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It can mean taking on a second mortgage on your house to finance an indie that eventually becomes a blockbuster franchise. Or, if you head up the production company of an auteur director, it means juggling the company’s eclectic development slate at various stages of production while solving problems in real-time on the set when weather conditions hinder production on location. Many times, it is about securing financing or production tax credits in particular jurisdictions....

At their best, art house cinemas provide much more than just the opportunity to watch weird movies on the big screen. The best art house theaters encourage film appreciation, collaborate with local businesses and provide an actual geographical destination that makes heading out to each and every off-kilter screening its own unique and exciting adventure. This, in a nutshell, is the experience of stepping into Santa Ana’s The Frida Cinema....

Director: Randall Miller Producers: Jody Savin, Randall Miller, Todd Harris, Marc Lhormer, Brenda Lhormer Budget: $5 million Financing: Private Equity Production: August–September 2007 Shooting Format: 35mm Screening Format: 35mm World Premiere: 2008 Sundance Film Festival Awards: Golden Space Needle Award for Best Actor at Seattle International Film Festival; Best Ensemble Maui Film Festival, Heineken Red Star Award for Randall Miller. Development and Financing Jody Savin and Randall Miller were given a screenplay by Marc and Brenda Lhormer, the founders of the Sonoma Valley Film Festival....

Director: Aaron Schneider Writers: Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell Producer: Dean Zanuck Budget: $7 million Financing: Equity financier ($5.5 million); German prod. company ($1.5 million) Production: 24 days/ Georgia /February, March 2008 Shooting Format: 35mm Screening Format: 35mm World Premiere: 2009 Toronto International Film Festival Awards: Edinburgh International Film Festival – Audience Award, Torino Film Festival – Best Actor, Robert Duvall/Bill Murray Development and Financing In 2002, producer Dean Zanuck was introduced to a young literary manager David Ginsberg who handed him the first draft of a script for Get Low....

Tangerine When: July 10 Where: Theaters Director: Sean Baker Starring: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor Why We’re Excited: Film Independent Fellow and Spirit Award Winner Sean Baker’s latest film reminds us why we love indie movies–and in so many different ways. Tangerine was one of the most talked about films at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Audiences were shocked to discover the film was shot using three 5S iPhones and an $8 app called Filmic Pro....

At the Q&A that followed, Film Independent Curator Elvis Mitchell noted that, “In movies you’re always a step ahead; you always know where you’re going to be. You know there’s a three-act structure, even if it’s jumbled around—and there’s none of that here.” Aitkin had originally attempted to assemble his footage into a conventionally structured film, but it soon became clear that such a structure wasn’t possible without sacrificing the heart of the project....

Haynes has talked about how May December is about “the stories we tell ourselves” in order to “survive our lives.” Loosely based on the 1990s-era IRL story of Mary Kay Letourneau, the film follows 59-year-old housewife Gracie (Moore), who seems happily married with children to her 36-year-old husband, Joe Yoo, played by Charles Melton. Melton, too, is nominated for Best Supporting Performance at the 2024 Spirit Awards, streaming LIVE this Sunday at 2pm PT....

If you’ve kept up with our regular #FiscalSpotlight columns, then you probably know that, typically, we like to tease out some sort of unifying theme between whatever two or three projects we’ve selected to spotlight each month. And for June? Well, erm… let’s just say that some months are easier than others. Frankly, if you can uncover any sort of credible running theme between these three eclectic tales of WWII-era Hawaiian taxi dancers, legendary California sculptors and eggroll-powered Filipino-American superheroes, please: let us know....

In fact, most first-time feature auteurs are only qualified to be on set for one reason: they’re the only person in the world who knows what their movie looks and sounds like. But whatever the case, freshmen moviemakers can generally use all the help they can get. In this month’s Fiscal Spotlight column, we’re showing off three deeply personal cinematic visions, each of which marks the full-length debuts of their writer/directors—two in development, one in the can....

Whether performed in public or executed inside studio workshops far away from the public gaze, artistic expression has always been an inseparable component of the human cultural experience. Particularly among marginalized communities, the creation of art—literature, music, dance, painting, poetry, sculpture, you name it—provides a multitude of functions, from the exteriority of protest to deep self-exploration. But regardless of direction, art is regularly used to define, defend and immortalize identities that challenge the status quo....

This won’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the product coming out of Hollywood is increasingly homogenized–feeling one big, beige blur of CGI superhero effects and safe, personality-free, market-tested material. One of the joys of independent film, and of smaller creator-driven multi-media projects in general, is in its idiosyncrasy. Indies can take on any length (short or feature) and form (narrative or nonfiction) and tackle topics both deeply personal and broadly political—or both, in some cases....

But maybe you’re curious how some of those prior subjects have turned out. Well, you’re in luck! Once again it’s time for another FiSpo Update highlighting the recent achievements of previous subjects of our Fiscal Spotlight hosannas. For the uninitiated, Fi’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....

Maybe you’ve noticed, but the unit of measurement we like to use here at Film Independent when discussing the artists we champion is visual storyteller. And more and more these days, there’s a whole lot more to being a visual storyteller than just thinking in terms of a flat 1.85:1 picture frame. VR, AR, 360, mixed-reality immersive theater—these are just a few of the new technology-driven storytelling mediums still in their infancy....

We don’t talk much about developing a philosophy of producing in this business. But I’d argue that a producing philosophy is as important as a smart financing strategy or a strong audience engagement plan. I came to film because I care deeply about the stories being told in our culture, who is telling them and whose stories get told. After working in the production office for a year, I started producing an indie sci-fi drama called Robot Stories....

When my film The Black Cat was selected to the HollyShorts Film Festival, I decided to fly to Los Angeles. I had a terrific experience—the helicopters, sirens and big cars were all part of the appeal. In LA, it felt like I was in the movies. At HollyShorts I met Eli Roth, there to premiere his Cabin Fever director’s cut. Roth gave me a challenge: to make a feature—a slasher movie—where I’d do everything myself....

Rick Famuyiwa’s Dope will make its Los Angeles premiere on June 8, even before LA Film Fest officially kicks off two days later. On June 9, writer/director Pete Docter will give a Master Class followed by an advanced screening of Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out. On June 16, Todd Strauss-Schulson’s The Final Girls will screen as one the Festival’s Gala screenings. (The other two Galas were announced earlier this month.) Here’s the scoop on all three films: Dope Whats it’s about: A trio of BMX-riding, punk-rocking, manga-loving nerds from the Bottoms of Inglewood accidentally get wrapped up in a botched drug deal that threatens to redefine who they are and who they’ll become....

The below information comes courtesy of a 2018 Members Event held at Film Independent’s Wilshire Blvd HQ to help illuminate for filmmakers the basics of residual payments—including the benefits of establishing CAMAs (Collective Account Management Agreements) and how as a producer, you can best protect yourself financially on any project. Presented in partnership with the PGA’s Independent Producer Committee, the panel featured Oscar nominated producer Chris Moore (‪Manchester by the Sea, Promised Land) and Film Independent Spirit Award winning producer Clark Peterson (Monster, Rampart) in an hour-long discussion followed by an audience Q&A....

Some people say spring has officially sprung when we turn our clocks forward. Some say it’s when the crack of the bat signals that baseball is back. Others say it’s when the Coachellites bare their midriffs and descend on the desert. But for us, spring means one thing: LA Film Fest lineup announcements! Here’s the latest news from our pack of programmers: we are excited to present a pair of Gala screenings—Scream and Seoul Searching—that are sure to remind movie fans of the magic that happens when you see a great story on a big screen in a packed theater—those moments when everyone erupts in laugher—or gasps in fear, as the case may be....

From there came the documentary short The Heart Still Hums, which likewise provides an experiential glimpse into the lives of women caught up—in various ways—in the foster care and open adoption systems. But the goal was always a narrative feature. So now comes Earth Mama, opening this weekend in art house theaters nationwide, starring rapper-turned-actor Tia Nomore in the breakout role of Gia, a capable young woman stuck in a fraught situation....

“Music is changing pretty fast, and that’s great, that’s exciting.” Drew Sardy on the evolution of music and composition at this year’s Coffee Talks: Composers, sponsored by BMI. By Wendy Chuong / LA Film Fest Guest Blogger This year, the LA Film Fest brought together Brian Tyler, David Sardy and Atticus Ross to discuss their craft, changes in the industry and important tips on how to adapt to those changes in order to succeed as music composers....