Director Kevin Smith announced Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, that he would sever his ties with the Hollywood studio system and distribute his upcoming film “Red State” independently, Entertainment Weekly reported Monday.

Smith debuted “Red State,” a thriller about a radical fundamentalist Christian sect based on the Westboro Baptist Church, known for its anti-gay protests at the funerals of US soldiers, Sunday night at Sundance.

An auction for distributors was scheduled to follow the screening, but the auction turned out to be a prank as Smith immediately bid $20 to distribute his own movie.

He said he will bypass a major marketing campaign and promote the $4 million “Red State” through social networking, his podcast, a 15-city tour and word of mouth.

“What we want to do is, like, ‘Yes, anybody can make a movie,’” Smith said. “What we aim to prove is that anybody can release a movie now as well. It’s not enough to make it and sell it now, I’m sorry.”

Smith said his next film, the hockey comedy-drama “Hit Somebody,” would be his last as a director. After that, he said, he plans to focus on distributing other independent films.

A few members of the Westboro Baptist Church protested outside Sunday’s screening of “Red State,” joined by a group of counter-protesters led by Smith himself.