Life is busy – you’re celebrating a hugely significant agreement between two industry titans. No, not Baldoni/Lively, a tentative SAG-AFTRA/AMPTP deal! Still, 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 (May 2026)
Oscars Organization Expands International Film Eligibility, Addresses AI in New Rules (via Lindsey Bahr for AP News)
Tilly Norwood’s Best Actress campaign just went down in flames.
Why Netflix Caved for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia (via Matthew Belloni for Puck)
How Gerwig got a full theatrical window before Scorsese, del Toro, or Fincher.
Horror! A24’s Youngest Director Ever Started on YouTube (via Matthew Frank for The Ankler)
Kane Parsons’ Backrooms, Curry Barker’s Obsession, and a new generation of young YouTube-raised horror directors.
We Are All Living in the Southland Tales Future Now (via Corey Atad for GQ)
Richard Kelly reflects on 20 years since he premiered his controversial Donnie Darko follow-up.
Wallace Shawn: The Master Builder (via Brian O’Connell for Screen Slate)
The writing and acting works of the Princess Bride scene-stealer.
I Work in Hollywood. Everyone Who Used to Make TV Is Now Secretly Training AI (via Ruth Fowler for Wired)
A bleak report from the screenwriter-turned-AI-trainer trenches.
The Big Short: How Short Stories Became Hollywood’s Hottest Format (via Antonia Cereijido for L.A. Material)
From Reddit post to screenplay.
We Need to Talk About Indie Theatre Rental Fees (via Aaron Strand for Broke Sober and NonDē)
Finding a more sustainable way to rent out your local arthouse theater.
Boots Riley, Marx Brother (via Emily Nussbaum for The New Yorker)
A profile of the I Love Boosters director as he takes his biggest swing yet.
How Losing $200K and Two Producers Led to My Debut Feature (via Ela Thier for Talkhouse)
The one-step-forward, two-steps-back of getting a movie made.
US Finally Stems the Bleeding in Film Production — But Will It Last? (via Jeremy Fuster for The Wrap)
Looking at the uptick in domestic filming.
Resort to Boulder: Last Sundance in Park City (via Will Tavlin for n+1)
An unvarnished look at Sundance’s past and future.
What We Owe Each Other: Building the Infrastructure Independent Film Actually Needs (via Emily Best for Hope For Film)
Advice and tips from the founder of Seed&Spark.
50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee in 2026 (via Tim Molloy for MovieMaker Magazine)
Some ideas to add to your festival submission wish list.
How Issa Rae Built TikTok’s First Micro-Drama Hit (via Cerys Davies for Los Angeles Times)
The Screen Time producer has returned to her “new media” roots.
In case you were ignoring us (aka blatant self-promotion)
Filmmaker Interview: Jing Ai Ng, writer/director/producer of Forge
Our interview with the filmmaker behind the SXSW art heist drama starring Kelly Marie Tran.
2026 Cannes Film Festival Recap
Film festival award winners, SAGindie Roundtable highlights, and more news via la France.
Videos worth watching
A day in the life of craft services (via NYT Cooking)
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.