Life is busy – mergers proliferate, acquisitions thrive, UFC at the White House, Knicks in five. It can be tough to stay up-to-date on all 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 (June 2026)
The 27-Year-Old Assistant Who Found Backrooms (via Matthew Belloni for Puck)
Giving overdue credit to Lucas Ford, the newbie who brought the viral horror hit to Hollywood’s attention.
Netflix Is Done Coddling Hollywood (via Nicole Sperling for The New York Times)
Inside the streamer’s new (more frugal) strategy under chairman Dan Lin.
The Thoughtlessness of AI Filmmaking (via Sonny Bunch for The Bulwark)
Bringing intentionality back to the forefront of filmmaking.
A Massive List of Summer 2026 Grants, Labs, Fellowships, and Contests (via Lee Moss for No Film School)
Make money money make money money money.
What Steven Spielberg Taught Me About Fear, Catharsis, and Being Human (via Wesley Morris for The New York Times Magazine)
Spielberg talks life, movies, and life in the movies.
“You’d Be Perfect for This!” Inside the Devious Casting Scam Sweeping Hollywood (via Katie Kilkenny for The Hollywood Reporter)
Beware the AI casting director scams.
Models of Hope: Ayoka Chenzira, Wendell B. Harris, Jr. and Bridgett M. Davis on “Making It” as Black Independent Filmmakers (via Maya Cade for Letterboxd Journal)
A roundtable of Black filmmakers on sustaining decades-long careers.
YouTube Is Not the New Hollywood (or the New Sundance) (via Anthony Kaufman for Substack)
It’s harder to become a YouTube breakout than you might think.
The Tawdry, Opulent World of James Bidgood’s Underground Classic Pink Narcissus (via Mayukh Sen for The Criterion Collection)
The history of the (once anonymously-directed) queer low-budget cult film.
Art House Convergence Releases Results of 2026 National Audience Survey (via Boxoffice Pro)
Young folks are keeping their local indie cinemas alive.
The Unglamorous Financial Realities of 5 Indie Filmmakers (via Hershal Pandya for Vulture)
Five filmmakers — Sophy Romvari, Joel Potrykus, Daniel Lombroso, Dustin Guy Defa, and Penny Lane — open up their figurative wallets.
A24 Wouldn’t Tell Hollywood How It Works. Then It Told Google. (via Dana Harris-Bridson for IndieWire)
Indie film’s coolest studio gets a big investment from Google AI.
Lloyd Kaufman Looks at Legacy of Legendary Troma Entertainment: ‘It Birthed the Marvel Cinematic Universe’ (via Rafa Sales Ross for Variety)
Catching up with the 80-year-old founder of the longest-running independent film studio in history.
Retreating From The Elephant: The Perpetually Impending Demise of Indie Cinema (via Scout Tafoya for RogerEbert.com)
The Sisyphean effort of trying to get your next movie made.
In case you were ignoring us (aka blatant self-promotion)
Filmmaker Interview: David Fortune, writer/director of Color Book
We talked with the award-winning filmmaker about his feature debut, now streaming on Netflix.
SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Contract Updates (2026)
Strike averted, new contracts in place. Get the updates on what changes for low-budget productions.
Videos worth watching
Producer Mynette Louie on how indie hits like Obsession pay out their profits (via The Town with Matt Belloni)
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.
