The Movie Festival

            When we’re presented with the concept of inequality our minds usually don’t arrive at Hollywood— perhaps, the most profitable film industry in the world with the likes of Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, Disney and Miramax.  Raking in millions upon millions of dollars, some of the wealthiest individuals on this planet call Hollywood home, and the poor are all too few. But in the hyper competitive industry of film, not every film maker has the capital to throw 300 million dollars towards movie production like Disney did for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. The majority of directors and producers have to make do with significantly less, and still attempt to reach levels of success.

            With the upcoming Academy Awards, February 24^th, and the recent showing at the Golden Globes and SAGS (Screen Actors Guild Awards), awards season has hit its stride. And although a few low(er) budget films have snagged awards, most notably, The Iron Lady at last year’s Globes for Meryl Streep’s performance as Margaret Thatcher, which cost just about 13 million dollars to produce in stark contrast to the winner of best picture this year: Argo, which was produced with a 45 million dollar budget. But it’s not the only one that cost massive amounts of money to create— most films at this level do, so how do “cheaper” films compete? And the answer is they don’t.

            Well not in the conventional sense anyway. Many producers and directors opt for alternative methods of showcasing their work— you probably won’t see most of these movies in your local theater, but you will see them at The Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah and The Cannes Film Festival of Cannes, France— two of the largest independent film festivals in the world. They’re famous for showcasing international films, documentaries and the beginnings of many incredible filmmakers who would’ve otherwise fallen into the depths of obscurity.

            Now film festivals are usually placed in small towns and cities, they’re a place where independent filmmakers can have their work judged by a number of professionals and prominent members of the film industry. A notable success is the movie Once, directed and written by filmmaker John Carney which cost less than 160,000 dollars to make, but ended up making just about 21 million— this movie, showcased at the Sundance Film Festival, and ultimately winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song and a nomination for a Grammy.

            Robert Duvall, famous actor most known for his role in The Godfather, once said that “Hollywood is still the mecca for good or bad, but it isn't the beginning or end for filmmaking.” And that’s certainly something to hold on to for many aspiring and independent filmmakers.