Independent films may not be what they were in the past. But they are not yet dead. And a large part of the state of independent cinema is still film festivals, despite the financial difficulties and contained in front of places like Sundance.
“I am optimistic about this. Nothing will ever beat this experience of having a first film at Sundance and that night, nobody is going to sleep because they rush to buy one from each other. I who make people probably spend so, which is great,” said Addie Ohanian group on Tuesday, presented by the city’s national bank.
But Sundance’s experience has changed, like the Vice-President of the Studios of Delete, Jasmine Daghighian, underlined when the moderator Sharon Waxman, founder and editor of Thewrap, asked questions about the difficult landscape.
“I think Sundance puts their programming online affected the way people feel the films, because instead of having to be in Park City and see the films immediately at the first weekend, you can go home and watch it on Tuesday,” said Daghigian. “It’s a little thing, but I think it had a negative impact [the experience]. “Not that Sundance is the only festival that can generate buzz.
“I have the impression that there is a feeling of splash and prestige,” said Daghigian. She underlined buyers like Neon, who “bought six films in Cannes”.
Not that things are exceptionally joyful. Oliver spoke of the film Lily Gladstone he produced, “Fancy Dance”, which took a year to sell after the first in Sundance to positive criticism.
“It was a film that nobody wanted to finance. And it was an incredible script, an Amerindian director, a co-series, an Amerindian chief. We entered. We did 90%. Everyone loved the film and everyone talked about the importance of supporting Aboriginal cinema and doing all these things, except when he was the subject of buying or putting money.”
The biggest offer they obtained in the first 11 months that the film was on sale was $ 40,000.
“$ 40,000 does not cover paper deliverables on the film,” said Oliver. “We said no, because we knew what the film was. And part of the problem was that people had not seen it on the way.” Gladstone had not yet made his nominated debut in the Oscars in the “Killers of the Flower Moon” of Martin Scorsese.
Oliver said that Gladstone had spoken of the film at a big event, which was assisted by Scorsese and DiCaprio and other studio Bigwigs, ostensibly to promote the “Flower Moon killers”, but it used the platform to call the fact that no one would buy “fancy dance”.
“They were sitting in their power at that time,” said Oliver. “We would never have made this agreement with Apple if it was not for Lily, taking them on the task.”
