Life is busy – you’re melting in the heat, wondering if you’ll ever step foot in a movie theater again, and maybe just having a general breakdown over the state of… *gestures broadly at everything*. It can be tough to stay up-to-date on the latest film industry news, profiles, analysis, and advice. That’s why we’ve curated some essential reads you may have missed over the past month. So take some time to catch up with this month’s good reads.
This Month’s Good Reads (August 2020)
He’s Probably Been in More Movies Than Any Actor in Hollywood History (via Trisha Gopal, Dominique Turner and David Yim for CNN)
From Blade Runner and Big Trouble in Little China to Wayne’s World 2 and Kung Fu Panda, a look at the stacked resumé of actor James Hong.
No More Janitors, Maids, and Housekeepers: This Veterana Is Breaking Latino Typecasting in Hollywood By Training Real Gang Members to Be Actors (via Astrid for L.A. Taco)
The “from the streets to the set” mission of Under-Represented Artists (URA) Casting.
Made in Hollywood, Censored by Beijing (via James Tager for PEN America)
A deep dive into the history and current state of Chinese influence over American movies.
The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World 2020, Presented by FilmFreeway (via MovieMaker Magazine)
Hey, remember going to film festivals? Here are some we should all go to again someday.
A New Wave of Horror Films About Women’s Deepest Anxieties Is Perfect Viewing for Our Summer of Discontent (via Stephanie Zacharek for Time)
How a new indie horror boom from female filmmakers is resonating.
Tips for Working with a Remote Editor, Part 1 and Part 2 (via Greg Ball for ProductionHUB)
Some post-production tips in a time of social distancing.
How the Criterion Collection Crops Out African-American Directors (via Kyle Buchanan and Reggie Ugwu for The New York Times)
The prestigious arthouse home viewing archive only has 4 films from African-American filmmakers.
How “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” Saved Dirty Dancing (via Jake Kring-Schreifels for The Ringer)
How an indie film with a limited budget found the song that helped make it a blockbuster.
I Was 9 Days Away From Finishing My Film When COVID-19 Hit. Inside Our Pandemic Production (via Jen Yamato for Los Angeles Times)
On-set diaries from director Betty Kaplan during the filming of Simone.
The Polarizing, Promising Future of Vertical Movies (via B.C. Wallin for Polygon)
From widescreen to longscreen.
Ryan Coogler Pens Powerful Tribute To Chadwick Boseman: ‘Chad Is An Ancestor Now’ (via Shadow and Act)
The Black Panther director mourns his superhero.
In case you were ignoring us (aka blatant self-promotion)
Film Independent Forum 2020 Highlights
Video highlights from the virtual film education event, with appearances by Kerry Washington, Lulu Wang, Judd Apatow, and Ramy Youssef.
Filmmaker Interview: Isabel Sandoval, writer/director/star of Lingua Franca
How Isabel Sandoval brought a transgender immigration story to the screen.
A video worth watching
In case you’ve missed your film crew… (h/t AdAge)
How ’bout you? Read anything good this month?
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If you’re an independent filmmaker or know of an independent film-related topic we should write about, email blogadmin@sagindie.org for consideration.