Move over, snobby film-fest judges! The Internet crowd at
DVD Express is soon to be overflowing with praise for Hollywood’s “bubbling-under” auteurs.

DVD Express, the largest online video retailer, will be taking film fans from all over the world backstage at the upcoming Los Angeles Independent Film Festival (LAIFF), enabling them to vote on their favorite independent films in “keeping-it-real” time online, and crown the first-ever people’s voice award, which it has nicknamed “LA-LA”.

As one of the sponsors of the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, which takes place April 15-20, DVD Express will present a chance for Internet film buffs to view one-to-three-minute clips and trailers from LAIFF films in competition and vote on their favorites online at their website to determine the winner.

A “Backstage Pass” icon on the site will direct users to the viewing area. Viewing and voting will take place at DVD Express from April 9 to April 30, which means users will have a sneak peek at some of the competitors a week in advance, beginning this Friday. Clips are made possible with InterVu, a video-streaming technology.

DVD Express will also offer coverage from the show in a section called “Star Sitings”. If there’s a trailer that just begs to be seen in its entirety, DVD Express will provide ticket and theater information, times and locations, maps for getting to the theater, film descriptions and other festival coverage. However, if users just can’t make it to the actual show, ongoing coverage of the LAIFF will be available exclusively for DVD Express viewers.