As you know, I see a lot of indie films. I also ride the subways with a lot of hipsters. And I know a lot of filmmakers.

And I haven't been this excited about a movie in a while. It's called "The Cult of Sincerity", and it will be the first full-length feature to premiere, for free and in its entirety, on YouTube. The big day is April 8, 2008, and you can read the whole press release or join the Facebook group.

How does it work? The filmmakers teamed up with AmieStreet.com, a digital music site for indie musicians - AmieStreet will donate $1 for each viewer who signs up for a free no-strings-attached account at their site (and they'll throw in two free music downloads just for kicks). The film is also available for a $3 digital download to your iPod or other mobile video device, and $2 of that will be donated to Fount of Mercy, a charity which works at a very low overhead with grassroots organizations in sub-Saharan Africa to provide help to widows and orphans.

An intellectual and off-beat comedy set in New York, the film’s main character, Joseph, starts a “cult of sincerity” to confront the perceived unhappiness, cynicism, and boredom of his generation. He wants to find something to believe in, something simple enough to put on a T-shirt. Reminiscent of Don Quixote, Joseph sets off to find the most genuine thing you could ever say to someone. The Cult of Sincerity is a witty exploration of changing friendships, permanent regrets, and hope in the age of irony.

This way of premiering and marketing a film could be the future of independent film, and it's definitely worth checking out when it premieres on YouTube on this coming Tuesday, April 8. (In the interest of full disclosure - I do know the filmmakers, and my husband was the first assistant director. But I'm a hard nut to crack when it comes to finding a film I love, and this script is funny and intelligent, and the production quality is great.)

And just for fun - here's the trailer.