A consortium of independent filmmakers and creative artists calledMacrocosm will launch at Sundance on Jan 24, with the aim of bringingindependent projects to stage, screen and television.

The group's inaugural and self-financed project Hot Chicks, a live action feature based onreligious comic book tracts by Jack Chick and featuring segments by Macrocosmfounding members P David Ebersole, Todd Hughes, Tim Kirk and Jamie Tolbert, is already inproduction and slated for a festival release this year.

Macrocosm is also producing the noir thriller Oceanside in conjunction with Here!/RegentEntertainment. Ebersole will direct and fellow founding member Gwen Field willproduce.

Other titles in the pipeline include the thriller Dirty BackRoads that Macrocosmfounding members Todd Hughes and Brian Newkirk will direct and producerespectively; Out There, a coming-of-age story at pilot script phase VH1; the ITVS-fundedenvironmental disaster television documentary The Creek Runs Red; the MTV black gay series Noah's Arc by Carol Ann Shine and Patrik-Ian Polk;and a rock and roll variety show from Jinx Titanic called The Jinx TitanicVariety Half Hour.

FoundingMacrocosm members include all the aforementioned as well as Larra Anderson,Jamie Tolbert, Shaz Bennett, Tim Kirk, Julianna Brannum, and Candi Guterres,who served as production designer on Between, which plays in the American DramaticCompetition at Sundance.