The LA Times reports today that Netflix will shut down their independent film division Red Envelope. Led by head of acquisitions Liesl Copeland it offered a completely independent channel for distributing DVDs to a base of millions, without studios, no small thing.
This may be the right move financially, but it’s a blow to independent producers considering the few remaining indy film studios are already in bad shape. Copeland acquired a number of award winning films including Born Into Brothels which would not otherwise have reached the audiences they did.