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Indiewood (also known as "specialty", "alternative", "indie", or "quality") films are made outside of the
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
studio system or traditional
arthouse An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...
/
independent filmmaking An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, in ...
system yet managed to be produced, financed and distributed by the two with varying degrees of success and/or failure.


Background

The American independent film, prior to the 1980s and first half of the 1990s, was previously associated with
b movies A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, ...
,
exploitation films An exploitation film is a film that seeks commercial success by capitalizing on current trends, niche genres, or sensational content. Exploitation films often feature themes such as suggestive or explicit sex, sensational violence, drug use, nudi ...
,
avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
underground cinema (when it was known as the
New American Cinema The New Hollywood, Hollywood Renaissance, American New Wave, or New American Cinema (not to be confused with the New American Cinema of the 1960s that was part of avant-garde underground cinema), was a movement in American film history from the ...
), social and political documentaries, experimental animated shorts (since the mid-1930s featuring works by pioneer animators
Mary Ellen Bute Mary Ellen Bute (November 21, 1906 – October 17, 1983) was a pioneer American film animator, producer, and director. She was one of the first female experimental filmmakers, and was the creator of some of the first electronically gen ...
and
Oskar Fischinger Oskar Wilhelm Fischinger (June 22, 1900 – January 31, 1967) was a German-American abstract animation, abstract animator, filmmaker, and painting, painter, notable for creating abstract musical animation many decades before the appearance of co ...
) and
social realist Social realism is work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers, filmmakers and some musicians that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structures ...
dramas. Throughout the middle of the 1990s, the word "Indiewood" (a.k.a. "indie boom" or "indie film movement") was invented to describe a component of the spectrum of American films in which distinctions exist, it seemed as if Hollywood and the independent sector had become blurred.


Divisions

Indiewood divisions gain from expert experience of the niche industry by hiring leading independent personalities such as
Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...
from the
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
fold after the exit of the Weinsteins, and
James Schamus James Allan Schamus (born September 7, 1959) is an American screenwriter, producer, business executive, film historian, professor, and director. He is a frequent collaborator of Ang Lee, the co-founder of the production company Good Machine, and ...
, former joint head of
Good Machine Good Machine Productions was an American independent film production, film distribution, and foreign sales company started in the early 1990 by its co-founders and producers, Ted Hope and James Schamus. David Linde joined as a partner in the l ...
, at
Focus Features Focus Features LLC is an American independent film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as a unit of Universal Pictures, which is itself a unit of Comcast's division NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and fore ...
.


Other "mini-major" subdivisions/indie distributors

*
Searchlight Pictures Searchlight Pictures, Inc., formerly known as Fox Searchlight Pictures, is an American arthouse film production and distribution company, which since 2019 is owned by Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Disney Entertainment segment of the ...
*
Fine Line Features Fine Line Features was the specialty films division of New Line Cinema. From 1991 to 2005, under founder and president Ira Deutchman, Fine Line acquired, distributed and marketed independent films. In 2005, New Line teamed up with fellow Time W ...
(established by
New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
) *
Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...
*
NEON Neon is a chemical element; it has symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is the second noble gas in the periodic table. Neon is a colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas under standard conditions, with approximately two-thirds the density of ...
*
A24 A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American Privately held company, independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The studio is based in Manhattan. The company ...
*
Paramount Vantage Paramount Vantage, Inc. (formerly known as Paramount Classics, Inc.) was a film production label of Paramount Pictures (which, in turn, has Paramount Global as its parent company), charged with producing, purchasing, distributing and marketing ...
*
Summit Entertainment Summit Entertainment, LLC (formerly the Summit Group, Summit Export Group, Summit Entertainment Group Inc., Summit Entertainment Limited, Summit Films Limited, and Summit Entertainment N.V.) is an American film production label of Lionsgate Film ...
*
Orion Pictures Orion Releasing, LLC (Trade name, doing business as Orion Pictures) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon (company), Amazon. It was founded in 1978 as Ori ...
* Samuel Goldwyn Company * Warner Independent * Picturehouse *
United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...
(first founded in 1919 as an independent studio that allowed more creative freedom for former
silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
stars like
Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...
and
Charles Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered ...
) *
Blumhouse Blumhouse Productions, LLC, doing business as Blumhouse (; also known as BH Productions or simply BH), is an American independent film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum and Amy Israel. Blumhouse is known mainly fo ...
*
Cannon Films The Cannon Group, Inc. was an American group of companies, including Cannon Films, which produced films from 1967 to 1994. The extensive group also owned, amongst others, a large international cinema chain and a video film company that investe ...
*
Sony Pictures Classics Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American arthouse film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment. It was founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloo ...
*
IFC Films Independent Film Company (formerly IFC Films) is an American film production and distribution company based in New York City, New York. It is an offshoot of IFC (U.S. TV channel), IFC, owned by AMC Networks. It mainly distributes independent fil ...
*
Magnolia Pictures Magnolia Pictures LLC is an American independent film distributor and production company, and is a subsidiary of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment. Magnolia was formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles, and specializes in ...
*
Janus Films Janus Films is an American film distribution company. The distributor is credited with introducing numerous films, now considered masterpieces of world cinema, to American audiences, including the films of Michelangelo Antonioni, Sergei Eisenstein ...
*
Kino Lorber Kino Lorber is an international film distribution company based in New York City. Founded in 1977, it was originally known as Kino International until it was acquired by and merged into Lorber HT Digital in 2009. It specializes in art film, art ho ...
*
Roadside Attractions Roadside Attractions, LLC is an American independent production company and film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded on July 27, 2000, by Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff. Lionsgate Films Lionsgate Films (spelled as Lions ...
*
Bleecker Street Bleecker Street is an east–west street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightlife, nightclub district. The street connects a neighborhood popular today for music venues and comedy as well as a ...
*
MUBI Mubi (; stylized as MUBI; the Auteurs before 2010) is a global streaming platform, production company and film distributor. MUBI produces and theatrically distributes films by emerging and established filmmakers, which are exclusively available ...
*
Amazon Studios Amazon MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...
(in association with
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
) *
Oscilloscope An oscilloscope (formerly known as an oscillograph, informally scope or O-scope) is a type of electronic test instrument that graphically displays varying voltages of one or more signals as a function of time. Their main purpose is capturing i ...


Sources


Differences from Hollywood

The films are often made for far less money than Hollywood filmsHow Indiewood gatecrashed the Oscars, Financial Times
/ref> (some films like Robert Townsend's 1987's satire ''
Hollywood Shuffle ''Hollywood Shuffle'' is a 1987 American satirical comedy film about the racial stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. The film tracks the attempts of Bobby Taylor to become a successful actor and the mental and external roadb ...
'' and
Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...
's 1994 Gen X comedy ''
Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and administ ...
'' were funded by using credit cards) and each aspect of the
filmmaking Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...
process has to undergo less scrutiny by committees. Additionally, within the Indiewood approach the filmmaker can take as long as they need in the post-production phase of their film - whereas in Hollywood they are contracted to finish the film in a specific period of time (usually 10 weeks). In Hollywood, the film then goes on to show in focus group screenings on the studio lot. In Indiewood, the filmmakers can determine the next steps of the film. They also bear striking similarities to as well as were influenced by the "proto-indies" of the 1960s such as
Robert Downey Sr Robert John Downey Sr. ( Elias Jr.; June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He was known for writing and directing the underground film '' Putney Swope'' (1969), a satire on the New York Madison Ave ...
's still image film ''
Chafed Elbows ''Chafed Elbows'' is a 1966 still image film directed by Robert Downey Sr. A manic comic parody underground film made for $12,000, ''Chafed Elbows'' was a commercial success. The film was premiered at The Gate Theater in New York City and ran for ...
'' (1966),
John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...
's
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-nominated ''
Faces The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect the ...
'' and
Brian de Palma Brian Russell De Palma (; born September 11, 1940) is an Americans, American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for work in the suspense, Crime film, crime, and psychological thriller genres. ...
's ''
Greetings Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between individ ...
'' (each from 1968) which in turn were influenced by the culture of the
Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-World War II era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by members o ...
, the polar opposite to the conformist, gray-flannel conformity of 1950s America.Proto-Indie - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
/ref> Most Indiewood films are first shown at
film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...
s with the hopes of further distribution by being picked up (or purchased) by a larger film company or distributor in order to find broader audiences alongside awards consideration (e.g. 2009's ''
A Single Man ''A Single Man'' is a 2009 American historical drama film, period romantic drama film based on A Single Man (novel), the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood. The List of directorial debuts, directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford, the fi ...
'').Overcoming the Stigma: The Queer Denial of Indiewood on JSTOR
/ref>


List of selected Indiewood/Pre-Indiewood filmmakers

*
Julie Dash Julie Ethel Dash (born October 22, 1952) is an American filmmaker, music video and commercial director, author, and website producer. Dash received her Master of Fine Arts, MFA in 1985 at the UCLA Film School and is one of the graduates and filmm ...
*
Cheryl Dunye Cheryl Dunye (; born May 13, 1966) is a Liberian-American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress. Dunye's work often concerns themes of race, sexuality, and gender, particularly issues relating to black lesbians. She is known ...
* Kathleen CollinsDeep focus: The other side of 80s America, Sight & Sound, BFI
/ref> *
Lizzie Borden Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman who was Trial, tried and Acquittal, acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her Patricide, father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was c ...
*
Ava DuVernay Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. She is a recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, NAACP Image Awards, a British Academy Film Awards, ...
12. Not Just Indie: A Look at Films by Dee Rees, Ava Duvernay and Kasi Lemmons - DegRuyter
/ref>Indie Reframed - Google Books
/ref> *
Dee Rees Diandrea Rees (born February 7, 1977) is an American screenwriter and director. She is known for her feature films ''Pariah (2011 film), Pariah'' (2011), ''Bessie (film), Bessie'' (2015), ''Mudbound (film), Mudbound'' (2017), and ''The Last Thing ...
*
Chloe Zhao Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root , which relates to the colors yellow and green. Th ...
Stumbling Out of the Gate - Critic's Notebook
/ref> * Lulu Wang *
Mira Nair Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company is Mirabai Films. Among her films are '' Mississippi Masala'', '' The Namesake'', the Golden Lion–winning '' Monsoon Wedding'', ...
*
Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Inde ...
* Billy Woodberry *
Marlon Riggs Marlon Troy Riggs (February 3, 1957 – April 5, 1994) was a Black gay filmmaker, educator, poet, and activist. He produced, wrote, and directed several documentary films, including '' Ethnic Notions'', '' Tongues Untied'', '' Color Adjustment'' ...
*
Stanley Nelson Stanley Earl Nelson Jr. (born June 7, 1951) is an American documentary filmmaker and a MacArthur Fellow known as a director, writer and producer of documentaries examining African-American history and experiences. He is a recipient of the 2013 N ...
* Charles Burnett25 Years Later, Charles Burnett and Richard Brooks Reflect on Indie Classic 'To Sleep with Anger', IndieWire
/ref> *
William Greaves William Garfield Greaves (October 8, 1926 – August 25, 2014) was an American documentary filmmaker and a pioneer of film-making. After trying his hand at acting, he became a filmmaker who produced more than two hundred documentary films, and w ...
* Wendell B. Harris Jr. *
Oscar Micheaux Oscar Devereaux Micheaux (; January 2, 1884 – March 25, 1951) was an American author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films. Although the short-lived Lincoln Motion Picture Company was the first movie company owned and c ...
*
Ryan Coogler Ryan Coogler (born May 23, 1986) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is a recipient of ten NAACP Image Awards and four Black Reel Awards, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe ...
*
Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of Madea, Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a tough elderly woman, and also portrays her brother Joe Simmons and her ...
*
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...
Hollywood: A Short Introduction - Google Books (section: "Indiewood")
/ref> *
Reginald Hudlin Reginald Alan Hudlin (born December 15, 1961) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer. Along with his older brother Warrington Hudlin, he is known as one of the Hudlin Brothers. From 2005 to 2008, Hudlin was President of Entertainmen ...
*
John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing '' Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for ...
* Robert Townsend *
Walter Salles Walter Moreira Salles Júnior (; ; born 12 April 1956) is a Brazilian filmmaker. A major figure of the Resumption Cinema in Brazil, Salles is widely regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian filmmakers of all time. His List of awards and nomina ...
*
Ramin Bahrani Ramin Bahrani (; born March 20, 1975) is an American Film director, director and screenwriter. Film critic Roger Ebert ranked Bahrani's Chop Shop (film), ''Chop Shop'' (2007) as the sixth-best film of the 2000s, calling him "the new director of ...
*
Alfonso Cuaron Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...
*
Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
*
Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. His films are known for their emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim and List o ...
Epilogue: from independent cinema to specialty content - De Gruyter
/ref> *
Lee Daniels Lee Daniels (born December 24, 1959) is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He made his directorial film debut with ''Shadowboxer'' (2005), followed by ''Precious (film), Precious'' (2009) which earned him Academy Award nomin ...
* Daniels *
Wayne Wang Wayne Wang (; born January 12, 1949) is a Hong Kong-American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Considered a pioneer of Asian-American cinema, he was one of the first Chinese-American filmmakers to gain a major foothold in Hollyw ...
*
Lee Isaac Chung Lee Isaac Chung (born October 19, 1978) is an American filmmaker. His debut feature '' Munyurangabo'' (2007) was an official selection at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and the first narrative feature film in the Kinyarwanda language. Chung gain ...
*
Lisa Cholodenko Lisa Cholodenko is an American screenwriter and director. Cholodenko wrote and directed the films ''High Art'' (1998), ''Laurel Canyon (film), Laurel Canyon'' (2002), and ''The Kids Are All Right (film), The Kids Are All Right'' (2010). She has a ...
Chaos Below Canal, Independent Magazine
/ref> *
Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is a Mexican-born American director and actor. He is best known for appearing in ''Heartbreak Ridge'' in 1986, and known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991, and ''USS Indianapolis: ...
*
Melvin Van Peebles Melvin Van Peebles (born Melvin Peebles; August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. He worked as an active filmmaker into the early 2020s. His feature film debut, ''The Story of a Three-Day Pa ...
*
Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez ( ; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ...
*
Gregory Nava Gregory James Nava (born April 10, 1949) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Personal life Nava was born in San Diego, of Mexican and Basque heritage. Nava graduated from St. Augustine High School in San Diego and attended ...
* Robert M. Young *
Miguel Arteta Miguel Arteta (born August 29, 1965) is a Puerto Rican filmmaker known for his work in independent cinema and television. His film ''Chuck & Buck'' (2000) received the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature made for under $500,000, while '' ...
*
Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...
*
Chris Eyre Chris Eyre (born 1968), an enrolled citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, is a Native American film director and producer. Early life and education Chris Eyre was born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in Klamath Falls by his adoptive ...
*
Taika Waititi Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. Known for quirky comedy films and expanding his career as a voice actor and producer on numerous projects, he ...
*
Nina Menkes Nina Menkes , , is an independent filmmaker. Her films include ''The Great Sadness of Zohara'' (1983), ''Magdalena Viraga'' (1986), '' Queen of Diamonds'' (1991), ''The Bloody Child'' (1996), "Massacre (Massaker)" (2005), ''Phantom Love'' (2007 ...
*
Claudia Weill Claudia Weill is an American film director best known for her film '' Girlfriends'' (1978), starring Melanie Mayron, Christopher Guest, Bob Balaban and Eli Wallach, made independently and sold to Warner Brothers after multiple awards at Cannes, ...
*
Donna Deitch Donna Deitch (born June 8, 1945, San Francisco, California) is an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter, and actor best known for her 1985 film '' Desert Hearts''. The movie was the first feature film to "de-sensational ...
*
Joyce Chopra Joyce Chopra (; born October 27, 1936) is an American director. She was married to American stage and screenwriter Tom Cole until his death on February 23, 2009. Life and career Chopra was one of three siblings born in New York City to Abraham ...
*
Mary Harron Mary Harron (born January 12, 1953) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. She co-wrote the screenplay and directed ''American Psycho'', '' The Notorious Bettie Page' and I Shot Andy Warhol.'' Early life Born in Bracebridge, Ontar ...
Adelaide Research & Scholarship: Postclassical Hollywood/postmodern subjectivity: representation in some 'Indie/Alternative' Indiewood films
/ref> *
Jennie Livingston Jennie Livingston (born February 24, 1962) is an American director best known for the 1990 documentary '' Paris Is Burning''. Biography Early life and education Livingston was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up in Los Angeles, where her family ...
*
Penelope Spheeris Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945) is an American film director, film producer, producer, and screenwriter. She has directed both documentary film, documentary and scripted films. Her best-known works include the trilogy titled ''The Decl ...
DGA Quarterly Magazine, Fall 2011, Women Directors and Their Films
/ref>How Wayne's World Made—and Broke—It's Director's Career, Vanity Fair
/ref> *
Martha Coolidge Martha Coolidge (born August 17, 1946) is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. She has directed such films as '' Valley Girl,'' '' Real Genius'' and '' Rambling Rose.'' Early life Coolidge was born in ...
*
Kelly Reichardt Kelly Reichardt (; born March 3, 1964) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is known for her minimalism, minimalist films closely associated with slow cinema, many of which deal with working class, working-class characters in small ...
*
Debra Granik Debra Granik (born February 6, 1963) is an American filmmaker. She is most known for 2004's '' Down to the Bone,'' which starred Vera Farmiga, 2010's ''Winter's Bone,'' which starred Jennifer Lawrence in her breakout performance and for which G ...
*
Alice Wu Alice Wu (; born April 21, 1970) is an American film director and screenwriter, known for her films '' Saving Face'' (2004) and '' The Half of It'' (2020). Both of her films feature Chinese-American main characters and explore the lives of inte ...
*
Eliza Hittman Eliza Hittman (born December 9, 1979) is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer from New York City. She has won multiple awards for her film '' Never Rarely Sometimes Always'', which include the New York Film Critics Circle Award ...
*
Susan Seidelman Susan Seidelman (; born December 11, 1952) is an American film director, producer, and writer. She is known for mixing comedy with drama and blending genres in her feature-film work. She is also notable for her art direction and pop-cultural refe ...
*
Adrienne Shelly Adrienne Shelly ( Levine; June 24, 1966 – November 1, 2006) was an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She gained recognition for her roles in independent films, particularly Hal Hartley's '' The Unbelievable Truth'' (1989) and ...
*
Joan Micklin Silver Joan Micklin Silver (May 24, 1935 – December 31, 2020) was an American director of films and plays. Born in Omaha, Silver moved to New York City in 1967 where she began writing and directing films. She is best known for her debut film Hester S ...
*
Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi (; born October 29, 1938) is a Mandatory Palestine-born American retired animator and filmmaker, known for his fantastical animated films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent anim ...
*
Don Bluth Donald Virgil Bluth ( ; born September 13, 1937) is an American filmmaker, animator, video game designer and author. He came to prominence working for Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions before creating his own film studio in ...
July 2022 Programming on the Criterion Channel Annonuced - CriterionCast.com
/ref> *
Will Vinton William Gale Vinton (November 17, 1947 – October 4, 2018) was an American animator and filmmaker. Vinton was best known for his Claymation work, alongside creating iconic characters such as The California Raisins. He won an Academy Awards, Os ...
*
Suzan Pitt Suzan Pitt Kraning (born Suzan Lee Pitt; July 11, 1943 – June 16, 2019), known professionally as Suzan Pitt, was an American film director, animator, painter, and fashion designer best known for her surrealist animated shorts, including ''Aspa ...
*
Don Hertzfeldt Don Hertzfeldt (born August 1, 1976) is an American animator, writer, and independent filmmaker. He is a two-time Academy Award nominee who is best known for the animated films ''It's Such a Beautiful Day (film), It's Such a Beautiful Day'', the ...
Directing Animation - Google Books (ch.4: "Directing Animation for Indie Films)
/ref>Second Edition of the Skwigly book ‘Independent Animation’ out now - Skwigly Animation Magazine
/ref> *
Bill Plympton Bill Plympton (born April 30, 1946) is an American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his 1987 Academy Award–nominated animated short '' Your Face'' and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting ...
Indie Animation - WSJ
/ref> *John Hubley, John and Faith Hubley *George Griffin (animator), George GriffinKeep it in Motion: Classic Animation Revisited – George Griffin’s 'Head', Animation World Network
/ref> *Mark Osborne (filmmaker), Mark Osborne *Buzzco Associates, Candy KugelThe Academy To Present ‘Women in Indie Animation’ September 21, Animation World Network
/ref> *Janie GeiserKeep it in Motion - Classic Animation Revisited: 'The Red Book', Animation World Network
/ref> *Fred Mogubgub *John CanemakerDeclaration Of Independents Independent Animation is Alive and Well in New York by Melissa Chimovitz - AWN.com
/ref> *Joanna PriestleyAnimation Outlaws: Spike & Mike Turned Indie Shorts Into a Phenomenom, IndieWire
/ref> *PES (director), PES *Nina Paley *Nicole Holofcener *Tom McCarthy (director), Tom McCarthy *Alex Garland *Patty Jenkins *Sarah Polley *Sian Heder *Lena Dunham *Greta Gerwig *Miranda JulyMiranda July: The Quiet Power of Her Indie Movies - MovieWeb
/ref> *Bette Gordon *Nancy Savoca *Todd Haynes *John WatersJohn Waters, Underground Film Journal
/ref> *Greg Araki *Sean Baker (filmmaker), Sean Baker *Lodge Kerrigan *Alex Ross Perry *Jeff Nichols'Midnight Special,' 'Fantastic Planet' and more home theater releases out this week - Los Angeles Times
/ref> *Mike Nichols *Henry Jaglom *Jim McBride *Jonas Mekas *Mark Rappaport *Andrew Bujalski *John Cameron Mitchell *Gus Van Sant *Steve James (director), Steve James *Wim Wenders *Jim McKay (director), Jim McKay *Bo Burnham *Joel and Ethan CoenCANNES 2000: Embracing Indiewood, Cannes 2000 Lineup Selected from Nearly 1,400 Films; 15 Countries, IndieWire
/ref> *Mark Duplass, Mark Jay Duplass, and Jay DuplassHow an Unlikely Hollywood Juggernaut Came to Rule Netflix, WIRED
/ref> *Sam Raimi *Safdie brothers, Josh and Benny Safdie *Joe Swanberg *Rian Johnson *Christopher Guest *Alan Rudolph *James Gray (director), James Gray *Andrea Arnold *Robert Eggers *George A. Romero *Wes Craven *John Carpenter *Yorgos Lanthimos *Ari Aster *Paul Schrader *Alex Kendrick *Mike Mills (director), Mike MillsFather Figurine: Mike Mills's "Beginners", IndieWire
/ref> *Joe Wright"Pride & Prejudice," "Capote," "Brokeback Mountain" (and more), and Why Audiences Matter, IndieWire
/ref> *Jim Jarmusch *Rob Nilsson *Zach Braff *George Clooney *James Mangold *Sam Mendes *Spike Jonze *Errol Morris *Martin Scorsese *Sam Fuller *
John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...
The Greatest Independent Films of the 20th Century, The New Yorker
/ref> *
Brian de Palma Brian Russell De Palma (; born September 11, 1940) is an Americans, American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for work in the suspense, Crime film, crime, and psychological thriller genres. ...
*
Robert Downey Sr Robert John Downey Sr. ( Elias Jr.; June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He was known for writing and directing the underground film '' Putney Swope'' (1969), a satire on the New York Madison Ave ...
*Norman Mailer *Andy Warhol *Kenneth Anger *Herk HarveyClassic Thrills & Late-Night Chills on Tap for 'Freaky Fridays' at the Film Society - Film at Lincoln Center
/ref> *Ron Rice *Robert Frank *Kent Mackenzie *Neil Jordan *James Marsh (director), James Marsh *Greg MottolaWhy the 'King of Underrated Movies' Returned to Hollywood - Esquire
/ref> *Jon Favreau *Bennett Miller *Jonathan Caouette *Larry Clark *Abel Ferrara *Michel Gondry *Wes Anderson *Noah Baumbach *Sofia Coppola *Kathryn Bigelow *Allison AndersInside Indiewood, The Nation
/ref> *Barbara Kopple *Shirley Clarke *Barbara Loden *Roger Corman *Paul Bartel10 Great Indie Movies You May Have Never Seen - Page 2 - Taste of Cinema
/ref> *Herschell Gordon LewisThe Moviegoing Experience, 1968-2001 - Google Books (pg.59)
/ref> *John Sayles *Jonathan Demme *Tom DiCillo *Carson Davidson *Doug Liman *Darren Aronofsky *Jason ReitmanActing Indie - Google Books
/ref> *Godfrey Reggio *Ross McElwee *Alexander Payne *Kimberly Peirce *David O. Russell *Kevin Smith (filmmaker), Kevin Smith *David Mamet *Quentin Tarantino *Tim Burton *Neil LaBute *Todd SolondzDowntown Film and TV Culture 1975-2001 - Google Books (pg.xvi)
/ref> *Terry Zwigoff *David Cronenberg *Christopher Nolan *Whit Stillman *Todd Field *Richard Kelly (filmmaker), Richard Kelly *Jean-Pierre Jeunet *Julian Schnabel *Jared HessWes Anderson, tone and the quirky sensibility: New Review of Film and Television Studies Volume 10, 2012 - Issue 1: Wes Anderson and Co.
/ref> *Charlie Kaufman *Hal Hartley *David Lynch *David Fincher *Steven Soderbergh The 25 Essential American Indie Films, 1988-2013 - Flavorwire
/ref> *Rob Reiner *Oliver Stone *Dennis Hopper *Shane Carruth *Anthony Minghella *Harmony Korine *Richard Linklater *Robert AltmanIndiewood and Improvisation, Robert Altman's Soundtracks: Film, Music, and Sound from M*A*S*H to A Prairie Home Companion, Oxford Academic
/ref> *William Friedkin *James Cameron *Damien Chazelle *Tom Ford *Michael Moore *Mel GibsonIndiewood - Backstage
/ref> *Paul Thomas Anderson *Vincent Gallo *Paul Haggis *Bryan SingerThe Sundance Kids - Google Books (ch."Section II: Indiewood")
/ref> *James Toback *Allen Baron *Woody Allen


List of selected notable and important Pre-Indiewood films


Pre-1950s

*''City Lights'' (1931)≈ *''Reefer Madness'' (1936) *''The Great Dictator'' (1940)≈ *''Rebecca (1940 film), Rebecca'' (1940)≈


1950s

*''Little Fugitive (1953 film), Little Fugitive'' (1953)The 52 most important American independent movies, The A.V. Club
/ref>≈ *''Salt of the Earth (1954 film), Salt of the Earth'' (1954)Great U.S. Indie Films: 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' to 'Pulp Fiction' - Rolling Stone
/ref>≈ *''3rd Ave. El (film), 3rd Ave. El'' (1955) *''John Hubley, The Adventures of an *'' (1957) *''Attack of the Crab Monsters'' (1957) *''On the Bowery'' (1957)≈ *''12 Angry Men (1957 film), 12 Angry Men'' (1957)The Top 10 Indie Movies of All Time , A Cinefix Movie List - IGN
/ref>≈ *''The Screaming Skull'' (1958) *''Attack of the Giant Leeches'' (1959)Underrated Horror Movies of the 1950s, Ranked - MovieWeb
/ref> *''Moonbird'' (1959)When Indie Animation Won Its First Oscar, Animation Obsessive
/ref> *''Plan 9 from Outer Space'' (1959) *''Pull My Daisy'' (1959)≈ *''Shadows (1959 film), Shadows'' (1959)THE ORIGINAL INDIES: THE BIRTH OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENT CINEMA, Austin Film Society
/ref>≈ *''Some Like It Hot'' (1959)≈


1960s

*''The Flower Thief'' (1960) *''Munro (film), Munro'' (1960) *''Psycho (1960 film), Psycho'' (1960)More Movies You Probably Forgot Were Indies - SAGIndie
/ref>≈ *''The Savage Eye'' (1960) *''The Beast of Yucca Flats'' (1961) *''Blast of Silence'' (1961)BLAST OF SILENCE Blu-Ray Review: A Cult Late Noir Gem Remastered - ScreenAnarchy
/ref> *''The Connection (1961 film), The Connection'' (1961) *''The Exiles (1961 film), The Exiles'' (1961)≈ *''Something Wild (1961 film), Something Wild'' (1961) *''Carnival of Souls'' (1962) *''The Hole (1962 film), The Hole'' (1962)≈ *''Beach Party'' (1963) *''Blood Feast'' (1963) *''The Cool World (film), The Cool World'' (1963)≈ *''The Brig (play), The Brig'' (1964) *''Help! My Snowman's Burning Down'' (1964) *''Nothing But a Man'' (1964)≈ *''Two Thousand Maniacs'' (1964) *''Time Piece'' (1965)Jim Henson: Before Happytime Murders, Muppet creator told edgy stories - Polygon
/ref> *''Vinyl (1965 film), Vinyl'' (1965) *''
Chafed Elbows ''Chafed Elbows'' is a 1966 still image film directed by Robert Downey Sr. A manic comic parody underground film made for $12,000, ''Chafed Elbows'' was a commercial success. The film was premiered at The Gate Theater in New York City and ran for ...
'' (1966) *''Chelsea Girls'' (1966) *''A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature'' (1966) *''Manos: The Hands of Fate'' (1966)Huh?: An A-Z of why Classic American Bad Movies Were Made - Google Books
/ref> *''The Wild Angels'' (1966) *''The Box (1967 film), The Box'' (1967) *''David Holzman's Diary'' (1967)≈ *''Dont Look Back'' (1967)≈ *''The Graduate'' (1967)The 20 Most Timeless Indie Movies - MovieWeb
/ref>≈ *''The Jungle (1967 film), The Jungle'' (1967)≈ *''Portrait of Jason'' (1967)THE REAL INDIES: A CLOSE LOOK AT ORPHAN FILMS, Oscars.org
/ref>≈ *''Spider Baby'' (1967)The Real Indies: A Close Look at Orphan Films, Oscars.org (title: "Spider Baby")
/ref> *''The Trip (1967 film), The Trip'' (1967) *''Who's That Knocking at My Door?'' (1967) *''Beyond the Law (1968 American film), Beyond the Law'' (1968) *''
Faces The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect the ...
'' (1968)≈ *''
Greetings Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between individ ...
'' (1968) *''Murder a la Mod'' (1968) *''Night of the Living Dead'' (1968)≈ *''Robert Downey Sr, No More Excuses'' (1968) *''Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One'' (1968)Rewriting Indie Cinema - Google Books
/ref>≈ *''Wild 90'' (1968) *''Easy Rider'' (1969)≈ *''Midnight Cowboy'' (1969)≈ *''Putney Swope'' (1969)≈


1970s

*''The Further Adventures of Uncle Sam'' (1970) *''Husbands (film), Husbands'' (1970) *''Is It Always Right to Be Right?'' (1970) *''Maidstone (film), Maidstone'' (1970) *''Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'' (1970)The Criterion Channel's June 2022 Lineup, Current, The Criterion Collection
/ref>≈ *''Wanda (film), Wanda'' (1970)When the Movies Mattered - Google Books
/ref>≈ *''Let's Scare Jessica to Death'' (1971) *''McCabe & Mrs. Miller'' (1971)≈ *''THX-1138'' (1971) *''Two-Lane Blacktop'' (1971)≈ *''The Last House on the Left'' (1972) *''Pink Flamingos'' (1972)≈ *''Badlands (film), Badlands'' (1973)≈ *''Coffy'' (1973) *''Mean Streets'' (1973)≈ *''Messiah of Evil'' (1973) *''Sisters (1973 film), Sisters'' (1973) *''Benji (1974 film), Benji'' (1974) *''Dark Star (film), Dark Star'' (1974) *''Female Trouble'' (1974) *''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' (1974) *''A Woman Under the Influence'' (1974)≈ *''Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (film), Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?'' (1975)Contemporary American Independent Film - Google Books
/ref> *''Frank Mouris, Coney'' (1975) *''George Griffin (animator), Head'' (1975) *''Hester Street (film), Hester Street'' (1975)≈ *''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975)≈ *''Harlan County U.S.A.'' (1976)≈ *''Alambrista!'' (1977)≈ *''Eraserhead'' (1977) ≈ *''The Hills Have Eyes (1977 film), The Hills Have Eyes'' (1977) *''Killer of Sheep'' (1977)≈ *''Opening Night (1977 film), Opening Night'' (1977) *''Dawn of the Dead (1978 film), Dawn of the Dead'' (1978)Best Indie Horror Films From The 1970s - Screen Rant
/ref> *''Gates of Heaven'' (1978)Daniel Talbot, Iconic Indie Film Distributor and Exhibitor, Dies, The Wrap
/ref> *''Girlfriends (1978 film), Girlfriends'' (1978)≈ *''Halloween (1978 film), Halloween'' (1978)≈ *''Martin (1977 film), Martin'' (1978) *''Northern Lights (1978 film), Northern Lights'' (1978) *''Piranha (1978 film), Piranha'' (1978) *''The Whole Shootin' Match'' (1978)Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids - Google Books (pg.49)
/ref> *''Asparagus (film), Asparagus'' (1979)Mad Eyed Misfits - Google Books
/ref> *''Bush Mama'' (1979)≈ *''Heartland (film), Heartland'' (1979)A Companion to American Indie Film - Google Books
/ref>


List of notable and important Indiewood films


1980s

*''Atlantic City (1980 film), Atlantic City'' (1980)≈ *''Friday the 13th'' (1980) *''The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter'' (1980)The Real Indies: A Close Look at Orpahn Films, Oscars.org (title: "Pioneering Women")
/ref>≈ *''Out of the Blue (1980 film), Out of the Blue'' (1980) *''Return of the Secaucus 7'' (1980)≈ *''The Decline of Western Civilization'' (1981)≈ *''The Evil Dead'' (1981) *''My Dinner with Andre'' (1981) *''Polyester (film), Polyester'' (1981) *''Will (1981 film), Will'' (1981) *''Zoot Suit (film), Zoot Suit'' (1981)America on Film - Google Books (pg.158)
/ref>≈ *''The Atomic Cafe'' (1982)≈ *''The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez'' (1982)≈ *''Chan Is Missing'' (1982)≈ *''Eating Raoul'' (1982) *''First Blood'' (1982) *''Forbidden Zone'' (1982) *''Illusions (1982 film), Illusions'' (1982)≈ *''Liquid Sky'' (1982) *''Losing Ground (1982 film), Losing Ground'' (1982)≈ *''The Loveless'' (1982) *''The Secret of NIMH'' (1982)HOW THE SECRET OF NIMH PROVED DON BLUTH COULD BEAT DISNEY - Nerdist
/ref>
/ref> *''Smithereens (film), Smithereens'' (1982) *''White Dog (1982 film), White Dog'' (1982)The Best Indie Movie of Every Year in the 80s - MovieWeb
/ref> *''Born in Flames'' (1983) *''El Norte (film), El Norte'' (1983)≈ *''Koyaanisqatsi'' (1983)≈ *''Lianna'' (1983) *''My Brother's Wedding'' (1983) *''Seventeen (1983 film), Seventeen'' (1983) *''Suburbia (film), Suburbia'' (1983) *''Sundae in New York'' (1983) *''Variety (1983 film), Variety'' (1983) *''Bless Their Little Hearts'' (1984)≈ *''The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984) *''Choose Me'' (1984) *''In Heaven There Is No Beer?'' (1984) *''The Killing Floor (1984 film), The Killing Floor'' (1984) *''Love Streams (film), Love Streams'' (1984) *''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984)≈ *''Paris, Texas (film), Paris, Texas'' (1984)The American Roadside in Émigré Literature, Film, and Photography 1955–1985 - Google Books (pg.157)
/ref> *''Repo Man (film), Repo Man'' (1984) *''Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984)Indie - Google Books
/ref> ≈ *''Streetwise (1984 film), Streetwise'' (1984) *''The Terminator'' (1984)Greatest Indie Movies of the 1980s - MovieWeb
/ref>≈ *''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984)≈ *''The Times of Harvey Milk'' (1984)≈ *''The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985 film), The Adventures of Mark Twain '' (1985) *''Blood Simple'' (1985) History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 3) - Sundance Guiide
/ref> *''The Breakfast Club'' (1985)10 Indie Movies That Became Pop Culture Hits, Collider
/ref>≈ *''Desert Hearts'' (1985) *''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985)≈ *''Down by Law (film), Down By Law'' (1986)Tom Waits and John Lurie helped Jim Jarmusch perfect his indie cool, A.V. Club
/ref> *''Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985 film), Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1985) *''Mala Noche'' (1985) *''Re-Animator'' (1985) *''Runaway Train (film), Runaway Train'' (1985) *''Smooth Talk'' (1985) *''Teen Wolf'' (1985) *''The Toxic Avenger (1984 film), The Toxic Avenger'' (1985) *''Trip to Bountiful'' (1985) *''Blue Velvet (film), Blue Velvet'' (1986) *''Hannah and Her Sisters'' (1986) *''Hoosiers (film), Hoosiers'' (1986)≈ *''Platoon (film), Platoon'' (1986)≈ *''Parting Glances'' (1986) *''Salvador (film), Salvador'' (1986) *''She's Gotta Have It'' (1986) ≈ *''Sherman's March (1986 film), Sherman's March'' (1986)≈ *''Something Wild (1986 film), Something Wild'' (1986) *''Stand by Me (film), Stand by Me'' (1986) *''True Stories (film), True Stories'' (1986) *''Working Girls (1986 film), Working Girls'' (1986)Sundance - A Festival Virgin's Guide (3rd Edition) - Google Books (pgs.72-81)
/ref> *''The Big Easy (film), The Big Easy'' (1987) *''Border Radio'' (1987)10 Great 1980s Indie Movies You May Have Never Seen - Taste of Cinema
/ref> *''The Brave Little Toaster'' (1987) *''Dirty Dancing'' (1987)An Accidental Experiment: Dirty Dancing (1987) and the convergence between Hollywood and American Independent Cinema, Goldsmiths, University of London
/ref> *''Evil Dead II'' (1987)The 50 Greatest American Independent Movies, Movies, Empire
/ref> *''
Hollywood Shuffle ''Hollywood Shuffle'' is a 1987 American satirical comedy film about the racial stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. The film tracks the attempts of Bobby Taylor to become a successful actor and the mental and external roadb ...
'' (1987) *''House of Games'' (1987) *''Matewan'' (1987)≈ *''Near Dark'' (1987) *''Raising Arizona'' (1987) *''River's Edge'' (1987) *''Your Face'' (1987) *''The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years'' (1988) *''Earth Girls Are Easy'' (1988) *''Eight Men Out'' (1988) *''Hairspray (1988 film), Hairspray'' (1988)Hairspray (1988) 30th Anniversary, Oscars.org
/ref>≈ *''Heat and Sunlight'' (1988) *''George Griffin (animator), Ko-Ko'' (1988)Keep it in Motion - Classic Animation Revisited: 'Ko-Ko', Animation World Network
/ref> *''Lady in White'' (1988) *''Let's Get Lost (1988 film), Let's Get Lost'' (1988)First 80s indie film fest shows movies that paved the way for the indie boom, Movies, The Guardian
/ref> *''The Moderns'' (1988) *''Patty Hearst (film), Patty Hearst'' (1988) *''Powaqqatsi'' (1988) *''Running on Empty (1988 film), Running on Empty'' (1988) *''Stand and Deliver'' (1988)≈ *''The Thin Blue Line (1988 film), The Thin Blue Line'' (1988)≈ *''Torch Song Trilogy (film), Torch Song Trilogy'' (1988) *''All Dogs Go to Heaven'' (1989) *''Chameleon Street'' (1989) *''Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt'' (1989) *''Do the Right Thing'' (1989)50 Best '80s Movies to Watch Right Now, Time Out
/ref>≈ *''Drugstore Cowboy'' (1989) *''Heathers'' (1989) *''Longtime Companion'' (1989) *''Roger & Me'' (1989) ≈ *''Sex, Lies, and Videotape'' (1989)Colin Marshall › Me on Battleship Pretension: a three-hour course on the nineties' "Indiewood" movement
/ref>Movie Musings... Indiewood - Impact Magazine
/ref> The 15 Best Miramax Films - Film School Rejects
/ref> Outsider Features - Google Books
/ref>≈ *''Sidewalk Stories'' (1989) *''True Love (1989 film), True Love'' (1989) *''The Unbelievable Truth (film), The Unbelievable Truth'' (1989)


1990s

*''All My Relations (film), All My Relations'' (1990)Amazon.com: Mad Eyed Misfits: Writings on Indie Animation
/ref> *''The Grifters (film), The Grifters'' (1990) *''House Party (1990 film), House Party'' (1990)Commentary: You're Remembering House Party All Wrong, News, BET
/ref>Movies You Probably Forgot Were Indies - SAGIndie
/ref>≈ *''Jacob's Ladder (1990 film), Jacob's Ladder'' (1990) *''Metropolitan (1990 film), Metropolitan'' (1990) *''Miller's Crossing'' (1990) *''Mountains of the Moon (film), Mountains of the Moon'' (1990) *''Paris Is Burning (film), Paris Is Burning'' (1990)How the New Queer Cinema Shaped the '90s Indie Film Boom - Yahoo Finance
/ref>Indie, Inc. - Google Books
/ref>≈ *''Pump Up the Volume (film), Pump Up the Volume'' (1990)21 Highly Underrated ‘90s Indie Movies - MovieWeb
/ref> *''Sink or Swim (1990 film), Sink or Swim'' (1990)≈ *''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990 film), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (1990) *''To Sleep with Anger'' (1990)Criterion Collection: To Sleep with Anger , Blu-Ray Review - IONCINEMA.com
/ref>To Sleep With Anger - Blueprint: Review
/ref>≈ *''Total Recall (1990 film), Total Recall'' (1990) *''Trust (1990 film), Trust'' (1990)25 Great 90s Movies That Time Forgot, Collider
/ref> *''Wild at Heart (film), Wild at Heart'' (1990) *''Barton Fink'' (1991) *''Daughters of the Dust'' (1991)≈ *''Dogfight (film), Dogfight'' (1991) *''Buzzco Associates, Fast Food Matador'' (1991) *''Homicide (1991 film), Homicide'' (1991) *''L.A. Story'' (1991) *''Madonna: Truth or Dare, Truth or Dare'' (1991) *''Mississippi Masala'' (1991)History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 4) - Sundance Guiide
/ref> *''My Own Private Idaho'' (1991) *''Night on Earth'' (1991) *''Poison (1991 film), Poison'' (1991)The 10 Most Underrated American Independent Films of The 1990s – Taste of Cinema
/ref> *''Queen of Diamonds (film), Queen of Diamonds'' (1991)Queen of Diamonds - Chicago Reader
/ref>≈ *''Rambling Rose (film), Rambling Rose'' (1991)Cinema of Outsiders - Google Books
/ref> *''The Rapture (1991 film), The Rapture'' (1991) *''Rock-a-Doodle'' (1991) *''Slacker (film), Slacker'' (1991) ≈ *''Straight Out of Brooklyn'' (1991) *''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991)≈ *''American Me'' (1992) *''Bad Lieutenant'' (1992)Top 50 Indie Movies You Need to See Before You Die, Complex
/ref> *''Basic Instinct'' (1992) *''Bob Roberts'' (1992) *''A Brief History of Time (film), A Brief History of Time'' (1992) *''Ferngully: The Last Rainforest'' (1992) *''Gas Food Lodging'' (1992) *''Glengarry Glen Ross (film), Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1992) *''In the Soup'' (1992) *''The Living End (film), The Living End'' (1992) *''Passion Fish'' (1992) *''The Player (1992 film), The Player'' (1992) *''Reservoir Dogs'' (1992) *''Simple Men'' (1992) *''Swoon (film), Swoon'' (1992) *''Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992) *''Dazed and Confused (film), Dazed and Confused'' (1993)The Cine-Files » Parker Posey: New York Flight
/ref> *''El Mariachi'' (1993)≈ *''Menace II Society'' (1993) *''Mi Vida Loca'' (1993) *''Red Rock West'' (1993) *''Ruby in Paradise'' (1993) *''Short Cuts'' (1993) *''Suture (film), Suture'' (1993) *''The Wedding Banquet'' (1993)≈ *''Clean, Shaven'' (1994) *''
Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and administ ...
'' (1994) ≈ *''Dumb and Dumber'' (1994) *''Fresh (1994 film), Fresh'' (1994) *''Go Fish (film), Go Fish'' (1994) *''Hoop Dreams'' (1994)Documentary, Performance and Risk - Google Books (ch.1 "Theorizing Documentary, Performance and Risk"; section: "American documentary and the rise of 'indie' doc")
/ref>Best. Movie. Year. Ever. - Google Books (chapter: "I'm scared to close my eyes, I'm scared to open them." ''The Blair Witch Project'')
/ref>≈ *''The Hudsucker Proxy'' (1994) *''I Like It Like That (film), I Like It Like That'' (1994) *''The Last Seduction'' (1994) *''Little Odessa (film), Little Odessa'' (1994)Chris Gore's Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, 4th Edition - Google Books (pg.222)
/ref> *''Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle'' (1994) *''Pulp Fiction'' (1994) ≈ *''The Red Book (film), The Red Book'' (1994)≈ *''Reality Bites'' (1994) *''River of Grass'' (1994) *''Serial Mom'' (1994) *''Spanking the Monkey'' (1994) *''Thumbelina (1994 film), Thumbelina'' (1994) *''What Happened Was...'' (1994) *''Lewis Klahr, Altair'' (1995) *''Before Sunrise'' (1995) *''The Brothers McMullen'' (1995) *''Crumb (film), Crumb'' (1995) *''Dead Man'' (1995) *''Dead Man Walking (film), Dead Man Walking'' (1995) *''The Doom Generation'' (1995) *''Friday (1995 film), Friday'' (1995)5 Indie Films From The 90s That Are Way Underrated (& 5 That Are Overrated) - Screen Rant
/ref> *''Kicking and Screaming (1995 film), Kicking and Screaming'' (1995) *''Kids (film), Kids'' (1995) *''Leaving Las Vegas'' (1995) *''Living in Oblivion'' (1995)50 Best Indie Films, GameRadar+
/ref> *''The Pebble and the Penguin'' (1995) *''Safe (1995 film), Safe'' (1995)Life During Wartime - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
/ref> *''Seven (1995 film), Se7en'' (1995) *''Smoke (film), Smoke'' (1995) *''The Usual Suspects'' (1995) *''Basquiat (film), Basquiat'' (1996)The Criterion Channel’s December 2023 Lineup, The Criterion Collection
/ref> *''Big Night'' (1996) *''Bottle Rocket'' (1996) *''Box of Moonlight'' (1996) *''Citizen Ruth'' (1996) *''The Daytrippers'' (1996) *''The English Patient'' (1996) *''Fargo (1996 film), Fargo'' (1996)≈ *''Flirting with Disaster (film), Flirting with Disaster'' (1996) *''Hard Eight (film), Hard Eight'' (1996) *''I Shot Andy Warhol'' (1996) *''Lone Star (1996 film), Lone Star'' (1996) *''Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie'' (1996) *''Schizopolis'' (1996) *''Sling Blade'' (1996) The Cinema of Wes Anderson - Bringing Nostalgia to Life - Google Books (Chapter Two - "Wes Anderson: His Position in Cinema and Culture")
/ref> *''The Spitfire Grill'' (1996) *''Swingers (1996 film), Swingers'' (1996)History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 5) - Sundance Guiide
/ref> *''Trees Lounge'' (1996) *''Waiting for Guffman'' (1996) *''Walking and Talking'' (1996) *''The Watermelon Woman'' (1996)≈ *''Welcome to the Dollhouse'' (1996)The 10 Most Underrated American Independent Films of The 1990s - Page 2 - Taste of Cinema
/ref> * ''When We Were Kings'' (1996) * ''The Apostle'' (1997) * ''Chasing Amy'' (1997) * ''Cop Land'' (1997) * ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997)≈ * ''Good Will Hunting'' (1997) *''Grosse Pointe Blank'' (1997) *''Gummo'' (1997) *''Henry Fool'' (1997) *''In the Company of Men'' (1997) *''Jackie Brown'' (1997) *''Lost Highway (film), Lost Highway'' (1997) *''Love Jones (film), Love Jones'' (1997) *''Ulee's Gold'' (1997) *''American History X'' (1998) *''The Big Lebowski'' (1998)≈ *''Boogie Nights'' (1998)Ranking Paul Thomas Anderson's films from worst to best, Far Out Magazine
/ref> *''Buffalo 66'' (1998) *''Gods and Monsters (film), Gods and Monsters'' (1998) *''Happiness (1998 film), Happiness'' (1998) *''High Art'' (1998) *''More (1998 film), More'' (1998)Indie Filmmaker's Push for 'More', WIRED
/ref> *''New Rose Hotel'' (1998) *''The Opposite of Sex'' (1998) *''Next Stop Wonderland'' (1998) *''Pi (film), Pi'' (1998) *''Rushmore (film), Rushmore'' (1998)≈ *''Shakespeare in Love'' (1998)Oscar nominations see shift away from major Hollywood studios - News - University of Liverpool
/ref> *''Slam (1998 film), Slam'' (1998) *''Smoke Signals (film), Smoke Signals'' (1998)The Nineties (A Book) - Google Books
/ref>≈ *''The Spanish Prisoner'' (1998) *''Velvet Goldmine'' (1998) *''American Beauty (1999 film), American Beauty'' (1999)Going Mainstream - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
/ref> *''American Movie'' (1999)Not Hollywood - Google Books
/ref> *''Being John Malkovich'' (1999) *''The Blair Witch Project'' (1999) *''The Boondock Saints'' (1999) *''Boys Don't Cry (1999 film), Boys Don't Cry'' (1999)≈ *''Buena Vista Social Club (film), Buena Vista Social Club'' (1999)≈ *''Cruel Intentions'' (1999) *''Dogma (film), Dogma'' (1999) *''Election (1999 film), Election'' (1999) *''Fight Club (film), Fight Club'' (1999) *''Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai'' (1999) *''Julien Donkey-Boy'' (1999) *''Magnolia (film), Magnolia'' (1999)The sounds of sincerity, 2, Hearing post-irony in Indiewood film, Timothy B. Cochran on Taylor & Francis eBooks, Reference Books and Collections
/ref> *''The Sixth Sense'' (1999) *''Star Wars: The Phantom Menace'' (1999) *''The Straight Story'' (1999) *''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' (1999) *''Three Kings'' (1999) *''The Virgin Suicides'' (1999)


2000s

*''Almost Famous'' (2000) *''American Psycho (film), American Psycho'' (2000) *''Best in Show (film), Best in Show'' (2000) *''Chuck & Buck'' (2000) *''Finding Forrester'' (2000)The best films of the '00s, The A.V. Club
/ref> *''George Washington (film), George Washington'' (2000) *''Girlfight'' (2000) *''Memento (film), Memento'' (2000)≈ *''Nurse Betty'' (2000) *''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' (2000) *''Pitch Black (film), Pitch Black'' (2000) *''Rejected'' (2000) *''Requiem for a Dream'' (2000) *''State and Main'' (2000) *''Traffic (2000 film), Traffic'' (2000) *''The Yards'' (2000) *''You Can Count on Me'' (2000) *''Donnie Darko'' (2001) *''Ghost World (film), Ghost World'' (2001)Vinyl Noise and Narrative in CD-Era Indiewood - Indy Vinyl
/ref> *''Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film), Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' (2001) *''In the Bedroom'' (2001) *''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' (2001) *''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (film), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001)≈ *''The Man Who Wasn't There (2001 film), The Man Who Wasn't There'' (2001) *''Monster's Ball'' (2001) *''Mulholland Drive (film), Mulholland Drive'' (2001) *''The Royal Tenenbaums'' (2001) *''Waking Life'' (2001) *''Y Tu Mama Tambien'' (2001) *''Adaptation (film), Adaptation'' (2002)The Best Indie Movies of All-Time - A Good Movie To Watch
/ref> *''Antwone Fisher'' (2002) *''Bend It Like Beckham'' (2002) *''Bowling for Columbine'' (2002) *''Chicago (2002 film), Chicago'' (2002) *''Far from Heaven'' (2002) *''Funny Ha Ha'' (2002) *''Gangs of New York'' (2002) *''Gerry (2002 film), Gerry'' (2002) *''Laurel Canyon (film), Laurel Canyon'' (2002) *''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' (2002) *''Naqoyqatsi'' (2002) *''Personal Velocity'' (2002) *''Punch-Drunk Love'' (2002) *''Real Women Have Curves'' (2002)≈ *''Roger Dodger (film), Roger Dodger'' (2002) *''Secretary (2002 film), Secretary'' (2002) *''Solaris (2002 film), Solaris'' (2002) *''Spellbound (2002 film), Spellbound'' (2002) *''25th Hour'' (2002) *''American Splendor (film), American Splendor'' (2003) *''Capturing the Friedmans'' (2003) *''Coffee and Cigarettes'' (2003) *''Cold Mountain (film), Cold Mountain'' (2003) *''The Cooler'' (2003) *''Elephant (2003 film), Elephant'' (2003) *''The Fog of War'' (2003)≈ *''Girl with a Pearl Earring (film), Girl with a Pearl Earring'' (2003) *''In America (film), In America'' (2003) *''Kill Bill Volume 1'' (2003) *''Lost in Translation (film), Lost in Translation'' (2003) *''Monster (2003 film), Monster'' (2003) *''Open Water (film), Open Water'' (2003) *''The Room'' (2003) *''Shattered Glass (film), Shattered Glass'' (2003) *''The Station Agent'' (2003)The 50 Best Indie Movies of All-Time - A Good Movie To Watch
/ref> *''Tarnation (2003 film), Taranation'' (2003) *''Thirteen (2003 film), Thirteen'' (2003) *''21 Grams'' (2003) *''The Aviator (2004 film), The Aviator'' (2004) *''Baadasssss!'' (2004) *''Before Sunset'' (2004) *''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (2004) *''Fahrenheit 9/11'' (2004) *''Garden State (film), Garden State'' (2004)Film Sequels: Theory and Practice from Hollywood to Bollywood - Google Books (ch."Adventures in Indiewood")
/ref> *''Keane (film), Keane'' (2004) *''The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'' (2004) *''Maria Full of Grace'' (2004) *''Mean Creek'' (2004)10 Great Indie Movies You May Have Missed - Page 4 - Taste of Cinema
/ref> *''The Motorcycle Diaries (film), The Motorcycle Diaries'' (2004)The 50 Best Indie Movies of All-Time - A Good Movie To Watch
/ref> *''Napoleon Dynamite'' (2004)A Brief History of the Sundance Film Festival - TIME
/ref> *''Palindromes (film), Palindromes'' (2004) *''The Passion of the Christ'' (2004)'Major minis' blur line between mainstream and independent - Herald Tribune
/ref> *''Primer (film), Primer'' (2004) *''Saw (2004 film), Saw'' (2004) *''Sideways'' (2004)CNN.com - Independent films move into spotlight - Aug 9, 2005
/ref> *''Silver City (2004 film), Silver City'' (2004) *''Super Size Me'' (2004) *''Take Out (2004 film), Take Out'' (2004) *''A Very Long Engagement'' (2004) *''We Don't Live Here Anymore'' (2004) *''The Aristocrats'' (2005) *''Brick (film), Brick'' (2005)History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 6) - Sundance Guiide
/ref> *''Brokeback Mountain'' (2005)≈ *''Capote (film), Capote'' (2005) *''Corpse Bride'' (2005) *''Crash (2005 film), Crash'' (2005) *''Diary of a Mad Black Woman'' (2005) *''Good Night and Good Luck'' (2005)Hollywood's Indies - Google Books (ch. "Indiewood")
/ref> *''Hostel (2005 film), Hostel'' (2005) *''Hustle & Flow'' (2005) *''Man Push Cart'' (2005) *''Me and You and Everyone We Know'' (2005) *''Mutual Appreciation'' (2005) *''The Notorious Betty Page'' (2005) *''Pride & Prejudice (2005 film), Pride & Prejudice'' (2005) *''The Puffy Chair'' (2005) *''The Squid and the Whale'' (2005)10 Great Indie Movies You May Have Missed - Page 5 - Taste of Cinema
/ref> *''Syriana'' (2005) *''Babel (2006 film), Babel'' (2006) *''Bobby (2006 film), Bobby'' (2006) *''Facing the Giants'' (2006)Fusion of faith and football fails in 'Giants' - Orlando Sentinel
/ref>Christian Movies: Why Faith-Based Films Hurt Religion - Thrillist
/ref> *''For Your Consideration (film), For Your Consideration'' (2006) *''Friends with Money'' (2006) *''Half Nelson (film), Half Nelson'' (2006) *''An Inconvenient Truth'' (2006) *''Iraq in Fragments'' (2006) *''Inland Empire'' (2006)10 Great Inde Movies You May Have Missed - Page 3 - Taste of Cinema
/ref> *''Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple'' (2006) *''Jesus Camp'' (2006) *''Little Children (film), Little Children'' (2006) *''Little Miss Sunshine'' (2006)Hurray for Indiewood!, Salon.com
/ref>Away We Go with the Films of Sam Mendes - That Shelf
/ref> *''Marie Antoinette (2006 film), Marie Antoinette'' (2006) *''Nacho Libre'' (2006) *''The Namesake (film), The Namesake'' (2006) *''Old Joy'' (2006)US Independent Film After 1989 - Google Books
/ref> *''The Painted Veil (2006 film), The Painted Veil'' (2006) *''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) *''A Prairie Home Companion (film), A Prairie Home Companion'' (2006) *''Quinceañera (film), Quinceañera'' (2006)History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 7) - Sundance Film Festival
/ref> *''A Scanner Darkly (film), A Scanner Darkly'' (2006) *''Southland Tales'' (2006) *''Thank You for Smoking'' (2006) *''The Darjeeling Limited'' (2007) *''The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'' (2007) *''I'm Not There'' (2007) *''In Bruges'' (2007) *''In the Valley of Elah'' (2007) *''Juno (film), Juno'' (2007)iW BOT , The Golden Child: "Juno" Makes Fox Searchlight the 2007 Market-Share Leader, Lures Young Ad, Indiewire
/ref> *''Margot at the Wedding'' (2007) *''A Mighty Heart'' (2007) *''No Country for Old Men'' (2007) *''No End in Sight'' (2007) *''Paranormal Activity'' (2007) *''The Savages (film), The Savages'' (2007) *''Sicko'' (2007) *''Sunshine (2007 film), Sunshine'' (2007) *''There Will Be Blood'' (2007) *''Waitress (2007 film), Waitress'' (2007) *''The Visitor (2007 feature film), The Visitor'' (2007) *''American Teen (film), American Teen'' (2008) *''Baghead'' (2008) *''Be Kind Rewind'' (2008) *''Fireproof (2008 film), Fireproof'' (2008)Former teen idol stars in religious 'Fireproof,' 2008's highest-grossing indie film - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
/ref> *''Frozen River'' (2008) *''In Search of a Midnight Kiss'' (2008) *''Man on Wire'' (2008) *''Rachel Getting Married'' (2008) *''Sita Sings the Blues'' (2008)9 Essential Animated Indie Movies, IndieWire
/ref> *''Synecdoche, New York'' (2008)Indie: An American Film Culture on JSTOR
/ref> *''Twilight (2008 film), Twilight'' (2008) *''Tyson (2008 film), Tyson'' (2008) *''Wendy and Lucy'' (2008) *''The Wrestler (2008 film), The Wrestler'' (2008) *''Adventureland (film), Adventureland'' (2009) *''Away We Go'' (2009) *''Coraline (film), Coraline'' (2009) *''The Cove (2009 film), The Cove'' (2009) *''Fantastic Mr. Fox (film), Fantastic Mr. Fox'' (2009)On the Borders: Children's Horror and Indiewood Animation, Contemporary Hollywood Animation: Style, Storytelling, Culture and Ideology Since the 1990s, Oxford Academic (Pages 144–177)
/ref> *''500 Days of Summer'' (2009) *''The Hurt Locker'' (2009)≈ *''Inglourious Basterds'' (2009) *''Moon (2009 film), Moon'' (2009) *''Precious (film), Precious'' (2009) *''Revolutionary Road (film), Revolutionary Road'' (2009) *''A Serious Man'' (2009) *''
A Single Man ''A Single Man'' is a 2009 American historical drama film, period romantic drama film based on A Single Man (novel), the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood. The List of directorial debuts, directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford, the fi ...
'' (2009) *''Sin Nombre (2009 film), Sin Nombre'' (2009) *''Trash Humpers'' (2009)10 Great Indie Movies You May Have Missed - Taste of Cinema
/ref>


2010s

*''Beginners'' (2010) *''Black Swan (film), Black Swan'' (2010) *''Blue Valentine (film), Blue Valentine'' (2010) *''Catfish (film), Catfish'' (2010) *''Greenberg (film), Greenberg'' (2010) *''Inside Job (2010 film), Inside Job'' (2010) *''The Kids Are All Right (film), The Kids Are All Right'' (2010) *''The King's Speech'' (2010) *''Meek's Cutoff (film), Meek's Cutoff'' (2010) *''Winter's Bone'' (2010)Rural Crimewave - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
/ref> *''The Color Wheel'' (2011) *''Damsels in Distress (film), Damsels in Distress'' (2011) *''The Descendants (2011 film), The Descendants'' (2011) *''Drive (2011 film), Drive'' (2011) *''The Future (film), The Future'' (2011) *''Martha Marcy May Marlene'' (2011) *''Pariah (2011 film), Pariah'' (2011)Focus Features Sets Indie 'Pariah' for Christmas Day Limited Release, FirstShowing.net
/ref>Pariah Wins Acceptance In Indie Film World - Wall Street Journal
/ref>≈ *''Project Nim'' (2011) *''Take Shelter'' (2011)Review: 'Take Shelter' A Naturalistic, Novelistic Portrayal Of Madness & Apocalypse, IndieWire
/ref> *''The Tree of Life (film), The Tree of Life'' (2011) *''Young Adult (film), Young Adult'' (2011) *''Beasts of the Southern Wild'' (2012) *''Frances Ha'' (2012) *''Fresh Guacamole'' (2012)Top 50 Most-Viewed Indie Animated Shorts On Youtube, Cartoon Brew
/ref> *''It's Such a Beautiful Day'' (2012) *''The Master (2012 film), The Master'' (2012) *''Middle of Nowhere (2012 film), Middle of Nowhere'' (2012)Will whites see a black indie film like "Middle of Nowhere"?, Salon.com
/ref> *''Paranorman'' (2012) *''The Place Beyond the Pines'' (2012) *''Spring Breakers'' (2012) *''Dallas Buyers Club'' (2013) *''Fruitvale Station'' (2013)History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 8) - Sundance Film Festival
/ref> *''Moonrise Kingdom'' (2013) *''Nebraska (film), Nebraska'' (2013) *''Only God Forgives'' (2013) *''12 Years a Slave (film), 12 Years a Slave'' (2013)≈ *''The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 film), The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013) *''Birdman (film), Birdman'' (2014) *''The Boxtrolls'' (2014) *''Boyhood (2014 film), Boyhood'' (2014) *''Ex Machina (film), Ex Machina'' (2014) *''Foxcatcher'' (2014) *''Grand Budapest Hotel'' (2014) *''The Imitation Game'' (2014)Viewpoint: Victory for 'indiewood' at the Oscars?
/ref> *''Listen Up Philip'' (2014) *''Nightcrawler (film), Nightcrawler'' (2014) *''The Theory of Everything (2014 film), The Theory of Everything'' (2014) *''Whiplash (2014 film), Whiplash'' (2014) *''Dope (2015 film), Dope'' (2015) *''It Follows'' (2015) *''Me and Earl and the Dying Girl'' (2015) *''Spotlight (2015 film), Spotlight'' (2015) *''Tangerine (film), Tangerine'' (2015)Why Tangerine is the best Christmas movie that's not really about Christmas, EW.com
/ref> *''The VVitch'' (2015) *''World of Tomorrow (film), World of Tomorrow'' (2015)The best indie animation of 2015, Sight & Sound, BFI
/ref> *''American Honey (film), American Honey'' (2016) *''Hunt for the Wilderpeople'' (2016) *''Manchester by the Sea (film), Manchester by the Sea'' (2016) *''Moonlight (2016 film), Moonlight'' (2016)Simon Says: The Marketing of a Mass-Released LGBTQ Film - Playback
/ref>Academy Award nominations 2020: The return of the "quality" Hollywood studio film - News - University of Liverpool
/ref>The best A24 films to date, EW.com
/ref> *''Swiss Army Man'' (2016) *''20th Century Women'' (2016)BUFS Behind-the-Scenes – Brock University (Communication, Popular Culture and Film)
/ref> *''Weiner (film), Weiner'' (2016) *''Call Me by Your Name (film), Call Me by Your Name'' (2017) *''The Disaster Artist'' (2017) *''First Reformed'' (2017) *''The Florida Project'' (2017) *''Get Out'' (2017)Indie Movies, Explained: What is an Independent Film? - MovieWeb
/ref> *''Good Time (film), Good Time'' (2017) *''I, Tonya'' (2017)'I, Tonya', Other Awards Contenders Keep Indie Box Office Alive Against 'Star Wars', The Wrap
/ref>
/ref> *''Lady Bird (film), Lady Bird'' (2017) *''Phantom Thread'' (2017) *''The Shape of Water'' (2017) *''Eighth Grade (film), Eighth Grade'' (2018) *''The Favourite'' (2018) *''Hereditary (film), Hereditary'' (2018) *''Isle of Dogs (film), Isle of Dogs'' (2018) *''The Last Black Man in San Francisco'' (2018) *''The Rider (film), The Rider'' (2018)The Rider: Exclusive trailer for new western hailed best indie of the year, The Independent
/ref> *''Waves (2019 film), Waves'' (2018) *''Whitney (2018 film), Whitney'' (2018) *''The Farewell (2019 film), The Farewell'' (2019) *''First Cow'' (2019) *''Jojo Rabbit'' (2019) *''The Lighthouse (2019 film), The Lighthouse'' (2019) *''The Peanut Butter Falcon'' (2019)The 50 Best Indie Movies of All-Time - A Good Movie To Watch
/ref> *''Uncut Gems'' (2019)


2020s

*''Cryptozoo'' (2020) *''Kajillionaire'' (2020) *''Minari (film), Minari'' (2020) *''Nomadland'' (2020)Indie Focus: On the road with Frances McDormand in ‘Nomadland’ - Los Angeles Times
/ref> *''Zola (film), Zola'' (2020) *''CODA (2021 film), CODA'' (2021)Sundance 2021: Coda, One For The Road, and Censor, AV Club
/ref> *''Jockey (film), Jockey'' (2021) *''Summer of Soul'' (2021) *''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' (2022)A24's 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Hits Box Office Milestone - Variety
/ref>Indie Film Crush, Ahead Of 'Avatar' & Year End, Puts Arthouse Woes On Back Burner – Specialty Preview - Deadline
/ref>Indie Cinema Is Now Genre Cinema, Defactor
/ref> *''Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021 film), Marcel the Shell with Shoes On'' (2022) *''My Year of Dicks'' (2022) *''Tár'' (2022) *''The Whale (2022 film), The Whale'' (2022)The Whale Crosses $10 Million at Box Office, Brendan Fraser Hit - Variety
/ref> *''Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project'' (2023)In 2023, Golden Age of Documentary Films Seemed Like Distant Memory - IndieWire
/ref> *''Kokomo City'' (2023) *''Sound of Freedom (film), Sound of Freedom'' (2023)2023 in Film: Barbie triumphs, Marvel loses steam , The Excerpt - USA Today on YouTube
/ref>


Notes

*≈ indicates a National Film Registry inductee


See also

*L.A. Rebellion *Peak TV *American Eccentric Cinema *New Hollywood *Oscar bait *Arthouse animation *Sundance Film Festival *Sleeper hit *European art cinema *Independent Spirit Awards *Mumblecore *Arthouse action film *Arthouse science fiction film *Arthouse musical *Independent animation


References


Bibliography

* ''Spike, Mike, Slackers, & Dykes: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema'', John Pierson (filmmaker), John Pierson * ''A Killer Life'', Christine Vachon * ''Down & Dirty Pictures'', Peter Biskind *
Indie: An American Film Culture
', Michael Z. Newman Ph.D. *
American Independent Cinema
', Geoff King * ''Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation'', Charles Solomon (animation historian), Charles Solomon


External links


Indiewood Finally Figures Out That Their Movies Are Depressing on Vulture

Indie, Inc. on Project MUSE

10 Indies We Love Archives on Film Independent

"The Edge of Hollywood" episode of ''American Cinema'' on Annenberg Learner

Indiewood Network: An international film network for independent filmmakers
{{Film genres Film genres particular to the United States 1930s in film 1940s in film 1950s in film 1960s in film 1970s in film 1980s in film 1990s in film 2000s in film 2010s in film 2020s in film 1930s in American cinema 1940s in American cinema 1950s in American cinema 1960s in American cinema 1970s in American cinema 1980s in American cinema 1990s in American cinema 2000s in American cinema 2010s in American cinema 2020s in American cinema Documentary film styles