The Costco Connection - January 2014

as Coppola, Lucas and other visionary independent filmmakers were brought under various studio umbrellas but allowed a certain amount of creative control. Were the results studio films? Independents? In a sense, they were both.

Indie film festivals, events and awards

In 1978, in an effort to attract filmmakers to Utah and demonstrate the potential of independent filmmaking, the Utah/US Film Festival was created, with Hollywood star Robert Redford agreeing to chair the proceedings. In 1981, Redford created the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated “to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences.” The Utah/US Film Festival evolved into the annual Sundance Film Festival and has spawned festivals for cineastes around the world.

“Film festivals play a vital role in helping the
world discover new talent,” says Welsh. “They help
launch new filmmakers and new films into the
world. What I love most at a festival is when I walk
into a darkened theater not knowing anything about
the film that I’m about to see and just being com-
pletely excited and inspired by something brand-
new. I think that’s something that you really only get
at a festival.”
Along with festivals, the importance of awards
cannot be overstated. While some may think
awards, whether they are Academy or Film
Independent Spirit awards, are presented for the
vanity of the artists, they are important for the mar-
ketability of a film.

“Awards really enhance the life of the movie,” attests Michael Barker, co-president with Tom Bernard of Sony Pictures Classics, an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment that produces and distributes domestic and international independent films. “They give the movie that kind of posterity, which is really, really important. And awareness that you couldn’t buy. If you’re nominated for the Oscar, everybody in the world knows about that movie.”

Independent talent

Two of the most exciting aspects of independent films are the discovery of new artistic voices in filmmakers, such as Shelton, and exposure to new acting talent, such as Michael B. Jordan.

Shelton, who’s finishing her sixth feature film, originally started as an actress (she appears in some of her own, as well as others’, films), but became disillusioned and turned her attention to photography and film.