What happened to independent cinema?

Not the Miramax-bankrolled, opening-in-every-hip-cineplex indie. (Hello, Kevin Smith.)

We’re talking about legit indies, those little but powerful pictures that for reasons related to distribution or budget don’t get to see the light of day (or the dark of a theater). What’s a buff to do? There’s only so much time one can devote to standing in line at film festivals.

And really, why leave the house at all? Movie-of-the-month club Filmmovement will deliver the best movies that nobody’s seeing directly to your doorstep. The featured flicks are award-winning (as in Goya and Cesar, not Oscar) new releases, and come packaged with short films by hot new directors. (Sorry, VCR stalwarts, DVD is the format of choice.)

April’s pick is Wiebke von Carolsfeld’s Marion Bridge, the story of a family of dysfunctional women. May sound trite, but it’s not. The movie picked up the Best First Feature award at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Break out the snacks, and cozy into the couch. You’ll never have to settle for a blockbuster again.

Available online at filmmovement.com.