Indiewood (also known as "speciality", "alternative", "indie" or "quality")[1][2][3][4][5][6] films are those made outside of the Hollywood studio system or traditional arthouse/ independent filmmaking yet managing to be produced, financed and distributed by the two with varying degrees of success and/or failure.[7]

Background

Throughout the middle of the 1990s the word 'Indiewood' ("indie boom" or "indie film movement")[8][9][4] was invented to describe a component of the spectrum of American films in which distinctions exist, it seemed as if Hollywood and the independent sector had become blurred.[10][11][12][13][14][4] The American independent film, prior to the 1980s, was previously associated with b movies and realist dramas.[15][16]

Indiewood divisions gain from expert experience of the niche industry by hiring leading independent personalities such as Harvey Weinstein from the Disney fold after the exit of the Weinsteins,[17][18] and James Schamus, former joint head of Good Machine, at Focus Features.[19]

Other "mini-major" subdivisions included Searchlight Pictures, Fine Line Features, Lionsgate, NEON, A24, Paramount Vantage, Summit Entertainment, Orion Pictures, Samuel Goldwyn Company, Warner Independent and Sony Pictures Classics.[20][2][21][8][22][23][24][25]

Differences from Hollywood

The films are often made for far less money than Hollywood films,[26] and each aspect of the filmmaking process has to undergo less scrutiny by committees. Additionally, within the Indiewood approach the filmmaker can take as long as they need in the post-production phase of their film - whereas in Hollywood they are contracted to finish the film in a specific period of time (usually 10 weeks). In Hollywood, the film then goes on to show in focus group screenings on the studio lot. In Indiewood, the filmmakers can determine the next steps of the film. They also bear striking similarities to as well as were influenced by the "proto-indies" of the 1960s such as Robert Downey Sr's Chafed Elbows (1966), John Cassavetes's Academy Award-nominated Faces and Brian de Palma's Greetings (each from 1968) which in turn were influenced by the culture of The Beat Generation, the polar opposite to the conformist, gray-flannel conformity of 1950s America.[27]

Most Indiewood films are first shown at film festivals with the hopes of further distribution by being picked up (or purchased) by a larger film company or distributor alongside awards consideration (e.g. 2009's A Single Man).[28]

List of selected Indiewood/Indie filmmakers

List of selected notable and important Indiewood/Indie films

Pre-1970s[edit]

1970s[edit]

1980s[edit]

1990s[edit]

2000s[edit]

2010s[edit]

2020s

Notes

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oscar nominations see shift away from major Hollywood studios - News - University of Liverpool
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Academy Award nominations 2020: The return of the “quality” Hollywood studio film - News - University of Liverpool
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak The Sundance Kids - Google Books (ch."Section II: Indiewood")
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac Best. Movie. Year. Ever. - Google Books (chapter: "I'm scared to close my eyes, I'm scared to open them." The Blair Witch Project)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx Indie - Google Books
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  7. ^ Robey, Tim (5 September 2004). "The rise and rise of Indiewood". Telegraph. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
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  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Colin Marshall › Me on Battleship Pretension: a three-hour course on the nineties’ “Indiewood” movement
  10. ^ Home video and Indiewood|Hollywood: A Very Short Introduction|Oxford Academic
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  14. ^ a b c d e f g CANNES 2000: Embracing Indiewood, Cannes 2000 Lineup Selected from Nearly 1,400 Films; 15 Countries|IndieWire
  15. ^ a b c Tom Waits and John Lurie helped Jim Jarmusch perfect his indie cool|A.V. Club
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  17. ^ Review: Indiewood, USA: Where Hollywood Meets Independent Cinema, by Geoff King|Film Quarterly|University of California Press
  18. ^ Chapter Eight. Maxed Out: Miramax and Indiewood in the New Millennium - De Gruyter
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  20. ^ Somewhere Only We Know on Notebook|MUBI
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  27. ^ a b c d Proto-Indie - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
  28. ^ a b c d e Overcoming the Stigma: The Queer Denial of Indiewood on JSTOR
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m How the New Queer Cinema Shaped the ‘90s Indie Film Boom - Yahoo Finance
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  31. ^ a b 12. NOT JUST INDIE: A LOOK AT FILMS BY DEE REES, AVA DUVERNAY AND KASI LEMMONS - DegRuyter
  32. ^ a b Indie Reframed: Women's Filmmaking and Contemporary American Independent Cinema on JSTOR
  33. ^ a b c d e f Will whites see a black indie film like "Middle of Nowhere"?|Salon.com
  34. ^ a b Focus Features Sets Indie 'Pariah' for Christmas Day Limited Release|FirstShowing.net
  35. ^ a b c Stumbling Out of the Gate - Crtic's Notebook
  36. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah The best A24 films to date|EW.com
  37. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 4) - Sundance Guiide
  38. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Hurray for Indiewood!|Salon.com
  39. ^ a b 25 Years Later, Charles Burnett and Richard Brooks Reflect on Indie Classic ‘To Sleep with Anger’|IndieWire
  40. ^ a b Criterion Collection: To Sleep with Anger | Blu-Ray Review - IONCINEMA.com
  41. ^ a b c d History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 8) - Sundance Film Festival
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  43. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv Top 50 Indie Movies You Need to See Before You Die|Complex
  44. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Commentary: You're Remembering House Party All Wrong|News|BET
  45. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 7) - Sundance Film Festival
  46. ^ a b A24's 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Hits Box Office Milestone - Variety
  47. ^ a b Indie Film Crush, Ahead Of ‘Avatar’ & Year End, Puts Arthouse Woes On Back Burner – Specialty Preview - Deadline
  48. ^ a b Chaos Below Canal|Independent Magazine
  49. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Downtown Film and TV Culture 1975-2001 - Google Books (pg.xvi)
  50. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y 'Major minis' blur line between mainstream and independent - Herald Tribune
  51. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l The 10 Most Underrated American Independent Films of The 1990s – Taste of Cinema
  52. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 6) - Sundance Guiide
  53. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Trainspotting, La La Land, Regal Cinemas to Rerelease Indie Films - Bleeding Cool
  54. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z iW BOT | The Golden Child: “Juno” Makes Fox Searchlight the 2007 Market-Share Leader, Lures Young Ad|Indiewire
  55. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Best Indie Animated Movies of All Time|Collider
  56. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Adelaide Research & Scholarship: Postclassical Hollywood/postmodern subjectivity: representation in some ’Indie/Alternative’ Indiewood films
  57. ^ a b DGA Quarterly Magazine|Fall 2011|Women Directors and Their Films
  58. ^ a b c How Wayne's World Made—and Broke—It's Director's Career|Vanity Fair
  59. ^ a b c d e f HOW THE SECRET OF NIMH PROVED DON BLUTH COULD BEAT DISNEY - Nerdist
  60. ^ a b c d e Indie Animation King Bill Plympton|Animation Magazine
  61. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Indiewood - Backstage
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  64. ^ a b Sundance 2021: Coda, One For The Road, and Censor|AV Club
  65. ^ a b c d Miranda July: The Quiet Power of Her Indie Movies - MovieWeb
  66. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Inside Indiewood|The Nation
  67. ^ Post-Classical Hollywood: Film Industry, Style and Ideology Since 1945 - Google Books (pg.237)
  68. ^ a b c Life During Wartime - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
  69. ^ a b John Waters|Underground Film Journal
  70. ^ a b Hairspray (1988) 30th Anniversary|Oscars.org
  71. ^ a b Sean Baker reembraces the indie film with ‘Red Rocket’ - Los Angeles Times
  72. ^ a b Why Tangerine is the best Christmas movie that's not really about Christmas|EW.com
  73. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n The Best of 2001 - Rolling Stone
  74. ^ a b The best films of the '00s|The A.V. Club
  75. ^ a b c d e f g An Accidental Experiment: Dirty Dancing (1987) and the convergence between Hollywood and American Independent Cinema|Goldsmiths, University of London
  76. ^ a b c d e f g Indie: An American Film Culture on JSTOR
  77. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m The Cine-Files » Parker Posey: New York Flight
  78. ^ a b c d e f g h i 5 INDIE FILMS YOU HAVE TO SEE|Gonzo Magazine
  79. ^ a b Fusion of faith and football fails in 'Giants' - Orlando Sentinel
  80. ^ a b Father Figurine: Mike Mills's "Beginners"|IndieWire
  81. ^ a b BUFS Behind-the-Scenes – Brock University (Communication, Popular Culture and Film)
  82. ^ a b c d e f “Pride & Prejudice,” “Capote,” “Brokeback Mountain” (and more), and Why Audiences Matter|IndieWire
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  89. ^ a b c Wes Anderson, tone and the quirky sensibility: New Review of Film and Television Studies Volume 10, 2012 - Issue 1: Wes Anderson and Co.
  90. ^ a b c d e f g h Vinyl Noise and Narrative in CD-Era Indiewood - Indy Vinyl
  91. ^ Sofia Coppola: A Cinema of Girlhood - Offscreen
  92. ^ Sofia Coppola Wins Best Director at 2017 Cannes|Hypebae
  93. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 5) - Sundance Guiide
  94. ^ Kevin Smith claims Harvey Weinstein is keeping Dogma ‘hostage’ – Film Stories
  95. ^ a b c d e f On the Borders: Children's Horror and Indiewood Animation|Contemporary Hollywood Animation: Style, Storytelling, Culture and Ideology Since the 1990s|Oxford Academic (Pages 144–177)
  96. ^ Indie Cinema and the Neoliberal Commodification of Creative Labor - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
  97. ^ a b c Indiewood and Improvisation|Robert Altman's Soundtracks: Film, Music, and Sound from M*A*S*H to A Prairie Home Companion|Oxford Academic
  98. ^ a b Ranking Paul Thomas Anderson's films from worst to best|Far Out Magazine
  99. ^ 'Juno' Laid Low by Success - The New York Times
  100. ^ a b To Sleep With Anger - Blueprint: Review
  101. ^ Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids - Google Books (pg.49)
  102. ^ Film Fourm · THE ATOMIC CAFE
  103. ^ "The Atomic Café" – Reflecting on the 40th Anniversary of the Acclaimed Documentary|Under the Radar Magazine
  104. ^ AFI|Catalog - The Secret of NIMH
  105. ^ The Secret of NIMH: 40 Years Of Don Bluth's Magic - Skwigly Animation Magazine
  106. ^ Don Bluth Goes Independent - AWN.com
  107. ^ Here's Hoping Alex Cox's Repo Man Sequel Isn't One Big Circle Jerk|Tor.com
  108. ^ Repo Man|Quad Cinema
  109. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Viewpoint: Victory for ‘indiewood’ at the Oscars?
  110. ^ The 35th Anniversary of “The Brave Little Toaster”|Cartoon Research
  111. ^ THE BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER (1987) (***)|Animation World Network
  112. ^ a b c Movie Musings... Indiewood - Impact Magazine
  113. ^ a b c d e f The Cinema of Wes Anderson - Bringing Nostalgia to Life - Google Books (Chapter Two - "Wes Anderson: His Position in Cinema and Culture")
  114. ^ Bloomsbury Collections - Indiewood, USA - Where Hollywood meets Independent Cinema
  115. ^ a b c d Rural Crimewave - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
  116. ^ a b c d e f g A Brief History of the Sundance Film Festival - TIME
  117. ^ a b c d Chris Gore's Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, 4th Edition - Google Books (pg.222)
  118. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k CNN.com - Independent films move into spotlight - Aug 9, 2005
  119. ^ Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie: The Oral History|A.V. Club
  120. ^ What is indie cinema?|Movies|The Guardian
  121. ^ The hilarious connection between The Rolling Stones and 'The Big Lebowski|Far Out Magazine
  122. ^ a b c d e Going Mainstream - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
  123. ^ a b The sounds of sincerity|2|Hearing post-irony in Indiewood film|Timothy B. Cochran on Taylor & Francis eBooks, Reference Books and Collections
  124. ^ Roto-Synchresis: Relationships between Body and Voice in Rotoshop Animation - Database for Animation Studies
  125. ^ 'Indie'|Far From Heaven|Edinbourgh Scholarship Online|Oxford Academic
  126. ^ a b c Away We Go with the Films of Sam Mendes - That Shelf
  127. ^ Review: Silver City - Slant Magazine
  128. ^ Scenes From Independent Film Week: Incentives, Acting, and Mixing At The IFP Market|IndieWire
  129. ^ Indie box office: "Juno" slammo!|Salon.com
  130. ^ a b Christian Movies: Why Faith-Based Films Hurt Religion - Thrillist
  131. ^ a b c d e Former teen idol stars in religious 'Fireproof,' 2008's highest-grossing indie film - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
  132. ^ Doc Soup: The Sundance Cycle|Doc Soup|POV Blog|PBS
  133. ^ Beyond the Multiplex|Salon.com
  134. ^ It's Hollywood vs. Indiewood at Sundance 2010|The Star
  135. ^ a b Simon Says: The Marketing of a Mass-Released LGBTQ Film - Playback
  136. ^ Pariah Wins Acceptance In Indie Film World - Wall Street Journal
  137. ^ 5 Reasons to Check Out the Indie Film 'Middle of Nowhere' - Essence
  138. ^ 'Middle of Nowhere' review: Quiet indie drama offers a look at a woman in limbo|Movies/TV|nola.com
  139. ^ Over the Borderline - Critic's Notebook
  140. ^ 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Crosses $20M, Reignites Indie Cinema. - Deadline
  141. ^ A24 Has Another Indie Hit, As ‘Marcel The Shell’ Slides Into Top 10 – Specialty Box Office - Deadline
  142. ^ ‘Marcel the Shell With Shoes On’ Director Explains What It Took to Pull Off One of the Year's Most Charming Movies|The Wrap

Bibliography