Sofia Coppola struggled to fund Priscilla: How has Hollywood failed indie movies?
Photo Courtesy: Philippe Le Sourd/AP
Countless thinkpieces over the past decade have hailed the death of the independent film. Indeed, the constant churn of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other franchises in the top-grossing film lists point to an industry unhealthily dominated by the major studios. So, when Sofia Coppola admitted that she struggled to finance her upcoming film Priscilla, familiar refrains about Hollywood closing its doors to independent pictures resurfaced.
The term ‘indie’ is one that has a stretched and manipulated meaning. Within industry circles, an independent film is one made outside of the ‘Big Five studios’: Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, and Columbia. These companies and the production houses within them have been responsible for all of the films with the largest budgets and revenues this century. This sustained power has meant appetite for profits constantly grows. Therefore viewers are presented with a flood of films centred around existing intellectual property, like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, as well as the plethora of sequels, like Fast and Furious 10. The result is that indie films, with traditionally smaller budgets and lighter box office appeal, are less attractive to Hollywood.
However, it is films made outside of the ‘Big Five’ that have received the warmest critical reception in recent years. In 2019, Sound of Metal was nominated for six Oscars, whilst Uncut Gems was the object of hysterical memes and sensational reviews. 2021 saw The Lost Daughter capture two Golden Globe nominations, and Boiling Point had social media as stressed as its protagonists. Perhaps because of viewer fatigue with remakes and endless sequels, prestige indie films have seen great success over the past few years, largely due to forces such as streaming services, and upstart production companies changing Hollywood.
The films previously mentioned were created or backed by either Netflix, Amazon or A24. The former two companies have brought Silicon Valley strategy to Hollywood, pouring debt raised cash into new productions and signing multi-project deals with filmmakers. Examples include David Fincher (The Social Network), Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag). Meanwhile, A24 has built a brand as a production company that delivers original content from new filmmakers to millennials and younger generations. It is these companies which have ensured the continual creation and success of indie films in this epoch dominated by franchise films.
That said, the events of this summer should not be discounted. May and July saw the beginning of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild strike action, the latter of which is still ongoing. The issues which prompted these events were largely due to the pressures of streaming on the industry, which has pushed down wages and residual payments. While independent writer-directors have benefitted from streaming services, those in more junior positions have lost out - this includes writers’ rooms and production crew who stand to be affected by AI and cost-cutting.
One genre of film that has seemingly been immune to the pressures of Hollywood and streaming is horror. Since the previous century, independent horror films have constantly been on the radar of distributors and sales agents. From the iconic The Blair Witch Project to last year’s Attachment, each year the genre is headlined by films with relatively low budgets and smaller names. Whereas an indie drama or comedy might struggle to generate traction, horror films have a simple and feasible formula. Whether we should see this as a testament to the genre or as a symptom of the problem depends on your predilection to jump scares…
If there is a definitive casualty from these shifts in Hollywood, then it is the micro budget indie films which lack both the name power of a Sofia Coppola and the financial heft of a streaming service or a ‘Big Five’ studio. Film festivals are bursting with projects made on a shoestring with unproven talent, yet a gap has opened up between truly independent pictures and those traditionally labelled by Hollywood as indie. So if you were intending to check out Jacob Elordi in Priscilla at the ongoing BFI London Film Festival, then also make an effort to check out the Works-in-Progress, an event where UK-based filmmakers showcase their projects to seek more funding and opportunities to boost their indie careers.