The Toronto indie film scene suffers from a number of factors. Some describe indie films as “not commercial enough”, others complain about lack of funding. Contrary to Ted Mundorff’s belief that business is up at indie-branded Landmark Cinemas around the country, the indie market needs help. At the close of Toronto International Film Festival, Berney stated, “For financial reasons, not enough good films were for sale for buyers. A lot of films were misses. If a film is not really special, there is no in between. It will not get a theatrical release. If it’s a half-way movie, audiences will skip it and watch it at home.” Simply, many indie films just did not sell.
Studio Films vs. Indie Films
The film market appears to be closing for low-budget films; to be precise independent films. Remarkable films are being replaced by marketable films. When Bob Berney speaks of “good films”, one has to wonder what his definition of a good film is. Considering that films in North America are studio-dominated; yes, that includes the offshoots of the studios that claim to support indie films, the film market is monopolized by studios which have shut out funding and support of low-budget films. What remains is a monotonous entourage of commercial or “good films” which are distributed solely for sales rather than artist appeal.
European Funding
With dwindling funding opportunities in North America, artists are tending toward raising funds overseas. Even Jim Jarmusch expressed his disdain over “the Money” trying to artistically control his films; thus, he admits to funding his films in Europe. Though this may be an intimidating option for most unknown auteurs, perhaps Europe offers a haven for the artistic filmmaker. There still appears to be a healthy market for artistic films in Europe when one considers the successes at the recent film festivals in Cannes and Venice.
Alternative Release
Since indie films’ share of the market is dwarfed by blockbusters, funding of indie films has become far riskier for the investor. Thus, indie films are largely dependent on government funding. What with the recession, government funding has greatly reduced, even in the European countries; leaving indie films in quite the quandary. With the improvement in global economies, indie films may have a breath of life but they are still stuck with the basic difficulty of not being “commercial” enough and relying on festivals and DVD sales for their survival. A new venue for films may be necessary to help indie films find a wider audience; such as, internet or iphone release.
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