Everybody wins if indie films

OUR INDIE filmmakers’ movies have been doing well on the international festival circuit. But, in terms of being patronized by enough local viewers to make a profit—not so much.

The problem is, many distributors and theater owners think that indie movies are too “serious,” not entertaining enough, are generally bereft of solid star and production values, and are too “private and personal,” and thus not “accessible” for the mainstream audience.

As a result, only a handful of indies have made it to the screens of the major theater circuits and cineplexes that the bulk of the country’s moviegoers patronize.

This is a big problem that threatens to nip the promising indie trend in the bud. If indie productions don’t make even a small profit, their producers may not have enough money to pay for their follow-up ventures, so the movementwon’t be able to escalate and peak.

Aware of this dire situation, we’ve been asking various parties involved what can be done to help solve the problem.

Some independent filmmakers screen their movies in colleges and universities, but only occasionally.

The idea of putting up film clubs has been proposed, but with not enough takers so far. What about the indie movie houses in malls that used to screen alternative productions? Not enough viewers there, either, and the indie producers balked at the “minimum guarantee” requirement.

So, are we back to square one? Other opiners think that there’s still hope, if filmmakers make their movies more “accessible” in terms of topics and style. Instead of

material they should more people

‘Malpractices’

Others caution some “malpractices” some writer-

the gay sex romps name of “art”

Still others of those “tacky” made as “survival” unfriendly system not the desperate In this welter

points