Letterboxd — Your life in film

Film Independent President talks to actor, writer, filmmaker B.J. Novak about his feature directorial debut, the Texas-set comedy thriller 'Vengeance'.

In the decade before Star Wars’ release, Hollywood had trended toward using pre-existing songs as soundtrack rather than original orchestral arrangements. Paul Simon’s songs in The Graduate (1967) and the Burt Bacharach/Hal David songs in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (1969) are just two examples. And in 1977, electronic and experimental music sometimes took the place of traditional orchestration as well.

Whatever your feelings about the year so far, it's fair to say that 2022 has thus far been a whirlwind. If fact, as adults for whom time is increasingly becoming an abstract concept at best, we're contractually obligated to exclaim "I can't believe it's almost August already!" There, now that's out of the way we'd like to bring your attention to this list of great Q&A's, all part of our ongoing Film Independent Presents series of virtual and in-person screenings.

With her work in the Twilight franchise now safely confined the juvenilia wing of the Kristen Stewart archives, cineastes today are far more likely to associate the actor’s name with a long string of critically acclaimed art house favorites. From teenage rockers to iconic royalty, the 31-year-old performer has been breathing life into complex—and frequently marginalized—characters for two decades, going all the way back to her arresting turn alongside Jodie Foster in David Fincher’s 2002 thriller, Panic Room. As the kids would say,…

Juliette Binoche’s long and illustrious acting career has seen her take on a wide array of roles—from mystical chocolatier, to aging theater diva, to interstellar fertility expert. But until now exactly zero of these roles have been as truck driver on the run from the FBI.

Film Independent Presents a Q&A with 'Don’t Make Me Go' director Hannah Marks and actors John Cho and Mia Isaac, moderated by Josh Welsh (President, Film Independent).

Film Independent Senior Programmer Jenn Wilson talks to Scott Derrickson (Dr. Strange, Sinister) about his superchilling new horror film, Blumhouse's THE BLACK PHONE, starring Ethan Hawke.

Do you want to purse a career writing for film or TV? Well, whether you’re just starting out and looking to jump right in or have been knocking on doors and typing away in Final Draft for years, there’s still a lot to learn about how to actually forge a career writing for film, TV or new media. But here’s a good first step: take into consideration the insights of industry professionals who have had to answer the same questions…

In case you didn’t know, applications for the 2023 Film Independent Screenwriting Lab open up tomorrow, Tuesday, July 19. The deadline for non-Members to apply is September 1, while Film Independent Members have until September 14.

Through Project Involve, Wang completed the short film Touch, whose themes of cultural disconnect and familial regret would resurface in The Farewell. Wang credits the film with helping lay the foundation of this year’s breakthrough success, with The Farewell well situated for a strong awards season run. Over dim sum at a Culver City restaurant in the midst of a busy industry reception, we sat down with Wang to get her thoughts on her time in Project Involve, growing as an artist and the…

The important thing to realize is that in the film industry “who you know” doesn’t just mean some distant figure of importance who you just happen to come across. Who you know means who you actually know: the people you share history with, who trust you and are eager to engage with and empower your talent.

It sometimes feels like there’s a divide between filmmakers and sound professionals. There are millions of decisions made from development to picture lock, and the sound team is rarely consulted on any of them–especially on indie films with limited resources. We’re living in a new golden age of indie cinema right now, and with so much exposure and attention there must be a way to incorporate the sound team into the key crew to build that trust, so that together…

While we take time to tout rookie Fi Fiscal Sponsorship projects (and encourage your support of them!) in each month’s Fiscal Spotlight column, you may be wondering how some of that column’s previous subjects have been progressing. So! We’re introducing a regular blog feature, FiSpo Updates, to highlight some of the recent special achievements of projects that are part of the program.

Film Independent Senior Programmer Jenn Wilson talks to the creators of the cutest A24 movie ever, 'Marcel the Shell with Shoes On' -- director Dean Fleischer Camp, cowriter Nick Paley and animation director Kirsten Lepore.

For this week’s playlist, we’re celebrating Pride Month and Black Lives Matter by spotlighting nine of our favorite Black LGBTQ content creators. There’s plenty of stuff to dig into, so let’s go ahead and get started, shall we?

Each year, the Film Independent Spirit Awards give the Someone to Watch Award to an emerging filmmaker of singular vision. In this column, film critic David Bax revisits some of the grant’s recipients to see how their work and careers have continued to develop. This week: "mumblecore" pioneer Andrew Bujalski.

With a career spanning 25 years, music supervisor Matt Biffa is a specialist in source music research and copyright clearance. His projects include Sex Education, I May Destroy You, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Paddington, Carol, The End of the F**king World and, most recently, the HBO Max comedy series Hacks.