Who Needs Theatrical? Why Hal Hartley is Distributing 'Ned Rifle' Via Vimeo on Demand

Last November, Hal Hartley took to Kickstarter to raise funds for his latest project, "Ned Rifle," the third in a trilogy that began with "Henry Fool" in 1997 and continued with "Fay Grim" in 2007. Tapping into his devout worldwide fan base, his campaign ultimately raised more than $395,000. [...] Instead of going the traditional distribution route, Hartley has embraced the day-and-date model with plans to premiere this spring through a limited exclusive window with Vimeo On Demand before expanding via Hartley’s own successful digital storefront Possible Films (newly re-christened HalHartley.com) and other aggregated platforms. [...] For its part, Vimeo will take 10% of the sales of "Ned Rifle," and in turn, they'll support the film with promotions. The best part of the deal, said Hartley is that he still maintains the rights to the film.- Paula Bernstein,indieWIRE [via/web:http://streaming-tv.us]