Independently made films are taking award ceremonies by storm; over half of nominations belong to independent studio's and recently we have also seen them claiming the trophy, but what's causing popularity?
"And the Academy Award for best picture… La La Land."
The biggest fuck up in the history of film awards. 2017 saw Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway accidentally proclaiming that Damien Chazelle's jazz-centred romance, La La Land, had won Best Picture. The movie’s cast and crew made their way gracefully on stage to collect the award that critics predicted would be theirs. Ten minutes later, an aura of confusion grew around them, as the Oscars' production team appeared and announced there had been a mistake; Barry Jenkins’ relative underdog, Moonlight, was the real winner. For the next couple of days, every media outlet broadcasted the 'mix-up' with their unique angle, covering everything from the Oscars’ disservice towards Moonlight to demanding an apology as the mistake overshadowed their triumph.
What was often overlooked, however, was that an independent film directed by a man with just one other movie to his name, and produced by A24, a production company founded only five years prior, had beaten several studio-manufactured films to win Best Picture. In fact, six out of the nine movies nominated for the category, were produced by a multitude of independent studios. That year’s Golden Globe awards also followed suit, eight of their ten nominations for Best Motion Picture were also independent films, which led Moonlight to a second win for Best Drama, and lit the pathway for La La Land to win Best Musical or Comedy. Independent films have been relatively prominent for years, but recently it’s clear to see that their recognition in which they enjoy at award ceremonies is growing; leading them to dominate the 21st-century industry.
But what are these powerhouses? Independent (or indie) films are those which are produced by directors and companies outside of the ‘Big Six’, referring to Disney, Warner Brothers, Sony, 21st Century Fox, Universal and Paramount. Although many see the opposite of mainstream films to be independent, this is no longer the case. Starting in the 90’s, with Steven Soderbergh’s unique relationship tale, Sex, Lies and Videotape, independent films began to sore, leading several to mainstream success. Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, released just four years after, quickly became iconic, several shows have since parodied its most famous scenes as well as teaching everyone what a Royale with cheese was.
“As part of the LGBT community, I like watching films with characters I can relate to, they often explore a wider range of storylines and genres, and can often get quite deep and emotional.”
The 21st century, however, has witnessed independent films becoming significant competitors within the industry. What sets them apart from motion pictures produced by the Big Six is their unique characteristics when it comes to storytelling, such as focusing on plots which are often raw, emotional and are often not covered. Hayley Dean, aspiring filmmaker currently studying at York St. John spoke passionately about what makes independent films stand out to her. “As part of the LGBT community, I like watching films with characters I can relate to, they often explore a wider range of storylines and genres, and can often get quite deep and emotional.” Hayley went on to say “I always want to know more about a character or go more in depth with the plot, and some independently made films do that, which interests me.” These features often make the movies more memorable and intriguing to its audience, as they don’t follow the conventional film structures.
I also had the pleasure of talking to Millie Bennet, a film student at the University of Gloucestershire where she told me her thoughts on why independent movies are recently taking over award ceremonies. “I think indie films are often seen as Oscar bait due to the Passion Project nature of a lot of them, rather than a money-making scheme, so as a result, they are better to watch!” Now often being referred to as ‘Passion Projects’, a term which Millie described as “A film that gives them [writers and directors] satisfaction and happiness whilst being a subject they’re really ‘passionate’ about.” So, could this be the reason why the independent sector is thriving?
The increase in web culture in the past few decades has also contributed heavily to the distribution of independent films. Streaming site giants, Netflix and Amazon, have given a platform to the growing millions of filmmakers, ultimately creating a new arthouse circuit. Hayley also told me her thoughts on the subject. “Streaming websites give people a chance to discover new directors or independent companies” and in a world where they are available at a touch of a finger, they are more accessible to us than ever.
This year’s Oscars are no different to those which have followed before, with an outstanding seven out of the nine nominations for Best Picture being independent films, it's clear the success of the sector is not slowing down. Get Out, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri and Lady Bird are the favourites to win this year, but with Lady Bird obtaining a 100% score on review site, Rotten Tomatoes, could this be our winner? Let's just hope La La Land isn't mentioned this year.
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