Thursday, October 29, 2009

does a movie have to be an event?

Here's the thing: with "This is It" making such a huge splash (and generating Oscar buzz of all things here in Hollywood) and Oprah/Tyler Perry's "Precious" on it's way to being the new "indie" success (with big box office to back it up), is my sneaking suspicion that an indie film has to be an "event" before press and/or audiences pay attention coming true? Alan Franey (Vancouver Film Festival) made note that while individual ticket sales at his festival were up this year by a good amount, year-round programming attendance was down. His theory? That audiences will only use their allocated movie allowance on screenings that are events...in other words (well, my words) screenings that have something of the circus big top supporting them. Can it possible be that this is true? and if it is, what does that mean for all our indie-industry new-distribution hype about finding the audience? Are we just fooling ourselves into thinking they will come if we don't offer balloons, a big tent and some famous people hawking like a carnival barker at the door? Past successes might have foretold this awful thought...Blair Witch was definately a great 'event-film' once it hit Sundance. But I just don't want to believe this is all we have ahead of us...I want to see what new wave distributors Thomas Mai (Festival Darlings) and Richard Abramowitz (Area 23) come up with before I give up all hope.