21st century independent filmmakers and the global economic downturn
Independent films in the 21st century radiate an aura of artistic creativity and innovation. We witness this through their focus on themes including the economy, human condition, socio-political factors and cultural diversity. The tools, art and craft of the new independent breed of filmmakers include screenplays, performance styles, visual design, technological advances in cinematography and special effects.
The early years of independent filmmakers
Many agree that independent filmmakers initially burst onto the movie scene and came of age in the 1960s and 1970s. They aimed their “counter-culture” films at young audiences engaged in the American social revolution. Films such as Dennis Hopper’s “Easy Rider” (1969) and George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” (1973) were responses to a commercial Hollywood film industry and a culture in search of a new identity. This new breed of independent filmmakers included those who became known as the movie brats. These filmmakers went to film schools rather than ascending through the ranks of the old Hollywood system.
The independent filmmakers of the 21st century have set out to continue the legacy of these early independent film pioneers. They have reacted to the waning independent film output of the 1980s and 1990s—often referred to as the stylistic era of the new Hollywood. These film artists were weaned on 9-11, the Iraq War and the catastrophic global economic downturn. And they have continued to create a wide range of new and diverse films with screenings nurtured throughout the network of independent film festivals across the United States.
Economic themes in film
Following the burst of the dot-com bubble in the late 1990s, we now find the global reach of the current economic downturn. In certain college/university settings we find focus upon the analysis of economic and other themes and content that may be central to the world condition. While some may focus upon the economic implications and subtleties of the 2008 Academy Award nominees and winners, of particular note is “There Will Be Blood” (2007). This film was loosely based on “Oil,” Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel. It was directed, written and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson and starred Daniel Day-Lewis. The film centered on the depleted economic resources, as well as the supply and demand of land, silver and oil as the screenplay dealt with economic growth and the development of human capital through education.
Wealth, consumption and entrepreneurship were themes within the film “Atonement” (2007) set in Britain. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by Ian McEwan and opened the 64th Annual Venice Film Festival. Rationing which grows out of shortages, the budget expenditures of the government on the war effort and the impact of these economic factors on the workforce also reflect how the film acted as a snapshot of economics in “Atonement.”
Themes dealing with the world’s economics are evident not only in American films but also in foreign films such as “Un Dia de Suerte” (A Lucky Day). This 2002 Argentinean film was a docudrama of the economic turmoil and unemployment among youth in Argentina from 1999 to 2002. The film’s economic focus targeted the skyrocketing poverty rate in Argentina in 2002.
The independent film festival
The popularity of independent filmmaking has reached new highs with ongoing festivals throughout the United States and around the world. Some of the most well-known include the Sundance Film Festival created by Robert Redford, Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Film Festival, as well as Michigan’s Traverse City Film Festival featuring the work of controversial filmmaker Michael Moore.
For the independent filmmaker of 2009 and the next decade of the 21st century, opportunities continue to flourish. Today’s independent filmmakers hold mirrors up to our world for us to reflect upon: the economic global downturn and prospective resurgence of the world economy, global diversity, cultural synergy and the essential greening of the world community.
It is through their creative art form that we shall have the opportunity to increase our understanding and appreciation of the value of the human condition so critically impacted by the economic factors we face. For independent filmmakers, their use of metaphor and symbol for significant themes such as the global economic downturn, socio-political events and the relationships of individuals continue to provide the substance of their screenplays. We can continue to anticipate finding these and other seminal themes in the films of independent filmmakers in screening rooms and movie theaters in the years to come.
