Skip to main content

9 questions re: race & indie film in America :: the shorter version/intro to Conversation About "Ethnic/"Racial" Diversity post

For the recent & longer post on this subject, go here.

Otherwise, check out these questions, offer your opinion, & please keep the tone of your comments professional or semi-pro. thanksalot!

9 Questions Regarding Race & Independent Film In America

(and by independent film i mean real independent film: outside of Hollywood/Indiewood, low budget, no-star stuff. mostly festival screened & self-distributed stuff. such as Mumblecore movies, DIY movies, etc.)

1 - Is the US indie film scene/industry "ethnically" & gender wise sufficiently diverse at this point?

2 - What exactly is sufficient diversity?

3 - I don't see a lot of minority & also female indie filmmakers getting a lot of press from indie film blogs & websites (besides mine :), & the occasional indieWIRE article) but is that just perception (as in my eyes only picking up certain stuff) or is there actually a huge lack of coverage on good indie films made by non-"white" US male filmmakers & "white" & other female filmmakers?

4 - Are there films as good as or better than Four Eyed Monsters, Mutual Appreciation, Dance Party USA, Quiet City, Cocaine Angel, LOL, Kissing On The Mouth, Hannah Takes The Stairs, Funny Ha Ha, etc. being made & screened & distributed on DVD right now in the US, by minority filmmakers, and not getting as much press as the ones that were mentioned mostly because the films were made by minority directors & feature minority actors in lead roles?

5 - Aside from writing about the films of our friends, do indie film bloggers have a societal obligation (in the interest of creating a more just & fair society) to seek out & write about, and even champion, films by female & minority filmmakers?

6 - What about sexual orientation diversity? How come Todd Verow (a gay DV filmmaker who makes low budget movies) is not getting as much press as the Mumblecore kids? Or is he? - maybe just not at the blogs & websites I visit.

7 - Is the US indie film scene softly racist & sexist? Or, favors "white" males over all others out of habit resulting from segregation, the nation's heritage of "race" relations, etc.?

8 - Do minority actors have a harder time getting lead roles in American indie & real indie films because the press pays a lot of attention to indie films by "white" directors featuring "white" actors? Does that media preference affect how new indie filmmakers cast their films (The thought, re: how "white" & non-"white" my cast should be, certainly did cross my mind when I was casting Date Number One).

9 - Would American indie films make more money if they featured minority actors in lead roles & thus appealed to several segments of the population? Would Mutual Appreciation have made more money at theaters if the lead character was African-American? How about a dark skinned Mexican-American actor?

- Sujewa

Inside the Arthouse ep 2

Full Movie - SNEAK PREVIEW - Cosmic Disco Detective Rene And The Mystery Of Immortal Time Travelers

NEW - COSMIC DISCO DETECTIVE RENE (2023) - TRAILER!

The Secret Society For Slow Romance (2022) - available to rent as a new release starting January 1

Werewolf Ninja Philosopher at Vimeo VOD

Popular Posts

Ongoing project - the 50+ blogs and sites that will be updated and used for the 53 Spaceships film series promo + general indie film news

T his is an ongoing project - redesigning, updating, posting on new and old blogs - for the new 53 Spaceships series, other projects, and general indie film and arthouse film news.  List of blogs below. They will be updated during rest of 2024 and in 2025 and beyond. (new ones coming soon - we'll have 50+ blogs, sites on the list below soon) 1 - https://diyfilmmaker.blogspot.com 2 - https://indiefilmnewsblogs.blogspot.com 3 - https://canonxa50fan.blogspot.com 4 - https://1000coolslthings.blogspot.com 5 - https://imagesoundndesign.blogspot.com 6 - https://idlachicago.blogspot.com 7 - https://slowdistribution.blogspot.com 8 - https://slblogbysujewa.blogspot.com 9 - https://filmfestivalsnewsblog.blogspot.com 10 -   https://nycnewyorkcityblog.blogspot.com 11 - https://2weekfilmthescreening.blogspot.com 12 - https://sujewafilms.blogspot.com   13 - https://17dcpoetsmovie.blogspot.com 14 - https://allnightdinerbooks.blogspot.com 15 - https://slartworld.blogspot.com 16 - https://artando

The YouTube New Wave is here - mainstream accessible, well made indie films by filmmakers who promote their work

See two examples of YouTube New Wave (term coined by filmmaker Chris Sharpe) indie films below. Previously releasing indie films - features - on YouTube was a fringe, hobbyist activity, done by part time filmmakers with no interest in developing a mainstream audience or careers.  But now well made indie films by serious filmmakers who promote their work are getting a lot of views - over 100,000 - on YouTube.  Here are two: my movie - fiction feature - Cosmic Disco Detective Rene, and Jason Horton's Who They Are feature documentary.   *  

Directing Saoirse Ronan's Powerful Performance about Addiction & Recovery | The Outrun

  * RELATED LINKS 1 - Inside the Arthouse website -  https://insidethearthouse.com/ 2 - About Inside the Arthouse show -  https://insidethearthouse.com/about/ 3 - Inside the Arthouse upcoming episodes schedule -  https://insidethearthouse.com/schedule/ 4 - Watch page at Inside the Arthouse website, with episodes -  https://insidethearthouse.com/watch/ 5 - Episodes page at Inside the Arthouse - with various episodes and clips -  https://insidethearthouse.com/episodes/ 6 - Contact page for Inside the Arthouse -  https://insidethearthouse.com/contact/ 7 - Inside the Arthouse on Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/insidethearthouse/ 8 - Inside the Arthouse on Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/insidethearthouse/ 9 - Inside the Arthouse on YouTube -  https://www.youtube.com/@insidethearthouse 10 - Inside the Arthouse on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@insidethearthouse 11 - Inside the Arthouse on Soundcloud -  https://soundcloud.com/insidethearthouse 12 - Inside the Arthouse on iTun

Reading Material

Indie Film Blogger Road Trip