For years there had been a custom set in the movie industry to expect big budgeted movies like “The Terminator 2” to be the ultimate blockbuster hits of the year. And these were the kind of movies, the audience was being directed towards. However, as the years progressed, so came the rise of the Indie movie culture and more and more independent directors started coming into the mix.
It can safely be assumed that the rise of Independent films started with the release of “Sex, Lies and Videotape” in 1989 which was directed by Steven Soderbergh. The movie covered an unconventional story with a not so famous casting but the movie itself was an instant hit as it served as a stepping stone for many independent filmmakers.
Since then the independent film culture has continued to rise and over the year many indie movie studios have become subsidiaries of well reputed and known powerhouses of the industry. The rise of the Indie films culture promoted the American theater which specialized in this kind of the films which had low budgets.
As Indie films started getting popular, more and more investments started coming in. And with more investment came, more indie films started coming out which eventually led to the introduction of film festivals which served as a premium showcase for such movies. The Sundance Film Festival is just an example of how popular indie movies has gotten over the years.
However, as time has passed, not only do these filmmakers have focused on low budgets but also getting creatively independent. The best example of the progress Indie movies have made can be summed up by the fact that “American Sniper” last year was among the only big budgeted movies to have a shot at winning the best picture award whereas the competition had several independent movies like “Boyhood” and “Whiplash”.
The rise of the Indie Film culture has been massive especially in the past decade. The most commonly known Oscar narration is “David v Golliath”. And the arrival of Indie films has created a similar situation and lately based on the popularity, indie films are winning the battle in an industry that was dominated by the big powerhouses who liked to make big budgeted blockbuster movies in the past but the whole dynamic is starting to shift towards these creatively independent movies.
