Indie Film's Silver Lining

We’ve been innundated with bad news about Wall Street for the past few months. News of an economic crisis in the world of independent film has been going on for some time. At the Los Angeles Film Festival this summer, Mark Gill, former president of Miramax Films, delivered a talk called "Yes, The Sky Really Is Falling."

We laid out his argument in a conversation on this show. Specialty-film divisions like New Line, Picturehouse, and Warner Independent Pictures have been shuttered. Financing is drying up. A glut of new releases – 5,000 made last year - is flooding the market. Advertising and production costs are up, audience numbers are down, and cable and online TV are eating more viewers up.

Ok, a pretty rough time for indie films. But veteran producer Ted Hope sees a silver lining on this dark cloud. His long list of credits include The Savages, American Splendor, 21 Grams, and Happiness. He sees a new community of “truly independent” filmmakers rising from the ashes of independent film. He joins Word of Mouth with his vision of indie film’s future.

For more on Ted's ideas, check out some of his blogs:

Bowl of Noses: Curating for the hep set, age six and up.

Hammer to Nail: Building a home for ambitious film, one review at a time.

Info Wants To Be Free: Tracking the media issues that effect true indies.

Let's Make Better Films: Thoughts on the process and the results of filmmaking.

The Next Good Idea: How to make it better, funner, stranger.

These Are Those Things: This is what Ted is getting a kick out of.

Truly Free Film: "If we want a film culture owned, maintained, and loved by audiences and creators, we have to really work together."