New York acts differently than anywhere else; it has its own look, its own vernacular. Whether it’s the Wall Street power suit, the jeans-and-heels fashion crowd, or the Uptown Tims and Polo, New Yorkers dress up for the occasion, because that’s just what you do. Costume designer Caily Breneman’s job was to capture the energy of the city in the new film The Only Living Pickpocket in New York.

The film stars John Turturro as an old-school pickpocket, whose lucky score turns into a bad break when he unknowingly swipes a crypto-wallet from a young and vicious mob scion, played by Will Price.

Breneman’s work shows just how intimate the art of picking a pocket is, through placements of hidden pockets, open zippers and all the details we don’t notice, until it’s too late.

The costumes are an exercise in contrast, showing the old New York in more the classic tailoring of Turturro and Steve Buscemi, versus the online and on-trend New York of Price and his hangers on.

We spoke with Breneman about those choices, as well as dressing other icons like Giancarlo Esposito and Jamie Lee Curtis. But first, we had to ask about that overcoat…

I wanted to ask first about the coat that John Tuturro wears in the film. In our Q&A, he mentioned that it was put together with Zegna. Is that correct?

I had a lot of research images, and I always wanted it to be an overcoat. I was planning to make the coat, and John had even purchased a peacoat as part of his research. Noah [Segan, director] was still in LA at the time John and I first started collaborating, but when Noah got to New York, the three of us talked about it.

In between that time, John had walked the Zegna runway in Milan, and he wore this gorgeous salt-and-pepper coat with a big fur collar. We decided to see if they’d make us a coat, and they said yes. There were some slight design tweaks made, and they were gracious enough to send a sketch and a swatch. It was very important to John that he wear something he had never worn in another movie, and he had never worn salt and pepper. And I love salt and pepper, so it all came together.

Was there anything you kept in mind to make sure that was an ideal pickpocket coat.

Initially we were going to build a huge interior pocket so that John could just swipe and drop it into his coat. But when we got the physical coat, it had such nice deep pockets, which is one of the things I told Zegna was important for the character. We did some rehearsals and realized it was ideal as it was. He also had a good interior chest pocket, so you could go either here [at chest height], or down by the hips, where a typical pocket is.

Did you learn anything about how to avoid having your belongings stolen while you were researching the film?

I definitely realized how careless I am. I’m always walking around with my purse unzipped. I think everybody is so distracted on their phones, especially these days, and I’ve noticed people walking down the street with their backpacks unzipped. So, one of the things I learned was to be a little more protected and a little less trusting. We all talked about how we’ve changed our ways since working with Apollo Robbins, our pickpocket tech advisor.

How did you work with him?

He advised us about building the interior pocket. He came to the office once during prep, and we tried the costume on with him there. He, John, and Noah were rehearsing, and then Apollo and I had a long conversation about what John would need to be believable in the film. That was great advice. Then he came to set at least once to advise John and see all his hard work. It was very cool.

How did you weave in the contrast between the old and the new New York? You have the Buscemi character, who has such a strong ’70s New York vibe. Tell me about pulling pieces for him and why you felt that ’70s look was right for him.

I really wanted the characters, especially John’s and Steve’s and Giancarlo Esposito’s, to feel like they were still living their heyday. Giancarlo’s character is going through the same thing as John’s character, just in a different way. He’s being pushed out of the department. Steve’s character is probably not making as much as he used to in his pawn shop, because nobody carries cash. But we really wanted his character to feel like a teddy bear.

One of our first ideas was track suits, and we tried some on, but Steve felt very strongly that he would still get dressed to go to work, which I loved. It showed that he takes his job and his life seriously. We wanted the film to feel timeless outside of Dylan and his group. So we leaned heavily into the ’90s for John and Giancarlo. And Steve, I think, just naturally looks cool in ’70s-type clothing. That’s a vintage Prada shirt that he’s wearing. It fit him and fit the vibe.

I was shopping at one of the vintage malls in Chinatown when we found his velour sweater. It’s funny, because we were talking about him wearing a velour track suit, and when we found that velour striped sweater that he wears for the second half of the movie, it was the perfect middle ground of getting dressed for our heroes, John and Steve and Giancarlo. We really wanted to tell their story through texture, so that when we got to people like Dylan, we could tell the story through shine and color. It looks nice together, but it’s still that contrast.

Dylan and his gang are flamboyant in their own way. And he ended up having the track suit in the film.

I was just telling someone I didn’t realize that, but I love to tell a New York story through coats, because we wear them so much.

For Dylan, with Will, it was interesting because he also wanted to collaborate a lot, which I love. We were texting a lot, which is the antithesis of how John and I collaborated. John is a phone-call guy. We met in person; we went to lunch together. Will and I were texting and sending photos back and forth. He said, “Have you bought anything that you’re really excited about yet?” I sent the photo of the coat, and he loved it. I think we only ended up trying on two outfits in his fitting, because once we found the coat, we just built off that. We actually called Noah into the fitting because I was like, “I can keep going, but we’re not going to beat this.”

For him, we wanted to show that his gang participate more in the micro trend. What I love about the younger generation, especially the guys, is that they’re not afraid to be a little bit flamboyant, whereas the people I grew up with just wanted to fade into the background.

Jamie Lee Curtis character comes in with this East Coast elegance. What was your thought process when putting her look together?

I started with who I thought Moira was when I was doing my research. At first I thought maybe she was a wild child when she was growing up. But it seems Jamie’s character lived a life of obligation. She was married, her husband died, and she grew up in that life. Once she had to take over, she had to start dressing a little more seriously. She couldn’t be out having fun the way she once was, and she couldn’t draw too much attention to herself. Jamie said she didn’t feel her character had been touched in many years.

I came in with a bellhop cart full of clothes, and she was like, “You brought too much.” She wanted to tell the story through shoes, which was great. I don’t even think we ever saw her feet, but she wore these vintage Ferragamos, very classic, rich New Yorker, Upper East Side shoes. We decided she grew up on the Upper East Side. It was nice when she and John got into the car, because they looked like such contemporaries. Even though they came from such different worlds, they were on the same side.

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is now playing in theaters across the country. You can watch our Q&A with John Tuturro, Tatiana Maslany and Noah Segan, moderated by Turturro’s Severance co-star Adam Scott here.

 

Time to cozy up with a good flick and a robust conversation. This month’s indie offerings leave  us with plenty to chew on and mull over, with several wartime dramas and interpersonal conflict up the wazoo. Nine of our ten recommendations will be shown in Film Independent Presents screenings, so you can discuss them in real time with fellow filmmakers! Take a gander at the possibilities.

 

A LONG WINTER

When You Can Watch: November 4

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents 

Director: Andrew Haigh

Cast: Fred Hechinger, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Kit Connor

Why We’re Excited: Majestic beauty, coming of age and sexual awakening in rural 1950’s Colorado? Say no more. Spirit Award nominee Andrew Haigh (All of Us Strangers) brings the 2006 story by Colm Tóibín to screens, relocating it from the Pyrenees in the 1930s. The time change is important, since the Korean war is what instigates major changes for Mikey (Fred Hechinger, Thelma). When his brother leaves for military service, it domino-effects emotional decline and alcoholic benders for his mother, Louise (Caitríona Balfe, Belfast) and increased stoic grumpyness from his father, Lester (Spirit Award nominee Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear) who is eking out a living in beautiful but treacherous country. When Louise disappears into the frozen wild and all efforts to search for her are thwarted, the only thing is to embrace the situation and find new freedom in an impossibly long freeze.

 

 

NUISANCE BEAR

When You Can Watch: November 4

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents 

Directors: Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman

Cast: Mike Tunalaaq Gibbons, Saad Kassis-Mohamed

Why We’re Excited: This project is ten years in the making, as cinematographers Vanden and Weisman expand their 2021 short into a 90-minute migration story that subverts the typical nature documentary. “Historically, with a lot of nature documentaries, you’re excluding your inclusion as a filmmaker, as people in the landscape,” Vanden told IDA. “This is a very colonial thing.” Reversing the camera’s gaze, the directing team puts polar bears in the role of protagonist. As the humans in Churchill, Manitoba don warm clothes and Halloween costumes, the bears begin their annual migratory path. Rather than serenely passing through, the bears get mixed up with traffic signs and garbage cans. Traps and relocation teams intervene to help get the bears where they’re going, but tourists and hunters also play a role in the bears’ journey north.

 

 

WILDWOOD

When You Can Watch: November 8

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents 

Director: Travis Knight

Cast: Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan

Why We’re Excited: The lush, lavish and intricate animation in this epic fantasy and mammoth collaborative work of art directed by Travis Knight (Oscar nominated Kubo and the Two Strings) is a love letter to Portland. With hand-built sets and puppets that breathe, this stop-motion wonder offers compelling beauty with a dark streak. Adapted from Colin Meloy’s novel (frontman for the Decemberists), with illustrations by his wife Carson Ellis, the 16-year production draws us into the magical Oregon forests with teenage Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Andi Mack) and her friend Curtis (Spirit Award nominee Jacob Tremblay, Sovereign). Prue’s Portlandish ordinaryness is interrupted by crows who kidnap her baby brother. On a path to the unknown, she must confront a governess driven mad by grief and tragedy (Spirit Award winner Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman) as well as the problem of magic itself.

 

 

MINOTAUR

When You Can Watch: November 9

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents 

Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev

Cast: Dmitriy Mazurov, Iris Lebedeva, Boris Kudrin

Why We’re Excited: After a devastating bout with long Covid, this is the first film from Russian filmmaker and Spirit Award nominee Andrey Zvyagintsev (Loveless). Bedridden for over a year, Zvyagintsev endured an induced coma before he could recover his strength. The war between Russia and Ukraine motivated him to respond with a thriller adapted loosely from the French film, The Unfaithful Wife by Claude Chabrol. In 2022 with his country at war and his business in crisis, a CEO (Dmitriy Mazurov, Sluga Gosudarev) reaches a breaking point when he discovers his wife’s affair. “In this screenplay, there is a scene with not a single word being said,” Zvyagintsev told THR. “I was completely mesmerized by that setup…If you have a 20 minute scene with all the details, all the essence, all the understanding, but not a single word said — this is really great filmmaking.” 

 

 

FURIOUS

When You Can Watch: November 10

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents 

Creator: Elizabeth Meriwether

Cast: Emmy Rossum, Lola Petticrew, Quincy Tyler Bernstine

Why We’re Excited: Written by Film Independent member Colleen McGuinness, this streaming series follows a rookie FBI agent named Alice (Spirit Award nominee Emmy Rossum, Songcatcher) on the scent of a killer named Catherine (Spirit Award nominee Lola Petticrew, Say Nothing). The path to justice is full of surprises and question marks as what begins with a straight-forward arrest warrant takes on psychological nuance. Catherine’s thirst for blood is aimed at predators like the powerful man who stole her innocence, which mirrors Alice’s own quest to escape an abusive past. But as Alice’s alcoholic supervisor puts it (Quincy Tyler Bernstine, The Tender Bar), it matters how you handle tragedy.

 

 

SOUL PATROL

When You Can Watch: November 15

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents 

Writer/Director: J.M. Harper

Cast: Ed Emanuel, Emerson Branch, Teresa Brown

Why We’re Excited: Interviews with the first Black special ops team are woven together by Film Independent member J.M. Harper (As We Speak), telling stories from the Vietnam war and uncovering military history. Juxtaposed against the 1968 Civil Rights movement, war protests and JFK assassination, Ed Emanuel and his fellow soldiers consider what they did, felt and experienced – and whether it was worth it. Harper uses archival Super 8 footage (mostly shot by the team themselves) with modern reenactments to manifest the memories and stories from those traumatic years, which were also formative for these young men – Emanuel was only 17 when he went off to fight. On top of the hardships of war, the film explores tokenism as well as racial discrimination for this team of highly skilled soldiers, hoping to find a better way forward. Film Independent members Sam Bisbee, Danielle Massie, Nina Sing Fialkow, and Rahdi Taylor are producers.

 

 

POSSIBLE LOVE

When You Can Watch: November 16

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents 

Director: Lee Chang-dong

Cast: Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung

Why We’re Excited: Probing the wealth disparity in Korea by means of a documentary filmmaker – within the construct of a narrative film – seems uniquely indie. In this complex drama from Spirit Award nominee Lee Chang-dong (Burning), two couples meet at a funeral. Documentarian Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong, Parasite) is interviewing people involved in a massive strike that resulted in lots of lost jobs, just like the traumatized Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu, Spirit nominated Oasis). Ye-ji befriends Ho-soek’s wife, Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon, The Housemaid) whose brightness poses a sharp contrast in her marriage. When the two couples spend a weekend at the beach (where Ye-ji’s husband owns a mansion), their incredible differences instigate confrontations within themselves and with each other. A rich exploration of four people and their unique perspectives on life.

 

 

JOSEPHINE

When You Can Watch: November 20

Where You Can Watch: Theaters

Writer/Director: Beth de Araújo

Cast: Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan

Why We’re Excited: Tough but powerful, Josephine is a psychological thriller putting the 8-year-old title character (Mason Reeves) in the middle of an impossible situation. Beth de Araújo (Soft & Quiet) navigates emotional trauma in the context of a loving family at its wits’ end. When their little girl witnesses a sexual assault in Golden Gate park, Damien and Claire do their best to help her with the turbulent aftermath. Spirit nominee Channing Tatum (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) as Dad, goes for reassurances and physical protection, taking Josephine to self defense classes. Mom (Gemma Chan, Crazy Rich Asians) offers platitudes and distractions. But Josephine is struggling with violent behavior and erratic emotions, showing that none of the grownups around her are truly up to this challenge, and everyone has been let down by the social systems at play. Film Independent members Robina Riccitiello and Michelle Sugihara are producers.

 

 

PROGRAMMER’S PICK: COWARD

When You Can Watch: November 6

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents 

Directors: Lukas Dhont

Cast: Valentin Campagne, Emmanuel Macchia, Willem De Schryver

Why We’re Excited: From Film Independent Lead Programmer Jenn Wilson–

Belgian director Lukas Dhont, known for his films on LGBTQ youth, Close and Girl,continues the theme with Coward.  This time the youth in question are a troupe of young Belgian soldiers fighting in WWI.  Their unfortunate assignment is to go out after a battle and round up dead soldiers and bury them in mass graves.  Their task is a psychologically heavy burden, but one of their respites is to watch the regular shows put on by the troupe’s in-house theater group.  Two of the soldiers, Francis and Pierre, meet and begin to fall in love.  They would like to run off together but the homophobia of the era makes their union extremely risky.  Beautifully written, directed, shot, and acted, Coward is one of the year’s films not to miss.  

 

 

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

 

 

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.

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Big news for the 2027 Film Independent Spirit Awards: filmmaker Roman Coppola is joining the team in a brand-new role as Creative Consultant, helping shape a unique creative vision for both the ceremony and the entire Spirit Awards experience.

Coppola will work alongside Film Independent’s production team to help define the tone, visual identity, and overall feel of the 2027 ceremony. He will draw on his experience as an award-winning director, writer and producer of feature films, documentaries, music videos, and brand work to build on the Spirit Awards tradition of irreverence and originality, while bringing in new energy and ideas.

His appointment is also an early step in the broader vision of Film Independent President Juan Devis, who is expanding the organization’s creative ambitions and renewing the focus on the Spirit Awards as a true celebration of independent film culture.

 As Devis explained, “The Spirit Awards have always celebrated artists who challenge conventions and find new ways to tell stories. We believe the Spirit Awards themselves should embrace that same creative freedom. Roman brings a unique sensibility, a sense of play, and a willingness to experiment. We’re excited to work with him to rethink not just the ceremony, but the entire experience of bringing our independent film community together.”

 

More Than a One-Night Affair

Coppola’s influence won’t stop at the ceremony. He’ll help connect the events surrounding the show through a shared artistic vision, drawing on music, Los Angeles culture, and the Hollywood setting. Expect new partnerships and some unexpected collaborations throughout the season.

For his part, Coppola is excited about what’s ahead. “The endless inventiveness of cinema and the unique, diverse ways filmmakers find to express themselves are things I care deeply about,” said Coppola. “I’m looking forward to collaborating with the team to create a celebration that’s playful, adventurous, and full of surprises — one that will spotlight the remarkable voices that make independent cinema so vital.”

 

Save the Dates

The Spirit Season kicks off on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, when the 2027 Spirit Awards nominees will be announced.

Then on Saturday, January 9, 2027, the Nominee Brunch, honoring all nominees, returns to The London West Hollywood. It also features the Emerging Filmmaker Awards, including the new Digital Creator Award.

Finally, the big show returns to the Hollywood Palladium on Saturday, March 6, 2027.

 
 

Remember, only Film Independent Members choose the winners of the Spirit Awards. Want a say? Join today. Film Independent promotes unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work. To support us with a donation, click here.

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Ed. Note:  Just in time for spooky season, we’re resharing this piece from May about two of this year’s biggest horror hits.

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

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On the heels of the Federal Film Incentive comes more promising news for independent creators and the industry at large. 

Major players have come together in an effort to help protect original and independent content from mass media consolidation.

It’s called the American Entertainment Alliance, and it’s pushing for legislation that would require major studios and streamers like Netflix, Disney, and Skydance to allocate at least 50% of their original content budgets to independent productions. 

Members include top agencies CAA, WME, and UTA, as well as producers like Blumhouse, Imagine, Legendary, North Road, and MRC. 

To protect the future, these powerhouses are looking to the past. 

In the 1970s and ‘80s, iconic shows like Seinfeld, Roseanne, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show were successful thanks in part to the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules of 1970, or ‘Fin-Syn’. 

Regulated by the FCC, these rules kept major broadcasters ABC, CBS, and NBC from owning the shows they aired. They also weren’t allowed to control the shows’ syndication rights. This paved the way for independent talent and creator-led entities like Mary Tyler Moore’s MTM Enterprises, Castle Rock, and Lorimar Television.

‘Fin-Syn’ was repealed in the ‘90s with the rise of cable, when competition seemed more robust. Without these protections, however, media consolidation went up, making it harder for independent producers to thrive and leading to the contracted landscape we find ourselves in today.

Now that ‘peak TV’ has ended, the number of original TV series has fallen dramatically in the last few years.  Currently, there are 41% fewer scripted submissions from independent producers than there were even four years ago. Mergers also make it more likely for studios to produce in-house content aired on networks, channels, and streaming services they own.

The AEA wants to ensure at least half their content comes from production companies outside the studio. This would allow more creators to own their work, which would in turn create more jobs and opportunity.

These days, there are fewer decision-makers controlling what gets made. Streamers already collect subscription fees and ad revenue. If they also own the content, it gives creators very little leverage. 

The AEA wants to bring back a version of ‘Fin-Syn’ for the streaming era. If production companies own their own shows, they control licensing rights, which allows them to sell their show again to a different streamer. It would also give new life to shows that get cancelled, allowing them the opportunity to sell to another streamer. 

The AEA is advocating for ‘modern creative ownership rules that reflect today’s streaming marketplace’. Because the FCC has little oversight when it comes to streaming, the alliance is proposing legislation as a solution. The goal is a regulatory framework to help drive competition and growth.

Much like the Federal Film Incentive, it’s also designed to support policies that would make the U.S. a more competitive production destination. 

While it could face pushback from a divided Congress as well as the studios, which have lobbying power in Washington, the Federal Film Incentive might help pave the way for these additional protections. Members of the AEA are meeting with the backers of that bill, which could be adopted after the November midterms. The American Entertainment Alliance is hoping to introduce a bill of their own next year.

When creatives have more control over their work, it fuels more creative competition, which benefits everyone, not just a select few. Once again, cultivating independence is key to the future of film and TV.

Film Independent promotes unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work. To become a Member of Film Independent, just click here. To support us with a donation, click here.

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The Film Independent x Humana Foundation Shorts Initiative is supporting five Director and Producer teams to produce original shorts that authentically celebrate the vital roles and contributions of seniors to society, and raise awareness around the different issues that affect them today. An all-in budget of $100,000 will be provided for each film.

Applications are now open, and close on October 26, 2026.
The extended deadline for Film Independent Members is November 2, 2026.
To learn more about the program, click here.

***

The team behind Thelma (2024) had a choice when it came to selling their film to audiences. “It’s not just for a senior audience. It’s also for middle-aged people for young people, people who can relate to the grandparent characters or the parent characters,” said producer Zoë Worth.

The film is about 93-year-old Thelma Post, who gets scammed into sending her life savings away when she thinks her grandson needs bail money. Once she finds out what happens, she decides to take matters into her own hands and get the money back. The film plays with action movie tropes and puts them in an age-appropriate context for what Thelma and her crew are going through.

We spoke with writer/director Josh Margolin and producers Zoë Worth and Chris Kaye about how they took the film from script to release and what other filmmakers can learn about making a specific film have a broad appeal.

Development and Financing

The idea came when writer/director Josh Margolin’s own grandmother almost got scammed. “I started imagining what might have happened if she if she had sent [the money to the scammers] and knowing her, the length she would have gone to get it back,” he said. He brought it to his creative circle, including Zoë Worth and Chris Kaye, and they all immediately responded to it. Once a script was ready, the team sent it to June Squibb through connections they had. Margolin and Squibb had an initial call that ended with the actress saying, “Ok, I’d like to do it.”

“That really lit a fire for us,” Margolin said. When it came to financing, “I think it was very clear who was in and who is out,” said Worth. The team insisted on having an actress in their nineties in the star role and found partners that aligned with that vision.

Production

Playing with action tropes meant that there would be stunts for the film’s lead performer. “It’s funny because some of the quote unquote stunts in this movie wouldn’t necessarily be fully designated stunts in a movie with a with an actor at a different age,” said Margolin. “Her rolling across the bed for our movie is kind of is dicey… Everything felt daunting because we felt responsible for the safety and well being of everybody while also trying to get the shots that would work and make sense for the movie.

“We tried to make sure we were really well rehearsed, really well covered, and really well practiced. We did very limited takes.”

The film shot in L.A. and despite not getting the California tax credit, they made their budget in other ways. The shoot used Margolin’s real grandmother’s house as well as the Motion Picture & Television Fund Retirement Home in Woodland Hills as its main locations, and were able to set dress the locations to double as other places like police stations. When shooting their exteriors, the had a small footprint and used permitting grids strategically so they could get as much variety as possible.

Festivals and Release Strategy

The film premiered at Sundance, and the team ended up going with Magnolia Pictures as its distributer based on its showing at the festival. The team was very conscious of how the film was going to be marketed, which went into that decision. “Whenever there was any conversation where somebody would be pitching us the kung-fu grandma version, we’d be like. ‘No, we can’t go towards that.’ The broadness is not why people are going to go see this movie,” said producer Chris Kaye. Magnolia helped the team tour the film in festivals all over the country. Having June Squibb leading a film for the first time in her career also generated organic news coverage.

Advice for Filmmakers with Senior-Focused Projects

For a film to be successful, you have to know why you want to tell a story. For the Thelma team, it was Margolin’s real-life experiences with his own grandmother, and the care he had for her. According to Worth, “It’s about giving dimensionality to your lead senior characters and acknowledging who you are as the as the author of said movie.”

“Don’t feel like you’re contorting yourself to take advantage of some opportunity, but you are instead setting out to make something you believe in,” added Margolin. “That guided us in many ways.”

Thelma is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+ and the filmmakers are working on a new comedy set to start shooting next year.

 

The Film Independent x Humana Foundation Shorts Initiative is supporting five Director and Producer teams to produce original shorts that authentically celebrate the vital roles and contributions of seniors to society and raise awareness around the different issues that affect them today. An all-in budget of $100,000 provided for each film.

Applications are now open, and close on October 26, 2026. There will be an extended deadline for Film Independent Members, which will be on November 2, 2026. To learn more about the program, click here.

 

“You have the juice,” I wrote in big letters and underlined twice in my Film Independent Forum notebook. Your girl loves merch. When asked for advice to filmmakers trying to “break in,” Alexander Ullom (Director, It Ends) reminded us to be steadfast in our creative visions and to remember, “you have the juice.” Something that is often forgotten between pitch meetings, network notes, and an endless sea of scripts waiting for a greenlight. At the Film Independent Forum, the throughline between the digital-focused panels was that these filmmakers didn’t wait for permission from studios and executives. They knew they had something, and carved out a path to bring it to their audience.

On the vertical storytelling panel, moderated by Wendy Calhoun (Executive Producer; The Rookie Feds, Empire), that meant experimenting with new formats. “Empire took the stage classic The Lion in Winter, with its Shakespearean succession stakes, and set it in the world of hip hop. A familiar classic, reimagined as a prime-time broadcast soap full of pop culture, felt fresh. Microseries play in this same sandbox,” says Calhoun, who also executive produces and directs microdramas.

In “Breaking the Big Screen,” moderated by Missy Laney (Film & TV producer), we heard from a generation of filmmakers who had the opportunity to learn, experiment and publish in real time, as part of the “YouTube Generation.” And part of publishing in real time is almost instant audience feedback. Digital creators have the ability to meet the audience where they are at the moment. Which means you can literally give the people exactly what they’re asking for. If you listen. This isn’t to say you should ignore your internal compass, but rather, trust yourself enough to hear the audience without losing what is true for you.

Vivian Wang (Writer; Sleeping With My Billionaire Enemy, Alpha King’s Mistake) tells us that the vertical audience is looking for straight-up entertainment. She finds it both humbling and empowering to know that she’s not creating art for herself. “We’re creating for the audience and we know what they want,” Wang says, adding that after a long day, people are seeking rest and entertainment. “People aren’t watching things on their phone to learn a lesson.”

But people are watching. Lunar Ticks, the bilingual writing team Wang co-founded, has passed a billion views across the series they’ve written and localized, all in about three years. According to Reuters, some 66 million monthly active users in the U.S. are watching microdramas, and the format generated $1.5 billion in U.S. revenue this year. It’s no wonder we’re seeing more and more traditional Hollywood players crossing over to mobile platforms. But aside from the revenue potential, the format also gives storytellers a chance to connect with an audience, and quickly. This is what all digital creators have in common. Katy Fishell (Comedy Writer, Cartoonist) captured an entire generation with her ability to take ideas from a car ride home and turn them into cartoons on social media just days later.

Where traditional development cycles can go on for years, verticals move from page to launch in months. (I’m told the average cycle from ideation to premiere is three!) Tiffany Yvonne Cox (Writer/Director, Leaving Mr. Wrong for Mr. Right; Actor, Reasonable Doubt) spoke about going to the “School of Self” and not waiting for perfection. Cox independently produced her own vertical series to put herself on the map, and now writes and directs microdramas in between acting in broadcast television shows. For most, there are no plans to give up on the horizontal world. Verticals are simply the latest platform.

Now that YouTube has passed its 20th anniversary, it’s hard to remember when it was the new platform on the block. But there was a time when thick lines were drawn between digital creatives and those in traditional Hollywood. Today, an Oscar winner eating hot wings on the internet is almost expected during award season. And starting in 2029, The Academy Awards will stream on YouTube. I ask, only half-jokingly, will TikTok be next?

Dawn Yang (Global Head of Entertainment & Micro-series, TikTok) spoke about how TikTok offers a unique watching experience. “We offer new ways of watching together with people who are not in your social circle, but are people who love the same content as you do,” said Yang. And viewers aren’t just scrolling through, they’re sticking around. Research by Omdia tells us that vertical platforms have surpassed streamers when it comes to mobile engagement. The report states, “U.S. users now spend more time per day watching microdramas on mobile apps than they do watching Netflix, Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video on mobile devices.”

With data like this, one has to wonder what “breaking in” even looks like. Across both panels, the consensus was that no one really knows anymore, because it’s changing beneath our feet. In the digital age, art can move at the speed of technology. By the time you finish reading this article, there will be ten new formats downloadable in the palm of your hand. That being said, the panel audiences still wanted advice on how to break in, even if we have no idea what’s inside the house. Advice ranged from “make movies with your friends” and “they find you when you’re ready” to Mark Duplass’ “The Cavalry Isn’t Coming” speech being mandatory viewing.

Panelists also touched on bad advice. When making his first film, many people told Nicolas Curcio (Writer; Play House, GOAT), “this is your one shot,” but Curcio disagrees. He says that unlike the Eminem song, “you want to give it your all, but it’s never your one shot. There’s a million stories of people who didn’t get it right [on the first try], but then got it right.” Other overrated industry advice included focusing on getting an agent or manager first. The panel widely agreed that having representation is great because they can put you in a room, but that doesn’t guarantee work. Focus on making your materials something you believe in. This is exactly how the YouTubers behind this summer’s horror hits started: making what they believed in and building audiences, who then followed them to the box office.

Where the YouTube panel focused more on transitioning from social platforms to the big screen, the vertical storytellers were more interested in how the mobile screen itself can be the destination. We’re not there yet, but many vertical producers like Elizabeth Dell and Hernan Lopez envision a world where microdramas reach the same cinematic heights that television has. Before David Lynch made Twin Peaks (1990), people said television would never get there either.

P.S. What’s a microdrama, you ask? Check out our last Film Independent article for a deeper dive into what they are, where they came from, and why they’re here to stay.

Find the full panel discussions at Film Independent’s YouTube HERE.

 

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In our Member Lens series, we’re spotlighting a cross-section of current Film Independent Members to see how they got where they are now, what they’re up to now and what being a part of Film Independent means to them.

***

For some people, their path becomes so clear it just jumps out at them. For producer and Film Independent Member Daniela Taplin Lundberg, that was the case when she visited her stepdad, writer/director David S. Ward, on set one day and found herself surrounded by frogs brought in for the days’ scene. The sight amazed young Daniela, who decided that day that she wanted to be part of whatever magic that made that happen.

She went on to found Stay Gold Features and produce classics like Beasts of No Nation, The Kids Are All Right and Honey Boy. Along with being a powerhouse producer, she started her own podcast, Hollywood Gold, that tells listeners what it took to get some of their favorite movies made, along with the producers and filmmakers who made them.

We spoke with her about the trials and tribulations of being an indie producer, as well as how Film Independent is the community that she found that supports and celebrates the magic that makes indie films happen.

 

I wanted to start off with a little bit of your background and what first drew you to the movies.

My mother, my father, and my stepfather were all in the film business, and I grew up in LA in the ’80s. One of my earliest memories: my stepdad wrote and directed Cannery Row, which is adapted from a John Steinbeck novel. He had written The Sting when he was 27, and then MGM gave him some money to make Cannery Row with Nick Nolte and Debra Winger. Anyways, I was four years old, and I remember going to MGM Studios. They had this scene where some of the supporting characters were catching frogs, and they had literally thousands of frogs, all live, on the stage.

I had no idea this was possible. I got to take home two frogs in a Styrofoam cup, and the top came loose and one of the frogs jumped out, and I was just hooked. I was like, “Whatever is happening here is magical.”

I fell in love with the old-school style of filmmaking and filmmakers. My dad would bring home early scores for movies, and he’d let me watch casting tapes and weigh in. I remember he made The Program when I was in early high school, and he was deciding between Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps for one part. I was like, “Oh, they’re both so different, and they’re both so good.” To me, it was so exciting to see words spring off the page. So I always knew I was going to do it. I was in love with the art of filmmaking and proper movies. Those are the movies I try to make.

What was your first job in the industry, and what was that experience like?

I decided to move to New York after college. That was the era of Miramax and Fine Line and October Films. I had the option to go intern at Miramax or go be a PA on a tiny $300,000 film. Someone had told me, because I wanted to be a producer, that the best way to understand what producers do is to be a PA, because you can see all the departments and where all the money’s going.

So we shot down on Broome Street. It all took place in one room. It starred Amanda Peet, who everyone said was going to be a big deal, and Ione Skye, who played one day. And I did everything. I cleaned toilets.

I remember, I didn’t know what sides were. Someone said, “Go make sides from this script,” and I was like, “What are sides?” I ran to the Kinko’s and made sides. I was a jack-of-all-trades. I got the walkie taken away on day five because I just kept chatting on it. You learn so much in that job.

But that’s the magic of filmmaking. When it’s funny, or when it works, it’s great, and you’re just happy to be a part of it. I’ll never forget cleaning the toilets. I was like, “Wow, PAs really do just have to do whatever they’re told.” But it’s the best way to figure out what you ultimately want to do and what direction to go in.

Tell me what you thought was cool about producing back then, and why you like producing today. What’s the appeal for you?

My mother was a great character actress named Rosana DeSoto. She’s most well-known for playing Ritchie Valens’ mother in La Bamba. She was in Stand and Deliver. But the thing I noted about actors is they’re always waiting for the phone call. Half the time, they don’t even know why they didn’t get the job. I was just like, “This is such hard work.” She’s so talented, but there’s no control in it, right?

Then my stepdad was a writer-director, which was a whole other set of skills that required such focus. I wasn’t a good enough filmmaker or writer myself, but my biological dad, John Taplin, was a producer. He started out as a road manager for Bob Dylan and The Band, and then he came to LA. He was like, “I’ve been told I’d be a good movie producer because I take charge.”

He was introduced to Martin Scorsese, who was editing at the time. Scorsese had four scripts, and one of them was Mean Streets. My dad liked Mean Streets. He didn’t know you weren’t supposed to put your own money into a film, so he put in a little money he’d saved from his rock-and-roll touring days, and then he went out and raised the rest.

They made Mean Streets in 19 days, 16 of which were in LA and three of which were in Greenwich Village, where they did some exteriors. My dad just believed in this guy, and in De Niro. De Niro was totally discovered on that. And the movie just took flight. He didn’t know what he was doing. But the romance of that, discovering a talent like that and being a part of it and helping launch it, that was it.

So I always knew that producing was the thing I could do. I wanted to launch voices I believed in and make great film, make great art. It sounds corny, but that’s really what it is.

I want to talk to you about your podcast. What made you want to start the podcast, and what have you learned from it?

I was a huge fan of the podcast How I Built This, which was about building great companies. I’d listen to the Warby Parker story or the Tate’s chocolate chip cookie story, and I was always intrigued by the course of one founder’s dream. And I said, “I feel like there needs to be a version of this for movies, from the producer’s perspective.”

The producer tends to be the one who’s there at the very nascent stage and takes it all the way through to the end. They have a perspective on the filmmakers and the financiers, and what the studio thought, and how the shoot went. They’re the CEO of the movie.

I though, “I know enough producers that I could pack a season, at least with my friends.” We’re the little guys that no one ever cares about. So we just started it out of our office with a couple of episodes, and people really seem to love it.

Most great films almost don’t get made, and that is the thing I’ve learned most. You listen to the story of The Fighter or Arrival or all these great movies, and there are always two or three moments where it almost went away. Most of the time, it’s through the fortitude of the producer that they stay on track.

It’s enough to make me put my head down again and keep going, because sometimes I’m coming off of a Zoom where I’m like, “Why do I do this? I’m too old to do this bullshit.” And then you realize, “No, but you’re making something great.” And probably the person on the other side of the call is just trying to make something great too, and maybe you just don’t agree. So you have to have a lot of patience and strength of will. That’s what the podcast does for me.

When you’re meeting with a writer-director you haven’t worked with before, what makes you want to attach yourself to a project and say, “I want to be here for the long run with this person or this project”?

For me, it’s always two things. One is I want to feel that there’s a freshness and a novelty to whatever I’m being pitched. I want the director to look out into the world like an audience member and pitch their own movie to that audience. If the audience is like, “Ooh, that feels unique, that feels sticky,” then I’m probably going to lean in. If you just keep following the same thing that’s been successful for ten years, you’re never going to make anything interesting, right?

The other thing is I love it when a filmmaker has a specific vision. I almost prefer the overly passionate person to the person who’s just looking for other people’s opinions. The overly passionate person may irritate me most of the time, but I love that they have a clarity, so I don’t need to worry about it. The worst thing is when a producer is second-guessing and trying to fix things for the director.

I remember when I was working with Cary Fukunaga on Beast of No Nation, we were early in the edit, and the film was too long. I was working with my partner, Amy Kaufman, who had worked with him before. It was the first time I had worked with him, and she goes, “Well, I trust him. I trust him more than I trust myself.” That was a light-bulb moment for me. The really great filmmakers are going to look for other opinions and for collaboration, but it’s their creative ship. I love when I can trust my filmmaker, and I’ve had the benefit of working with a lot of great ones.

Tell me about your latest project. What was your involvement with Club Kid and how did that come together?

I’m so excited about that movie. I’m an executive producer on it. I did not carry that film on my back. But one of my dear friends in the industry is Ryan Heller, who runs Topic Studios. I had produced a movie for Topic called Nanny, which we partnered on.

We went out to lunch last July and I was like, “What do you have going?” He pitched me a couple of movies, and then he talked about Club Kid. He said, “We’re doing this little movie from this first-time filmmaker named Jordan Firstman.” And I was like, “Oh, I love Jordan Firstman. I think he’s really smart.” Then he pitched me the arc of the movie.

I guess I gravitate toward big films that tend to have child characters as a lens into the world. If you look at Honey Boyor Beast of No Nation or What Maisie Knew, that is true for all those films. So I instinctively gravitated to Club Kid. I read it overnight and called Ryan up on Monday. I said, “Ryan, we love it. I love it. Please let us be a part of it.”

I inherently trust Alex Coco, who’s the lead creative producer. I love Anora so much. I’ve met him a couple of times, and I’ve interviewed Alex a couple of times on the pod. I just think he’s as creative as he is producorial, which is always my favorite kind of producer. I saw early cuts of it, and it’s rare to see an early cut and just be like, “I’m completely on board with the ride.” It was really a world that he inhabited, so it felt so authentic. And then he layered in this lovely story of bringing this kid into his life, which forces him to grow up. I inherently love those stories.

That’s how it happened, and the rest is history. Cannes was insane, and they’ve been on this whole run through the film festivals. I got to celebrate with everyone at Toronto, and that was so fun. I’m so excited to see how audiences respond to it.

When did you first become aware of Film Independent and what made you want to become a member?

It’s been a part of my entire film life for as long as I can remember. I think one of the first films I did was Lonesome Jimwith Casey Affleck and Liv Tyler. From the get-go, Film Independent and the Spirit Awards have inhabited the very fabric of the way I make movies. I’ve never known any other way than boots on the ground, make it happen, which I feel is very much the Film Independent approach. I’ve admired the organization for so long because of that.

My mom hasn’t won many awards, but one of the awards she won was one of the first Spirit Awards ever. She won for her role in Stand and Deliver, and she beat out Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza. That’s still one of her big calling cards, that she beat Julia Roberts. So Film Independent and the Spirit Awards have been a part of every step of my career. It’s such an important part of independent filmmaking and independent voices. I’m so grateful that it exists, because it’s helped me so much.

What’s your favorite part about being a member?

When I go to an event or the Spirit Awards, it just feels like family. We’re all people who roll our sleeves up and once in a while throw on a nice outfit, but mostly it’s about doing the work and making great art. That’s a little different from the glitz and glamour of the more upscale Hollywood organizations. Don’t get me wrong, I love that too. But I feel Film Independent is all about the right things, what the film business should be about: doing the hard work and pushing for great art and doing it in a way that’s accessible to everyone who wants to participate.

 

Film Independent promotes unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work. To become a Member of Film Independent, just click here. To support us with a donation, click here.

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Two sessions at the forum spoke directly to brewing concerns in the heart of our moviemaking town: one, is AI taking over and two, can anyone in Los Angeles afford to live here, let alone make a movie?

Let me spoil it with the TL;DR that our panelists hold a lot of hope for both concerns, and surprise: it comes down to human relationships and partnerships. Connecting with collaborators, connecting with audiences, connecting with new ideas and perspectives from a diversity of backgrounds… basically everything that Film Independent stands for.

So let’s dig in. Reality Check: AI in the Workplace brought together three industry professionals and an economist, moderated by journalist Carolyn Giardina. Patrick Adler kicked things off with a rousing overview of creative jobs in California and how AI tools are affecting jobs on a broad scale. Speaking as a founding partner of Westwood Economics, his team published a report on the 118,000 creative jobs lost in California since 2022. The report is doing detective work on what differentiates this change in California from the rest of the country, where industries adopting AI tools have actually seen growth in the human workforce. Adler surmised that as AI tools have become more involved in some jobs, more people have been required to manage and implement those tools. But the unique factors of recession and livability for California and Los Angeles specifically could play a role.

Harry Yoon (Editor, Spider-Man: Brand New Day) recognized how AI has made it more streamlined and less tedious to complete “soul-crushing” tasks like transcription or building out new concepts with sound design and ADR drafts to test out new lines, leaving humans to do more of the fun stuff. Mathew Cullen (Founder of Mirada Studios, Motion Theory) has also found that work is streamlined through the use of AI, but that clients tend to be misinformed about what AI can actually do. No matter what they’ve heard, you can’t just prompt your way to a cinematic and artistic result – the role of human experience, human skill and human interaction is still vital.

As a writer on the other hand, Ruth Fowler (Writer, Rules of the Game, Little Disasters) finds that gainful employment has always been challenging, but in the reality of AI involvement she’s being asked to do more free work – take more meetings, create more development documents – before knowing if she’s landed the job. But beyond the usual hustle to get work that covers a year’s salary, she wonders if AI is making writers even more isolated than usual. The experience she has gained from getting notes and pushback from fellow humans only translates to Claude if she trains it to; a newer writer may not benefit from that critique. Meanwhile, busyness and overwhelm make soliciting feedback from humans as difficult as ever.

Yoon and Cullen echoed concerns about what brings humans together at work, as the same tedious tasks AI handles might previously have functioned as training ground for an intern. The mentorship space is being affected, as Cullen reflected on starting his company in 2003 and training up new people. “My intern at the time is now the head of creative at my company. I think about all those interns, and I think about all those people that you know were sort of there, and you’re kind of creating that space for them to show up and figure it out.” Cullen has seen receptionists go on to be producers and directors that have won Emmys, all from the osmosis of being around imaginative people, seeing future possibilities up close.

There were also takeaways that could be used when audience members got home. VFX supervisor and Creators Coalition on Artificial Intelligence founder Jim Geduldick just launched the CCAI site, which includes useful tools for filmmakers like an AI terms glossary, and an impact survey and visualizer and be found here.

The panel tackled concerns about AI changing job descriptions and how much cost savings will matter, especially now that it’s more expensive to hire domestically versus overseas – even London is cheaper than Atlanta. Cullen accepts the encroachment of AI technology but doesn’t like it. Even so, he asserted that the creative business has never been more exciting or more challenging. “From short-form to long-form to interactive form to experiential … longevity is living in that river of change, you know?”

Meanwhile as so much production work moves offshore, how much cheaper is it as an independent filmmaker to take your film abroad? Crossing Borders: The International Landscape for Indies brought together five filmmakers to swap stories and highlight pros and cons for taking your production global. While the US does not currently have any international co-production treaties, our panel highlighted the importance of finding partners in the country that interests you. And by partners, Anna Różalska (EP for Who Will Write Our History and Co-Producer of Arbitrage) means true believers in the project – like-minded collaborators who want to see the story succeed. When shooting a project in Lithuania, Różalska described asking multiple companies to read the script and suggest a budget. Ultimately her choice was motivated by the ideas presented. “It wasn’t about eventually the budget, but about a company that really cared about the project … we could really tell they were very much involved.”

Shih-Ching Tsou (Director/Producer, Left-Handed Girl) is from Taiwan but lives in New York and had never made a film in her home country. So partnership was key. “It’s not really that exotic, because it’s really scary,” she says of trying to prove herself and her vision in the Taiwanese film industry. “People will look at you and say … ‘I don’t think you know what to do,’ right? So you kind of have to jump in there and kind of prove to them, like this is the way.” Communication and trust are key elements to any partnership, and Munir Atalla (Head of Production & Acquisitions, Watermelon Pictures) asserted that international relationships are no different.

Claire Brooks (Executive Director, Association of Film Commissioners International) shared with passion about the practicalities of identifying potential locations and making the most of the local film commission – even within the United States. “They provide free location services,” Brooks explained. “Some of them will read your script. Some of them have access to funding opportunities – not through their office, but through their national bodies.” And those that don’t can point you to the right place. Miura Kite (President of Global Content, Maria Farinha Films) has partners at a French production company and the two companies bring shows to each other, taking the lead based on who pays for what. “Once you do find people you love working with, try to maximize it in any way.”

In addition, moderator Tatiana Kelly (Producer, The Catcher Was a Spy, Cut Throat City) guided the panel through high level thoughts on attracting foreign investment, selling the finished project worldwide, the marketing potential of attaching stars, and keeping an open mind for the long view  – “Talk to people,” Tsou suggested, “you never know who you’re gonna meet.” Brooks told a story about cultural alignment, and how The Substance earned a tax incentive from France because Demi Moore’s character cooks a French dish in one scene. “Read the details,” she summarizes on the importance of knowing what a given region is looking for when considering investment. Also not to be overlooked is cultural differences, unique aspects of local film industries and traditions, and holidays. If France is on vacation for the month of August, that will impact your production schedule.

“Travel a lot,” Różalska recommends. “I think the only way to really like connecting with people from different countries is through understanding their culture.”

While it’s easy to romanticize opportunities that are farther afield, panelists advised taking all considerations into account. Public financing can take 2-3 years. If tax incentives are refunds on expenses already incurred, then consider the interest on those expenses until you get paid. Brooks recommended getting a regional film office involved as soon as possible so they can help discern how the numbers will play out in real time and money. “When are you getting that money and how long are you carrying that loan, and is it worth it?”

Różalska lives in LA, going back and forth to Europe to make films. She was optimistic about the potential for great international film partnerships. “You all live in Hollywood and the whole world is looking up to you,” she said with a smile. Her European origins taught her the value of treaties and the amazing opportunities to collaborate across national borders. “I do believe the best way to make films is to really find different ways to collaborate and really take what’s best from both worlds.”

Maybe the same can be said for AI.

 

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It’s a sign of the times: The iconic Warner Bros. water tower has already been repainted to include ‘A Skydance Corporation’, signaling the close of the PSKY/WBD merger. 

While this consolidation has everyone wondering about the future, Film Independent is already looking ahead. During the Future of Independent Film & The Creative Economy panel at the Film Independent Forum, President Juan Devis addressed a fundamental question facing independent film: 

“For 42 years, Film Independent has championed creative independence in filmmaking. Through our programs, labs, grants, mentorship, events and the Spirit Awards, we have helped artists and projects move from idea through development and production, and ultimately toward audiences. But the conditions in which that work is being made are changing dramatically. Los Angeles remains one of the greatest filmmaking capitals of the world, yet we have watched production decline, jobs disappear and projects move elsewhere.

Film Independent wants to take a more active role in making sure these filmmakers, businesses, and jobs are represented in the economic and policy conversations shaping our future. And that is why we are gathered here today, to ask: What will it take for Los Angeles and California to remain the world’s most important and relevant home for independent storytelling?”

A new federal film incentive might provide some answers. 

It’s called The Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act. Introduced by Washington lawmakers on September 24, 2026, this bipartisan piece of legislation is part of a plan to counter overseas production and bring filmmaking jobs back to the U.S. As the first national film and television production tax credit, it would create a 20% U.S. film incentive, with bonuses that could bring the total rebate up to 30%.

To showcase the financial disadvantages currently facing U.S. productions, producer John Lang told the audience at the Creative Economy panel that a $25-30 million dollar movie had a proposed transportation budget of 9 million dollars to film in Atlanta, as opposed to 950,000 pounds in Belfast. “You can’t compete with that,” he said.

While it’s not a ‘silver bullet’, this new federal incentive is designed to compete with approximately 65 countries currently offering incentives unavailable in the U.S. It will also be stackable with state incentives, and would provide a 5% uplift for spending at least $10 million in 10 states in a year.  These combined credits could create some of the world’s most generous subsidies for film and TV. “If it passes and it stacks clean, shooting in Georgia or California or New York is the best deal on the planet,” said Joe Chianese, senior vice president for incentives at Entertainment Partners. “Nothing overseas comes close.”

The incentive would apply to narrative and documentary feature films, TV shows (scripted and unscripted), TV pilots, animation, pre- and post-production, above-the-line and below-the-line wages. 

Importantly, it would also include a 5% bonus for independent productions, as well as for filming in a federal disaster area, with a 5 year limit. After the 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires, Los Angeles County was declared a federal disaster area. If adopted, this bonus would apply to LA County until January 2030.

For independent filmmakers, this could have significant implications for packaging and financing their work. If shooting in LA becomes more financially viable, it incentivizes talent to attach themselves to those independent projects, which directly impacts their ability to get financed and made. 

“When you’re talking about independent film and you’re trying to go for that actor who’s going to greenlight you, if you can say you’re shooting here in LA and they get to go home every day, that makes a huge difference,” said producer Tom Butterfield at the Forum.

The Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act would require films to have a minimum spend of $1 million, and at least 75% of the production days must take place in the U.S. If it passes, it will apply to projects that go into production after December 31, 2026. 

This legislation has bipartisan support from the White House, as well as Senator Adam Schiff (D), Representative Laura Friedman (D) of California, Senator Tim Scott (R) of South Carolina, and Representative Tim Moran (R) of Texas. Friedman and Moran are also founding members of the Congressional American Film & TV Production Caucus, a bipartisan effort to further bolster U.S. production and educate Congress on the importance of making entertainment here in the states. 

According to John Lang, a healthy film ecosystem includes not just larger, studio-backed productions, but independent ones as well. “We fill in the gaps in the ecosystem. You don’t want everyone to just have a job at a huge company. You need to have that mix of small and medium sized businesses.”

While the future remains uncertain, Film Independent is committed to finding paths forward that support creative independence, for the well being of all. 

Well folks, we have a truly intriguing situation for October’s independent film releases. In the peak of spooky season, our list features just one horror film. But here you’ll find plenty of pathos, adapting to the unknown, and personal stories of tragedy to rival the slashiest of slasher flicks. Dive in and make plans to join us at the theater!

 

BLUE HERON

 

When You Can Watch: September 29

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents

Director: Sophy Romvari

Cast: Eylul Guven, Edik Beddoes, Amy Zimmer

Why We’re Excited: Canadian-Hungarian filmmaker Sophy Romvari’s debut is an unusual coming-of-age story, trying to understand the past. In the 1990’s, eight-year-old Sasha (Eylul Guven) is the youngest of four kids growing up on Vancouver Island. The family recently immigrated from Hungary, but their fresh start is complicated by her eldest brother, Jeremy (Edik Beddoes), whose behavior is erratic – and sometimes dangerous. Exploring memory and perspective with innovative cinematography, Romvari imputes her childhood on Sasha, watching her parents agonize over Jeremy and their impossible choices for his future. When later the grown-up Sasha (Amy Zimmer, Problemista) begins to make a film re-visiting the people and institutions involved with that period of her life, she grapples with Jeremy’s story and how it shapes her own questions and concerns. Film Independent member Rafael Thomaseto is an Associate Producer and Neil Champagne is an Executive Producer.

 

 

THE SCOUT

 

When You Can Watch: October 6

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents

Writer/Director: Paula González-Nasser

Cast: Rutanya Alda, Matt Barats, Mimi Davila

Why We’re Excited: Paula González-Nasser has five Location Management credits to her name, and her directorial debut is an autobiographical ode to that role. As Sofia (Mimi Davila, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse) navigates New York City with a camera and a fire inside, we get a lyrical and cinematic peek into a day in her life. Even though her job is to find film locations for a TV pilot, Sofia’s work brings her into disinterested contact with people in their homes, businesses and private lives. It’s a series of human vignettes where the soundtrack is the city traffic and lots of voicemails from the people whose shops and apartments Sofia is on her way to shoot. This contemplative workplace drama builds quiet tension until things take a personal turn. Film Independent member Jaelyn Ellis is an Associate Producer.

 

 

TAKE ME HOME

 

When You Can Watch: October 14

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents

Writer/Director: Liz Sargent

Cast: Anna Sargent, Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn

Why We’re Excited: Korean-American Liz Sargent adapts her short film in this autobiographical debut feature about thriving in an uncertain future. Anna (Anna Sargent, the filmmaker’s sister) is a 38-year-old daughter of aging parents, and the three of them take care of each other in the Orlando summer heat. It’s a tricky balance between Anna’s physical strength paired with mental disability and her parents’ increasing physical weakness and – in the case of her father Bob (Victor Slezak, The Order) – cognitive decline. They maintain an affectionate but unsustainable trio of support, until a sudden tragic change introduces Emily (Ali Ahn, The Diplomat), Anna’s younger sister into the mix. Through it all, Anna must find a new way forward that works for her. Made with Film Independent members Apoorva Charan (Producer), Jonathan Hsu (Line Producer), Farhad Ahmed Dehlvi (Cinematographer).

 

 

YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING

 

When You Can Watch: October 16

Where You Can Watch: Theaters

Directors: Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim

Cast: Billy Evans, Nathan Fielder, Elizabeth Holmes

Why We’re Excited: Surprised Telluride audiences got to premiere this secret documentary from Spirit Award alums Lance Oppenheim (Spirit nominated Ren Faire) and Nathan Fielder (Spirit winner, The Rehearsal). Their crew of eight was invited into the lives of Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes and her husband, beginning shooting thirty-four days before Holmes went to prison. The couple wants us to see that they are just regular people, and what we do see is… not that. But also what do we actually see? Oppenheim told Variety, “Nathan and I couldn’t agree on what we actually captured every day. One of us would see something, and the other wouldn’t. I heard the same thing out of Telluride. People were arguing about specific moments. That is perfect. That is the only way.”

 

 

BREEDER

 

When You Can Watch: October 28

Where You Can Watch: Theaters

Writer/Director: Alex Goyette

Cast: Dot-Marie Jones, Paige McGarvin, Daniel Doheny

Why We’re Excited: Alex Goyette’s feature debut after many shorts and the Aliwood series is an absurd dark comedy/horror that preys on the dreams of a college student who just wants to save bees. Russell (Daniel Doheny, Alex Strangelove) is seeking funding for his research when a potential angel investor crosses his path. Patti (Dot-Marie Jones, Glee) promises to consider getting involved with Russell’s project if he will entertain a proposal of her own. What begins as a strange lark to make awkward conversation with an off-grid poodle breeder descends into an unsettling exploration of perfection and the survival of the fittest.

 

 

LA BOLA NEGRA

 

When You Can Watch: October 20

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents

Directors: Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo

Cast: Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close, Miguel Bernardeau

Why We’re Excited: Spanish directing team Los Javis (Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, Holy Camp!) concoct a lavish musical exploration of the Spanish Civil War and the untold stories of three gay men. Tied together by a mysterious thread that reveals itself throughout the film, Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente, Bitter Christmas), Carlos (Milo Quifes) and Alberto (Carlos González, A una isla de ti) live in three different time periods before, during and long after the war. 1937 is the central timeline, with Sebastián’s conscription into the fascist army and initial encounter with the beautiful prisoner of war, Rafael (Miguel Bernardeau, Zorro). As Sebastián begins to realize his true nature, he also knows that the regime he’s fighting for is on a mission to eradicate it.

 

 

ROSE

 

When You Can Watch: October 22

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents

Director: Markus Schleinzer

Cast: Sandra Hüller, Caro Braun, Marisa Growaldt

Why We’re Excited: The story Austrian filmmaker Markus Schleinzer (Angelo) tells is not based on one life, but it does compile many historical accounts of women dressing as men to change their circumstances. In black and white simplicity, Sandra Hüller (Spirit Award winner Toni Erdmann) portrays Rose – already disguised as a man when we meet her, tramping through the German forest in uniform to take possession of a farm she’s inherited. Earning favor with the small town by restoring the property to its former glory, she is inevitably presented with a bride. Taking the dowry and creatively circumventing the obligations of marriage, Rose is then surprised to learn she will be a father. Though the blossoming joys of family life and agrarian success can’t last, even as fate catches up to Rose she is still the master of her story.

 

 

THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK

 

When You Can Watch: October 23

Where You Can Watch: Theaters

Writer/Director: Noah Segan

Cast: John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Karina Arroyave

Why We’re Excited: Spirit Award nominated John Turturro (Box of Moonlight) plays Harry, a native New Yorker and a pickpocket. He’s smooth and experienced, tough and confident. But even old school hustlers have to change with the times, and Harry’s lifestyle of fast cash yields diminishing returns as digital currency replaces dollar bills and easily pawnable items. Harry struggles to make ends meet while looking after his wife, Rosie (Karina Arroyave, The Blacklist) who requires constant care. Surrounded by relics of technology past, Harry is suddenly plunged into 21st century hot water when he lifts a trackable USB stick with cryptocurrency credentials and mob connections. As a career criminal, Harry has a natural relationship with an NYPD detective (Giancarlo Esposito, Spirit Award nominated Fresh) and ultimately it’s his deep human connections that will see him through this bewildering technological landscape.

 

 

FATHERLAND

 

When You Can Watch: October 26

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Presents

Director: Paweł Pawlikowski

Cast: Sandra Hüller, Hanns Zischler, August Diehl

Why We’re Excited: Polish filmmaker and Spirit Award winner Paweł Pawlikowski (Ida) takes us to 1949 Germany, as German novelist and Nobel laureate Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler, Munich) returns from his California exile. On a road trip through the war-torn country with his daughter, Erika (Sandra Hüller, Spirit Award winner Toni Erdmann) Mann faces his countrymen after a 16-year absence, speaking to assemblies from Frankfurt to Weimar. Meanwhile his son Klaus (August Diehl, Inglourious Basterds) is not coping well in America, struggling with depression and drugs. Mann seems to keep aloof from the fixed ideologies of America and Europe’s east and west, avoidant of partisanship. But the political landscape – and Mann’s attitude towards it – mirrors the changes in his family, as Erika suffers the separation from her brother. 

 

 

PROGRAMMER’S PICK: WICKER

 

When You Can Watch: October 23

Where You Can Watch: Theaters

Directors: Alex Huston Fischer, Eleanor Wilson

Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Debicki

Why We’re Excited: From Film Independent Lead Programmer Jenn Wilson–

Wicker, the second feature by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and is definitely worth all the buzzy hype it’s been getting.  Olivia Colman plays a local fisherwoman who is mainly an outcast in her small village. Fed up with being lonely, she asks the local basket weaver (Peter Dinklage) if he can weave her a companion.  Sure enough, one month later, a husband (Alexander Skarsgård) made of wicker (!) shows up to marry her and they find themselves in a passionate and devoted marriage.  All is well between them until the couple attends a wedding and it soon becomes obvious to all the townsfolk (especially the women) that the new Wicker Man is a better husband to the fisherwoman than the husbands they all have at home, sewing jealousy into the hearts of them all and bringing trouble for the happy couple.  Filled with lots of bawdy and horny humor, incredibly witty writing, and spectacular performances. Wicker is sure to be one of your favorite movies of the Fall season. Film Independent member Justin Lothrop is a Producer and Jennifer Westin is an Executive Producer.

 

 

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

 

 

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.

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Header Image: La Bola Negra courtesy of Goodfellas

While we’re in the midst of Grandparents Month, we wanted to celebrate the great films that spotlight the lives of our seniors. This list includes Spirit Award winning performances, crime dramas, survival films, romances and coming of old-age sagas, that together prove life can be rich, full of surprises, and thrill you no matter your age.

Film Independent is also excited to show our support for senior-centered stories by creating new ones. The Film Independent x Humana Shorts initiative will support five Director and Producer teams to produce and launch original shorts that authentically celebrate the vital roles and contributions of seniors to society and raise awareness around the different issues that affect them today.

This marks a first for Film Independent; rather than serving solely as a supporter of independent filmmakers, Film Independent is stepping into the role of both funder and producer. This new role shows Film Independent’s commitment to be an organization that supports filmmakers throughout the lifecycle of their projects—from production and funding through distribution and celebration—while building the knowledge, networks and community that sustain creative careers.

These shorts will have a $100,000 all-in budget and will be completed by the end of 2027. Film Independent will provide additional support via publicity campaigns, marketing and distribution strategy and consultation, and virtual and in-person screenings through 2028.

If you’re a filmmaker interested in applying, applications are now open, and close on October 26, 2026. There will be an extended deadline for Film Independent Members, which will be on November 2, 2026. To learn more about the program, click here.

 

NOMADLAND (2020)

Writer/Director: Chloe Zhao

Cast: Frances McDormand

Why We Love It: While it came out in the first year of the decade, Nomadland feels like one of the seminal pieces about the 20s. Frances McDormand plays a seasonal Amazon worker living in her trailer. She’s lived a full life already but still needs the money to keep herself afloat. She communes with the other temporary workers at the campsite she resides in, and they share both kindnesses and heartaches in a country where things keep getting harder and there’s no safety net for them. The film won the Spirit Award for Best Feature in 2021 and writer/director Chloe Zhao is a Film Independent Fellow.

 

FAMILIAR TOUCH (2024)

Writer/Director: Sarah Friedland

Cast: Kathleen Chalfant, Carolyn Michelle Smith, H. Jon Benjamin

Why We Love It: Director Sarah Friedland won the Someone to Watch Award at the 2025 Spirit Awards. The Film was also nominated for the John Cassavetes Award and Kathleen Chalfant was nominated for Best Lead Performance for her depiction of a woman transitioning to an assisted living facility. Chalfant’s Ruth deals with cognitive decline and the film shows vignettes of Ruth adjusting to and ultimately accepting her new reality, and the care that family and caregivers show to her. It still creates space for Ruth to explore new memories, and excel at her passion, cooking including a mean pot of borscht.

 

CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME (2018)

Director: Marielle Heller

Writers: Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty (Screenplay) Lee Isreal (Book)

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant

Why We Love It: Richard E. Grant won the Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for portraying the best friend of failed author and forger Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy). After Isreal is caught forging letters from deceased celebrities which she pens herself, and Grant’s character Jack sells to collectors. Grant’s joie-de-vie makes this a delicious, heartfelt crime caper with a deeply heartfelt relationship at its heart.

 

THE TRIPLETS OF BELLVILLE (2003)

Writer/Director: Sylvain Chomet

Cast: Béatrice Bonifassi, Lina Boudreau, Michel Robin

Why We Love It: Music and motion: cinema’s two secret weapons, and the Triplets of Bellville have them in spades. This animated musical has its heroine, Madame Souza, chasing down gangsters across the Atlantic via a pedal-boat to save her cyclist grandson Champion, with the help of the eponymous triplets. Watching the film might be even odder than its description would make it sound, but the films idiosyncratic logic and its relentless musical pace win you over as you watch the ever-determined Madame Souza fight her way back to her grandson.

 

TONI ERDMAN (2016)

Writer/Director: Maren Ade

Cast: Peter Simonischek, Sandra Hüller

Why We Love It: If you love uncomfortable moments, this is the film for you. Peter Simonischek plays the retired Winfried Conradi, who decides to reconnect with his estranged daughter Ines, played by Sandra Hüller, who is an accomplished businesswoman. Winfied, a compulsive prankster, keeps inserting himself into his daughter’s business affairs as ‘Toni Erdman’ a gonzo character of his own creation. Those awkward interactions only make the relationship worse, but there is something about the free spirit of her father that gets to Ines, and she has an unforgettable breakdown at a work party. The film won the Best International Feature Spirit Award in 2017.

 

HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971)

Director: Hal Ashby

Writer: Colin Higgins

Cast: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort

Why We Love It: Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort play one of the most uniquely romantic couples in cinema history in this Hal Ashby classic. The young death obsessed Harold meets the free-spirited mature Maude at a funeral, and the two hit it off first as friends faking murder scenes and playing banjo, then the relationship turns into something more. The morose, dry humor and the Cat Stevens score add to the charm.

 

THE FAREWELL (2019)

Writer/Director: Lulu Wang

Cast: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Zhao Shuzhen

Why We Love It: Zhao Shuzhen won the Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female in 2020 for her portrayal of Awkwafina’s Nai Nai (grandmother). Nai Nai’s whole family hides the fact that she has terminal cancer and plan a wedding as an excuse for everyone to say goodbye to her without her knowing. Awkwafina’s Billi has issues with how her family is dealing with the situation and clashes with them throughout the trip. The film debates what to do with the time we have, and how much outlook can change quality of life, and in the end, it’s Billi that has some truths to hear from Nai Nai.

 

SOME KIND OF HEAVEN (2020)

Director: Lance Oppenhiem

Why We Love It: Lance Oppenhiem (Ren Faire, The Python Hunt) takes his keen cinematic eye and points it at the mega-retirement complex The Villages. The community gives residents a hard sell on positivity and the perfect life behind its walls, and the film looks at how residents really feel, and experience life in a designed community.

 

BEGINNERS (2011)

Writer/Director: Mike Mills

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent

Why We Love It: Winning the Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male in 2012, Christopher Plummer proves it’s never too late to explore yourself in this Mike Mills charmer about an adult son (Ewan MacGregor) coming to grips with his elderly father coming out as gay as he navigates a new relationship his own. The two both learn how to be vulnerable in new ways, and is an exploration on how we can learn to love through both the joyful and painful parts of life. The film was also Nominated for Best Feature Best Screenplay and Best Director.

 

ALL IS LOST (2013)

Writer/Director: J. C. Chandor

Cast: Robert Redford

Why We Love It: Minimal dialogue, a main character without a backstory or name, and a survival story that puts a at-the-time-of-filming 77-year-old Robert Redford against the open ocean on a sinking sailboat– what is there not to love? You can feel the pounding of the waves as they crash into the wayward sea, just as much as you can feel the wattage of Redford’s star power. All Is Lost is a thrilling tale about the will to live and the fight against the dying of the light. The film won the Spirit Award for Best Cinematography in 2014 and was nominated for Best Feature, Best Male Lead and Best Director.

 

Applications for the Film Independent x Humana Shorts initiative are now open. The deadline for non-Members is October 26th, while Film Independent Members have until November 2nd.

Film Independent promotes unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work. To become a Member of Film Independent, just click here. To support us with a donation, click here.

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