Television

From animation and shorts, to Web series, narrative features and documentaries, The Independent's 10 to Watch list brings you filmmakers from all backgrounds and genres, each of whom has one very important thing in common: Crazy-big talent.

We'll be announcing our annual list of 10 of the most talented filmmakers we think you should keep your eye on by posting exclusive content daily on our Facebook page.

What's interactive to the third or fourth power? SXSW and its deepening relationship to all things tech and social media. Steve Abrams comments on how, at this year's fest, the intersection of social networking, fundraising, and technology affected the showcased films and which filmmakers are leading by example.

In this guide to securing public television broadcast, filmmaker and station relations consultant Jennifer Owensby Sanza spills the beans on how to reach the staggering potential only public television can offer--reaching 99 percent of American homes.

"You could argue that there's plenty of fiction on PBS. Strictly speaking, that’s true. My complaint is that it all comes with an accent," writes David Pierotti. Why can't his most beloved source of TV programming, PBS, bring the same charisma to its American-made fiction as it does its nonfiction?

Corporate television commercials are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Instead, businesses both big and small are turning to documercials, commercials shot like documentaries, to more sincerely convey their message via the Internet. Like it or not, this trend is opening up doors for independent filmmakers — both financially and professionally.

The new social media center, boxee, aims to change the way you watch TV by bringing all your favorite media into one place, whether it be from the Internet, Hulu or CBS. But, could this mean a change for broadcasting independent films as well?

On Wednesday, May 7, the Sundance Channel announced that it had been acquired by Cablevision—the nation's fifth biggest operator, the parent of IFC and AMC, and a big player in the Northeast—for nearly $500 million. Robert Redford would remain affiliated with the network under the terms of the deal. So what does this mean for filmmakers who view the channel as both a key distribution outlet and a place that creates a sense of community for them? The Independent's Mike Hofman asked a few filmmakers for their views on the deal. Do you have an opinion? If so, read the article and then add your comment.

Sixty short films a year are aired by the Logo Network on its Wednesday night program "The Click List: The Best in Short Film." Marc Leonard, an executive at Logo, talks about the evolution of the program, its online reach, how films are selected, and why he thinks Talladega Nights was a bit of a watershed moment in the depiction of LGBT characters on film. (The photo above is from Dare, a current Click List short by filmmakers Adam Salky and David Brind.)