Have you ever wondered why you hear about all of these cool indie movies getting released only to have them never show up in your local theatre? Here’s an interesting idea that could potentially solve this problem, assuming it catches on. A new web-based service called Tugg is launching this week that allows audience members to organize screenings of smaller indie films in their own respective cities. It’s sort of like a cross between Kickstarter and Eventful’s “Demand It” feature, with the idea being that moviegoers then confirm their attendance ahead of time, allowing distributors and filmmakers to bring their movies to places where they know there is an audience waiting for them. Tugg co-founders Nicolas Gonda and Pablo Gonzalez had this to say about their service:

“Every film speaks to a different person, and the most exciting thing about Tugg is that it allows for audiences to find their films and films to find their audiences. We are eager to offer a platform that enables studios, filmmakers and exhibitors to have unprecedented interaction with communities and influencers.”

They believe that this will help build a relationship between moviegoers and local cinemas, and that it “reaffirms the importance and value of the theatergoing experience.” But the real question is, how much support do they have thus far? The official press release lists the following exhibitors as being on board: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, AMC Theatres, Bow Tie Cinemas, Cinemark Theatres, Goodrich Quality Cinemas, Rave Cinemas and Regal Cinemas. Not too shabby. They also have a board of advisors that includes Ben Affleck, Richard Linklater and Terrence Malick.

Tuff is currently in a pilot stage and is inviting people to sign up early and try it out before it officially goes public. They have already held some test screenings in Austin, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, and Boulder, Col. Their initial line-up of films will be unveiled before official launch next month at SXSW. What do you think, is this something you see yourself using and could it be a game changer for indie film distribution or has video-on-demand already done that?