Life is busy – another year comes to an end, yet the news rolls on. It can be tough to stay up-to-date on all the 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 (December 2023)
Michael Latt, Who Was Fatally Shot, Leaves a Legacy of Uplifting Marginalized Artists (via Malia Mendez for Los Angeles Times)
Remembering the Lead With Love founder.
Luck of the Irish (via Heather Schwedel for Slate)
Why today’s hottest actors all come from Ireland.
They Discovered Timmy (via Matthew Jacobs for Vulture)
Hearing from the directors (like Julia Hart and Jason Noto) who cast Timothée Chalamet in his earliest roles.
Budgets for ‘Prestige’ Films Dried Up. So Ava DuVernay Found a New Way. (via Geoff Edgers for The Washington Post)
How the Origin director turned to nonprofits and foundations to fund her film.
Zack Snyder’s Deepest Cuts (via Mickey Rapkin for Men’s Health)
The filmmaker on his fans, his reputation, and his inspirations.
How America Met Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli (via Daniel Chin for The Ringer)
Hayao Miyazaki’s introduction to Stateside audiences, courtesy of some unlikely partners.
Netflix Reveals Viewing Data For First Time Across Its Entire Catalog (via Dade Hayes for Deadline)
The great wall of transparency has been breached.
They Made Sound of Freedom a Hit — But Were They Deceiving Their Audience? (via Miles Klee for Rolling Stone)
A glimpse into the media empire behind the surprise hit of the year.
Hits & Misses: How Six Sundance 2023 Titles Performed in Distribution (via Anthony Kaufman for Filmmaker Magazine)
Speaking of transparency, here’s how some of this year’s big indies fared at the box office.
Thoughts on Suffering for Your Art (via Anna Zlokovic for Talkhouse)
How one filmmaker learned to put her happiness before her work.
The Best Movie Posters of 2023 (via Adrian Curry for Mubi Notebook)
Marketing design highlights from the year.
16 Questions to Ask Before You Make Your Next Film (via Megan Gilbride and Rebecca Green for Dear Producer)
Go into your next production fully prepared.
Filmmakers Take Legal Action Against Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment as It Faces ‘Cash Flow Issues’ (via Addie Morfoot for Variety)
Trouble for films released by 1091 Pictures.
It Hosted One of L.A.’s Oldest Film Festivals, Then It Collapsed. What Happened? (via Wendy Lee for Los Angeles Times)
The continuing saga of Outfest.
In case you were ignoring us (aka blatant self-promotion)
2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominees
See which movies, series, performers, and filmmakers are up for this year’s Spirit Awards.
SAGindie’s Favorite Films of 2023
Our staff picks the best of the best (in our humble opinions).
Videos worth watching
The Best Video Essays of 2023 (via Queline Meadows, Irina Trocan, and Will Webb for Sight and Sound Magazine)
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.