Real's Film.com to Stream Indie Films

RealNetworks' movie site Film.com is set to become a streaming media destination as well. The company said Friday at the Sundance Film Festival that it will begin streaming full-length versions of independent movies from the site.

Called "Movie of the Week," the films will initially be provided by GreenCine, which carries a catalog of over 10,000 movies and documentaries available for download. Each film will be featured for one week, and the feature is expected to run throughout the year.

Real will also accept submissions from independent filmmakers to be featured within the service. "We will be able to showcase up-and-coming and independent filmmakers and offer their films' exposure to an audience they might not consistently reach," Real Media Software and Services vice president Elizabeth Coppinger said.

"24 Hours on Craigslist," directed by Michael Ferris Gibson and Zealot Pictures & Heretic Films is one such film. It documents some of the posters to the popular online classified ads site during a day in August 2003 in San Francisco, where the service got its start.

Since the films would be streamed using Real's format, the videos would be viewable on both Windows and Mac platforms. Users would also have the option to watch the film in full-screen mode. The cost of the service would be offset by in-movie sponsorship and advertising, Real said.