Now in its fifth year, the Independent Television Festival — or ITVFest, as it prefers to be called — keeps getting bigger and bigger, not to mention less television-y. It's the mother of all festivals for independently produced original TV pilots and web series, you know — all those fantastically popular web series you’ve never heard of but everyone else has. The organizers are excited that this year almost three-fourths of the final selections are Internet-based shows. The fest is held over the course of a week, with 53 selections screening, plus themed panels covering casting, writing, pitching, getting sponsorship and much more. Opening night (Thurs., July 29) sees the Innovator Award presented to Illeana Douglas. If you've never heard of these “must-sees”: Superman, The Source, 15 Minutes, Dan O'Neal (pictured), The Ballad of Mary and Ernie, Going to Pot, Four Angry Men, We're in the Band, Souvenirs, you probably still read books in print and think Twitter means to chirp continuously (like me).

July 29-Aug. 5, 2010

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