I just read an editorial in the Los Angeles Times by Martin Scorsese addressed to Michael Govan, director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It seems LACMA is canceling its weekend film program, and this gets under the maestro's skin. Here’s his piece.
I’d like to add a few things. I hope Marty won’t mind.
This is further proof, if any more is needed, that Hollywood hates film. It loves products and entertainment and the revenue those generate. But it hates films.
Related to this, film continues to be regarded as some kind of second-rate art form, worthy only of being shown in multiplexes within malls. Again, film is a consumer product.
And sort of related to this, an article on film distribution in yesterday’s New York Times is further convincing me that in the near future the only way for independent filmmakers to distribute their films (i.e., to get their product to the consumers that want it) is for them to do it themselves. This means more work for the filmmaker, more hats to wear, but I don’t think that is a bad thing.
Thoughts?
