Last year, two film-loving entrepreneurs went to the Sundance Festival and asked each other why so many films that generated excitement at the festival were never picked up by distributors. The answer, they decided, was that the cost of distributing films was too high, and they determined to create a whole new distribution platform, taking advantage of a lower-cost medium: broadband.

It's here now in beta, it's called Dovetail and it's already (and inevitably) being referred to as YouTube for the artsy set. But even with tags, sharing and other Web 2.0 features, the site is really nothing like YouTube. Not only is the aesthetic different, but so is the technology (peer-to-peer downloading rather than streaming) and the presentation (full-screen high resolution). Because producers have to mail in DVDs of their films, the site won't appeal to spontaneous amateur uploaders. It's targeted at the serious filmmaker who wants to make his or her work available to the public -- and, of course, at the audience for those films. There's even a way to create and promote virtual film festivals and TV shows.

As of now, there's no charge to producers or film-festival organizers, and it appears that the site will be advertising supported.