So, reading my Indiewire daily e-newsletter, I saw an ad for the Hollywood Film Festival , which read: “Our mandate is to bridge the gap between Hollywood and independent filmmakers.” This really caught my eye. It also really “tickled my grits.” (Am I confusing, conflating, or misusing this expression? I admit, I’m taking a risk. Please write in.) Why would we WANT to bridge the gap between Hollywood and independent filmmakers? Isn’t the point of “independent” cinema that it exists on the margins of, and as an alternative to, the corporatized studio mega-conglomerate. In recent years of course, Indie-wood has started to resemble Hollywood, led by the fraternal force that are the Weinstein brothers. When Miramax became an Oscar-winning powerhouse, the big boys on the lots took notice, and flashed their gazillions to the indie powers, buying and merging with them. Others, such as Sony and Fox, created their own “independent” arms — Sony Pictures Classics and Fox Searchlight. The lines between “mainstream” and “indie” have become increasingly blurry. My mandate, and that of Indiepix.net is: (as the polite, British-accented robot can be heard saying over and over on the London Underground) “Mind the Gap.” To keep independent cinema interesting, let’s keep it as far away from corporate sanitation and focus groups as we possibly can.