Can Indie Film Trust Rich People?
High net-worth individuals and philanthropists are often Golden Mushrooms, until they're Fire Snakes
Rich people are getting richer, just as everyone else is getting poorer. According to recent reports, wealth inequality in the U.S. has hit its widest gap in more than three decades. And the wealth of the uber-wealthy—billionaires—jumped by over 16% last year, three times faster than the past five-year average, to $18.3 trillion—its highest level in history (according to Oxfam’s “Resisting the Rule of the Rich”).
These rich people are also those who continue to be a crucial part of the indie film and documentary ecosystem, now more than ever, as corporate monopolies and government resources have left filmmakers and nonprofit media organizations in the lurch. Whether philanthropists or “high net-worth individuals,” these folks are the backbone of the sector, and in many respects, they always have been. But can we trust them?
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