 5,000 independent films that is still growing.
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