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As longtime connoisseurs of a good poster tagline, the quip used by the marketing ninjas at HBO Max to sell their new comedy Unpregnant, definitely gave us a lot the chew on: “She’s a Type A without a Plan B.” It’s a perfect encapsulation of the film itself—economical, clever and refreshingly direct about its central topic; namely, the challenges faced by young women seeking to obtain an abortion in a nation (ours) where reproductive rights have been steadily eroding, resulting in few options and increasingly desperate measures....

Film critic and author Karina Longworth’s historical deep-dive You Must Remember This has quickly become indispensable listening for fans of classic Hollywood. Full of detailed research, literary storytelling and atmospheric production values, the show’s exploration of “the secret and/or forgotten history of Hollywood’s first century” is a welcome change of pace in a movie podcast landscape too often dominated by unstructured conversation and a blinkered obsession with new releases (not to mention: too many dudes....

Prince-Bythewood was only 28 years old when she embarked on the challenge of writing and directing her first feature film. “I decided to write this because it was a personal story, a lot of it is autobiographical.” Once she sold the script to New Line Cinema, the cast seemed to magically align itself. Prince-Bythewood managed to attach stars like Alfre Woodard, Dennis Haysbert and Tyra Banks for secondary rolls, but the lead roll of Monica proved to be the hardest....

But you already know that. You’ve been binge-watching along with the rest of us, diligently observing the rise of critically-lauded, original, episodic programming on cable TV and streaming. Maybe somewhere in all of it, you’ve seen an opportunity for yourself. Maybe as a creator/showrunner yourself, or maybe as a staff writer helping shape the destinies of a familiar cast of characters. Either way, aspiring TV writers of any all stripes are encouraged to apply to Film Independent’s Episodic Lab—Members of Film Independent have until February 26 to apply!...

Did you ever have a favorite teacher growing up? The kind of teacher who’d make learning about algorithms or reading Crime and Punishment actually kind of… fun? Maybe your favorite teacher gave you a stack of hall passes, or listened to you vent about relationship problems. Or maybe she or he helped open up your eyes about something important. Inevitably, this sort of educator would end up teaching you more about yourself and the world itself than the specifics of your homework—and that’s okay....

Heretofore best known as the charismatic lead of such indie hits as Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007), Frances Ha (2013) and Mistress America (2015)—the latter two of which she also co-wrote—Gerwig spoke to her early experience on film sets as performer, which essentially became her film school. On editing: “I would watch how the footage was put together, which makes you instantly not vain as an actor. You just become very vigorous about what you’re doing and what’s working, what’s not working....

THE THREE B’s When shooting, cars need to come toward the camera—not away from it. Of course, that’s not always possible. But since the theater screen or TV is only two-dimensional, you have to create an element of “danger” to simulate speed and excitement. So think of the Three Bs: Bullitt, Bond and Bourne. In these films, roughly 60-70% of the chase sequence shots are of vehicles coming at the camera....

Independent filmmakers dream of making that indie darling that premieres at Sundance, sells for a hefty figure and garners critical acclaim, earning Oscar nominations and launching careers. But Winter’s Bone, Beasts of the Southern Wild and Whiplash are exceptions to the rule. The real key to surviving in the independent film world is recouping your investor’s money on the first project so you can survive to make another. And if you’re going to make that money back, you need to know up front how much your film is capable of earning....

And if things aren’t currently broken, then why endeavor to fix such things? Ms. Plaza will once again assume emcee duties with her disquieting comedic stylings beginning at 2pm PST / 5pm EST sharp this Saturday, February 8 and broadcast exclusively on IFC. Presenters are set to include Zazie Beetz, Jim Gaffigan, Laura Dern, Elisabeth Moss, Bob Odenkirk, St. Vincent, Beanie Feldstein, Don Cheadle, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicolas Cage (!...

In keeping with Film Independent’s ongoing mission to champion and amplify diverse voices in cinema, our Members enjoyed five documentaries and five narrative films spanning genres including horror, thriller, psychological drama, and even a 13th century period piece! To catch you up on all of them, here is a list of all the post-screening Q&As with each project’s filmmakers. As awards season continues to heat up, we have many more screenings coming up....

THE GUILTY Guests of Honor: Jake Gyllenhaal (actor/producer); moderated by Film Independent President Josh Welsh About: In Training Day director Antione Fuqua’s latest, filmed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a troubled police detective demoted to 911 operator duty (Gyllenhaal, also one of the films producers) scrambles to save a distressed caller during a harrowing day of revelations. Featuring voice-only performances by Riley Keough, Ethan Hawke, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Dano and more....

By Jim Lichacz / LA Film Fest Guest Blogger The Los Angeles Film Festival can always be counted on to include a good crop of indie produced twenty-something-in-transition movies. They usually arrive with some media buzz, and the audience contains lots of cast and crew. Four Dogs is one such film. At the start of the film’s premiere screening, director Joe Burke said that nobody had seen it yet except for the Festival programmers....

Following the screening, Film Independent at LACMA curator Elvis Mitchell sat down for a humorous conversation with White to discuss the process of making the film and what he feels it says about how people judge themselves in the age of the internet. The story focuses on the comparisons Stiller’s Brad makes between himself and others—wondering if, at age 47, he’s as happy and successful as he should be. Married to wife Melanie (Jenna Fischer), Brad is getting ready to send son Troy (Austin Abrams) off to college in New England....

A year ago, I found myself trying to release my first documentary feature in the middle of a global pandemic. As film festivals pivoted to virtual and in-person events were shrinking, there were times I wondered if audiences would be able to see Cat Daddies on the big screen that I painstakingly crafted it for. Cats are all over the internet; I wasn’t interested in making more cute cat content for audiences to watch on their phones....

Over the course of the twelve-month program, Amplifier Fellows will receive bespoke support to propel their careers and a selected project forward both creatively and strategically, as well as customized mentorship pairings including a Netflix executive as an industry advisor and also a board member from Film Independent. Each Fellow will also receive professional coaching in partnership with Renee Freedman & Co, and financial and coaching in partnership with The Jill James....

Movies are all about what we can see. Sets. Costumes. Exotic locations. But probably the most important thing we actually see in the movies is people. And in a fictional narrative, the actors that a director chooses to portray those people can tell us a lot about what he or she is trying to say. Which leads me to Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, which is currently nominated for whopping four Film Independent Spirit Awards including Best Feature, Screenplay, Cinematography and Editing (as well as the Robert Altman Award for ensemble cast, which it’s already claimed)....

If you’re not immediately familiar with Trent’s name or filmography, don’t worry. For roughly three decades, Harris has mostly been a local Utah phenomenon whose work has touched the mainstream only rarely—and even then, only at odd angles. For example: have you ever seen the YouTube clip of supposedly substance-addled Crispin Glover nearly karate-kicking David Letterman’s head off? Fun fact: during this infamous Late Night appearance, Glover was actually in character as “Rubin”—his role from Harris’s 1991 road-trip comedy, Rubin & Ed....

Inspired by the same chaotic run of personal tragedies that spawned the comedienne’s 2015 Netflix documentary TIG and 2016 memoir I’m Just a Person, One Mississippi Season Two finds Notaro’s eponymous character returning to her Mississippi hometown to confront—with humor and pathos—myriad health, family and romantic problems. DRAMATIZING DISASSOCIATION Mitchell opened the Q&A by observing how deeply the show’s “Tig” lives in her head. He shouted out his favorite scene from Season One: Tig’s visit to her recently deceased mother’s gravesite—a scene that inside her mind suddenly descends into a raucous zombie party; an example of how Notaro’s character too frequently deals with things she can’t comprehend....

Chances are you’ve already seen Get Out. Most people have. But if you’re looking for more on how the film came together, then look no further than what was said at the Film Independent Forum—which happened October 20-22 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. Peele was one of the Forum’s two keynote conversations, sitting down with Film Independent at LACMA curator Elvis Mitchell to discuss the process of birthing such a provocative, innovative film....

So really, when you vote for the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards this year, you’re participating in much more than a simple popularity contest. You’re helping to shape the very future of moviemaking—the Spirit Awards being (as always!) the industry’s foremost champion of underrepresented voices and great innovations in the field of visual storytelling. For proof look no further than last year, when Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight claimed the year’s top prize en route to becoming one of the most highly praised films of the year....