Movie Fans - Watch Independent Films Online or Stream Them To Your TV

Tonight is movie night at home. Great gems among independent movies can be found online or streamed directly to your television, if you know where to look.

Independent film lovers know that a good story is often found outside the major studios. When movie tie-ins, fancy special effects, and large salaries play a smaller role in the production, an independent filmmaker often has greater artistic freedom. Somehow, without the big budget and special FX, a memorable movie is made.

Within indie films you may find some of the most memorable story lines and unique twists, often addressing risky subjects that the major studios avoid.

Independent films come in many varieties. The shoe-string budget self-made indie, the student short film, the art house, the character-driven drama, and more. Even films with not more than 50% backed by a major studio are classified as independent.

Those who love a certain style of film will hopefully find something to their liking.

As you are looking around, keep in mind that direct-to-video does not always mean junk. Some great films achieve only limited or no theatrical release.

We are only examining five places that allow legal instant streaming as opposed to downloading. Streaming means that the film will be continuously fed to the computer, device, or television as it is being viewed. Some of the sites may also offer other ways to watch movies.

Important to keep in mind: Due to the size of files being transferred while you are watching, a high-speed internet connection to the computer, television and/or media device is usually needed for streaming from these services.

You may notice that Netflix and Amazon show many studio-distributed independents. As you dig deeper, you will find more within them.  While they are the most well-known providers, there are others.

So, keep reading for more sites to find low-budget, shorts, and festival films.

With most of their subscription services, Netflix offers unlimited instant watching from a large selection of video on demand titles. As a result of distribution deals, Netflix added hundreds of independent movies to their Watch Instantly lineup this year.

Under the instant category, you can browse by genre and select Independent. From there, the category is further divided into sections - examples: Experimental, Foreign Art House, Indie Suspense & Thriller, and Indie Romance.

The indie movie selections range from cult classics to documentaries to those that achieved wider distribution and more. A few examples:

• Christopher Nolan's first film The Following (1998), a black-and-white indie suspense about a writer, Bill, who randomly follows strangers until he is caught by a thief he is following. The thief becomes something of a mentor for new ways to invade another world. Momento(2000) directed Christopher Nolan is also on Netflix Instant.
• The Machinist(2004) starring Christian Bale, a psychological thriller about a machinist who has not slept for a year. Trevor Reznik has lost a dangerous amount of weight and may be losing his mind.
• Keane (2004) starring Damien Lewis (Major Richard Lewis in Band of Brothers) about a man searching for his missing daughter.
• The Thin Blue Line (1998) Errol Morris' indie documentary investigating the 1976 murder of a Dallas police officer.
• The Short Films of David Lynch(2002) which includes his first works. You can also stream Lynch's Eraserhead (1976).
• Mad Max (1979) starring Mel Gibson, the low-budget post-apocalyptic tale that introduced Max.
• Being John Malkovich (1999) the fun and original indie comedy directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman. If one finds a portal into an actor's mind, charge admission.

Amazon's Video on Demand service has independent films available for rental or purchase. Finding many of them is as easy as browsing by genre and choosing Independent Film.

Once you purchase a VOD movie, it is stored in the cloud within Amazon's Media Library where you can watch it again when and where it is convenient from your account. Alternatively, titles may be rented. Rental duration is shown on each title.

• The Devil's Backbone (2001) directed by Guillermo del Torro is a ghost story set in the Spanish Civil War.
• The indie drama Pi (1998) in which a mathematician obsesses over finding a 216-digit number in Pi that will explain the universe. Directed by Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan and The Wrestler).
• An indie drama romance All the Real Girls (2003) starring Paul Schneider and Zooey Deschanel.
• The quirky, indie road-trip comedy Little Miss Sunshine (2006) starring Abigail Breslin as Olive. A family embarks on a trip to bring Olive to a beauty pageant.
• Quentin Tarantino's first feature Reservoir Dogs (1992). A non-linear, violent, diamond heist in which the actual heist is never shown.
• Dogville (2003) an indie drama directed by Lars von Trier, starring Nicole Kidman. A woman on the run from gangsters in the 1930s hides out in the fictional town of Dogville. This is unique movie with a minimal set on a sound stage with chalk outlines to represent buildings. However, the behavior and violence depicted may be disturbing.

Amazon's Video on Demand uses Flash Video and can be viewed on computers with the Adobe Flash web browser plugin installed or on certain devices and televisions.

Openfilm is an online video platform for distributing and discovering independent films. OpenFilm boasts a community of filmmakers and film fans, as well as an Advisory Board which includes James Caan, Robert Duvall, Mark Rydell, and Scott Caan.

Viewers are able to watch shorts and feature films, including live action and animated, in resolutions up to HD 1280 x 720 pixels.

I have been able to view the films for free without signing up for membership yet. Of course, you may have to view advertisements.

If you like, Openfilm has three levels of membership: Free, Plus, and Premium. Paid memberships progressively offer such benefits as eligibility to participate in webchats with the Advisory Board members or guest speakers.

Openfilm cultivates relationships with film schools and film festivals, enabling the site to showcase work from both. Additionally, they do revenue sharing with the filmmakers.

There is an Openfilm app for Boxee. It is also possible to watch the films online with a browser capable of running the latest version of Flash.

Since I have only recently discovered the site, I am still exploring the many films and the community. So far, here are a couple of my favorites on Openfilm. I would love to know yours. Just use the comments section below.

• Lightheaded (on OpenFilm) by Mike Dacko, an animated science-fiction short starring Dacko's brave wax candle creatures.
• Whisk: Chapter 1: A Restless Night (on OpenFilm)by Bradly Werley, a short fantasy film featuring the Whisk, the puppet character created by Werley from woven burlap. The introduction to this story leaves me wanting more chapters. I recommend watching the high-quality video on OpenFilm, then checking out the filmmaker's YouTube videos exploring the process.

Glimpse one filmmaker's dedication and creativity in the process of making the stop-motion short film Whisk: Chapter 1: A Restless Night ...

Mubi is an online film-streaming and social networking site that brings you independent films, foreign cinema, and classics.

Membership is free. Most movies will cost to watch via pay-per-view or subscribtion.

You may be able to access Mubi using a Boxee Box or PlayStation 3 connected to your TV or using a computer with an up-to-date version of Flash.

Through its partnerships, Mubi offers foreign cinema, classics, and independent feature films. Sometimes Mubi offers screenings of film festival works and art organization films.

• November 2010: During the AFI FEST, Mubi is showing some of the competition films.

Again, I am new to this site and still discovering what is available. Membership is free allowing you to explore what is available before purchasing or subscribing.

On Mubi, you may find a film listed only to discover viewing is not available in your area. Mubi is also a database of movies and a community. For that reason, the movies are listed regardless of whether you can watch it on Mubi.

The community provides an excellent place to connect with other cinema fans, make and view lists, and keep up with film news.

I personally plan to keep an eye out on the film festival lineup.

IndieMoviesOnline is a UK-based site that offers free independent films to watch instantly. You will find shorts and full-length features; including documentaries, horror, Sci-Fi, drama, romance and more.

All the films are licensed and IndieMoviesOnline pays royalties to the rights owners from advertising revenue.

Stream the films using your computer browser, hook your computer to your television, or use the Boxee Box. I have no specific information on whether other media devices work with IndieMoviesOnline. I would be interested to know in the comments below.

• The Italian Machine (1976) directed by David Cronenberg is a short 30 minute Canadian teleplay about a group of motorcycle enthusiasts obsessed with acquiring an art collector's Ducati 900 Desmo SuperSport.
• I Witness (2003) is a crime drama in which Jeff Daniels stars as James Rhodes, a human rights activist in Mexico tries to solve the mystery when 27 bodies are found in a collapsed tunnel.
• Killing Emmett Young (2002) a thriller directed by Keith Snyder. Dying from a terminal illness, a homocide detective orders a hit on himself and tries to find a serial killer before the he dies.

• YouTube hosts Sundance Film Festival rentals and the AFI channel.
• Hulu, iTunes, and Blockbuster have a selection of independent films.

Let's  look at how you might watch these movies.

Search for devices capable of streaming movies using your broadband internet connection besides your laptop or computer. Some game systems, Blu-ray players, media devices, televisions, and personal tablets are capable of streaming movies from one or more of these sites/services. Check the product information including what you already own.

Here's a sample of only a few devices capable of streaming movies from the two most well-known services. Chances are you already have what you need to get hooked up.

Many hours of entertainment can be found among independent films and streamed instantly to your computer, personal device, or your television. Whether it is a studio-backed feature or a student short, I hope this list helps you find something worth watching tonight.

Do you have a favorite site for watching independent films? A favorite indie movie? director?

Please let me know in the comments section below.

Any can't miss films I might have missed?