Life is busy – you’re getting worked up about trivia show hosts, learning which celebrities don’t bathe, and cautiously going back to school amid virus surges and natural disasters. 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 2021)
The Gotham Awards Are the Latest to Embrace a Gender-Neutral Acting Category (via David Canfield for Vanity Fair)
Will other awards bodies follow suit?
Film Industry Workers Are Fed Up With Long Hours (via Alex N. Press for Jacobin)
The safety concerns facing film crews with long hours.
Film Critics Challenge Studios Over In-Person Screenings: We Have to Do Our Jobs Safely (via Kristen Lopez for IndieWire)
From disability to COVID safety to non-LA/NY access, why critics are requesting online screeners.
A New Must-Have for TV and Movie Shoots: Therapists (via Alex Marshall for The New York Times)
How British productions are taking extra steps to protect the mental health of cast and crew.
Brad Allan: A Tribute To The Legendary Stunt Choreographer (via Edgar Wright for Empire Magazine)
Remembering the talent behind the fights of Scott Pilgrim.
Street Casting Pro Eléonore Hendricks on How to Cast Strangers in Your Film (via Eléonore Hendricks for MovieMaker Magazine)
How to find the non-professional actors that can add authenticity to your movie.
Read Afghan Filmmaker Sahraa Karimi’s Heartbreaking Letter: ‘The World Should Not Turn Its Back on Us’ (via Rosemary Rossi for The Wrap)
A plea to the international filmmaking community.
What Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow Legal Battle Means for the Future of Hollywood (via Brent Lang, Cynthia Littleton, & Gene Maddaus for Variety)
Say goodbye to profit participation, A-listers.
Why Sundance Labs at 40 Should Be a Model for Studio Execs (via Mark Olsen for Los Angeles Times)
Staff and alumni reflect on four decades of lessons learned at the Sundance filmmaker labs.
They’re In This Together (via Alex Suskind for Entertainment Weekly)
A conversation between rock-stars-turned-film-composers Trent Reznor and Danny Elfman.
Hong Kong Legend Tony Leung Tries His Hand at Hollywood (via Alexander Chee for GQ)
“Asia’s Clark Cable” arrives stateside.
Secrets of an Indie-Funding Master (via Isaac Feldberg for Produced By Magazine)
How the producer of Beach Rats finds his financing.
In case you were ignoring us (aka blatant self-promotion)
Filmmaker Interview: Siân Heder, writer/director of CODA
We talked with the filmmaker behind the breakout film of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
A video worth watching
An update on SAG-AFTRA on-set COVID safety protocols (via SAG-AFTRA)
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.