Contemporary American Independent Film: From the Margins to the Mainstream

Since the explosion in low-budget filmmaking in the 1960s, the "independent" film scene has produced some of the most innovative and successful films of recent years, such as Easy Rider and The Blair Witch Project. But how independent is independent cinema today? And what are the artistic and economic concerns that separate it from Hollywood?

Contemporary American Independent Film is a comprehensive examination of the independent film scene. Exploring the uneasy relationship between independent films and the major studios, contributors trace the changing ideas and definitions of independent cinema, and the diversity of independent film practices. They consider the ways in which indie films are marketed and distributed, and how new technologies such as video, cable and the internet have offered new opportunities for filmmakers to produce and market independent films.

Turning to the work of key auteurs such as John Sayles and Haile Gerima, contributors ask whether independent filmmakers can also be stars, and consider how indie features like Boys Don't Cry and Shopping for Fangs address issues of gender, sexuality and ethnicity normally avoided by Hollywood.