As our 2nd Critic on the Spot, we welcome Carrie Rickey, film critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer for 21 years. Her reviews are syndicated nationwide and she is a regular contributor
to Entertainment Weekly, MSNBC and NPR. Rickey’s essays appear in
numerous anthologies, including “The Rolling Stone History of Rock
& Roll,” “The American Century,” and the Library of America’s
“American Movie Critics.” Carrie also hosts a spirited blog, Flickgrrl.
Every few days, we'll post a new Q&A between Carrie and one of us. Here's #4, this one from Rolando Teco.
Q:
When you and I met (almost a decade ago), we were at the tail end of what had been a "golden age" for Indie cinema. Since the major studios have co-opted the "indie" brand, how has the content of these films changed? Do you see any hopeful signs on the horizon for a new crop of truly independent (as opposed to Hollywood-hatched fare dressed up as "indie") films to break through and reach an audience theatrically?
A:
Rolando: Right now, indie cinema in America is something of a good news/bad news joke. The good news: Digital technology makes filmmaking cheaper and faster than ever. The bad news: There’s so many indie films – last year Sundance had over 2200 submissions! – that it’s harder than ever for an indie film to break out.
More and more, I am seeing indie movies – particularly documentaries -- by women, gays and other marginalized communities engaging new points-of-view.
The most hopeful developments are new delivery systems for indie film – on-demand and downloads among them. Yet there is not yet the accompanying marketing support that would help connect audiences to these worthy films.
