2025 Resolutions for Indie Film

Hopefully, the times, they are a-changin' for docs in theaters and bold, distinctive cinema.

I am, by nature, a pessimist and doomsayer, but like every true cynic, there’s a tiny burning fire of idealism that’s buried deep inside the layers of cataclysmic thinking. So I’ve decided to tap into that kernel of optimism with five things that I’m hoping can grow and come to fruition in 2025. For so, so, so, so many reasons, I know it’s not going to be a happy new year, but here are 5 things that might just make the indie film industry a slightly happier place.

1. Documentaries Make a Comeback in Theaters

   It’s been heartening to see the return of auteur-driven, studio-backed cinema drawing audiences back into theaters, even if some of the films have been notably mid (I would agree with critics who think “Conclave” is kind of ridiculous, “A Complete Unknown” is shallow, etc). But 2024 should be remembered as a turning point for the indie studios with the notable box-office performance of “Anora,” “Nosferatu,” “The Substance,” and others. Documentaries, of course, have not seen the same kind of bounce, but that doesn’t mean they should be forever relegated to streaming services and the Great Cultural Muddle. If audiences have returned for distinctive fiction, why can’t they also be wooed back by similarly bold and powerful nonfiction? It’s a bit of a Catch-22 situation, with distributors waiting for another breakout doc to make their move, but since no distribs are taking the risk, there has yet to be a doc to breakthrough. Hopefully, at some point, one of these will give. It’s already been well noted that 2024’s biggest theatrical documentary was a racism-rationalizing right-wing Borat-style comedy doc catering to MAGA conservatives, so I would expect that angry Democrats and progressives are primed and ready for another “Fahrenheit 9/11”-style takedown to gather together around in theaters once again. And if not that, I’d even take a celebrity doc to prime the pump for theatrical docs.

2. Alternative Theatrical Programming Takes Off in New Ways

   In my 2024 survey of independent films in the marketplace for Filmmaker Magazine, producers and distributors spoke about an appetite from exhibitors for alternative content. Over the last few years, we have already seen a huge resurgence in repertory programming, with audiences showing up in theaters in droves for 1999-in-film retros and the return of “Interstellar,” so I’m hoping we’ll see more of that, whether in documentary bookings to achieve my #1 wish, or out-of-the-box indie films that conventional distributors haven’t figured out how to release. Veteran Sony Pictures Classics executive Michael Barker told me that major chains like Cinemark are becoming more receptive to independents than in the past. The filmmakers behind “Union” (pictured) told me they were the highest-growing film in their mid-week booking at major theaters, besting studio films on a Tuesday or a Wednesday night. And much has already been written about the success of the scrappy DIY $150,000-budgeted comedy “Hundreds of Beavers.” It’s all about building community, and showing the exhibitors that you can bring out your people, and the tools are there for filmmakers to do this, as I’ve written about before, whether in the harnessing of Letterboxd or other targeted innovative digital marketing. More of all of this, please.

3. Powerful Progressive Political Content Cuts Through Corporate Censorship

   One of the biggest stories of the independent sector last year was the shuttering of Participant, and we shouldn’t forget it. I feel like there’s already a creeping amnesia surrounding the kinds of important films and filmmakers that Participant enabled, and now more than ever with the ascension of the Trump-Musk-Fox-right-wing-media-oligarchy, it’s essential that this type of content gets made and supported. And just like my doc example above, all it would take is one or two bona-fide hits to turn the tide against corporate censorship. As global media platforms, Netflix and other streaming services have shown a decidedly strong turn to the middle, with little interest in distributing challenging political films and series that might threaten their reach in the autocracies of the world (including our own). But as profit-driven ultra-capitalists, I also believe they will go where money is to be made. For now, this may be in avoiding anything politically “sensitive,” but this could also change on a dime. Culture swings. And the entertainment industry always follows.

4. Someone Figures out the Conundrum for Streaming Indie Films

   One of my most read Substacks of the year was the debate around A Netflix for Indie Films and Documentaries? As I noted, there’s been a lot of discussion over the last year about the need for a large streaming destination for non-studio films (and series), where audiences can gather and indie makers can make a sustainable living. If A24 and Neon banded together with some other large U.S. and European sales agents, I think this could be possible, though such a major shakeup seems unlikely. Another interesting idea was put forth by someone in the comments section. Someone wrote, “What about a Netflix sub-brand - ‘Netflix Indie’ which then shows Netflix getting behind the smaller independent producers and filmmakers. Think of it as a CSR for film - no-one really wants to do Corporate Social Responsibility but now they have to be seen to do it.” Again, this is also unlikely, but in the absence of a new very capital-intensive Participant-level enterprise, the idea that a Netflix (or other larger streamer) could create something akin to the studio's "specialty" divisions (i.e. Searchlight or Focus Features) seems like a remote possibility. When I spoke with Letterboxd, they seemed to suggest they could be heading in that direction in the future, but it wouldn’t be any time soon. Either way, something, hopefully, will start to give soon.

5. Like Leftwing Politics, Independent Films Find Success in Going Local

   It’s no surprise that a lot of filmmakers, creatives, and industry executives were some combination of shocked, depressed, and furious over the re-election of our incoming Conman-in-Chief, and will continue to mourn and fulminate over he and his billionaire team of white supremacist, racist, sexist, xenophobes screwing us repeatedly over the next four to how ever many years. But I’ve been heartened by the hyperlocal progressive organizing that I’ve been reading about in the election postmortems, and I think this is a lesson that filmmakers are already learning from. From production resources to exhibition opportunities, filmmakers inherently have increased levels of support systems in their own communities, so I see that building out in fuller ways. And just like interconnected Indivisible chapters or Mobilize actions across a state or region, these local havens for bold, engaging, and political work can work together to create a network of other localized places that empower and lift up the work of filmmakers that the system hasn’t. Again, I think of “Union,” a documentary that no larger company has yet to pick up, and has screened grassroots-style in theaters across the country, building a community of engaged followers, fans, and advocates, and perhaps even helping to lead to real-world change with the largest ever strike against Amazon in its history. And just to be clear: This isn’t something that’s just for documentaries, but any film that is distinctive with a clear audience that isn’t being served and can find its people in pockets across the country. I also recognize that this isn’t a model in and of itself; these sorts of screenings have always happened over the years and few filmmakers see much money or sustainability in staying local, but I also think it could conceivably lead to bigger audiences, and a broader model for sustainable distribution. Then again, I could totally be wrong about all this, and little films and leftwing politics could all just be doomed in a streaming-controlled conservative culture that dictates everything we consume.