Cynematik • Cyndi Greening

The 2008 Independent Spirit Awards were announced and the Todd Haynes film I’M NOT THERE led the nominations. With films like POISON and SWOON under his belt, Haynes has enduring Indie Cred. Some of the other films and folks on the list are a little harder to understand. Best Male Lead nominees Phillip Seymour Hoffman (THE SAVAGES), Don Cheadle (TALK TO ME) and tony Leung (LUST, CAUTION) are fairly mainstream guys. In the Best Female and Supporting Female Leads we’ve got Angelina Jolie (A MIGHTY HEART), Cate Blanchett (I’M NOT THERE), Marisa Tomei (BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD) and Jennifer Jason Leigh (MARGOT AT THE WEDDING). In the Best Film category we’ve got the Brad Pitt produced A MIGHTY HEART, the John Malkovich produced JUNO and the Kathleen Kennedy THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY.

It is an impressive list of names, a significant group of projects. I’m of two minds on the Spirit Award Announcement. On the one hand, it’s great to see creative talents like Hoffman and Blanchett committing their talents to riskier projects. When actors, directors and producers of this caliber get involved with independent films, those films have an exponentially improved chance of being successful. So, that’s a good thing, right? Well, there’s the other hand to consider.

It’s never been easier to make an independent film. The hard production costs have fallen because of digital advances. Digital production workflow brings filmmaking into the realm of possibility for the determined filmmaker. So, the question is, if you’ve got an amazing idea and you make a terrific film, does it have the chance to see the light of day if it’s going up against these other guys? According the distributors I’ve talked to, the major consideration for a film’s success? The caliber of the cast. Guess they already figured that out at IFC.