Obsessed with Independent Film Since 1976
Mobile-Only Streamer Quibi Reveals Content, Creatives, and Tech at CES 2020
By Courtney SheehanCourtney Sheehan reports on mobile-only streaming platform Quibi’s keynote address at CES 2020, sharing the content and technology powering its launch.
Features
The New York Jewish Film Festival Jan. 15-28
By Kurt BrokawThe nice curators at The Jewish Museum and Film at Lincoln Center have made their own special mitzvah to the city’s residents in January. Out of 30 narrative dramas, documentaries and shorts that comprise the 29th NYJFF, not one, not two, but three separate feature films having their New York premieres are intelligent father/daughter dramas…. Read more »
Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) 2019 Recap
By Evan CreanEvan Crean traveled to Montreal for the 22nd annual Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), which took place November 14 to 24, 2019. Of the 154 films from 47 countries it screened, he offers reviews of the five best he saw during his time there.
“Making Waves” with Director Midge Costin
By Mike SullivanThe Independent’s Mike Sullivan talks to director Midge Costin about how she became a Hollywood sound editor and about her long-awaited documentary Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound.
New York Film Festival 2019 – Critic’s Choices
By Kurt BrokawSenior Film Critic Kurt Brokaw selects five narrative dramas, two documentaries and two shorts as top recommends from the 57th annual NYFF, held Sept.27-Oct.13 in Lincoln Center.
Keep it in the Light: “Always in Season”
By Courtney GardnerCourtney Gardner reveals insights from her conversation with filmmaker Jacqueline Olive about her award-winning documentary Always in Season, which will air on PBS on February 24, 2020. During her conversation Courtney learned about who Jacqueline is and what drew her to the film’s story, about America’s persistent history of lynching, about how silence limits the ability for restoration in communities, and about the responsibility we all share to change the status quo.
Checking Out “The Celluloid Paper Trail,” the Ultimate Guide to Screenplays
By Kurt BrokawCould your screenplay one day be worth enough to display in Royal Books’ high-end collectors window in Baltimore? Owner/scholar Kevin Johnson’s new book, The Cellluloid Paper Trail, is the first definitive examination of movie scripts in the 20th century–their provenance and value from story scripts through the myriad drafts that follow. Senior film critic Kurt Brokaw deconstructs this landmark study.
Gavin Hood and Martin Bright Discuss Loyalty, Law, and Journalism in “Official Secrets”
By Evan CreanThe Independent’s Evan Crean sits down with writer/director Gavin Hood and journalist Martin Bright for an engaging conversation about the rich themes of loyalty, law, and journalistic integrity, and how they’re reflected in their film Official Secrets.
Leave Your Hat On: An Interview with Producer Ed Polgardy
By Rebecca Reynolds“What exactly does a producer do?” People outside the movie industry always want to know. So The Independent’s Rebecca Reynolds finds out from one the most prolific producers she knows: Ed Polgardy, the quintessential indie producer who has independently financed large and small films outside the studio system in a plethora of genres, all while wearing his signature black hat.
New Documentary: “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am”
By Kurt BrokawSenior Film Critic Kurt Brokaw reviews the insightful documentary Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, a chronicle of the author’s life and work told mainly from her perspective in eye-to-eye interviews.