Life is busy – we’re celebrating Black History Month, apologizing to pop stars, and dealing with that whole blizzard-during-a-pandemic double whammy (find help here!). It can be tough to stay up-to-date on the latest film industry news, profiles, analysis, and advice. That’s why we’ve curated some essential reads you may have missed over the past month. So take some time to catch up with this month’s good reads.
This Month’s Good Reads (February 2021)
Indie Film Producers Raise Alarm on Uncertain Futures, Survey Finds (via Etan Vlessing for The Hollywood Reporter)
How viable is a producing career?
DIY Lives? #LIKE‘s Distribution Journey, Part Two: The End of the Beginning (via Sarah Pirozek for Filmmaker Magazine)
The ins and outs of a self-distribution plan in these “uncertain times.”
The Mistake That Changed the History of Blade Runner (via Germain Lussier for Gizmodo)
How an accidental reel-swap birthed the iconic Directors Cut.
Notebook Primer: L.A. Rebellion (via Aaron E. Hunt for Mubi Notebook)
Get introduced to SoCal’s Black indie film scene of the 1960s and ’70s.
How a Few Great Hip-Hop Journalists Won in Hollywood (via Aliya S. King for Level)
The journey from hip-hop magazines to screenwriting and filmmaking.
I Blame Society Director-Star Gillian Wallace Horvat on Making a Found Footage Film That Doesn’t Cheat (via Gillian Wallace Horvat for MovieMaker Magazine)
A look into the planning and structure of a found-footage film.
The New Coronavirus Cinema Is Here (via Clement Tyler Obropta for Film Inquiry)
The changes that have hit Hollywood, from release strategy to the COVID-as-plotpoint question.
Distributors Fact Sheet: 2021 Edition (via Liz Manashil for Dear Producer)
See what film distributors are looking for in the modern moviegoing age.
The 101 Greatest Endings in Movies History (via Vulture)
The best of the best of the “The End”‘s.
“The Agents Certainly Did Not Like Being Called Crooks”: How Hollywood Writers Won a War (via Joy Press for Vanity Fair)
The WGA vs. Agencies battle has ended.
Remembering Duane Jones: A Boundary-Breaking Black Actor (via Matthew Eng for Cineaste)
The career and legacy of the late Night of the Living Dead and Ganja & Hess star.
UPDATED to include:
Nationalize the Movies (via Zach Taras for Current Affairs)
Ideas to reprioritize film funding.
In case you were ignoring us (aka blatant self-promotion)
Sundance Film Festival 2021 Recap
Our staff’s favorite films and the award-winners of the virtual fest.
Stowe Story Labs SAGindie Fellowship
A unique opportunity for an emerging filmmaker of color.
Filmmaker Interview: Sarah and Zachary Ray Sherman, directors of Young Hearts
The sibling filmmakers talked to us about their new micro-dubet coming-of-age romance.
A video worth watching
The rise of Film TikTok: Like film school for Gen-Z? (h/t Sub-Genre)
How ’bout you? Read anything good this month?
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If you’re an independent filmmaker or know of an independent film-related topic we should write about, email blogadmin@sagindie.org for consideration.