Hot on the heels from a highly successful spring documentary series (SF DocFest), the San Francisco IndieFest continues its year round series of programming with a festival that focuses on the new wave of digital video.

"We are in the privileged position of being able to witness the birth of the "Golden Age of Digital Video," says Digital Underground programmer Bruce Fletcher. "For the last decade or so, only Peter Greenaway with Prospero's Books and The Pillow Book made feature narrative films that originated on videotape, yet managed to play in commercial theatres. The rules changed when Hollywood caught the unmistakable and irresistible scent of money trailing behind The Blair Witch. The shocking success of that film proved that if an audience is captivated, then presentation (i.e budget) and production format simply don't matter. On the other hand, artists saw a cheap way to create uncompromised work and explore a multitude of distribution strategies: theatrical, the Film Festival circuit, television and the Internet."

With Time Code, Bamboozled, The Anniversary Party and many other digital films continuing to make inroads to the multi-plexes, San Francisco's Digital Underground Festival is Ground Zero for this Digital Revolution.

The Digital Underground Film Festival would not be possible without the support of these local companies: SF Weekly, Frame by Frame Productions, Adamation, The Center for Electronic Art, Zeum, Jillian's, Galaxy Deserts, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Creative Technologies, Pearl Vodka, The Blow Up Lab and SF Station.

The Digital Underground takes place July 26-29, 2001 at Zeum, 221 Fourth Street at Howard. All films are projected digitally. All tickets are $7.50 except the Opening Night Gala which is $10 and includes admission to the after party at JillianÕs. Advance tickets are available with no service charge at www.sfindie.com and through TicketMaster by calling 415.421.TIXS.