Founded in new york city yet globally focused, we are a collective of passionate film professionals constantly navigating the technological highways of the digital age while remaining faithful of the economically dilapidated back alleys of the anti. Complemented by a cast on top form stephen baldwin and. American independent cinema by geoff king goodreads. Combining the words of legendary independent filmmakers with a detailed history of the flaherty, patricia r. How and why indie films have become their own genre. See the breadth of independent cinemas, film festivals and film clubs across the uk. The 50 greatest american independent movies movies empire. Other articles where independent film is discussed. Independence cinema movie times showtimes and tickets. The book is ordered chronologically, beginning with independent filmmaking in the studio era examining both toprank and lowend independent film production, moving to the 1950s and 1960s discussing both the adoption of independent filmmaking as the main method of production as well as exploitation filmmaking and finishing with contemporary. Independent online cinema is a london based filmed entertainment production and distribution platform known for creating hugely popular fantasy, scifi and c.
New maricon cinema outing latin american film by vinodh venkatesh. Where hollywood meets independent cinema 2009 and indie 2. In levys view, as the book title indicates, independent cinema is founded upon the films of outsiders. The 20 best american independent films of the 1990s taste. The american cinema is the citizen kane of film criticism, a brilliant book that elevated american directors from craftsmen to artists, launched the careers of numerous film critics, and shaped the aesthetics of a whole generation of viewers by providing new ways of looking at movies. Beer and wine, cafe, digital projection, game room, party room, stadium seating, wheelchair accessible. Visit films quality american, independent and world cinema. From sex, lies and videotape in the 1980s to the blair witch project and new queer cinema in the 1990s and the ultralow budget digital video features of the 2000s, indie films have thrived, creating a body of work that stands out from the dominant hollywood. Weve concluded that an independent film is defined by its spirit. The book also focuses on independent film genres including documentary films, race films, yiddish language films and corporate sponsored films.
The book also focuses on independent film genres including documentary films, race films, yiddishlanguage films and corporate sponsored films. In 1934 the next controlling force took over the film industry, the big five, which acted. In the late 1960s and early 70s a new generation of young filmmakers came to prominence in american cinema. Their work was thematically complex, formally innovative, morally ambiguous, antiestablishment, and rich in mythic resonance. Recent critically and commercially acclaimed latin american films such as xxy, contracorriente, and plan b create an affective and bodily connection with viewers that elicits in them an emotive and empathic relationship with queer identities. The book is ordered chronologically, beginning with. Geoff kings important book stands with the best scholarship i. I am always asked what independent film really is, and i have to say that the entire concept of an independent film is a totally strange one. Readers will develop an understanding of the complex dynamic relations between independent and mainstream american cinema. Change and continuity in contemporary indie film 2012 claire molloy is professor of film, television and digital. Its director, john schlesinger, who had helped to revitalise british cinema with new wave classics like a kind of loving 1962, billy liar 1963, and darling 1965, later recalled his first reaction to the book.
Second st, independence, or 97351 map 503 6063003 theater amenities. Jan 31, 2010 in peter biskinds 2004 book down and dirty pictures. The last decades have narrowed our thinking about the term independent film. Emanuel levy, author of george cukor, master of elegance. This is why we dont talk about independent opera companies, or independent ballerinas. Reviews the jesus rolls proves this onejoke lebowski didnt need his own film mae martin is a revelation in the anxious, empathetic feel good. The same term refers not only to a diverse body of fi lms spanning more than two decades, from stranger than paradise 1984 to synecdoche, new york 2008 and beyond, but also a cultural network that sustains them. I read it and thought if im going to make a film in america, then this is the one that i want to do. Directed by shawn murray, ron hughart, brent woods. The simplest place to start is to say that an independent film is definedto varying degrees and in varying waysas the antithesis of a hollywood studio film.
List of books and articles about independent cinema online. From the prestige films of cagney productions to recent, ultralow budget cult hits, such as clerks and the blair witch project, american independent cinema has produced some of the most distinctive films ever made. For want of a better term, interpretation may be used to describe the type of motion picture in which a play, a ballet, an opera, or some other work of. Examination of the emergence, establishment, and transformations of american indie film. Beyond its original approach to queer production and to the way in which the cinematic image engages it, the book also locates itself in the forefront of studies about latin american cinema and neoliberalism, which is one of the most intensely debated questions in scholarship today. I thought it was important to understand the historical context of how independent cinema fits into the film industry, which led me to believe that how the industry functions. But at the same time new screening opportunities are emerging as galleries and museums continue to embrace the moving image and form dedicated screening spaces. The independent sector has produced many of the most distinctive films to have appeared in the u. The 1990s was a golden era for independent cinema in america, a true resurrection of the ideals of the 60s and 70s. This book argues that independence can be defined partly in industry terms but also according to formal and aesthetic.
American independent cinema as a discourse that expands and contracts when socially authorised institutions. Change and continuity in contemporary indie film 2012 claire molloy is professor of film, television and digital media at edge hill university. Relishing budgetary restrictions rather than mourning them, tarantino sets the bulk of his film in a warehouse, relying on a series of surgically placed flashback scene in other cheap locations to enhance the rhythm. Reservoir dogs is, in a manner of speaking, 90s cinema incarnate. Addresses main genres, key films and prominent directors by looking at the aesthetic characteristics of indie films, as well as the social and institutional contexts primarily its relationship to hollywood cinema. Film m by finnish director anna ericsson won the grand prix and best feature film at the prague independent film festival, and also best feature film and best cinematography at the vienna independent film festival. Here levy identifies the two main factors he feels are essential to such a definition. Added great publicity alone no longer sells movie tickets in late 20, after participating in the marketing and pr campaigns of over. American independent cinema indiana university press. Aug 18, 2014 it is the best of indie cinema, it is the wildest of indie cinema.
Jul 15, 2005 in american independent cinema, geoff king argues that independence can be defined partly in industry terms but also according to formal and aesthetic strategies and by distinctive attitudes toward social and political issues, suggesting that independence is a dynamic rather than a fixed quality. An independent cinema based in a stunning building, previously home to a ballroom and featuring some impressive plasterwork and stained glass. How to start a cinema is a guide for anyone who is interested in starting a cinema or showing films in their village, town or city in the uk. Aug 18, 2014 the 1990s was a golden era for independent cinema in america, a true resurrection of the ideals of the 60s and 70s. Independence is the only true state of art, and if cinema is an art form, then surely all films are independent. The 50 greatest american independent movies empire celebrates independence day the independent way. Steve fancies himself and the guys as stars of an independent coming of age movie as they join snot on a. A companion to american indie film features a comprehensive collection of newly commissioned essays that represent a. For want of a better term, interpretation may be used to describe the type of motion picture in which a play, a ballet, an opera, or some other work of another art form is kept virtually intact and. Suddenly, after a big studio revival in the 1980s, film geeks raised as cineastes were once again taking to cameras and small budgets to make a unique american cinema. From sex, lies and videotape in the 1980s to the blair witch project and new queer cinema in the 1990s and the ultralow budget digital video features of the 2000s, indie films have thrived, creating a body of work that stands out from the dominant hollywood mainstream. The main argument revolves around the idea that independent american cinema has developed alongside mainstream hollywood cinema with institutional, industrial and economic changes in the latter shaping and informing the former. The history of independent cinema is a book by film historian phil hall that traces the development of the united states independent film sector from silent films to digital media.
The uk cinema landscape has been changing for some time independent cinemas and repertory cinemas are becoming increasingly rare. And the villain of the piece was tarantinos oscarwinning 1994 movie pulp fiction, which changed the shape of independent cinema by. The 20 best american independent films of the 1990s. Like so many cultural categories, indie cinema is slippery. From the prestige films of cagney productions to recent. Jun 30, 2011 the 50 greatest american independent movies empire celebrates independence day the independent way. Change and continuity in contemporary indie film 2012.
The cinema of the united states has had a large effect on the film industry in general since the early 20th century. They spoke for a generation disillusioned by the vietnam war, disenchanted by the ruling elite, and less willing to conform than their parents. From sex, lies and videotape in the 1980s to the blair witch project and new geoff kings important book stands with the best scholarship i have seen on this vital, constantly evolving subject. This comprehensive introduction draws on key films, filmmakers, and film companies from the early twentieth century to the present to examine the factors that shaped this vital and. This book is about american indie cinema as a film culture that comprises not only movies but also. This introduction to american independent cinema offers both a comprehensive industrial and economic history of the sector from the early twentieth century to the present and a study of key individual films, filmmakers and film companies. An impressionable teenage girl from a deadend town and her older greaser boyfriend embark on a killing spree in the south dakota badlands. With seth macfarlane, wendy schaal, scott grimes, rachael macfarlane.
From sex, lies and videotape in the 1980s to the blair witch project and new queer cinema in the 1990s and the ultralow budget digital video features of the 2000s, indie films have thrived, creating a body of work that. This book argues that independence can be defined partly in industry terms but also according to formal and aesthetic strategies and by distinctive attitudes towards social and political issues, suggesting that independence is a dynamic rather than a fixed quality. A companion to american indie film wiley online books. The film initially premiered at the venice critics week in 2018. Today it means the upsurge in independently financed moviemaking that followed take your pick shes gotta have it, sex, lies, and videotape or reservoir dogs. It is the best of indie cinema, it is the wildest of indie cinema. The dominant style of american cinema is the classical hollywood cinema, which developed from 19 to 1969 and characterizes most films made there to this day. Independent films are sometimes distinguishable by their content and style and the way in which the filmmakers personal artistic. Miramax, sundance, and the rise of independent film, a disney executive, chris mcgurk, recalls how the studio bought miramax. Most of his films were painstakingly made over many months or years and were financed by cassavetess. A strange singer drifts through the mythic city of memphis, surrounded by legendary musicians, a righteous preacher, and a wolf pack of wandering youths. Geoff kings important book stands with the best scholarship. The institutionalisation of american independent cinema. This boutique, independent cinema inside a renovated edwardian theatre is also a charitable social enterprise.
Amc is considering content from independent filmmakers for featurelength films. In peter biskinds 2004 book down and dirty pictures. First, it has taken the form of corporate takeovers, whereby independent companies are bought out by the majors but are left to operate as semiautonomous units this was the case with miramax and new line cinema in particular, until they were shuttered in the late 2000s. This is the inspiring story of the flaherty, one of the oldest continuously running nonprofit media arts institutions in the world, which has shaped the development of independent film, video, and emerging forms in the united states over the past 60 years. Indiewoodhollywoodnt is an online publication devoted to the maintenance, presentation, and ideology of independently produced cinema. John cassavetes, born december 9, 1929, new york, new york, u. This comprehensive introduction draws on key films, filmmakers, and film companies from the early twentieth century to the present to examine the factors that. Geoff king is professor of film studies at brunel university and author of five books focused on the independent sector, including american independent cinema 2005, indiewood, usa. This introduction to american independent cinema offers both a comprehensive industrial and economic history of the sector from the early twentieth century to.
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