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I like Arty. So do the kids in my neighborhood.

Arty — or really Artemis Dinglemeyer Jr. — is a dinosaur with a lisp that likes to … er … play with his food. He’s the star of “Gotch Ya’,’’ an animated short that’ll premiere Saturday at RiverRun International Film Festival.

It’s a real … gotcha. (Sorry, had to.) As a guy who grew up on Jonny Quest and Bugs Bunny, I wondered what the new generation thought of the new cartoons rolling out this weekend.

I had the kids screen the nearly two dozen cartoons last weekend, popcorn bowls in hand. A few they liked. Many they didn’t like. Too arty, too weird, they said. But “Gotch Ya’ ”? They gave it a thumbs-up.

That’s all I’m going to say. You gotta see it. Still, let me get to my point.

We need Arty.

Look nationwide, and our independent film industry is scary. It’s a real look-through-your-fingers slasher flick with a growing body count that includes companies, festivals, theaters and filmmakers themselves.

Angus McLachlan, the Winston-Salem playwright who wrote the acclaimed “Junebug,’’ says his film wouldn’t be made today. Neither would, according to some industry experts, Oscar winner “Slumdog Millionaire.’’

It’s because of our tough economy. Money is tight. So, studios are looking to find the next “Dark Knight’’ rather than the next “Slumdog’’ or the next “Junebug.’’

It’s easy to understand why. “Dark Knight’’ made a mint: $1 billion — and counting.

Yet, when Hollywood relies on the familiar and the safe, it bypasses filmmakers bent on informing, provoking and making our imagination do jumping jacks. Or, in the case of Arty, making us yell “Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww.’’

You’ll discover all those sensations everywhere you land during RiverRun this week in Winston-Salem. Run the numbers: eight days, six theaters and 107 films never seen before, including “Gotch Ya’,’’ the indie romance “500 Days of Summer,’’ and revealing documentaries “Food Inc.’’ and “Bama Girl.”

After seven years in Winston-Salem, RiverRun is firmly rooted in the Triad’s pop-culture landscape. Just look at last year’s record attendance and ticket sales.

But it’s been tough. Andrew Rodgers knows that.

He’s the festival’s executive director, the 33-year-old former journalist with the boyish face. For months, he held his breath after our financial meltdown spread like snakes on a plane.

He kept the budget tight, even after last year’s 35 percent increase in ticket sales from 2007. Then, in October, he sliced the budget by 11 percent, cutting down on parties, equipment rentals and one full-time staff position.

But today, he’s good. So is RiverRun, even with a drop in sponsorships and donations.

According to Rodgers, RiverRun has received $174,000 in grants — compared to $102,000 last year — and this year’s ticket sales already have surpassed the 2007 totals of $53,019.

Still, Rodgers knows the future is hard to map.

In his fourth year steering RiverRun, Rodgers had his hardest programming year. He saw indie film companies disintegrate and heard indie film directors tell him constantly, “Well, I’m still waiting on a distribution deal.’’

Yet, he’s OK. At least for now. But no more “Dark Knight.’’ Please.

“There are only so many big-budget exploding extravaganzas and teenage romantic comedies that I can stomach in a year,’’ says Rodgers, in between bites of his cinnamon-toast breakfast at his desk. “I enjoy those films. I’m not a snob. But there’s more. That’s ice cream. I want dinner, too.’’

Just like Arty, that dinosaur with a lisp.

Contact Jeri Rowe at 373-7374 or jeri.rowe@news-record.com.