Now, with his debut as a feature film writer/director, he’s one of the nominees for the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay for Don Jon. In it, Gordon-Levitt plays Jon Martello, a strong, handsome, good old-fashioned guy. His buddies call him Don Jon due to his ability to “pull” a different woman every weekend, but even the finest fling doesn’t compare to the bliss he finds alone in front of the computer watching pornography....

As a kid lying on the living room floor in front of a behemoth TV, a root beer and bowl of sunflower seeds within easy reach, I’d regularly watch any one of the many popular crime dramas that were a staple of network TV in the ‘70s and ‘80s—shows like Columbo; The Rockford Files; Quincy, M.E. and Magnum, P.I. just to name a few. In many significant ways, the true crime boom of our current age is far different from this bygone era of the TV procedural....

But even if you’re still harboring grudges against mean jocks from high school, it’s hard to deny the fact that sports have played a huge part in the history of film. Ever since Harold Lloyd bumbled and fumbled his way to gridiron glory in The Freshman, sports have proved a reliable backdrop for telling complicated human stories involving social justice, history, legacy and family. This is especially true of documentaries....

Told from the POV of Presley’s manager and occasional archenemy, carnival huckster “Colonel” Tom Parker (Tom Hanks, in a gonzo performance), the Moulin Rogue filmmaker’s chronicle of the “King of Rock n’ Roll” is a thunderous, emotional, and enthralling visual—and melodic—feast, brought to kinetic life by Walker’s active and experimental camerawork. We recently chatted with Walker about her work on the film and the strategy that went into creating the arresting visuals of the Oscar-nominated, decades-spanning musical odyssey....

Thankfully, Trevorrow (Spirit Award-nominated director of Safety Not Guaranteed) is a whole lot classier than we are, seizing the interim between overseeing two of the industry’s most ginormous pieces of global IP to reaffirm his indie film roots, making the idiosyncratic new drama The Book of Henry—which today we’re proud to announce as the Opening Night film of the 2017 LA Film Festival. Written by esteemed crime novelist Gregg Hurwitz, the film features a who’s-who of Spirit Award-friendly performers including Naomi Watts, Jacob Tremblay and Sarah Silverman, along with Dean Norris, Maddie Zeigler and Lee Pace....

When Robert DeNiro’s arrived on the set of American Hustle, Director David O. Russell took him around to introduce him to the cast, one by one, who were all in costume and make up, to shake their hands. “He meets everybody, and met Christian first, but he kind of blew by him, like he was nobody, and he gets all the way around and he pulls me aside,…and he goes, ‘Who’s that guy, the fat guy?...

Iris Apfel from Iris I’m dressing up as Iris Apfel (pictured above) this year, because, as she would say, “More is more and less is a bore.” My costume consists of her signature black glasses, Iris brand lipstick and eyeshadow from MAC, a grey wig, LOTS of statement jewelry and a black ostrich feather shawl, because she is the “rare bird of fashion” after all. -Lee Jameson, Film Education Manager...

Well… linking up with a good Artist Development cohort is a great place to star. Which is why we’re thrilled to announce seven new Fellows representing six new projects to kick off the 2023 edition (and 23rd overall!) of the Film Independent Producing Lab. “We’re delighted to shepherd this group of devoted creative producers through the Lab and give them a dedicated space to further their projects and careers,” says Dea Vazquez, Film Independent’s Associate Director of Fiction Programs....

Created by Little Rock-based artist Matt Owen, the minimalist posters are the perfect emblem of the event that strips away everything but the acting and script: sleek, sparse visual depictions based on one iconic image that symbolizes the ethos of the film. Now that we’re counting down to the October 10 kickoff of the third Live Read season — tickets go on sale to Members at 5:00 pm on September 17 — we thought it would be fun to share our favorite Live Read posters so far and find out more about the artist and his work....

If you missed that first go-round, here’s a taste of the kind of chaos that ensued: Hapless-but-cuddly director John Gulager decides to cast his family as the leads in his film, and to prove what an awesome idea this is, he schemes to shoot a screen test and fly to New York to personally convince Bob Weinstein (Miramax was one of the producers). Beleaguered producer Chris Moore catches wind of the plan and promptly has a cow....

And while resources like books, podcasts and DVD directors’ commentaries can be invaluable as educational sources, there’s nothing quite like hearing about the filmmaking process directly from the filmmakers themselves. Since 2001, Film Independent has been proud to present the Directors Close-Up series of intimate panels featuring some of today’s top indie filmmakers. For five consecutive weeks beginning Wednesday February 3, movie lovers and aspiring content creators have the opportunity to attend exclusive weekly panels, each focused on exploring specific aspects of filmmaking through their recent work....

In our regular Fiscal Spotlight column we announce three new projects entering the program worthy of your support. But maybe you’re curious how some of those prior subjects have turned out. Well, today’s your lucky day! Because it’s time for another FiSpo Update, highlighting the recent achievements of previous Fiscal Spotlight subjects. Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program opens the door to nonprofit funding for independent filmmakers and media artists. The projects and makers participating in the program express a uniqueness of vision, celebrate diversity and advance the craft of filmmaking through the creation of these special works....

Made alongside filmmakers Heba Yousry and Nadine Khan, Seventh Neighbor premiered outside of the Arab world’s big-ticket Ramadan TV season. Telling the interconnected stories of a group of neighboring apartment-dwellers, the ultra-realistic, character-driven series satisfied a widespread hunger for the sort of grounded stories not typically a part of the region’s entertainment landscape. Though urged to continue on in TV, Amin next set her sight on features. As one of our earliest Global Media Makers Fellows, Amin participated in the 2018 Film Independent Screenwriting Lab through a Global Media Makers fellowship and became a regular part of Fi’s International Programs teams, traveling to speak and mentor at Film Independent workshops worldwide....

We did spot one glaring omission among Hasan’s long list of accomplishments: he had never hosted the Film Independent Spirit Awards. A pitiable oversight, it occurred to us—and Mr. Minhaj agreed. Phone calls were made, hands were shaken and now we’re thrilled to announce (brace yourself for all-caps!) HASAN MINHAJ IS HOSTING THE 2023 SPIRIT AWARDS. This year’s ceremony will take place in-person on March 4 one the beach in Santa Monica and will be streamed live on IMDb’s YouTube and across other social platforms, including Film Independent’s YouTube channel, at 2 p....

Well, we’re doing our best to change that starting now—with the announcement of the inaugural Film Independent + CNN Original Series Docuseries Intensive. Supported by Founding Sponsor CNN Original Series (Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell), the intensive is a three-day remote workshop designed to give filmmakers the critical tools they’ll need to further develop their docuseries projects and present them to potential collaborators....

Behind every (fill in the blank) great/glorious/funny/scary/sad story told on film is an equally great/glorious/funny/scary (yes, probably sometimes) sad story: the one about how the whole thing went from being an idea in a brain (probably many years ago) to a big screen premiere at a big-time Festival. In this Film/Maker Q/A blog series, our LA Film Fest programmers interview our LA Film Fest filmmakers to discover the stories behind the story....

In the 25 or so years since digital photography first debuted, such technologies have steadily grown to take over all aspects of feature filmmaking – from image acquisition and editing to distribution and exhibition. In 2002, George Lucas’s Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones became the first major feature to be shot entirely on digital. Seven years later, Slumdog Millionaire – shot primarily on digital – won an Oscar for Best Cinematography....

But it was Ingrid—which Plaza co-produced—that won the actor her first Film Independent Spirit Award, for Best First Feature in 2018 (the film was also nominated for Best First Screenplay.) And now, Plaza is already slated to return to the deceptively slippery Spirit Awards stage exactly one year later—not as a winner this time (do check all of this year’s nominees) but as the show’s host. “I am truly honored and delighted to host the Spirits Awards this year,” said Plaza....

The premise: “Cheap labor and subsidies have created an unsustainable bubble. We need fewer indie films, not more.” The provocative article by Film Independent Fellow, Beanie Barnes, who went through our Project Involve artist development program in 2003 where she was mentored by director Catherine Hardwicke, makes points that have stirred debate in the independent film community. Barnes refers to a Mark Duplass interview earlier this year in The Hollywood Reporter....

By Jim Lichacz / LA Film Fest Guest Blogger During the introduction to Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton (This is Stones Throw Records), a Festival programmer said they make an extra effort to have a good amount of music at the festival. They schedule live bands, screen films about music, and many of the films have great soundtracks. In addition, by being in Los Angeles, they inevitably feature a lot of films in and about LA....