Netflix has been looking to the future and exploding with possibilities -- this year alone, there's already been news of a streaming HD box and unlimited downloads. iTunes is looking into movie rentals. Writers are striking over the upcoming possibilities of the Internet. But what about Sundance, the festival made for indie film -- an industry that could really use the web?

Wired threw up an article recently that covers the Sundance Film Festival's involvement in web content now that the whole arena is starting to explode. You might think that the fest is following, doing what they can to integrate the two. However, while the festival includes a panel called "Webolution," Wired says: "Sundance is beating a stealthy retreat from the web. Its Online Film Festival, launched in 2001, has suffered: In 2007, Sundance's site offered nearly 50 films continuously over the course of the festival; this year, it'll show just one for each of the festival's 10 days."

Programmer Trevor Groth claims that this is to eliminate competition with iTunes and other video sites. This is, unfortunately, bad timing for indie film, because it's struggling even in the wake of big hits like Little Miss Sunshine. What is there to do? Ian Calderon, director of the fest's digital programs, says: "We aren't good at engineering outcomes, but we are good at featuring new tools and technologies for filmmakers to explore and use to tell their stories. We try to highlight, support, and underscore the new technologies, and then we hope for the best." Um.. There's got to be something more than hoping for the best. What would you suggest?