Openfilm.com announced the release of new tools and features to assist independent filmmakers in showcasing their work and help audiences discover and watch the best web video for free.

The highlights include an improved new look for the site with superior navigation, viewing recommendations and film reviews, advice for filmmakers on everything from production to surviving Hollywood, and a well-organized database of more than a thousand film festivals worldwide.

A fast growing and thoroughly organized database of film festivals will be especially useful to independent filmmakers. Users can now browse and search over 1000 festivals from around the world by locations, dates and genres, and find detailed information about eligibility, awards, and submission dates.

Other features include viewing recommendations and a video review section by a professional film critic to make it easier for audiences to find the content that best suits their interests. Also new to the site are regularly updated journals by Openfilm staff members who are also filmmakers. Other blogs discuss a wide variety of topics from modern films, web video trends and Latin cinema to advice about cinematography and the struggles of an actor trying to make it in Hollywood.

The upgraded site also features enhancements to provide users with a better browsing and viewing experience. Video playback and channel pages are more comment friendly, customized RSS feeds are available for all categories of videos, channels, blogs and reviews, and a new feature in the video player enables viewers to immediately jump to any point in a film.

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