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The true meaning of Independent Film.
Other | Thursday 12th December 2013 | Olivia
The 16th Moet British Independent Film Awards took place at Old Billingsgate in London last Sunday night. Up for awards were films such as, 'Starred Up', 'Le Week-end,' 'Metro Manila', 'Philomena', and 'The Selfish Giant' to name a few. Attendees at BIFA were surprised by the lack of awards won by 'Philomena', Stepen Frear's new film which has gained rave reviews since it's release on November 1st, the film was left in the dust by Oscar winning film, 'Metro Manila', as it earned it's title of Best British Indie Film Award.
The Awards made me think about Independent Film, why it is so important to the industry and what differentiates it from non-independent film.
The title 'Indie film' has become a brand. The definition of Independent Film is “a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system.” And yet...
The 'Silver Linings Playbook' won an award at The Independent Spirit Awards even as it was funded by The Weinstein Company, one of the biggest film companies in the US. In contrast, 'Safety Not Guaranteed', also screened at The Independent Spirit Awards, had a budget of only $750,000. 'Silver Linings Playbook' was a fantastic movie, one of my personal favourites even, but there is a question of whether it needed the kind of support that could be given to smaller movies instead. I mean, it went on to win awards at the Oscars, BAFTA and The Golden Globes. How many awards did 'Safety Not Guaranteed' win? Zilch. Perhaps this is just a demonstration of which film was better. Perhaps not. Just some food for thought.
Much of what makes Independent Film so important is the gruelling hard work that is put in to it. James McAvoy discussed the importance of Independent Film with 'HeyUGuys' whilst on the red carpet. He stated that, in order to get a film made, some people “are remortgaging their houses.” It is as though Independent filmmakers, more than anyone else, recognise that filmmaking is a privilege and, although it sounds cheesy, if anyone deserves attention, it is those who put their lives on hold for their dreams.
The intimacy of Independent Film is lost in big blockbuster movies where, often the main focus is the numbers in the box office. Ryan Gosling told 'The Hollywood Reporter' that he loves working in indie films because, to him, smaller budgets create artistic freedom. But, people are scared of artistic freedom. Often there is a fear that comes with giving support to independent films, because there is no set format that there is with hollywood blockbusters. There is less of a need to conform. There is no big producer or company holding people hostage over their ideas. They ultimately remain true to the original idea of the director because of this. But people fear originality and how it will be received by a large global audience. However, both 'Slumdog Millionaire' and 'The Kings Speech' went on to gain global recognition after winning awards at The British Independent Film Awards. Proof that Indie Films can make it.
Award ceremonies like The British Independent Film awards give small films the machine to get their films seen, the machine that they do not have in their budget. Other Independent Film Awards include The Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York, which boast the first honours of the film award season and, although increasingly corporate, Sundance Film Festival is one of the largest Independent Film Festival's in the US.
