Film Independent Presents the World Cine-Cup 2026
They call it the Beautiful Game. And it is without a doubt it’s THE international game. So it seems fitting that football is a favorite subject for films around the world.
This summer, there’s a little competition bringing the beautiful game to Film Independent’s backyard. And to celebrate, we’re running our own competition where we see which football film YOU love the best, and takes home the cup. We’re putting pieces of art head-to-head in a seeded knockout-style competition, to see whose mise en scène reigns supreme. Head to our Instagram account to vote for your favorites. We’re starting the voting tomorrow in Instagram Stories, and will be having matches through the next month.
While the World Cup has expanded its schedule to a dizzying 104 matches between 48 teams, we’re keeping it to a tight 16 films. Everyone knows that the knockout rounds are the most fun anyways.
Today we’re unveiling the list of competitors, giving you a little about each film, and setting the schedule for the Round of 16. The winners from each of these matches will move on to face another film until a winner is crowned.
(Editor’s Note: We acknowledge the greatness of Bend it Like Beckham, but we’ve asked it to hang up its boots and sit this one out in order to give other films a fighting chance.)
Let’s kick things off.
Match 1
8. The Hand of God (2021) 9. Rudo y Cursi (2008)
In a match of highbrow vs. low, Oscar-winner Paulo Sorrentio tells a Neapolitan coming-of-age story in the age of Diego Maradona in The Hand of God, while Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal winnow away their chances at football stardom as two small-town stepbrothers whose talent takes them to cosmopolitan Mexico City and all of it’s temptations in the outrageous comedy Rudo y Cursi.
Where to watch:
The Hand of God: Netflix TRAILER
Rudo y Cursi: Disc TRAILER
Match 2
7. Looking for Eric (2009) 10. The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (1972)
It’s England v. Germany in this match between two European masters. Looking for Eric, directed by Ken Loach, is about a man whose life has fallen apart, and visions of his favorite footballer try to help his life turn around. The angsty The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick, directed by Wim Wenders, follows an off-duty goalie in post-war Germany who just might have gotten away with murder.
Where to watch:
Looking for Eric: Amazon TRAILER
The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick: Criterion Channel CLIP
Match 3
6. The Two Escobars (2010) 11. Those Who Jump (2016)
Two documentaries on opposite sides of the spectrum face of in this match. The Two Escobars is one of the films that made ESPN’s 30 for 30 a phenomenon. It’s an account of murdered Colombian footballer Andrés Escobar and how his paths crossed with drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, told with Hollywood sheen by American filmmakers Jeff and Michael Zimbalist. Those Who Jump was filmed by co-director Abou Bakar Sidibé, a Malian migrant as he films his life in a refugee camp in Morrocco, learning how to shoot video, and playing football with his mates to pass the time as they plan a way to get to Europe.
Where to watch:
The Two Escobars: Disney+ TRAILER
Those Who Jump: Disc TRAILER
Match 4
5. Next Goal Wins (2014) 12. Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001)
Sports fans love a good storyline. This match is full of them. We have two films that focus on the art of managing a football team, two films that are about people with questionable qualifications, two films that went on to have remakes (the bumbling Mike Bassett is definitely one of the models for Ted Lasso). More importantly, you have two films that will give you a good time watching some underdogs try to make good.
Where to watch:
Next Goal Wins: Amazon, Apple TRAILER
Mike Bassett: England Manager: Amazon, YouTube TRAILER
Match 5
4. The Miracle of Bern (2003) vs. 13. Gregory’s Girl (1980)
Somehow whenever a woman plays football in a film, the title is still named after the guy (we’re looking at you, Bend it Like Beckham). Gregory’s Girl is a hormonal yet sweet comedy by Bill Forsyth about a hopeless lad in love with the captain of the girls’ football team, Dorothy. Another football obsessed lad, Matthias, bonds with his father, a POW returned home, over the World Cup in a complex drama about Germany finding a path forward after its Nazi years in The Miracle of Bern.
Where to watch:
The Miracle of Bern: YouTube TRAILER
Gregory’s Girl: Amazon, Apple TRAILER
Match 6
3. Offside (2006) vs. 14. Diamantio (2018)
These two films look at the political side of football in completely different ways. Offside focuses on Iranian women who disguise themselves as men to get into a World Cup qualifying match. Diamantino is a surreal take on a fall from grace narrative where political forces pull on the player who lost the World Cup for his country as he starts a new life adopting a young refugee.
Where to watch:
Offside: Amazon, Apple TRAILER
Diamantino: Amazon, Apple TRAILER
Match 7
2. Goal! (2005) vs. 15. Hermano (2010)
Part of what makes football so beautiful is how egalitarian it is. All you need is a ball, some sort of goal, and your mates. Both Goal! and Hermano are rags-to-riches tales around becoming a football star. Goal! spawned two sequels, and is about a Mexican kid in LA being invited to try out for Newcastle United in England. Hermano is an under-seen Venezuelan film about two brothers of different temperaments, and how their paths diverge when opportunity knocks.
Where to watch:
Goal: YouTube TRAILER
Hermano: Amazon, Apple TRAILER
Match 8
1. Shaolin Soccer (2001) vs. 16. Infinite Football (2018)
This match features two oddballs. Shaolin Soccer when it came out in 2001 was hailed as the return of great physical comedy. It’s weird, it’s wild, it’s full of heart, and has some awesome action scenes. Infinite Football is a 2016 doc about an amateur manager who is developing a whole new system to play the game. He’s idealistic, he’s philosophical, and might be mad, but it’s a thrill to see him put its system in place and try to fix football and the world.
Where to watch:
Shaolin Soccer: Amazon, Apple TRAILER
Infinite Football: Apple TRAILER
Film Independent promotes unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work. To support our work with a donation, please click here. Become a Member of Film Independent here.
Keep up with Film Independent…
INTERVIEW: Writer/Director Jing Ai Ng on Making ‘Forge’ The Genuine Article
As Writer/Director Jing Ai Ng points out, art forgery isn’t the easiest way to make a buck. It takes deep study, craftspersonship, and the chutzpa to pull it off. But it attracted Ng as a subject for her new film Forge, which is in theaters now. It must be how those same qualities are what are needed to be an indie filmmaker as well.
In Forge, siblings Coco and Raymond (Andie Ju and Brandon Soo Hoo) get dragged into a major artworld con after making small time forgeries in Miami, but the FBI and Agent Emily Lee (Kelly Marie Tran) are hot on their trail. Ng took the script for Forge through the Film Independent Screenwriting Lab, and Fast Track. Producer Liz Daering-Glass also took the project through the Producing Lab. We spoke about how those programs shaped the films journey, and how the line between art and theft isn’t as clear as we think it is.
You’ve mentioned that a lot of your earlier projects were more personal. What appealed to you about the crime genre for this one?
I grew up between Malaysia and Miami. My family splits time between those two places. Crime films were pretty standard fare for us, whether it was Hong Kong crime movies or Miami Vice. Culturally, the genre was very much embedded in my imagination. But I’m also genuinely fascinated by white-collar crime and what it means in America specifically. A lot of people don’t know this, but the art forger behind roughly $80 million worth of fraudulent art in New York was a Chinese man who fled the country and was never interviewed. I was really drawn to the idea of imagining a story around an art forger.
You mentioned that you got to speak with some real-life art forgers. How did you get in contact with them, and was there anything surprising you learned?
Some forgers are essentially public figures who are willing to talk. Others actually reached out to me. Either way, they were eager to share their side of things, which I found really interesting. As for what surprised me, more than any specific detail, it was understanding their motivations, which often seemed genuinely confused in a fascinating way. Art forgery isn’t a simple cash grab. You need a very particular set of skills to pull it off. So hearing how they each got into it in the first place was the most compelling thing for me.
Do you see any similarities between forging art and directing a film?
Absolutely! You’re actually the first person to ask me that, though it’s something I think about quite often. I think there are real arguments to be made across all art forms, and cinema is no exception, when it comes to inspiration and where you draw your references from. Every artist is obviously pulling from people who came before them. What portion of that is inspiration and what portion is a direct lift is genuinely up in the air — especially with cinema, because it’s such a dense cultural thread. I think every artist grapples with that to some extent, and film directors perhaps especially so.
You have three Asian leads in the film. Why was that important to you, and what roadblocks did you encounter along the way?
When I first brought the film to the Film Independent Screenwriting Lab, the script was actually about two best friends, one Asian, one not. When I started reworking it to be more personal and closer to my own experience, the characters all became part of the same family. The FBI agent was always Asian. And once I was making this film with specific people in my head, it became a non-negotiable that I remain faithful to that vision and to my mission of making sure there are more films with Asian leads in America.
What’s almost funny is that Forge is a genre film with a premise I think a lot of people find genuinely appealing. Crime films have broad appeal, and art crime has its own fascination. It just happens to be a film where the art forgers are Asian. I thought that would make it a relatively simple pitch. It turned out to be far more complicated than I expected. I’m really glad I stayed stubborn throughout the entire process.
Tell me about your experience in the Screenwriting Lab and what changes came out of it.
As I mentioned, the script was completely different when I went through the Lab. I had two best friends as the leads, one of whom was the Asian character, Coco. The feedback I got from everyone in the lab was that they loved Coco but couldn’t connect with the other characters. I realized pretty quickly that it was because I was writing Coco from a deeply personal place. I felt close to her even though she was a criminal. The lab, both inadvertently and explicitly, encouraged me to be more true to myself in telling the story, even within a genre framework. That process really opened up my heart and mind as a director to be unapologetically myself.
I was twenty-five, maybe twenty-six, when I went through the Screenwriting Lab. Having that support system and that encouragement to be unapologetic about what I wanted to write and where I wanted to take the story catapulted the script from an early stage to where it ultimately ended up.
Can you tell me about your experience with Fast Track and how that contributed to getting the film made?
We went into Fast Track with a financing gap to fill and pitched to a lot of people, many of whom I’m still in touch with. I actually work with one of the companies we pitched to, Black Bear, though I wasn’t represented by them at the time. It was a great way to get in front of different people. And although we didn’t meet any of our executive producers directly through Fast Track, someone we met there connected us to other financiers. They said something like, “It’s not my cup of tea, but I know someone who would love it.” That person has been integral to the whole process.
What would you say to someone thinking of applying to a Film Independent Artist Development program?
I’d really like to encourage people to apply to the Labs — no matter how many times it takes or how long the process is. It was a genuinely important part of reaffirming myself as a writer. I didn’t know anyone when I applied; it was my first lab, my first development program. The lab took me in completely blind, and I’m so grateful for that. I hope that message comes through, but if it doesn’t: submit your scripts and your ideas. We always love to hear them.
Watch our Q&A with Jing Ai Ng and Kelly Marie Tran here:
Images courtesy of Utopia
Forge is playing in select theaters and will be coming to a home release later this summer.
Film Independent promotes unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work. To support our work with a donation, please click here. Become a Member of Film Independent here.
Keep up with Film Independent…
Don’t Miss Indies: What to Watch in June
It’s summer! Time for coming-of-age romance in all forms, whether it’s horror in a small town in Australia, queer and questioning crushes in a small town in Oregon, family pressures in a Paris suburb, or even tragedy on a private island in Greece. It’s a season to find out who you really are, and every town on the map offers indie filmmakers a vehicle to explore this classic setup for authentic storytelling.
BURT
When You Can Watch: June 1
Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents
Director: Joe Burke
Cast: Catlin Adams, Burton Berger, Oliver Cooper
Why we’re excited: Two days with two guys, one of which is 69-year-old singer/songwriter Burt (Burton Berger) and the stranger claiming to be his son, Sammy (Oliver Cooper, Project X). Cooper also co-wrote the script with director Joe Burke (Four Dogs) with a dry wit and understated humor that mixes dreams and music with Parkinson’s disease and the neverending task of paying rent. Berger is the picture of a struggling artist, not giving into cynicism but also maybe too trusting and vulnerable to underhanded schemes. Not everyone in Burt’s life embraces Sammy’s arrival the way he has, and it becomes clear that Sammy has more than one reason for making an appearance at this point in time. Though the script is fictionalized, Burt is inspired by Berger’s own life. Burke met Berger at a Malibu restaurant fifteen years ago and felt compelled to bring his story to screen. “He’s special,” Burke told Arizona’s Family, “his music is special, his soul is awesome.”
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
When You Can Watch: June 5
Where You Can Watch: Select Theaters and Streaming
Director: Miguel Ángel Jiménez
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Vic Carmen Sonne, Emma Suárez
Why we’re excited: Spanish filmmaker Miguel Ángel Jiménez (Window to the Sea), adapts Panos Karnezis’s 2007 novel into this lavish tragedy set in the 1970s. Come away to a private Mediterranean island, where the daughter of filthy rich Marcos Timoleon (Spirit Award winner Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse) is about to have the worst day of her young life. The birthday girl (Sofia, played by Vic Carmen Sonne, The Girl with the Needle) receives a hodgepodge of party guests that reads more like a networking mixer for billionaires than the friend group of a 25-year-old girl. Everyone here is under the thumb of her father, including – as we are about to understand to a heartbreaking degree – Sofia herself. Even Sofia’s step-mother, Olivia (Emma Suárez, Julieta) has attended the party with her lawyer, hoping to extricate herself from this family at last. But as one pivotal day unfolds, secrets and schemes unravel, pitting father and daughter against one another in a life-changing confrontation.
THE LITTLE SISTER
When You Can Watch: June 5
Where You Can Watch: Theaters
Writer/Director: Hafsia Herzi
Cast: Nadia Melliti, Park Ji-min, Amina Ben Mohamed
Why we’re excited: Nadia Melliti won Best Actress at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival for her first role as Fatima, the 17-year-old French-Algerian student starting university in Paris. French-Tunisian actress and filmmaker Hafsia Herzi (You Deserve a Lover) adapted the script from an autofictional novel by French-Algerian author Fatima Daas about coming of age as the youngest daughter of a Muslim family in the Paris suburbs. As Fatima explores her competing interests, identities and values, she has to make decisions about how she will handle her own life. “I want to shine a light on people we rarely see on screen,” Herzi told Variety. “I’ve rarely seen a proudly Queer North African character on screen, even though I know so many women like her. I had to tell her story.”
LEVITICUS
When You Can Watch: June 15
Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents
Writer/Director: Adrian Chiarella
Cast: Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Jeremy Blewitt
Why we’re excited: Australian filmmaker Adrian Chiarella’s debut feature tackles homophobia and conversion therapy in a romantic coming-of-age horror story. Joe Bird (Talk to Me) and Stacy Clausen (True Spirit) play Naim and Ryan, 17-year-olds in small town Australia. When the classmates kiss for the first time, it both opens up a world of excitement and a world of hurt – personified in the healer who arrives to cure them of their attraction. The ensuing ceremony seems to deal less with healing and more with summoning supernatural forces to test and execute punishment on either boy who succumbs to temptation. The only safe move is to stay away from each other, since the avenging angels that haunt the young lovers do so by taking on their own form. Though Naim never knows if the object of his desire is actually Ryan or the imposter spirit (and vice versa), the intensity of their feelings makes it impossible to stay away.
GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS
When You Can Watch: June 22
Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents
Director: David Wain
Cast: Jon Hamm, Zoey Deutch, Miles Gutierrez-Riley
Why we’re excited: David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer) highlights the personality and distinctive features of Los Angeles in his latest zany comedy about a small-town hairdresser (Zoey Deutch, Nouvelle Vague) whose soon-to-be husband has just invoked a celebrity sex pass to sleep with an icon he might never expect to meet in Kansas. Now in order to save her relationship, Gail has to even the score. Accompanied by her gay best friend Otto (Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Smile 2) and accruing teammates along the way, Gail scours LA in a quest for Jon Hamm and the kind of payback only he can offer. Gail’s wedding is only two weeks away, and the usual jitters are heightened by Gail’s LA adventures, including run-ins with paparazzi, CAA, a former Mad Men costar, and – perhaps inevitably – assassins. Can Gail question everything and reach a result that is truly satisfying?
MADDIE’S SECRET
When You Can Watch: June 23
Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents
Writer/Director: John Early
Cast: John Early, Eric Rahill, Kate Berlant
Why we’re excited: Comic actor John Early (Search Party) wrote, directed and starred in this comedic tribute to TV movies and glowy nostalgia. Inspired by an LA screening of one such movie of the week starring Tori Spelling and Kellie Martin, Early embraced the potential of low budget production to explore the strange new world of food influencing (and fulfill his lifelong dream to play a classic ingenue). Maddie Ralph (played by Early) is a great chef – at home. She is too intimidated to cook for anyone but her husband (Eric Rahill, Friendship) and best friend, Deena (Kate Berlant, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood). But a chance video post goes viral, throwing Maddie in the spotlight at the trendy content creation company where she works. Now promoted to onscreen talent, Maddie must face her stressful new career alongside her old struggle with bulimia. Film Independent members Tyler Boehm and Chris Quintos Cathcart are executive producers.
GIRLS LIKE GIRLS
When You Can Watch: June
Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents
Director: Hayley Kiyoko
Cast: Maya da Costa, Myra Molloy, Zach Braff
Why we’re excited: When pop star Hayley Kiyoko recorded her song, Girls Like Girls in 2015, she told US Weekly, “I loved the idea of how all these guys always are stealing other guys’ girls and I was like, ‘There’s no female anthem for a girl stealing another guy’s girl,’ and that is the coolest thing ever.” Now Kiyoko’s directorial debut picks up the thread, following a music video in 2015 and a YA novel in 2023. The coming-of-age love story focuses on Coley (Maya de Costa, Under the Bridge) who is 17 and newly bereaved. Moving to rural Oregon to live with her estranged father (played by Zach Braff, Spirit Award winning Garden State), she is starting over. But meeting the popular and glamorous Sonya (Myra Molloy, He’s All That) awakens new feelings in both of them, introducing a summer of discovery.
THE INVITE
When You Can Watch: June 26
Where You Can Watch: Theaters
Director: Olivia Wilde
Cast: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton
Why we’re excited: After her Spirit Award winning Booksmart, Olivia Wilde’s venture into marital sex comedy features four well-known faces in indie cinema. One night, one apartment, for a dinner party that is probably not the real reason for said invitation. Wilde (Don’t Worry Darling) and Spirit Award nominee Seth Rogen (The Studio) play a couple in a shaky marriage. Intrigued by the overheard pleasures of their upstairs neighbors, Angela (Wilde) takes advantage of the fact that her teenage daughter is away and invites the couple over for dinner. Enter Pina and Hawk (Spirit Award winner Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Spirit Award nominee Edward Norton, Birdman), the comparatively suave and exciting therapist and ex-fighter, respectively. The evening unfolds with tension that gives way to a comedic exploration of long-term relationships, and taking the bitter with the sweet. Film Independent members Alex Astrachan and Chelsea Barnard are executive producers.
ROMERÍA
When You Can Watch: June 26
Where You Can Watch: Theaters
Writer/Director: Carla Simón
Cast: Llúcia Garcia, Mitch Martín, Tristán Ulloa
Why we’re excited: The family drama from Spanish filmmaker Carla Simón (Alcarràs) stems from her frustration and pain in reconstructing her own family history. Growing up in the 80s and 90s as an orphan of AIDS put Simón in an odd relationship with extended family, and with herself. In Romería, Marina (newcomer Llúcia Garcia) is an easy-going teen on a fact-finding mission in order to complete her university grant application. With her mother’s diary as a guide, Marina meets extended family on Spain’s Atlantic coast and begins to uncover secrets, including details about her parents that were previously unknown. Simón credits the visual medium of film for her own healing in recreating her personal story. “When you can’t shape your identity through others, you can invent it through creation,” she told Cannes. “Cinema is there for that: creating images that don’t exist.”
PROGRAMMER’S PICK: CORONER TO THE STARS
When You Can Watch: May 20
Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents
Directors: Ben Hethcoat, Keita Ideno
Cast: Thomas Noguchi, George Takei, Janice Hahn
Why we’re excited: From Film Independent Lead Programmer Jenn Wilson–
Ben Hethcoat and Keita Ideno’s first foray into feature documentary territory is a fascinating tale of LA’s most famous coroner, Dr. Thomas Noguchi who served as Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner from 1961-1982. Dr. Noguchi worked on some of LA’s most notorious death investigations including Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, Robert F. Kennedy, William Holden, and the Manson Murders. Despite his exemplary work, Noguchi stirred up controversy when he would give press conferences and release the truthful details of celebrity deaths; something that offended the Hollywood Studio System who was secretive about such information. Dr. Noguchi survived one early attempt by the LA Board of Supervisors to remove him, but he didn’t survive the second attempt. Despite his demotion, he dutifully served LA County as a medical examiner for several years after. Hethcoat and Ideno’s film is an intriguing exploration of a man of science and truth stuck in an extremely political office that shifts with the tide of opinion.
KEY
Film Independent Fellow or Member
Film Independent Presents Screening, Q&A
Microbudget
Filmmaker or Lead Characters of Color
Film Independent Spirit Award Winner or Nominee
Female Filmmaker
LGBT Filmmaker or Lead LGBT Characters
First-time Filmmaker
LA Film Festival Winner or Nominee
Featured Image – The Birthday Party; Courtesy Fasten Films
For over 40 years, Film Independent has helped filmmakers get their projects made and seen. The nonprofit organization’s core mission is to champion creative independence in visual storytelling in all its forms, and to foster a culture of inclusion. We support a global community of artists and audiences who embody diversity, innovation, curiosity and uniqueness of vision. To support our mission with a donation, click here.
Keep up with Film Independent…
How YouTube Helped Indie Filmmakers Make Horror Hits ‘Backrooms’ & ‘Obsession’
Pardon us for stating the obvious, but it’s a great time to be a horror fan. In the month of May alone, this year’s box office gave us a new, original horror film every week. Interestingly, two of these films, Obsession and Backrooms, were made by directors in their 20s who got their start on YouTube. Obsession is already a global hit, barreling towards $100 million, and as of now, Backrooms is likely to become another box office hit upon its May 29th release.
The YouTube to theatrical horror pipeline is interesting for several reasons. Filmmakers from all over the world, especially in the independent space, should be taking notes.
For starters, it’s important to note that horror creators have always utilized the Internet as a launchpad. Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project’s respective viral marketing campaigns catapulted those low budget films to historic success. David F. Sandberg and Fede Álvarez posted short films online that led to fruitful careers. The Terrifier films used social media marketing to become a cult hit. Now, Obsession’sdirector Curry Barker and Backrooms creator Kane Parsons are using YouTube as a proving ground for the next wave of horror auteurs. They follow in the footsteps of the Philippou brothers, who built a YouTube following that led to A24’s highest-grossing horror film (so far).
YouTube gives filmmakers the opportunity to prove themselves, no connections or film school required. You can make something for not a lot of money and distribute it for free. This shows investors you know how to work within a budget. It’s also a way to practice your craft and develop your visual storytelling style. Furthermore, your content acts as a proof-of-concept that helps sell your project to buyers. One great thing about the Internet is how it allows niche voices and stories to find a global audience. You can take your specific brand straight to the audience, rather than catering to studio parameters to secure a release.
YouTube has always been a distribution platform for filmmakers, but as this latest wave proves, it’s also a way to build an audience. In today’s climate, this is critical. Distributors and producers often speak of the challenges in bringing younger audiences to theaters, but these creators have leveraged the very thing competing for their attention – the Internet – to do just that. Obsession has brought Gen Z to the theater in droves, posting one of the biggest second weekend spikes at the box office. During a Future of Filmmaking panel at Cannes, three experts in film finance discussed what they consider ‘the new reality of financing: rather than evaluating individual films on their artistic merits, investors now need to see a pre-existing relationship with an audience.’ As the careers of Kane Parsons, Curry Barker, and the Philippou brothers showcase, YouTube is a great place to start.
The Philippou brothers grew up in a working-class suburb in Adelaide, far away from Hollywood, where they started posting homemade videos on their YouTube channel RackaRacka. Danny Philippou described it as ‘very specific content for a very specific audience’. The twins channeled their shared love of wrestling and backyard stunts into action-driven videos that highlighted their horror comedy sensibilities. Their first successful video reached 7 million views in a week, and the channel now has close to 7 million subscribers. After making contacts in the Adelaide film scene on the set of Jennifer Kent’s Babadook, the Philippou brothers made their directorial debut with Talk To Me, a film that grossed $92 million worldwide off a $4.5 million budget. This current highest grossing horror film for A24 now has a sequel in development.
Curry Barker’s stratospheric success began with his sketch comedy group, ‘that’s a bad idea’. Formed with Cooper Tomlinson, the duo found an audience by posting short comedy and horror films on YouTube. Similar to the Philippou brothers, Barker used this as a way to hone his craft, calling it his ‘film school outside of film school’. He made his first feature, Milk & Serial, for $800 over four months. After Barker was unable to secure traditional distribution for the film, he decided to put it up on YouTube, where it became a viral sensation and got him agents at UTA. But it’s his sophomore feature, Obsession, that catapulted Barker to his current status as one of the most in-demand horror filmmakers today. After stoking audiences’ appetites at the Toronto Film Festival, the film was acquired by Focus for $15 million. Released May 15, it’s already grossed over $80 million worldwide off a $750,000 budget. Riding high, Barker is signed up for a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie with A24, has a new original film already in post called Anything But Ghosts, and was recently offered $10 million for his next original project by a studio, sight unseen. Talk about bypassing the gatekeepers.
Kane Parsons, the youngest filmmaker of the bunch at 20, calls YouTube a cultural reference point for his generation. Like Barker and the Phillippou bros, it allowed him to develop his creative sensibilities. Parsons posted his viral short The Backrooms (Found Footage), on his YouTube channel Kane Pixels when he was just 16. He followed this up with an entire web series for the concept that showcased his VFX skills and further developed its lore and audience base. This impressive world-building led to a feature adaptation with A24, starring Oscar nominees Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renata Reinsve, which is tracking a $45 million plus opening weekend. Parsons self-taught himself VFX in middle school using— what else— YouTube tutorials. He believes artists need little more than a ‘brain’ to find a way to make something, and wants to see more of this innovative spirit in action. If the current boon of original horror films is any indication, cinephiles around the world would agree.
YouTube is a way to hone your skills, create a product, and find an audience. These filmmakers’ online subscribers are following them to the theater, turning their debut features into unprecedented hits. But the takeaways from their successes are relevant to any filmmaker, regardless of what genre they gravitate towards. If nothing else, YouTube can be a way to find your people. It’s also, importantly, a way to sidestep the traditional gatekeepers guarding a gate that feels increasingly narrow and too crowded to fit through.
The Hollywood Reporter encapsulated it perfectly: “’The moment is here,’ says one studio head. ‘YouTube is blessing these filmmakers and we are struggling to catch up. Right now, it’s about us not being second to the party.’” As usual, the system has realized too-late what creators and platforms like YouTube understood all along: we don’t need permission.
Film Independent promotes unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work. To support our work with a donation, please click here. Become a Member of Film Independent here.
Featured Image: Backrooms. Courtesy of A24
Keep up with Film Independent…
