Hi Johanna,

As a noun, an art house is a cinema where so called "art films" shown, but used as an adjective, it is also used to describe the type of film. See:

http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861685562/art_house.html

art house

noun (plural art hous·es)

Definition:
place showing art films: a theater where art films are shown

adjective

Definition:
movies artistic: in cinema, artistic rather than entertaining


Also read the following examples:

Wired News: An Anime for Deep Thinkers - [ Traduzca esta página ]... Go Fish Pictures (DreamWorks' art house animation arm), seems convinced that Ghost in the Shell 2 will appeal to a more discerning demographic. ...
wired.com/news/digiwood/ 0,1412,64966,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_3 - 28k - En caché - Páginas similares


ANIMATION AND DIALOGUE; Keeping Up With Miyazaki - New York Times - [ Traduzca esta página ]There's a reason that the Miyazaki movies and even ''Wallace & Gromit'' are essentially art-house animation: they're too subtle for most American youngsters ...
query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage. html?res=9E01E2DA1630F935A15750C0A9609C8B63 - 24k - En caché - Páginas similares

Art Nerds vs. the Taco Bell Chihuahua / Award-winning Romanov ... - [ Traduzca esta página ]... in underground comics and the kind of art house animation that American audiences see mainly thanks to Spike & Mike's annual Festival of Animation. ...
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/ gate/archive/2000/10/20/romanov.DTL%0D - 28k - En caché - Páginas similares



While independent is also a valid alternative, it would also seem to rule out that these films can be produced my major studios, which isn't true since cine de autor is better understood as a reference to the director, who doesn't necessarily have to work for small production houses, even if this is often the case.

Directors such as Scorsese, the Coen brothers or Woody Allen are often considered to make "cine de autor", though they have been known to work with large studios. The very examples above show that large studios have arms specialised in art house productions.

Good luck!

Álvaro :O) :O)