IFC Entertainment has launched the video-on-demand package Festival Direct that will showcase for a limited time a selection of IFC films that premiered at international festivals.

The initiative will launch on Feb 29 on local cable carriers' On Demand platforms across the US for $5.99 each. Titles include Ken Loach's It's A Free World , Baltasar Kormakur's Jar City, Nic Roeg's Puffball and James Franco's Good Time Max.

'European films that find a ready audience in Europe and many other parts of the world often seem to struggle in US cinemas,' Loach said.

'While we can all speculate on the reason for that, the initiative by IFCE seems to me to be enterprising and bold. We hope to reach the audience that more conventional distributors ignore and widen the choice of films available to cinephiles and the general public alike.'

'By expanding our already successful day and date initiative [IFC First Take] with this new slate of acclaimed festival films and offering these films on-demand on local cable systems nationwide, we're giving film lovers all over the country the opportunity to see specialised movies, creating more awareness among a whole new audience.' IFC Entertainment's senior vice president of business development Lisa Schwartz said.