The independent feature film is almost extinct, says Nick Broomfield

The shelf life of independent feature films is coming to an end, claims Nick Broomfield

Independent films are going the way of the dinosaur and the future is looking bleak, according to Nick Broomfield.

The documentary filmmaker was speaking at a side event called The Visual Voice at The International Documentary FilmFestival in Amsterdam, which was celebrating its 30th edition.

The event was a game changer, said Broomfield. “It was unusual when it started,” he says, “because it was a festival just for documentaries. Before that, most festivals had documentaries as a sort of an appendage to the feature films.”

But he added: “I guess what we’ve seen is a big change – the independent feature film is really almost extinct, and documentaries have become very commercial.”

Broomfield said documentaries are no longer the poor relations and an afterthought.

“With documentaries now, if you’re doing a Netflix or a HBO film, the budgets are pretty healthy and there’s a big audience for them too.”

But Daniel Anton, the chief executive of BoostyourFilm, disagrees and says reports of the death of independent feature films have been greatly exaggerated.

“Independent film are only dead if indy filmmakers don’t use the digital shortcuts to get directly to the audience,” said Anton.

“With the advent of social networks there are so many possibilities to get films out there.

Boostyourfilm is the first social network dedicated to independent films and film projects

Everton Gayle

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Variety: IDFA at 30: Nick Broomfield Says, ‘The Independent Feature Film Is Really Almost Extinct’, and Docs Are Filling that Space. Full article