The history of the Gotham Independent Film Awards doesn’t stretch that far just yet since it was created in 1991 to honor the makers of independent films. The ceremony that’s held for this award show is located in New York City and is meant to give attention to those that operate outside of the major studios while producing hit movies that are embraced by the public and therefore given a great enough deal of attention that needs to be rewarded. In other words independent film makers are those that don’t often bow down to the major studios and get to make the films they want and receive the backing of other studios that might allow them to have the kind of creative leeway that is so important to film.
There’s nothing wrong with the idea of working for a big studio since they do tend to have more money and more resources to pull from. The only problem that arises, as many directors and film makers could tell you, is that creative control over the picture tends to go away with some of the bigger studios so that the film makers are then required to do things as the studio wants or find another job. It’s not entirely fair but it is the way that the business works. Independent films often have to be produced by smaller studios in order to retain the kind of control that is desired over a project, but even then this isn’t a guaranteed thing. However, indie films, as they’re called, are also far more interesting at times in that they are grittier, they contain more realism, and they’re definitely more exciting since they’re trying to get people’s attention through an honest and sincere attempt at entertainment, not a proven formula that is churned out over and over again with different labels.
The Gotham Independent Film Awards are part of the Independent Filmmaker Project that was founded in 1979. Indie films are really nothing new but the desire for them has been growing throughout the past few decades in an attempt to get them recognized and create the genre so that people can take note. It’s become a lot more popular throughout the years but is still trying to gain ground on the bigger studios since the money involved in the top studios is often a determining factor when it comes to what type of movie will be pushed through. The chances are that if major studios get wind of an indie project they like then they will do anything and everything to procure the rights and recreate it in their desired image.
Independent films are in a way an endangered breed but nowhere close to being a dying one since they continue to be made and are likely to be around for some time to come. Selling out to big studios isn’t necessarily the end of an indie film but it’s something that fans tend not to look too kindly on. After all independence is the driving idea behind independent films.
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