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Indiewood (also known as "speciality", "alternative", "indie" or "quality") films are those made outside of the
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
studio system or traditional
arthouse An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...
/
independent filmmaking An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...
yet managed to be produced, financed and distributed by the two with varying degrees of success and/or failure.


Background

Throughout the middle of the 1990s the word 'Indiewood' (aka "indie boom" or "indie film movement") was invented to describe a component of the spectrum of American films in which distinctions exist, it seemed as if Hollywood and the independent sector had become blurred. The American independent film, prior to the 1980s, was previously associated with
b movies A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...
,
blaxploitation films Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...
,
avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
underground cinema An underground film is a film that is out of the mainstream either in its style, genre or financing. Notable examples include: John Waters' ''Pink Flamingos'', David Lynch's ''Eraserhead'', Andy Warhol's '' Blue Movie'', Rosa von Praunheim's ' ...
(when it was known as the
New American Cinema Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that rigorously re-evaluates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many experimental films, parti ...
)Watch: How New Hollywood Created the American Indie - No Film School
/ref> and
social realist Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...
dramas Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been c ...
. Indiewood divisions gain from expert experience of the niche industry by hiring leading independent personalities such as
Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films inclu ...
from the
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
fold after the exit of the Weinsteins, and
James Schamus James Allan Schamus (born September 7, 1959) is an American screenwriter, producer, business executive, film historian, professor, and director. He is a frequent collaborator of Ang Lee, the co-founder of the production company Good Machine, and ...
, former joint head of
Good Machine Good Machine Productions was an American independent film production, film distribution, and foreign sales company started in the early 1990 by its co-founders and producers, Ted Hope and James Schamus. David Linde joined as a partner in the la ...
, at
Focus Features Focus Features LLC is an American film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as part of Universal Pictures, a division of its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and foreign films in th ...
. Other "mini-major" subdivisions included
Searchlight Pictures Searchlight Pictures, Inc. is an American film production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is part of the Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1994 as Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc. for 20th Century Fox (later 20th Century Stu ...
,
Fine Line Features Fine Line Features (often spelled as FineLine Features) was the specialty films division of New Line Cinema. From 1991 to 2005, under founder and president Ira Deutchman, Fine Line acquired, distributed and marketed films of a more "indie" flavor ...
(established by
New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...
),
Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
,
NEON Neon is a chemical element with the symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is a noble gas. Neon is a colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas under standard conditions, with about two-thirds the density of air. It was discovered (along with krypton ...
,
A24 A24 is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. It is based in New York City. A24 was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. Pr ...
,
Paramount Vantage Paramount Vantage (also known as Paramount Classics) was a film distribution label of Paramount Pictures (which, in turn, has Paramount Global as its parent company), charged with producing, purchasing, distributing and marketing films, generally ...
,
Summit Entertainment Summit Entertainment is an American film production and distribution company. It is a label of Lionsgate Films, owned by Lionsgate Entertainment and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. History Independent era (1991–2012) Summit E ...
,
Orion Pictures Orion Pictures (legal name Orion Releasing, LLC) is an American film production and distribution company owned by Amazon through its Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) subsidiary. In its original operating period, the company produced and released films ...
,
Samuel Goldwyn Company The Samuel Goldwyn Company was an American independent film company founded by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of the famous Hollywood mogul, Samuel Goldwyn, in 1978. Background The company originally distributed and acquired art-house films fro ...
,
Warner Independent Warner Independent Pictures was an independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and d ...
, Picturehouse,
United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
(first founded in 1919 as an independent studio that allowed more creative freedom for former
silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
stars like
Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...
and
Charles Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
),
Blumhouse Blumhouse Productions (; also known as BH Productions or simply BH) is an American film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum. It is known mainly for producing horror films, such as ''Paranormal Activity'', ''Insidiou ...
,
Cannon Films The Cannon Group, Inc. was an American group of companies, including Cannon Films, which produced films from 1967 to 1994. The extensive group also owned, amongst others, a large international cinema chain and a video film company that invested ...
and
Sony Pictures Classics Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures. It was founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom. It distributes, produc ...
.


Differences from Hollywood

The films are often made for far less money than Hollywood films,How Indiewood gatecrashed the Oscars, Financial Times
/ref> and each aspect of the
filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...
process has to undergo less scrutiny by committees. Additionally, within the Indiewood approach the filmmaker can take as long as they need in the post-production phase of their film - whereas in Hollywood they are contracted to finish the film in a specific period of time (usually 10 weeks). In Hollywood, the film then goes on to show in focus group screenings on the studio lot. In Indiewood, the filmmakers can determine the next steps of the film. They also bear striking similarities to as well as were influenced by the "proto-indies" of the 1960s such as
Robert Downey Sr Robert John Downey ( Elias Jr.; June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021) was an American filmmaker and actor. He was known for writing and directing the underground film ''Putney Swope'', a satire on the New York Madison Avenue (Manhattan)#Advertising in ...
's
still image film A still image film, also called a picture movie, is a film that consists primarily or entirely of still images rather than moving images, forgoing the illusion of motion either for aesthetic or practical reasons. These films usually include a stand ...
''
Chafed Elbows ''Chafed Elbows'' is a 1966 still image film directed by Robert Downey Sr. A manic comic parody underground film made for $12,000, ''Chafed Elbows'' was a commercial success. The film was premiered at The Gate Theater in New York City and ran fo ...
'' (1966),
John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes ( ; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as a television and film actor, Cassavetes also helped pioneer American independent cinema, writing and dire ...
's
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-nominated ''
Faces The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...
'' and
Brian de Palma Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...
's ''
Greetings Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between indiv ...
'' (each from 1968) which in turn were influenced by the culture of
The Beat Generation ''The Beat Generation'' is a 1959 American crime film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Steve Cochran and Mamie Van Doren, with Ray Danton, Fay Spain, Maggie Hayes, Jackie Coogan, Louis Armstrong, James Mitchum, Vampira, and Ray Anthony. It i ...
, the polar opposite to the conformist, gray-flannel conformity of 1950s America.Proto-Indie - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
/ref> Most Indiewood films are first shown at
film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...
s with the hopes of further distribution by being picked up (or purchased) by a larger film company or distributor alongside awards consideration (e.g. 2009's ''
A Single Man ''A Single Man'' is a 2009 American period romantic drama film based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. The directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford, the film stars Colin Firth, who was nominated for the Acad ...
'').Overcoming the Stigma: The Queer Denial of Indiewood on JSTOR
/ref>


List of selected Indiewood/Indie filmmakers

*
Julie Dash Julie Ethel Dash (born October 22, 1952) is an American film director, writer and producer. Dash received her MFA in 1985 at the UCLA Film School and is one of the graduates and filmmakers known as the L.A. Rebellion. The L.A. Rebellion refers ...
*
Cheryl Dunye Cheryl Dunye (; born May 13, 1966) is a Liberian-American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress. Dunye's work often concerns themes of race, sexuality, and gender, particularly issues relating to black lesbians. She is known ...
*
Kathleen Collins Kathleen Collins (March 18, 1942 – September 18, 1988) (also known as Kathleen Conwell, Kathleen Conwell Collins or Kathleen Collins Prettyman) was an African-American poet, playwright, writer, filmmaker, director, civil rights activist, and ...
Deep focus: The other side of 80s America, Sight & Sound, BFI
/ref> *
Lizzie Borden Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman tried and acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was charged in the murders, and despite ost ...
*
Ava DuVernay Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, television producer and former film publicist. She is a recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, a NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee ...
12. Not Just Indie: A Look at Films by Dee Rees, Ava Duvernay and Kasi Lemmons - DegRuyter
/ref>Indie Reframed: Women's Filmmaking and Contemporary American Independent Cinema on JSTOR
/ref>Indie Reframed - Google Books
/ref> *
Dee Rees Diandrea Rees (born February 7, 1977) is an American screenwriter and director. She is known for her feature films '' Pariah'' (2011), '' Bessie'' (2015), ''Mudbound'' (2017), and '' The Last Thing He Wanted'' (2020). Rees has also written and di ...
*
Chloe Zhao Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root ', which relates to the colors yellow and green. T ...
Stumbling Out of the Gate - Critic's Notebook
/ref> * Lulu Wang *
Mira Nair Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural sphe ...
*
Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film ''Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Indep ...
*
Jordan Peele Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his film and television work in the comedy and horror genres. Peele's breakout role came in 2003, when he was hired as a cast membe ...
*
Billy Woodberry Billy Woodberry is one of the leading directors of the L.A. Rebellion (also known as the Los Angeles School of Black Filmmakers). He is best known for directing the 1984 feature film, '' Bless Their Little Hearts'' (1984), which was honored at ...
*
Marlon Riggs Marlon Troy Riggs (February 3, 1957 – April 5, 1994) was a Black gay filmmaker, educator, poet, and activist. He produced, wrote, and directed several documentary films, including ''Ethnic Notions'', '' Tongues Untied'', ''Color Adjustment'', ...
*
Stanley Nelson Stanley Earl Nelson Jr. (born June 7, 1951) is an American documentary filmmaker and a MacArthur Fellow known as a director, writer and producer of documentaries examining African-American history and experiences. He is a recipient of the 2013 N ...
* Charles Burnett25 Years Later, Charles Burnett and Richard Brooks Reflect on Indie Classic 'To Sleep with Anger', IndieWire
/ref> *
William Greaves William Greaves (October 8, 1926 – August 25, 2014) was an American documentary filmmaker and a pioneer of film-making. He produced more than two hundred documentary films, and wrote and directed more than half of these. Greaves garnered many ...
* Wendell B. Harris Jr. *
Oscar Micheaux Oscar Devereaux Micheaux (; January 2, 1884 – March 25, 1951) was an author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films. Although the short-lived Lincoln Motion Picture Company was the first movie company owned and controlled ...
The Greatest Independent Films of the 20th Century, The New Yorker
/ref> *
Ryan Coogler Ryan Kyle Coogler (born May 23, 1986) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is a recipient of four NAACP Image Awards, four Black Reel Awards, a Golden Globe Award nomination and an Academy Award nomination for Best Pictu ...
*
Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmmak ...
*
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
Hollywood: A Short Introduction - Google Books (section: "Indiewood")
/ref> *
Reginald Hudlin Reginald Alan Hudlin (born December 15, 1961) is an American film screenwriter, director, producer, and comic-book writer. Along with his older brother Warrington Hudlin, he is known as one of the Hudlin Brothers. From 2005 to 2008, Hudlin was P ...
*
John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...
* Robert Townsend *
Walter Salles Walter Moreira Salles Júnior (; born 12 April 1956) is a Brazilian filmmaker. Early life Salles was born on 12 April 1956 in Rio de Janeiro and attended the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He is the son of Brazil ...
*
Ramin Bahrani Ramin Bahrani ( fa, رامین بحرانی; born March 20, 1975) is an American director and screenwriter. Film critic Roger Ebert ranked Bahrani's ''Chop Shop'' (2007) as the sixth-best film of the 2000s, calling him "the new director of the ...
*
Alfonso Cuaron Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
*
Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...
*
Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. During his filmmaking career, he has received international critical and popula ...
Epilogue: from independent cinema to specialty content - De Gruyter
/ref> *
Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...
*
Nagisa Oshima NaGISA (Natural Geography in Shore Areas or Natural Geography of In-Shore Areas) is an international collaborative effort aimed at inventorying, cataloguing, and monitoring biodiversity of the in-shore area. So named for the Japanese word "nagisa ...
*
Lee Daniels Lee Daniels (born December 24, 1959) is an American film and television producer, director and screenwriter. His first producer credit was '' Monster's Ball'' (2001), for which Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress, making Daniels ...
* Daniels *
Wayne Wang Wayne Wang (; born January 12, 1949) is a Hong Kong Americans, Hong Kong–American Film director, director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter. Considered a pioneer of Asian-American cinema, he was one of the first Chinese Americans, ...
American Indies, 1980-1989, MoMA
/ref> *
Lee Isaac Chung Lee Isaac Chung (born October 19, 1978) is an American film director and screenwriter. His debut feature ''Munyurangabo'' (2007) was an Official Selection at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and the first narrative feature film in the Kinyarwanda ...
*
Park Chan-wook Park Chan-wook ( ; born 23 August 1963) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. He is considered as one of the most prominent filmmakers of South Korean cinema as well as world cinema in 21st century. H ...
*
Bong Joon Ho Bong Joon-ho (, ; Hanja: 奉俊昊; born September 14, 1969) is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter. The recipient of four Academy Awards, his filmography is characterised by emphasis on social themes, genre-mixing, black ...
*
Stephen Chow Stephen Chow Sing-chi (, born 22 June 1962), known professionally as Stephen Chow, is a Hong Kong filmmaker, former actor and comedian, known for ''Shaolin Soccer'' and ''Kung Fu Hustle''. Early life and education Stephen Chow was born in British ...
*
Edward Yang Edward Yang (; November 6, 1947 – June 29, 2007) was a Taiwanese filmmaker. Yang, along with fellow auteurs Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, was one of the leading film-makers of the Taiwanese New Wave and Taiwanese cinema. He won the Be ...
*
Zhang Yimou Zhang Yimou (; born 2 April 1950) is a Chinese film director, producer, writer, actor and former cinematographer.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retriev ...
*
Lisa Cholodenko Lisa Cholodenko (born June 5, 1964) is an American screenwriter and director. Cholodenko wrote and directed the films ''High Art'' (1998), ''Laurel Canyon (film), Laurel Canyon'' (2002), and ''The Kids Are All Right (film), The Kids Are All Right ...
Chaos Below Canal, Independent Magazine
/ref> *
Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is an American film director and actor best known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991 and '' USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage'' in 2016. He is the son of actor and filmmaker Melvin Va ...
*
Melvin Van Peebles Melvin Van Peebles (born Melvin Peebles; August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. He worked as an active filmmaker into the 2000s. His feature film debut, ''The Story of a Three-Day Pass'' ( ...
*
Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...
*
Gregory Nava Gregory James Nava (born April 10, 1949) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Personal life Nava was born in San Diego, of Mexican and Basque heritage. Nava graduated from St. Augustine High School (San Diego), St. Augustine ...
* Robert M. Young *
Miguel Arteta Miguel Arteta (born 1965) is a Puerto Rican director of film and television, known for his independent film ''Chuck & Buck'' (2000), for which he received the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, and for the films ''The Good Girl'' (2002) ...
*
Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and ''The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for Be ...
*
Pedro Almodovar Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance langua ...
*
Satoshi Kon was a Japanese film director, animator, screenwriter and manga artist from Sapporo, Hokkaido and a member of the Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA). He was a graduate of the Graphic Design department of the Musashino Art Universi ...
*
Chris Eyre Chris Eyre (born 1968), an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, is an American film director and producer who as of 2012 is chairman of the film department at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Films In 1998, Chris Eyre ...
*
Taika Waititi Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. He is a recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award, and has received two nominations at t ...
* George Miller *
Ida Lupino Ida Lupino (4 February 1918Recorded in ''Births Mar 1918'' Camberwell Vol. 1d, p. 1019 (Free BMD). Transcribed as "Lupine" in the official births index – 3 August 1995) was an English-American actress, singer, director, writer, and producer. T ...
*
Claudia Weill Claudia Weill is an American film director best known for her film '' Girlfriends'' (1978), starring Melanie Mayron, Christopher Guest, Bob Balaban and Eli Wallach, made independently and sold to Warner Brothers after multiple awards at Cannes ...
*
Donna Deitch Donna Deitch (born June 8, 1945, San Francisco, California) is an American film and television director, producer, and writer best known for her 1985 film ''Desert Hearts''. The movie was the first feature film to depict a lesbian love story in ...
*
Joyce Chopra Joyce Chopra (; born October 27, 1936) is an American director. She was married to American stage and screenwriter Tom Cole until his death on February 23, 2009. Life and career Chopra was one of three siblings born in New York City to Abraha ...
*
Mary Harron Mary Harron (born January 12, 1953) is a Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter, and former entertainment critic. She gained recognition for her role in writing and directing several independent films, including ''I Shot Andy Warhol'' (1996), ''Ame ...
Adelaide Research & Scholarship: Postclassical Hollywood/postmodern subjectivity: representation in some 'Indie/Alternative' Indiewood films
/ref> *
Jennie Livingston Jennie may refer to: * Jennie (singer), South Korean singer of girl group Blackpink * Jennie, a female given name, variant spelling of Jenny * ''Jennie'' (musical), 1963 Broadway production * ''Jennie'' (novel), 1994 science fiction thriller by ...
*
Maya Deren Maya Deren (born Eleonora Derenkowska, uk, Елеоно́ра Деренко́вська, links=no;
* Agnes Varda *
Jerzy Skolimowski Jerzy Skolimowski (, born 5 May 1938) is a Polish film director, screenwriter, dramatist and actor. A graduate of the prestigious National Film School in Łódź, Skolimowski has directed more than twenty films since his 1960 début ''Oko wykol' ...
*
Penelope Spheeris Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945 or 1946; sources differ) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. She has directed both documentary and scripted films. Her best-known works include the trilogy titled ''The Decline of ...
DGA Quarterly Magazine, Fall 2011, Women Directors and Their Films
/ref>How Wayne's World Made—and Broke—It's Director's Career, Vanity Fair
/ref> *
Martha Coolidge Martha Coolidge (born August 17, 1946) is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. She has directed such films as ''Valley Girl'', ''Real Genius'' and '' Rambling Rose''. Early life Coolidge was born in N ...
*
Kelly Reichardt Kelly Reichardt (; born March 3, 1964) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is known for her minimalist films closely associated with slow cinema, many of which deal with working-class characters in small, rural communities. Reich ...
*
Debra Granik Debra Granik (born February 6, 1963) is an American filmmaker. She is most known for 2004's '' Down to the Bone,'' which starred Vera Farmiga, 2010's ''Winter's Bone,'' which starred Jennifer Lawrence in her breakout performance and for which Gr ...
*
Susan Seidelman Susan Seidelman (Born December 11, 1952) is an American film director, producer, and writer. She first came to notice with '' Smithereens'' (1982), the earliest American independent feature to be screened in Competition at the Cannes Film Festiva ...
*
Adrienne Shelly Adrienne Levine (June 24, 1966 – November 1, 2006), better known by the stage name Adrienne Shelly (sometimes credited as Adrienne Shelley), was an American actress, film director and screenwriter. She became known for roles in independen ...
*
Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi (; fa, مرجان ساتراپی ; born 22 November 1969) is a French-Iranian graphic novelist, cartoonist, illustrator, film director, and children's book author. Her best-known works include the graphic novel ''Persepolis'' a ...
*
Joan Micklin Silver Joan Micklin Silver (May 24, 1935 – December 31, 2020) was an American director of films and plays. Born in Omaha, Silver moved to New York City in 1967 where she began writing and directing films. She is best known for ''Hester Street'' (197 ...
*
Michaela Pavlátová Michaela Pavlátová (born 27 February 1961) is a Czech animator, film director and teacher. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for ''Words, Words, Words'' (1991) and won the Short Film Golden Bear for ''Repete' ...
*
Kōji Yamamura is a Japanese independent animator who, after leaving a career as a background artist at an animation studio, directs, writes, edits, animates, creates the model sheets and background art for and sometimes produces his own short films and ha ...
Know Your Indie Filmmaker:Kōji Yamamura, Cartoon Brew
/ref> *
Masaaki Yuasa is a Japanese director, screenwriter, and animator affiliated with Science SARU, a Japanese animation studio which he co-founded with producer Eunyoung Choi in 2013. Yuasa previously served as president of Science SARU, but stepped down from th ...
* John and
Faith Hubley Faith Hubley (née Chestman; September 16, 1924 – December 7, 2001) was an American animator, known for her experimental work both in collaboration with her husband John Hubley, and on her own following her husband's death. Biography Bor ...
*
Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is an American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatric ...
*
Ari Folman Ari Folman ( he, ארי פולמן) (born December 17, 1962) is an Israeli film director, screenwriter, animator, and film-score composer. He directed the Oscar-nominated animated documentary film ''Waltz with Bashir'' (2008) and the live-a ...
Indie Animation - WSJ
/ref> *
Don Bluth Donald Virgil Bluth (; born September 13, 1937) is an American film director, animator, production designer, and animation instructor, best known for his animated films, including ''The Secret of NIMH'' (1982), ''An American Tail'' (1986), ''Th ...
* Richard Williams *
Tomm Moore Thomas "Tomm" Moore (born 7 January 1977) is an Irish filmmaker, animator, illustrator and comics artist. He co-founded Cartoon Saloon with Nora Twomey and Paul Young, an animation studio and production company based in Kilkenny, Ireland. His ...
Best Indie Animated Movies of All Time, Collider
/ref> *
Sylvain Chomet Sylvain Chomet (; born 10 November 1963) is a French comic writer, animator and film director. Early career Born in Maisons-Laffitte, Seine-et-Oise (now Yvelines), near Paris, he studied art at high school until he graduated in 1982. Chomet m ...
*
Sergio Pablos Sergio Pablos is a Spanish animator, director and screenwriter. While at the helm of his company (The SPA Studios), Pablos developed several concepts for animated feature films, most notably the original ideas upon which '' Despicable Me'' (Univ ...
*
Don Hertzfeldt Don Hertzfeldt (born August 1, 1976) is an American animator, writer, and independent filmmaker. He is a two-time Academy Award nominee who is best known for the animated films ''It's Such a Beautiful Day'', the '' World of Tomorrow'' series, an ...
Directing Animation - Google Books (ch.4: "Directing Animation for Indie Films)
/ref> *
Joanna Quinn Joanna Lisa Quinn is an English independent film director and animator. Early life Quinn was born in Birmingham, England and grew up in North London. She went to school at Highgate Wood Secondary School and completed a foundation course in art ...
Animators Unearthed - Google Books
/ref> * Candy KugelThe Academy To Present ‘Women in Indie Animation’ September 21, Animation World Network
/ref> *
Evelyn Lambart Evelyn Lambart (23 July 1914 – 3 April 1999) was a Canadian animator and technical director with the National Film Board of Canada, known for her early collaborations with Norman McLaren as well as her later films, as sole director. In 19 ...
*
Caroline Leaf Caroline Leaf (born August 12, 1946 in Seattle, Washington) is a Canadian-American filmmaker, animator, director, tutor and artist. She has produced numerous short animated films and her work has been recognized worldwide. She is best known as on ...
* Wendy Tilby and Amanda ForbisKnow Your Indie Filmmaker: Amanda Forbis And Wendy Tilby, Cartoon Brew
/ref> *
Cordell Barker Cordell Barker (born 1956) is a Canadian animator based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He began animating in his late teens after taking on an apprenticeship at Kenn Perkins Animation. A two-time Academy Award nominee, Barker is an animation filmmaker wi ...
*
Theodore Ushev Theodore Asenov Ushev ( bg, Теодор Асенов Ушев; born 4 February 1968) is a Bulgarian animator, film director and screenwriter based in Montreal. He is best known for his work at the National Film Board of Canada, including the 2 ...
*
Konstantin Bronzit Konstantin Eduardovich Bronzit (russian: Константи́н Эдуа́рдович Бронзи́т; born 12 April 1965) is a Russian animator and animation film director and nominated twice for Academy Awards, Oscars. He currently works at one ...
*
Bill Plympton Bill Plympton (born April 30, 1946) is an American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his 1987 Academy Awards-nominated animated short '' Your Face'' and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting ...
*
Barry Purves Barry J.C. Purves (born 28 August 1960) is an English animator, director and screenwriter of puppet animation television and cinema and theatre designer and director, primarily for the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse in Manchester. Purves is a Bri ...
*
Nick Park Nicholas Wulstan Park (born 6 December 1958) is a British animator who created ''Wallace and Gromit'', ''Creature Comforts'', ''Chicken Run'', ''Shaun the Sheep'', and '' Early Man''. Park has been nominated for an Academy Award a total of ...
*
Joanna Priestley Joanna Priestley (born November 25, 1950) is an American contemporary film director, producer, animator and teacher. Her films are in the collections of the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Priestley ...
Animation Outlaws: Spike & Mike Turned Indie Shorts Into a Phenomenom, IndieWire
/ref> * PES * Suzan Pitt *
Nina Paley Nina Carolyn Paley (born May 3, 1968) is an American cartoonist, animator, and free culture activist. She was the artist and often the writer of the comic strips ''Nina's Adventures'' and ''Fluff'', after which she worked primarily in animati ...
*
Adam Elliot Adam Elliot (born 2 January 1972) is an Australian stop-motion animation writer, director and producer based in Melbourne, Australia. His five films have collectively participated in over seven hundred film festivals and have received over one ...
*Priit Pärn *Nicole Holofcener *Tom McCarthy (director), Tom McCarthy *Alex Garland *Patty Jenkins *Sarah Polley *Sian Heder *Lena Dunham *Greta Gerwig *Miranda JulyMiranda July: The Quiet Power of Her Indie Movies - MovieWeb
/ref> *Bette Gordon *Nancy Savoca *Todd Haynes *Luca Guadagnino *John WatersJohn Waters, Underground Film Journal
/ref> *Greg Araki *Rainer Werner Fassbinder *Yvonne Rainer *Sean Baker (filmmaker), Sean BakerSean Baker reembraces the indie film with 'Red Rocket' - Los Angeles Times
/ref> *Lodge Kerrigan *David Gordon Green *Alex Ross Perry *Jeff Nichols'Midnight Special,' 'Fantastic Planet' and more home theater releases out this week - Los Angeles Times
/ref> *Les Blank *Henry Jaglom *Jim McBride *Jonas Mekas *Mark Rappaport *Edgar G. Ulmer *Andrew Bujalski *John Cameron Mitchell *Gus Van Sant *Steve James (director), Steve James *Wim Wenders *Jim McKay (director), Jim McKay *Bo Burnham *Joel and Ethan CoenCANNES 2000: Embracing Indiewood, Cannes 2000 Lineup Selected from Nearly 1,400 Films; 15 Countries, IndieWire
/ref> *Mark Duplass, Mark Jay Duplass, and Jay DuplassHow an Unlikely Hollywood Juggernaut Came to Rule Netflix, WIRED
/ref> *Sam Raimi *Safdie brothers, Josh and Benny Safdie *Joe Swanberg *Rian Johnson *Christopher Guest *Alan Rudolph *James Gray (director), James Gray *Andrea Arnold *Robert Eggers *Alex Cox5 INDIE FILMS YOU HAVE TO SEE, Gonzo Magazine
/ref> *George A. Romero *Wes Craven *John Carpenter *Yorgos Lanthimos *Ari Aster *Paul Schrader *Alex Kendrick *Mike Mills (director), Mike MillsFather Figurine: Mike Mills's "Beginners", IndieWire
/ref> *Joe Wright"Pride & Prejudice," "Capote," "Brokeback Mountain" (and more), and Why Audiences Matter, IndieWire
/ref> *John Carney (director), John Carney *Jim Jarmusch *Rob Nilsson *Zach Braff *George Clooney *James Mangold *Sam Mendes *Spike Jonze *Errol Morris *Kevin Macdonald (director), Kevin Macdonald *Atom Egoyan *Peter Jackson *Garth Jennings *Martin Scorsese *Sam Fuller *
John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes ( ; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as a television and film actor, Cassavetes also helped pioneer American independent cinema, writing and dire ...
*
Brian de Palma Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...
*
Robert Downey Sr Robert John Downey ( Elias Jr.; June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021) was an American filmmaker and actor. He was known for writing and directing the underground film ''Putney Swope'', a satire on the New York Madison Avenue (Manhattan)#Advertising in ...
*Norman Mailer *Andy Warhol *Curtis HarringtonReview: Curtis Harrington's Night Tide on Kino Lorber Blu-ray - Slant Magazine
/ref> *Kenneth Anger *Herk HarveyClassic Thrills & Late-Night Chills on Tap for 'Freaky Fridays' at the Film Society - Film at Lincoln Center
/ref> *Eric Rohmer *Ron Rice *Robert Frank *Kent Mackenzie *Neil Jordan *Bill Forsyth *Bob Clark *James Marsh (director), James Marsh *Greg MottolaWhy the 'King of Underrated Movies' Returned to Hollywood - Esquire
/ref> *Jon Favreau27 Of The Best Indie Movies Of All Time, Esquire
/ref> *Bennett Miller *Jonathan Caouette *Larry Clark *Abel Ferrara *Michel Gondry *Wes Anderson *Noah Baumbach *Sofia Coppola *Kathryn Bigelow *Allison AndersInside Indiewood, The Nation
/ref> *Barbara Kopple *Shirley Clarke *Barbara Loden *Roger Corman *Paul Bartel10 Great Indie Movies You May Have Never Seen - Page 2 - Taste of Cinema
/ref> *Herschell Gordon LewisThe Moviegoing Experience, 1968-2001 - Google Books (pg.59)
/ref> *Ray Dennis StecklerThe Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters - DVD Drive-In
/ref> *John Sayles *Tom DiCillo *Carson Davidson *Doug Liman *Darren Aronofsky *Jason ReitmanActing Indie - Google Books
/ref> *Godfrey Reggio *Ross McElweeThe Fiercely Independent Films Of The 80s Get A Massive Cinefamily Showcase, LAist
/ref> *Alexander Payne *Kimberly Peirce *David O. Russell *Kevin Smith (filmmaker), Kevin Smith *Roberto Benigni *David Mamet *Quentin Tarantino *Tim Burton *Neil LaBute *Todd SolondzDowntown Film and TV Culture 1975-2001 - Google Books (pg.xvi)
/ref> *Danny Boyle *Terry Zwigoff *David Cronenberg *Christopher Nolan *Whit Stillman *Todd Field *Richard Kelly (filmmaker), Richard Kelly *Jean-Pierre Jeunet *Julian Schnabel *Jared HessWes Anderson, tone and the quirky sensibility: New Review of Film and Television Studies Volume 10, 2012 - Issue 1: Wes Anderson and Co.
/ref> *Charlie Kaufman *Hal Hartley *David Lynch *David Fincher *Steven Soderbergh *Rob Reiner *Oliver Stone *Dennis Hopper *Jonathan Glazer *Shane Carruth *Anthony Minghella *Peter Greenaway *Ken Loach *Michael Haneke *Denis Villeneuve *Harmony Korine *Richard Linklater *Robert AltmanIndiewood and Improvisation, Robert Altman's Soundtracks: Film, Music, and Sound from M*A*S*H to A Prairie Home Companion, Oxford Academic
/ref> *William Friedkin *James Cameron *Damien ChazelleTrainspotting, La La Land, Regal Cinemas to Rerelease Indie Films - Bleeding Cool
/ref> *Tom Ford *Michael Moore *Mel GibsonIndiewood - Backstage
/ref> *Paul Thomas Anderson *Vincent Gallo *Paul Haggis *Bryan SingerThe Sundance Kids - Google Books (ch."Section II: Indiewood")
/ref> *Lars von Trier *James Toback *Woody Allen


List of selected notable and important Indiewood/Indie films


Pre-1950s

*''Within Our Gates'' (1920)≈ *''The Gold Rush'' (1925)≈ *''The Scar of Shame'' (1927) *''People on Sunday'' (1930) *''City Lights'' (1931)≈ *''Vampyr'' (1932) *''Land Without Bread'' (1933) *''Reefer Madness'' (1936) *''As the Earth Turns (1938 film), As the Earth Turns'' (1938) *''The Rules of the Game'' (1939) *''The Great Dictator'' (1940)≈ *''Rebecca (1940 film), Rebecca'' (1940)≈ *''The Blood of Jesus'' (1941)≈ *''Detour (1945 film), Detour'' (1945)≈ *''Rome, Open City'' (1945) *''Le Silence de la Mer'' (1947)


1950s

*''Outrage (1950 film), Outrage'' (1950)≈ *''Five (1951 film), Five'' (1951) *''Othello (1952 film), Othello'' (1952) *''Park Row (film), Park Row'' (1952) *''Little Fugitive (1953 film), Little Fugitive'' (1953)The 52 most important American independent movies, The A.V. Club
/ref>≈ *''Salt of the Earth (1954 film), Salt of the Earth'' (1954)Great U.S. Indie Films: 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' to 'Pulp Fiction' - Rolling Stone
/ref>≈ *''Bride of the Monster'' (1955) *''3rd Ave. El (film), 3rd Ave. El'' (1955) *''Pather Panchali'' (1955) *''John Hubley, The Adventures of an *'' (1957) *''Attack of the Crab Monsters'' (1957) *''On the Bowery'' (1957)≈ *''12 Angry Men (1957 film), 12 Angry Men'' (1957)The Top 10 Indie Movies of All Time , A Cinefix Movie List - IGN
/ref>≈ *''The Blob'' (1958) *''The Screaming Skull'' (1958) *''Attack of the Giant Leeches'' (1959)Underrated Horror Movies of the 1950s, Ranked - MovieWeb
/ref> *''The Cry of Jazz'' (1959)≈ *''Moonbird'' (1959)When Indie Animation Won Its First Oscar, Animation Obsessive
/ref> *''Plan 9 from Outer Space'' (1959) *''Pull My Daisy'' (1959)≈ *''Shadows (1959 film), Shadows'' (1959)≈ *''Some Like It Hot'' (1959)≈ *''Ernest Pintoff, The Violinist'' (1959)


1960s

*''The Flower Thief'' (1960) *''Munro (film), Munro'' (1960) *''Psycho (1960 film), Psycho'' (1960)More Movies You Probably Forgot Were Indies - SAGIndie
/ref>≈ *''Blast of Silence'' (1961) *''The Connection (1961 film), The Connection'' (1961) *''The Exiles (1961 film), The Exiles'' (1961)≈ *''Night Tide'' (1961) *''Something Wild (1961 film), Something Wild'' (1961) *''Surogat'' (1961) *''Carnival of Souls'' (1962) *''The Hole (1962 film), The Hole'' (1962)≈ *''Beach Party'' (1963) *''Blood Feast'' (1963) *''The Cool World (film), The Cool World'' (1963)≈ *''The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies'' (1963) *''The Brig (play), The Brig'' (1964) *''Help! My Snowman's Burning Down'' (1964) *''Nothing But a Man'' (1964)≈ *''Scorpio Rising (film), Scorpio Rising'' (1964)≈ *''Two Thousand Maniacs'' (1964) *''Time Piece'' (1965)Jim Henson: Before Happytime Murders, Muppet creator told edgy stories - Polygon
/ref> *''Vinyl (1965 film), Vinyl'' (1965) *''
Chafed Elbows ''Chafed Elbows'' is a 1966 still image film directed by Robert Downey Sr. A manic comic parody underground film made for $12,000, ''Chafed Elbows'' was a commercial success. The film was premiered at The Gate Theater in New York City and ran fo ...
'' (1966) *''Chelsea Girls'' (1966) *''A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature'' (1966) *''Manos: The Hands of Fate'' (1966) *''Persona (1966 film), Persona'' (1966) *''The Wild Angels'' (1966) *''David Holzman's Diary'' (1967)≈ *''Dont Look Back'' (1967)≈ *''Playtime (film), Playtime'' (1967) *''Portrait of Jason'' (1967)THE REAL INDIES: A CLOSE LOOK AT ORPHAN FILMS, Oscars.org
/ref>≈ *''Spider Baby'' (1967)The Real Indies: A Close Look at Orphan Films, Oscars.org (title: "Spider Baby")
/ref> *''The Trip (1967 film), The Trip'' (1967) *''Who's That Knocking at My Door?'' (1967) *''Beyond the Law (1968 American film), Beyond the Law'' (1968) *''
Faces The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...
'' (1968)≈ *''
Greetings Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between indiv ...
'' (1968) *''Murder a la Mod'' (1968) *''Night of the Living Dead'' (1968)≈ *''Robert Downey Sr, No More Excuses'' (1968) *''Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One'' (1968)Rewriting Indie Cinema - Google Books
/ref>≈ *''Targets'' (1968) *''Wild 90'' (1968) *''Easy Rider'' (1969)≈ *''Midnight Cowboy'' (1969)≈ *''My Night with Maud'' (1969) *''Putney Swope'' (1969)≈


1970s

*''The Further Adventures of Uncle Sam'' (1970) *''Husbands (film), Husbands'' (1970) *''Is It Always Right to Be Right?'' (1970) *''Joe (1970 film), Joe'' (1970) *''Maidstone (film), Maidstone'' (1970) *''Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'' (1970)The Criterion Channel's June 2022 Lineup, Current, The Criterion Collection
/ref>≈ *''Wanda (film), Wanda'' (1970)When the Movies Mattered - Google Books
/ref>≈ *''Let's Scare Jessica to Death'' (1971) *''McCabe and Mrs. Miller'' (1971)≈ *''Mon oncle Antoine'' (1971) *''Shinbone Alley (film), Shinbone Alley'' (1971) *''THX-1138'' (1971) *''Two-Lane Blacktop'' (1971)≈ *''Fritz the Cat (film), Fritz the Cat'' (1972)Check out These Must-See Indie Animated Movies, The Mary Sue
/ref> *''The Harder They Come'' (1972)Social History of the United States - Google Books (pg.232)
/ref> *''The Last House on the Left'' (1972) *''Pink Flamingos'' (1972)≈ *''Badlands (film), Badlands'' (1973)≈ *''Coffy'' (1973) *''Fantastic Planet'' (1973) *''Ganja and Hess'' (1973) *''Heavy Traffic'' (1973) *''Mean Streets'' (1973)≈ *''Messiah of Evil'' (1973) *''Sisters (1973 film), Sisters'' (1973) *''Touki Bouki'' (1973) *''Benji (1974 film), Benji'' (1974) *''Black Christmas (1974 film), Black Christmas'' (1974) *''Dark Star (film), Dark Star'' (1974) *''Female Trouble'' (1974) *''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (1974) *''A Woman Under the Influence'' (1974)≈ *''Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (film), Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?'' (1975)Contemporary American Independent Film - Google Books
/ref> *''Frank Mouris, Coney'' (1975) *''Hester Street (film), Hester Street'' (1975)≈ *''Jeanne Dielman'' (1975) *''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' (1975) *''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975)≈ *''Shivers (1975 film), Shivers'' (1975) *''Harlan County U.S.A.'' (1976)≈ *''Alambrista!'' (1977) *''Annie Hall'' (1977)≈ *''Eraserhead'' (1977) ≈ *''The Hills Have Eyes'' (1977) *''Killer of Sheep'' (1977)≈ *''Opening Night (1977 film), Opening Night'' (1977) *''Dawn of the Dead (1978 film), Dawn of the Dead'' (1978)Best Indie Horror Films From The 1970s - Screen Rant
/ref> *''Gates of Heaven'' (1978)Daniel Talbot, Iconic Indie Film Distributor and Exhibitor, Dies, The Wrap
/ref> *''Girlfriends (1978 film), Girlfriends'' (1978)≈ *''Halloween (1978 film), Halloween'' (1978)≈ *''Martin (1977 film), Martin'' (1978) *''Northern Lights (1978 film), Northern Lights'' (1978) *''Piranha (1978 film), Piranha'' (1978) *''Rockers (1978 film), Rockers'' (1978) *''The Whole Shootin' Match'' (1978)Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids - Google Books (pg.49)
/ref> *''Asparagus (film), Asparagus'' (1979)Mad Eyed Misfits - Google Books
/ref> *''Bush Mama'' (1979) *''Heartland (1979 film), Heartland'' (1979)A Companion to American Indie Film - Google Books
/ref> *''Mad Max'' (1979)


1980s

*''Atlantic City (1980 film), Atlantic City'' (1980)≈ *''Friday the 13th'' (1980) *''The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter'' (1980)The Real Indies: A Close Look at Orpahn Films, Oscars.org (title: "Pioneering Women")
/ref>≈ *''Out of the Blue (1980 film), Out of the Blue'' (1980) *''Personal Problems'' (1980) *''Return of the Secaucus 7'' (1980)≈ *''The Decline of Western Civilization'' (1981)≈ *''The Evil Dead'' (1981) *''Mad Max 2, Mad Max: The Road Warrior'' (1981) *''Ms. 45'' (1981) *''My Dinner with Andre'' (1981) *''Polyester (film), Polyester'' (1981) *''Will (1981 film), Will'' (1981) *''Zoot Suit (film), Zoot Suit'' (1981)America on Film - Google Books (pg.158)
/ref>≈ *''The Atomic Cafe'' (1982)≈ *''The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez'' (1982)≈ *''Cane River (film), Cane River'' (1982) *''Chan Is Missing'' (1982)≈ *''Eating Raoul'' (1982)10 Films You Can’t Miss at Cinefamily’s Month-Long Homage to ’80s Indie Cinema - LAmag
/ref> *''First Blood'' (1982) *''Illusions (1982 film), Illusions'' (1982)≈ *''Liquid Sky'' (1982) *''Losing Ground (1982 film), Losing Ground'' (1982)≈ *''The Loveless'' (1982) *''Say Amen, Somebody'' (1982) *''The Secret of NIMH'' (1982)HOW THE SECRET OF NIMH PROVED DON BLUTH COULD BEAT DISNEY - Nerdist
/ref>
/ref> *''Smithereens (film), Smithereens'' (1982) *''Born In Flames'' (1983) *''El Norte (film), El Norte'' (1983)≈ *''Koyaanisqatsi'' (1983)≈ *''Lianna'' (1983) *''Local Hero (film), Local Hero'' (1983) *''My Brother's Wedding'' (1983) *''Seventeen (1983 film), Seventeen'' (1983) *''Style Wars'' (1983)An indie film lover's dream: Filmzie is an ode to movie buffs (and it's free) - CQ Australia
/ref> *''Suburbia (film), Suburbia'' (1983) *''Sundae in New York'' (1983) *''Variety (1983 film), Variety'' (1983) *''Another Country (1984 film), Another Country'' (1984) *''Bless Their Little Hearts'' (1984)≈ *''The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984) *''Choose Me'' (1984) *''Comfort and Joy (1984 film), Comfort and Joy'' (1984) *''The Element of Crime'' (1984) *''In Heaven There Is No Beer?'' (1984) *''The Killing Floor (1984 film), The Killing Floor'' (1984) *''Love Streams (film), Love Streams'' (1984) *''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984)≈ *''Paris, Texas (film), Paris, Texas'' (1984)The American Roadside in Émigré Literature, Film, and Photography 1955–1985 - Google Books (pg.157)
/ref> *''Repo Man (film), Repo Man'' (1984) *''Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984)Indie - Google Books
/ref> ≈ *''Streetwise (1984 film), Streetwise'' (1984) *''The Terminator'' (1984)Greatest Indie Movies of the 1980s - MovieWeb
/ref>≈ *''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984)≈ *''The Times of Harvey Milk'' (1984)≈ *''Wildrose (film), Wildrose'' (1984) *''Blood Simple'' (1985) History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 3) - Sundance Guiide
/ref> *''The Breakfast Club'' (1985)10 Indie Movies That Became Pop Culture Hits, Collider
/ref>≈ *''Day of the Dead'' (1985) *''Desert Hearts'' (1985) *''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985) *''Down by Law (film), Down By Law'' (1986)Tom Waits and John Lurie helped Jim Jarmusch perfect his indie cool, A.V. Club
/ref> *''Kiss of the Spider Woman (film), Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1985) *''Mala Noche'' (1985) *''Re-Animator'' (1985) *''Runaway Train (film), Runaway Train'' (1985) *''Smooth Talk'' (1985) *''Teen Wolf'' (1985) *''The Toxic Avenger (1984 film), The Toxic Avenger'' (1985) *''Trip to Bountiful'' (1985) *''Betty Blue'' (1986)Sundance - A Festival Virgin's Guide (3rd Edition) - Google Books (pgs.72-81)
/ref> *''Blue Velvet (film), Blue Velvet'' (1986) *''The Cosmic Eye'' (1986)BAM, Indie 80s
/ref> *''Hannah and Her Sisters'' (1986) *''Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986) *''Hoosiers (film), Hoosiers'' (1986)≈ *''Platoon (film), Platoon'' (1986)≈ *''Parting Glances'' (1986) *''A Room with a View (1985 film), A Room with a View'' (1986) *''Salvador (film), Salvador'' (1986) *''She's Gotta Have It'' (1986) ≈ *''Sherman's March (1986 film), Sherman's March'' (1986)≈ *''Sid and Nancy'' (1986) *''Something Wild (1986 film), Something Wild'' (1986) *''Stand By Me (film), Stand By Me'' (1986) *''Swimming to Cambodia'' (1986) *''True Stories (film), True Stories'' (1986) *''Working Girls (1986 film), Working Girls'' (1986) *''Bad Taste'' (1987) *''The Big Easy (film), The Big Easy'' (1987) *''Border Radio'' (1987)10 Great 1980s Indie Movies You May Have Never Seen - Taste of Cinema
/ref> *''The Brave Little Toaster'' (1987) *''Dirty Dancing'' (1987)An Accidental Experiment: Dirty Dancing (1987) and the convergence between Hollywood and American Independent Cinema, Goldsmiths, University of London
/ref> *''Evil Dead II'' (1987)The 50 Greatest American Independent Movies, Movies, Empire
/ref> *''Hollywood Shuffle'' (1987)12 '80s-Era Indie Films to Swap Out for Your Old School Favorites, IndieWire
/ref> *''House of Games'' (1987) *''Matewan'' (1987) *''Miami Connection'' (1987) *''Near Dark'' (1987) *''Pelle the Conqueror'' (1987) *''Raising Arizona'' (1987) *''River's Edge'' (1987)Reagan's bastard children: the lost teens of 1980s American indie films, Sight & Sound, BFI
/ref> *''Walker (film), Walker'' (1987) *''Your Face'' (1987) *''The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years'' (1988) *''Grave of the Fireflies'' (1988) *''Eight Men Out'' (1988) *''Hairspray (1988 film), Hairspray'' (1988)Hairspray (1988) 30th Anniversary, Oscars.org
/ref>≈ *''Heat and Sunlight'' (1988) *''Lady in White'' (1988) *''Let's Get Lost (1988 film), Let's Get Lost'' (1988)First 80s indie film fest shows movies that paved the way for the indie boom, Movies, The Guardian
/ref> *''The Moderns'' (1988) *''Powaqqatsi'' (1988) *''Running on Empty (1988 film), Running on Empty'' (1988) *''Salaam Bombay'' (1988) *''Stand and Deliver'' (1988)≈ *''The Thin Blue Line (1988 film), The Thin Blue Line'' (1988)≈ *''Torch Song Trilogy (film), Torch Song Trilogy'' (1988) *''Who Killed Vincent Chin'' (1988)≈ *''All Dogs Go to Heaven'' (1989) *''Chameleon Street'' (1989) *''Cinema Paradiso'' (1989) *''Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt'' (1989) *''The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover'' (1989) *''Creature Comforts'' (1989) *''Do the Right Thing'' (1989)50 Best '80s Movies to Watch Right Now, Time Out
/ref>≈ *''Drugstore Cowboy'' (1989) *''Heathers'' (1989) *''Henry V (1989 film), Henry V'' (1989) *''Longtime Companion'' (1989) *''My Left Foot'' (1989) *''Mystery Train (film), Mystery Train'' (1989) *''Roger & Me'' (1989) ≈ *''sex, lies and videotape'' (1989)Colin Marshall › Me on Battleship Pretension: a three-hour course on the nineties' "Indiewood" movement
/ref>Movie Musings... Indiewood - Impact Magazine
/ref> The 15 Best Miramax Films - Film School Rejects
/ref> Outsider Features - Google Books
/ref>≈ *''Sidewalk Stories'' (1989) *''Sweetie (1989 film), Sweetie'' (1989) *''True Love (1989 film), True Love'' (1989) *''The Unbelievable Truth (film), The Unbelievable Truth'' (1989)


1990s

*''All My Relations'' (1990) *''Days of Being Wild'' (1990) *''The Grifters (film), The Grifters'' (1990) *''House Party (1990 film), House Party'' (1990)Commentary: You're Remembering House Party All Wrong, News, BET
/ref>Movies You Probably Forgot Were Indies - SAGIndie
/ref>≈ *''Jacob's Ladder (1990 film), Jacob's Ladder'' (1990) *''Metropolitan (1990 film), Metropolitan'' (1990)10 great indie Christmas films, BFI
/ref> *''Miller's Crossing'' (1990) *''Mountains of the Moon (film), Mountains of the Moon'' (1990) *''Paris Is Burning (film), Paris Is Burning'' (1990)How the New Queer Cinema Shaped the '90s Indie Film Boom - Yahoo Finance
/ref>Indie, Inc. - Google Books
/ref>≈ *''Pump Up the Volume (film), Pump Up the Volume'' (1990) *''Sink or Swim (1990 film), Sink or Swim'' (1990)≈ *''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990 film), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (1990) *''Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!'' (1990) *''To Sleep with Anger'' (1990)Criterion Collection: To Sleep with Anger , Blu-Ray Review - IONCINEMA.com
/ref>To Sleep With Anger - Blueprint: Review
/ref>≈ *''Total Recall (1990 film), Total Recall'' (1990) *''Trust (1990 film), Trust'' (1990)25 Great 90s Movies That Time Forgot, Collider
/ref> *''Wild at Heart (film), Wild at Heart'' (1990) *''Barton Fink'' (1991) *''A Brighter Summer Day'' (1991) *''Daughters of the Dust'' (1991)≈ *''Dogfight (film), Dogfight'' (1991) *''Europa (1991 film), Europa'' (1991) *''Buzzco Associates, Fast Food Matador'' (1991) *''Homicide (1991 film), Homicide'' (1991) *''The Hours and Times'' (1991) *''L.A. Story'' (1991) *''Madonna: Truth or Dare, Truth or Dare'' (1991) *''Mississippi Masala'' (1991)History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 4) - Sundance Guiide
/ref> *''My Own Private Idaho'' (1991) *''Night on Earth'' (1991) *''Poison (1991 film), Poison'' (1991)The 10 Most Underrated American Independent Films of The 1990s – Taste of Cinema
/ref> *''Rambling Rose (film), Rambling Rose'' (1991)Cinema of Outsiders - Google Books
/ref> *''The Rapture (1991 film), The Rapture'' (1991) *''Rock-A-Doodle'' (1991) *''Slacker (film), Slacker'' (1991) ≈ *''Straight Out of Brooklyn'' (1991) *''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991) *''American Me'' (1992) *''Bad Lieutenant'' (1992)Top 50 Indie Movies You Need to See Before You Die, Complex
/ref> *''Basic Instinct'' (1992) *''Bob Roberts'' (1992) *''A Brief History of Time (film), A Brief History of Time'' (1992) *''The Crying Game'' (1992) *''Ferngully: The Last Rainforest'' (1992) *''Gas Food Lodging'' (1992) *''Glengarry Glen Ross (film), Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1992) *''In the Soup'' (1992) *''The Living End (film), The Living End'' (1992) *''Passion Fish'' (1992) *''The Player (1992 film), The Player'' (1992) *''Reservoir Dogs'' (1992) *''Simple Men'' (1992) *''Strictly Ballroom'' (1992) *''Swoon (film), Swoon'' (1992) *''The Tune'' (1992)Indie Animation King Bill Plympton, Animation Magazine
/ref> *''Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992) *''Dazed and Confused (film), Dazed and Confused'' (1993)The Cine-Files » Parker Posey: New York Flight
/ref> *''El Mariachi'' (1993)≈ *''Like Water for Chocolate (film), Like Water for Chocolate'' (1993) *''Menace II Society'' (1993) *''Mi Vida Loca'' (1993) *''Red Rock West'' (1993) *''Ruby in Paradise'' (1993) *''Short Cuts'' (1993) *''Suture (film), Suture'' (1993) *''The Wedding Banquet'' (1993) *''Clean, Shaven'' (1994) *''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994) ≈ *''Dumb and Dumber'' (1994) *''Exotica'' (1994) *''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994) *''Fresh (1994 film), Fresh'' (1994) *''Go Fish (film), Go Fish'' (1994) *''Heavenly Creatures'' (1994) *''Hoop Dreams'' (1994)Documentary, Performance and Risk - Google Books (ch.1 "Theorizing Documentary, Performance and Risk"; section: "American documentary and the rise of 'indie' doc")
/ref>Best. Movie. Year. Ever. - Google Books (chapter: "I'm scared to close my eyes, I'm scared to open them." ''The Blair Witch Project'')
/ref>≈ *''The Hudsucker Proxy'' (1994) *''I Like It Like That (film), I Like It Like That'' (1994) *''The Last Seduction'' (1994) *''Little Odessa (film), Little Odessa'' (1994)Chris Gore's Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, 4th Edition - Google Books (pg.222)
/ref> *''Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle'' (1994) *''Pulp Fiction'' (1994) ≈ *''Reality Bites'' (1994) *''River of Grass'' (1994) *''Serial Mom'' (1994) *''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994) *''Spanking the Monkey'' (1994) *''Thumbelina (1994 film), Thumbelina'' (1994) *''What Happened Was...'' (1994) *''Before Sunrise'' (1995) *''The Brothers McMullen'' (1995) *''Crumb (film), Crumb'' (1995) *''Dead Man'' (1995) *''Dead Man Walking (film), Dead Man Walking'' (1995) *''The Doom Generation'' (1995) *''Friday (1995 film), Friday'' (1995)5 Indie Films From The 90s That Are Way Underrated (& 5 That Are Overrated) - Screen Rant
/ref> *''Kicking and Screaming (1995 film), Kicking and Screaming'' (1995) *''Kids (film), Kids'' (1995) *''La Haine'' (1995) *''Leaving Las Vegas'' (1995) *''Living in Oblivion'' (1995)50 Best Indie Films, GameRadar+
/ref> *''The Pebble and the Penguin'' (1995) *''Safe (1995 film), Safe'' (1995)Life During Wartime - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
/ref> *''Seven (1995 film), Se7en'' (1995) *''Smoke (film), Smoke'' (1995) *''The Usual Suspects'' (1995) *''Basquiat (film), Basquiat'' (1996) *''Big Night'' (1996) *''Bottle Rocket'' (1996) *''Box of Moonlight'' (1996) *''Breaking the Waves'' (1996) *''Citizen Ruth'' (1996) *''The Daytrippers'' (1996) *''The English Patient'' (1996) *''Fargo (1996 film), Fargo'' (1996)≈ *''Flirting with Disaster (film), Flirting with Disaster'' (1996) *''Hard Eight (film), Hard Eight'' (1996) *''I Shot Andy Warhol'' (1996) *''Lone Star (1996 film), Lone Star'' (1996) *''Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie'' (1996) *''Schizopolis'' (1996) *''Secrets & Lies (film), Secrets & Lies'' (1996) *''Shine (film), Shine'' (1996) *''Sling Blade'' (1996) The Cinema of Wes Anderson - Bringing Nostalgia to Life - Google Books (Chapter Two - "Wes Anderson: His Position in Cinema and Culture")
/ref> *''The Spitfire Grill'' (1996) *''Swingers (1996 film), Swingers'' (1996)History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 5) - Sundance Guiide
/ref> *''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) *''Trees Lounge'' (1996) *''Waiting for Guffman'' (1996) *''Walking and Talking'' (1996) *''The Watermelon Woman'' (1996)≈ *''Welcome to the Dollhouse'' (1996)The 10 Most Underrated American Independent Films of The 1990s - Page 2 - Taste of Cinema
/ref> * ''When We Were Kings'' (1996) * ''The Apostle'' (1997) * ''Chasing Amy'' (1997) * ''Cop Land'' (1997) * ''Cube (1997 film), Cube'' (1997) * ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997)≈ * ''The Full Monty'' (1997) * ''Good Will Hunting'' (1997) *''Grosse Pointe Blank'' (1997) *''Gummo'' (1997) *''Henry Fool'' (1997) *''I Married a Strange Person'' (1997) *''In the Company of Men'' (1997) *''Jackie Brown'' (1997) *''Lost Highway (film), Lost Highway'' (1997) *''Love Jones (film), Love Jones'' (1997) *''The Sweet Hereafter (film), The Sweet Hereafter'' (1997) *''Ulee's Gold'' (1997) *''American History X'' (1998) *''The Big Lebowski'' (1998)≈ *''Boogie Nights'' (1998)Ranking Paul Thomas Anderson's films from worst to best, Far Out Magazine
/ref> *''Buffalo 66'' (1998) *''Following (film), Following'' (1998) *''Gods and Monsters (film), Gods and Monsters'' (1998) *''Happiness (1998 film), Happiness'' (1998) *''Happy Together (1997 film), Happy Together'' (1998) *''High Art'' (1998) *''Life is Beautiful'' (1998) *''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' (1998) *''New Rose Hotel'' (1998) *''The Opposite of Sex'' (1998) *''Next Stop Wonderland'' (1998) *''Pi (film), Pi'' (1998) *''Rushmore (film), Rushmore'' (1998)≈ *''Run Lola Run'' (1998) *''Shakespeare in Love'' (1998)Oscar nominations see shift away from major Hollywood studios - News - University of Liverpool
/ref> *''Slam (1998 film), Slam'' (1998) *''Smoke Signals (film), Smoke Signals'' (1998)≈ *''The Spanish Prisoner'' (1998) *''Velvet Goldmine'' (1998) *''American Beauty (1999 film), American Beauty'' (1999)Going Mainstream - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
/ref> *''American Movie'' (1999)Not Hollywood - Google Books
/ref>John Pierson Interview On American Indies and IFC's 'Split Screen', IndieWire
/ref> *''Being John Malkovich'' (1999) *''The Blair Witch Project'' (1999) *''The Boondock Saints'' (1999) *''Boys Don't Cry (1999 film), Boys Don't Cry'' (1999)≈ *''Buena Vista Social Club (film), Buena Vista Social Club'' (1999)≈ *''Cruel Intentions'' (1999) *''Dogma (film), Dogma'' (1999) *''Election (1999 film), Election'' (1999) *''Fight Club (film), Fight Club'' (1999) *''Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai'' (1999) *''Julien Donkey-Boy'' (1999) *''Magnolia (film), Magnolia'' (1999)The sounds of sincerity, 2, Hearing post-irony in Indiewood film, Timothy B. Cochran on Taylor & Francis eBooks, Reference Books and Collections
/ref> *''The Sixth Sense'' (1999) *''Star Wars: The Phantom Menace'' (1999) *''The Straight Story'' (1999) *''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' (1999) *''Three Kings'' (1999) *''The Virgin Suicides'' (1999) *''When the Day Breaks'' (1999)


2000s

*''Almost Famous'' (2000)± *''American Psycho (film), American Psycho'' (2000) *''Best in Show (film), Best in Show'' (2000) *''Chuck & Buck'' (2000) *''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' (2000)± *''Finding Forrester'' (2000)The best films of the '00s, The A.V. Club
/ref> *''George Washington (film), George Washington'' (2000)The 25 Essential American Indie Films, 1988-2013 - Flavorwire
/ref> *''Girlfight'' (2000) *''In the Mood for Love'' (2000)± *''Memento (film), Memento'' (2000)≈± *''Nurse Betty'' (2000) *''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' (2000) *''Pitch Black (film), Pitch Black'' (2000) *''Rejected'' (2000) *''Requiem for a Dream'' (2000)± *''State and Main'' (2000) *''Traffic (2000 film), Traffic'' (2000) *''The Yards'' (2000) *''You Can Count on Me'' (2000) *''Amelie'' (2001)± *''Donnie Darko'' (2001) *''Ghost World (film), Ghost World'' (2001)Vinyl Noise and Narrative in CD-Era Indiewood - Indy Vinyl
/ref> *''Gosford Park'' (2001) *''Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film), Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' (2001)The Best of 2001 - Rolling Stone
/ref> *''In the Bedroom'' (2001) *''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (film), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001)≈ *''The Man Who Wasn't There (2001 film), The Man Who Wasn't There'' (2001) *''Millennium Actress'' (2001) *''Monsoon Wedding'' (2001) *''Monster's Ball'' (2001) *''Mulholland Drive (film), Mulholland Drive'' (2001)± *''The Royal Tenenbaums'' (2001)± *''Sexy Beast'' (2001) *''Spirited Away'' (2001) *''Waking Life'' (2001) *''Y Tu Mama Tambien'' (2001) *''Adaptation (film), Adaptation'' (2002)The Best Indie Movies of All-Time - A Good Movie To Watch
/ref> *''Antwone Fisher'' (2002) *''Bend It Like Beckham'' (2002) *''Bowling for Columbine'' (2002) *''Chicago (2002 film), Chicago'' (2002) *''City of God (2002 film), City of God'' (2002)± *''Far from Heaven'' (2002)± *''Funny Ha Ha'' (2002) *''Gangs of New York'' (2002) *''Gerry (2002 film), Gerry'' (2002) *''Hero (2002 film), Hero'' (2002) *''Laurel Canyon (film), Laurel Canyon'' (2002) *''The Magdalene Sisters'' (2002) *''Mt. Head'' (2002) *''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' (2002) *''Naqoyqatsi'' (2002) *''Personal Velocity'' (2002) *''The Pianist (2002 film), The Pianist'' (2002)± *''Punch-Drunk Love'' (2002) *''Real Women Have Curves'' (2002)≈ *''Roger Dodger (film), Roger Dodger'' (2002) *''Secretary (2002 film), Secretary'' (2002) *''Solaris (2002 film), Solaris'' (2002) *''Spellbound (2002 film), Spellbound'' (2002) *''25th Hour'' (2002)± *''28 Days Later'' (2002) *''Whale Rider'' (2002) *''Winged Migration'' (2002) *''American Splendor (film), American Splendor'' (2003) *''Capturing the Friedmans'' (2003) *''Coffee and Cigarettes'' (2003) *''Cold Mountain (film), Cold Mountain'' (2003) *''The Cooler'' (2003) *''Elephant (2003 film), Elephant'' (2003) *''The Fog of War'' (2003)≈ *''Girl with a Pearl Earring (film), Girl with a Pearl Earring'' (2003) *''Good Bye, Lenin!'' (2003) *''Harvie Krumpet'' (2003)Amazon.com: Mad Eyed Misfits: Writings on Indie Animation
/ref> *''In America (film), In America'' (2003) *''Kill Bill Volume 1'' (2003) *''Lost in Translation (film), Lost in Translation'' (2003) ± *''Monster (2003 film), Monster'' (2003) *''Open Water (film), Open Water'' (2003) *''The Room'' (2003) *''The Saddest Music in the World'' (2003) *''Shattered Glass (film), Shattered Glass'' (2003) *''The Station Agent'' (2003)The 50 Best Indie Movies of All-Time - A Good Movie To Watch
/ref> *''Tarnation (2003 film), Taranation'' (2003) *''Thirteen (2003 film), Thirteen'' (2003) *''Touching the Void (film), Touching the Void'' (2003) *''The Triplets of Belleville'' (2003) *''21 Grams'' (2003) *''The Aviator (2004 film), The Aviator'' (2004) *''Baadasssss!'' (2004) *''Before Sunset'' (2004)± *''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (2004)± *''Fahrenheit 9/11'' (2004) *''Garden State (film), Garden State'' (2004)Film Sequels: Theory and Practice from Hollywood to Bollywood - Google Books (ch."Adventures in Indiewood")
/ref> *''Keane (film), Keane'' (2004) *''Kung Fu Hustle'' (2004) *''The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'' (2004) *''Maria Full of Grace'' (2004) *''Mean Creek'' (2004)10 Great Indie Movies You May Have Missed - Page 4 - Taste of Cinema
/ref> *''Mind Game (film), Mind Game'' (2004) *''The Motorcycle Diaries (film), The Motorcycle Diaries'' (2004)The 50 Best Indie Movies of All-Time - A Good Movie To Watch
/ref> *''Napoleon Dynamite'' (2004)A Brief History of the Sundance Film Festival - TIME
/ref> *''Palindromes (film), Palindromes'' (2004) *''The Passion of the Christ'' (2004)'Major minis' blur line between mainstream and independent - Herald Tribune
/ref> *''Primer (film), Primer'' (2004) *''Saw (2004 film), Saw'' (2004) *''Sideways'' (2004)CNN.com - Independent films move into spotlight - Aug 9, 2005
/ref> *''Silver City (2004 film), Silver City'' (2004) *''Super Size Me'' (2004) *''2046'' (2004) *''Take Out (2004 film), Take Out'' (2004) *''A Very Long Engagement'' (2004) *''We Don't Live Here Anymore'' (2004) *''The Aristocrats'' (2005) *''Brick (film), Brick'' (2005)History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 6) - Sundance Guiide
/ref> *''Brokeback Mountain'' (2005)≈± *''Capote (film), Capote'' (2005) *''Corpse Bride'' (2005) *''Crash (2005 film), Crash'' (2005) *''Diary of a Mad Black Woman'' (2005) *''Good Night and Good Luck'' (2005)Hollywood's Indies - Google Books (ch. "Indiewood")
/ref> *''Hard Candy (film), Hard Candy'' (2005) *''Hoodwinked'' (2005) *''Hostel (2005 film), Hostel'' (2005) *''Hustle & Flow'' (2005) *''Man Push Cart'' (2005) *''March of the Penguins'' (2005) *''Me and You and Everyone We Know'' (2005) *''Mutual Appreciation'' (2005) *''The Notorious Betty Page'' (2005) *''Pride & Prejudice (2005 film), Pride & Prejudice'' (2005) *''The Puffy Chair'' (2005) *''The Squid and the Whale'' (2005)10 Great Indie Movies You May Have Missed - Page 5 - Taste of Cinema
/ref> *''Syriana'' (2005) *''The World's Fastest Indian'' (2005) *''Babel (2006 film), Babel'' (2006) *''Barnyard (film), Barnyard'' (2006) *''Bobby (2006 film), Bobby'' (2006) *''Facing the Giants'' (2006)Fusion of faith and football fails in 'Giants' - Orlando Sentinel
/ref>Christian Movies: Why Faith-Based Films Hurt Religion - Thrillist
/ref> *''For Your Consideration (film), For Your Consideration'' (2006) *''Friends with Money'' (2006) *''Half Nelson (film), Half Nelson'' (2006) *''An Inconvenient Truth'' (2006) *''Iraq in Fragments'' (2006) *''Inland Empire'' (2006) *''Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple'' (2006) *''Jesus Camp'' (2006) *''Little Children (film), Little Children'' (2006) *''Little Miss Sunshine'' (2006)Hurray for Indiewood!, Salon.com
/ref>Away We Go with the Films of Sam Mendes - That Shelf
/ref> *''The Lives of Others'' (2006)± *''Marie Antoinette (2006 film), Marie Antoinette'' (2006) *''Nacho Libre'' (2006) *''The Namesake (film), The Namesake'' (2006) *''Old Joy'' (2006)US Independent Film After 1989 - Google Books
/ref> *''The Painted Veil (2006 film), The Painted Veil'' (2006) *''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006)± *''Paprika (2006 film), Paprika'' (2006) *''A Prairie Home Companion (film), A Prairie Home Companion'' (2006) *''The Queen (2006 film), The Queen'' (2006) *''Quinceañera (film), Quinceañera'' (2006)History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 7) - Sundance Film Festival
/ref> *''A Scanner Darkly (film), A Scanner Darkly'' (2006) *''Southland Tales'' (2006) *''Thank You for Smoking'' (2006) *''Volver'' (2006) *''Atonement'' (2007) *''Control (2007 film), Control'' (2007) *''The Darjeeling Limited'' (2007) *''The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'' (2007)± *''Eagle vs. Shark'' (2007) *''Eastern Promises'' (2007) *''I'm Not There'' (2007) *''In Bruges'' (2007) *''In the Valley of Elah'' (2007) *''Juno (film), Juno'' (2007)iW BOT , The Golden Child: "Juno" Makes Fox Searchlight the 2007 Market-Share Leader, Lures Young Ad, Indiewire
/ref> *''Lars and the Real Girl'' (2007) *''La Vie en rose (film), Le Vie en rose'' (2007) *''Margot at the Wedding'' (2007) *''A Mighty Heart'' (2007) *''No Country for Old Men'' (2007)± *''No End in Sight'' (2007) *''Once (film), Once'' (2007) *''Paranormal Activity'' (2007) *''Persepolis (film), Persepolis'' (2007) *''The Savages (film), The Savages'' (2007) *''Sicko'' (2007) *''Sunshine (2007 film), Sunshine'' (2007) *''There Will Be Blood'' (2007)± *''Waitress (2007 film), Waitress'' (2007) *''The Visitor (2007 feature film), The Visitor'' (2007) *''American Teen (film), American Teen'' (2008) *''Baghead'' (2008) *''Be Kind Rewind'' (2008) *''Fireproof (2008 film), Fireproof'' (2008)Former teen idol stars in religious 'Fireproof,' 2008's highest-grossing indie film - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
/ref> *''Frozen River'' (2008) *''In Search of a Midnight Kiss'' (2008) *''Man on Wire'' (2008) *''Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) *''Rachel Getting Married'' (2008) *''Sita Sings the Blues'' (2008)9 Essential Animated Indie Movies, IndieWire
/ref> *''Slumdog Millionaire'' (2008) *''Son of Rambow'' (2008) *''Synecdoche, New York'' (2008)Indie: An American Film Culture on JSTOR
/ref>± *''Twilight (2008 film), Twilight'' (2008) *''Tyson (2008 film), Tyson'' (2008) *''Wendy and Lucy'' (2008) *''The Wrestler (2008 film), The Wrestler'' (2008) *''Adventureland (film), Adventureland'' (2009) *''Away We Go'' (2009) *''Antichrist (film), Antichrist'' (2009) *''Coraline (film), Coraline'' (2009) *''The Cove (2009 film), The Cove'' (2009) *''Enter the Void'' (2009) *''Fantastic Mr. Fox (film), Fantastic Mr. Fox'' (2009)On the Borders: Children's Horror and Indiewood Animation, Contemporary Hollywood Animation: Style, Storytelling, Culture and Ideology Since the 1990s, Oxford Academic (Pages 144–177)
/ref> *''500 Days of Summer'' (2009) *''The Hurt Locker'' (2009)≈± *''Inglourious Basterds'' (2009)± *''Mary & Max'' (2009)The 50 Best Indie Movies of All-Time - A Good Movie To Watch
/ref> *''Moon (2009 film), Moon'' (2009) *''Precious (film), Precious'' (2009) *''Revolutionary Road (film), Revolutionry Road'' (2009) *''The Secret of Kells'' (2009) *''A Serious Man'' (2009)± *''
A Single Man ''A Single Man'' is a 2009 American period romantic drama film based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. The directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford, the film stars Colin Firth, who was nominated for the Acad ...
'' (2009) *''Sin Nombre (2009 film), Sin Nombre'' (2009) *''Trash Humpers'' (2009)10 Great Indie Movies You May Have Missed - Taste of Cinema
/ref> *''The White Ribbon'' (2009)±


2010s

*''Beginners'' (2010) *''Beyond the Black Rainbow'' (2010) *''Black Swan (film), Black Swan'' (2010) *''Blue Valentine (film), Blue Valentine'' (2010) *''Catfish (film), Catfish'' (2010) *''A Cat in Paris'' (2010) *''Greenberg (film), Greenberg'' (2010) *''Incendies (2010) *''The Illusionist (2010 film), The Illusionist'' (2010)10 Great Inde Movies You May Have Missed - Page 3 - Taste of Cinema
/ref> *''Inside Job (2010 film), Inside Job'' (2010) *''The Kids Are All Right (film), The Kids Are All Right'' (2010) *''The King's Speech'' (2010) *''Meek's Cutoff (film), Meek's Cutoff'' (2010) *''Winter's Bone'' (2010)Rural Crimewave - A Companion to American Indie Film - Wiley Online Library
/ref> *''The Artist (film), The Artist'' (2011) *''Chico & Rita'' (2011) *''The Color Wheel'' (2011) *''Damsels in Distress (film), Damsels in Distress'' (2011) *''The Descendants (2011 film), The Descendants'' (2011) *''Drive (2011 film), Drive'' (2011) *''The Future (film), The Future'' (2011) *''Martha Marcy May Marlene'' (2011) *''Pariah (2011 film), Pariah'' (2011)Focus Features Sets Indie 'Pariah' for Christmas Day Limited Release, FirstShowing.net
/ref>Pariah Wins Acceptance In Indie Film World - Wall Street Journal
/ref>≈ *''Project Nim'' (2011) *''Take Shelter'' (2011)Review: 'Take Shelter' A Naturalistic, Novelistic Portrayal Of Madness & Apocalypse, IndieWire
/ref> *''The Tree of Life (film), The Tree of Life'' (2011)± *''We Need to Talk About Kevin'' (2011) *''Young Adult (film), Young Adult'' (2011) *''Amour (2012 film), Amour'' (2012) *''Beasts of the Southern Wild'' (2012) *''Frances Ha'' (2012) *''Fresh Guacamole'' (2012)Top 50 Most-Viewed Indie Animated Shorts On Youtube, Cartoon Brew
/ref> *''Holy Motors'' (2012)± *''It's Such a Beautiful Day'' (2012) *''The Master (2012 film), The Master'' (2012)± *''Middle of Nowhere (2012 film), Middle of Nowhere'' (2012)Will whites see a black indie film like "Middle of Nowhere"?, Salon.com
/ref> *''Paranorman'' (2012) *''The Place Beyond the Pines'' (2012) *''Spring Breakers'' (2012)± *''Stories We Tell'' (2012)± *''Before Midnight'' (2013) *''Blue Is the Warmest Colour'' (2013)± *''Dallas Buyers Club'' (2013) *''Fruitvale Station'' (2013)History of the Sundance Film Festival (Part 8) - Sundance Film Festival
/ref> *''Moonrise Kingdom'' (2013)± *''Nebraska (film), Nebraska'' (2013) *''Nymphomaniac (film), Nymphomaniac'' (2013) *''Only God Forgives'' (2013) *''Philomena'' (2013) *''Short Term 12'' (2013) *''12 Years a Slave (film), 12 Years a Slave'' (2013)± *''The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 film), The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013)± *''Birdman (film), Birdman'' (2014) *''The Boxtrolls'' (2014) *''Boyhood (2014 film), Boyhood'' (2014)± *''Ex Machina (film), Ex Machina'' (2014) *''Foxcatcher'' (2014) *''Grand Budapest Hotel'' (2014)± *''The Imitation Game'' (2014)Viewpoint: Victory for 'indiewood' at the Oscars?
/ref> *''Listen Up Philip'' (2014) *''Nightcrawler (film), Nightcrawler'' (2014) *''Song of the Sea (2014 film), Song of the Sea'' (2014) *''Still Alice'' (2014) *''The Theory of Everything (2014 film), The Theory of Everything'' (2014) *''Whiplash (2014 film), Whiplash'' (2014) *''Anomalisa'' (2015) *''Beasts of No Nation'' (2015) *''Carol (2015 film), Carol'' (2015) *''Dope (2015 film), Dope'' (2015) *''It Follows'' (2015) *''The Lobster (film), The Lobster'' (2015) *''Me and Earl and the Dying Girl'' (2015) *''Prologue (2015 film), Prologue'' (2015) *''Shaun the Sheep Movie'' (2015) *''Spotlight (2015 film), Spotlight'' (2015)± *''Tangerine (film), Tangerine'' (2015)Why Tangerine is the best Christmas movie that's not really about Christmas, EW.com
/ref> *''We Can't Live Without Cosmos'' (2015) *''The VVitch'' (2015) *''World of Tomorrow (film), World of Tomorrow'' (2015)The best indie animation of 2015, Sight & Sound, BFI
/ref> *''American Honey (film), American Honey'' (2016) *''Blind Vaysha'' (2016) *''Fences (film), Fences'' (2016) *''The Handmaiden'' (2016) *''Hunt for the Wilderpeople'' (2016) *''I, Daniel Blake'' (2016) *''La La Land'' (2016) *''Manchester by the Sea (film), Manchester by the Sea'' (2016) *''Moonlight (2016 film), Moonlight'' (2016)Simon Says: The Marketing of a Mass-Released LGBTQ Film - Playback
/ref>Academy Award nominations 2020: The return of the "quality" Hollywood studio film - News - University of Liverpool
/ref>The best A24 films to date, EW.com
/ref> *''My Life as a Zucchini'' (2016) *''Paterson (film), Paterson'' (2016) *''Swiss Army Man'' (2016) *''20th Century Women'' (2016)BUFS Behind-the-Scenes – Brock University (Communication, Popular Culture and Film)
/ref> *''Weiner (film), Weiner'' (2016) *''The Big Sick'' (2017) *''Call Me by Your Name (film), Call Me By Your Name'' (2017) *''The Disaster Artist'' (2017) *''First Reformed'' (2017) *''The Florida Project'' (2017) *''Get Out'' (2017)Indie Movies, Explained: What is an Independent Film? - MovieWeb
/ref> *''Good Time (film), Good Time'' (2017) *''I, Tonya'' (2017)'I, Tonya', Other Awards Contenders Keep Indie Box Office Alive Against 'Star Wars', The Wrap
/ref>
/ref> *''Lady Bird (film), Lady Bird'' (2017) *''Loving Vincent'' (2017) *''Phantom Thread'' (2017) *''The Shape of Water'' (2017) *''Eighth Grade (film), Eighth Grade'' (2018) *''The Favourite'' (2018) *''Hereditary (film), Hereditary'' (2018) *''Isle of Dogs (film), Isle of Dogs'' (2018) *''The Last Black Man in San Francisco'' (2018) *''The Rider (film), The Rider'' (2018)The Rider: Exclusive trailer for new western hailed best indie of the year, The Independent
/ref> *''Waves (film), Waves'' (2018) *''Whitney (2018 film), Whitney'' (2018) *''The Farewell (2019 film), The Farewell'' (2019) *''First Cow'' (2019) *''I Lost My Body'' (2019) *''Jojo Rabbit'' (2019) *''Klaus (film), Klaus'' (2019) *''Les Misérables (2019 film), Les Misérables'' (2019) *''The Lighthouse (2019 film), The Lighthouse'' (2019) *''Pain and Glory'' (2019) *''Parasite (2019 film), Parasite'' (2019) *''The Peanut Butter Falcon'' (2019)The 50 Best Indie Movies of All-Time - A Good Movie To Watch
/ref> *''Uncut Gems'' (2019)


2020s

*''Cryptozoo'' (2020) *''Kajillionaire'' (2020) *''Minari (film), Minari'' (2020) *''Nomadland (film), Nomadland'' (2020)Indie Focus: On the road with Frances McDormand in ‘Nomadland’ - Los Angeles Times
/ref> *''Wolfwalkers'' (2020)Annie Awards Indie Feature Noms Offer a Diversity of Themes and Styles, Animation World Network
/ref> *''Zola (film), Zola'' (2020) *''CODA (2021 film), CODA'' (2021)Sundance 2021: Coda, One For The Road, and Censor, AV Club
/ref>16 Best Indie Movies To Watch On Amazon, A Good Movie To Watch
/ref> *''Flee (film), Flee'' (2021)Animation Legend Bill Plympton on How Pixar Has Fostered a Current 'Second Golden Age of Animation', IndieWire
/ref> *''Jockey (film), Jockey'' (2021) *''Red Rocket (film), Red Rocket'' (2021) *''Summer of Soul'' (2021) *''Everything Everywhere All At Once'' (2022)A24's 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Hits Box Office Milestone - Variety
/ref>Indie Film Crush, Ahead Of 'Avatar' & Year End, Puts Arthouse Woes On Back Burner – Specialty Preview - Deadline
/ref> *''Fire of Love (2022 film), Fire of Love'' (2022) *''The Flying Sailor'' (2022) *''Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021 film), Marcel the Shell with Shoes On'' (2022)A brief, and somewhat shocking, history of adult animation, The A.V. Club
/ref> *''Tár'' (2022) *''Triangle of Sadness'' (2022) *''The Whale (2022 film), The Whale'' (2022)The Whale Crosses $10 Million at Box Office, Brendan Fraser Hit - Variety
/ref>


Notes

*≈ indicates a National Film Registry inductee *± indicates a film selected for the BBC's 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century


See also

*L.A. Rebellion *Peak TV *American Eccentric Cinema *New Hollywood *Postmodernist film, Postmodernist and modernist film *Oscar bait *Arthouse animation *Cinephilia *No wave cinema *Sundance Film Festival *Minimalist film, Minimalist and maximalist film, maximalist cinema *Vulgar auteurism *Sleeper hit *European art cinema *Independent Spirit Awards *Mumblecore *Arthouse action film *Slamdance Film Festival *Arthouse science fiction film *Arthouse musical *Independent animation *Midnight film


References


External links


Indiewood Finally Figures Out That Their Movies Are Depressing on Vulture

Indie, Inc. on Project MUSE

10 Indies We Love Archives on Film Independent

The 20 Best Indie Animation Features of the 2010s on Zippy Frames

The Real Indies: A Close Look at Orphan Films at Oscars.org

American Indies on MUBI

BAM's Indie 80s trailer on Vimeo

"The Edge of Hollywood" episode of ''American Cinema'' on Annenberg Learner

Low-Budget, Independent Films, 1981 – Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews

Know Your Indie Filmmaker Archives on Cartoon Brew


Bibliography

* ''Spike, Mike, Slackers, & Dykes: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema'', John Pierson (filmmaker), John Pierson * ''A Killer Life'', Christine Vachon * ''Down & Dirty Pictures'', Peter Biskind *
Indie: An American Film Culture
', Michael Z. Newman Ph.D. *
American Independent Cinema
', Geoff King {{film genres Film genres particular to the United States 1920s in film 1930s in film 1940s in film 1950s in film 1960s in film 1970s in film 1980s in film 1990s in film 2000s in film 2010s in film 2020s in film 1920s in American cinema 1930s in American cinema 1940s in American cinema 1950s in American cinema 1960s in American cinema 1970s in American cinema 1980s in American cinema 1990s in American cinema 2000s in American cinema 2010s in American cinema 2020s in American cinema 1950s in animation 1960s in animation 1970s in animation 1980s in animation 1990s in animation 2000s in animation 2010s in animation 2020s in animation Postmodern art Documentary film styles Modern art