The Independent Film Channel
Though not always given the recognition deserved by mainstream Hollywood media, independent films are made widely available, at least to the television viewing public, by the Independent Film Channel, a long running staple of the indie community. Launched in September of 1994, the IFC airs the completely uncut and uncensored work of independent directors, whether full-length features, animations, shorts, series or documentaries, running on an uninterrupted 24 hours cycle.While most movie channels like HBO, Starz, Cinemax and Showtime will show some of the more popular independent films to hit the market from time to time, the IFC is entirely dedicated to entertaining a niche market of consumers who prefer the more unique, off-brand humor, imagery and story lines as opposed to what studio execs all too often try to pass for filmmaking.Recently, the IFC has made news by presenting their programming with commercial interruptions for the first time in late 2010. Though some viewers expressed concern this would require the channel to compromise its policy on censorship so as to not offend advertisers by risking potentially offensive product associations, content airing on the IFC remains unedited, holding true to each director’s final cut. Read more »