By Steven C. Beer
The state of the independent film business is a hot topic this week following the January 12 Manohla Dargis New York Times piece. The article cautions that an abundance of “lackluster, forgettable and just plain bad” films flooding New York City theaters distracts the entertainment media, overwhelms audiences and threatens to destroy the health of our “already fragile cinematic ecosystem”. As we head to Park City to attend the Sundance and Slamdance film festivals, Dargis urgently requests that distributors stop buying so many movies. She proposes that we focus on curation, not consumption.
While the article makes some good points, it also raises some critical questions about the condition of the American Independent Cinema. How many films should be produced and released in theaters and on other platforms (cable, internet, broadcast, DVD) each year? Is it possible to have too many films? Who are the curators and why are they distracted? Are film audiences truly overwhelmed? How can we move forward as a film culture presenting new visions and stories from diverse and eclectic voices? Is the diminished barrier of entry really a bad thing? While the specter of a “fragile cinematic ecosystem” concerns me, the patient deserves a second opinion.
I submit the diagnosis looks positively encouraging. The abundance of films actually speaks to a thriving film culture – a new renaissance where audiences, rather than film festivals or critics, determine what they like best. The increasing number of independent films provides more choices for audiences while marginalizing the role of traditional gatekeepers. Instead, filmgoers vote with their dollars to mandate the number, variety and types of films they want to see, and, in turn, see produced. Like any free market industry, the system should largely regulate itself. Audiences will ultimately determine which films are truly “lackluster, forgettable and just plain bad.”
Great films are transformative. They instigate debate, take us to exotic and challenging places and compel us to examine our perception of reality. That films can be consumed through the internet at the same time or only weeks after a theatrical premiere is an innovation that further contributes to their conversations. While we appreciate the views of the entertainment media, we no longer exclusively depend on it to tell us about the films we should see or why we should see them.
Independent cinema has and will continue to provide an essential counterweight to studio tent pole productions. Thanks to the reduced cost for producing films today, we can look forward to more courageous filmmaking fueling a more rewarding and satisfying film culture. Years from now, we just may regard these days as a breakthrough time for filmmakers and film culture. From this perspective, our cinematic ecosystem has never been healthier.
Steven C. Beer is a media and entertainment attorney and distribution consultant. He practices with Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell and Vassallo.
