Ever feel overwhelmed or disenchanted with the offerings of Netflix? Allow us to point you in the direction of Behind The Tree — a streamlined, independent film streaming provider founded by film buffs and co-curated by industry insiders such as Jessica Schwarz and Frederick Lau. The newly-redesigned website is a pleasure to navigate — the “Playground” hosts the full selection of options, which can be filtered by categories including “The Hard Stuff”, “Kitsch” and “Real Life.” Scrolling through, I settled on an excerpt that caught my eye — for “Love Steaks” — and rented the film for 48 hours. Behind The Tree is more art house than blockbuster, more festival than cineplex. But even lovers of the occasional trashy flick are well catered for — refer to the “Cheap” section, which includes “Sharknado 3 & 4”. And for those who want to delve deeper into the world of independent film, the project also encompasses an in-house podcast, “Behind The Tresen.” (Text: Jennifer Prietzel / Photos: Behind The Tree)
