Life is busy – you’re surviving through the scariest season of all: corporate media layoffs. It can be tough to stay up-to-date on all the other 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 (October 2026)
Monster Mash: Legendary Special-Effects Makeup Creator Rick Baker on Making Decades of Movie Magic (via Marya E. Gates for Letterboxd Journal)
A career legacy of making aliens, werewolves, and Klumps.
Indie Filmmakers Push Back Against Claims That There Aren’t Enough Movies to Buy (via Alison Foreman for IndieWire)
Some distributors claimed there aren’t enough titles to acquire… filmmakers beg to differ.
Sexy Werewolves, Boy-Toy Mafiosos, Homeless Guys Who Are Secretly Billionaires: Welcome to the World of the Microdrama. (via Daniel Kolitz for The New York Times Magazine)
A behind-the-scenes visit to hit verticals.
How Our Film Westhampton Faked a Car Crash on a $6K Budget (via Christian Nilsson for MovieMaker Magazine)
Getting a big bang on a small buck.
Distributing Films Politically (via Graham L. Carter for Verso Books)
Meet a one-man-band film distribution company, Several Futures.
Inside Philadelphia’s Mumblecore Revival (via Elijah Fischer for The Slam)
The home of Rocky and The Watermelon Woman has become a new Swanberg/Duplass-esque indie filmmaking hub.
‘Sometimes It’s Not Perfect, But It Works’: Film-Maker Charles Burnett On His Chronicling of Black Working-Class Life (via Adria R. Walker for The Guardian)
Another long-lost Burnett film, My Brother’s Wedding, has been rescued and restored.
Festivals and Vimeo Are Not the Be-All End-All for Shorts (via Peter Coccoma for Nothing Bogus)
How a screening tour was the right path for the short film Drifts.
You Probably Don’t Know Enough About This Influential Production Designer (via Jo Light for No Film School)
How Derek Jarman went from The Devils production designer to experimental filmmaker in his own right.
Remake, Remodel, Remarket (via Mark Asch for Mubi Notebook)
Disney’s diminishing returns of live-action remakes.
How Many Films Get Into Top Festivals With Nobody Behind Them? (via Stephen Follows)
Don’t have public funding, lab support, studio financing, top-level producer, or a sales agent? Don’t count yourself (entirely) out of major fests!
How Do I Get My Independent Film Into Theaters? Part 1 and Part 2 (via Kinema for Filmmakers)
Self-distribution tips from the pros.
You Can See Everything Is Breaking the Oscars (via Julianna Ress for The Ringer)
A (spoiler-filled!) analysis into awards campaigning for a top-secret documentary acting gig.
The Child-Actor Conundrum That’s Plagued Hollywood Forever—and How to Fix It (Maybe) (via Hillary Busis for Vanity Fair)
A panel of former child stars (including Mara Wilson, Alex Winter, and Alyssa Milano) on what the industry could do to increase protections.
CGI Gore Is a Plague on Horror. There May Be a Cure. (via Louis Peitzman for Vulture)
The new filmmakers inspired by Rick Baker’s (see above) method of good ol’ fashioned fake blood and guts.
In case you were ignoring us (aka blatant self-promotion)
Filmmaker Interview: Giselle Bonilla, director/producer of The Musical
The actor-turned-director talked to us about the trials and tribulations of making her feature debut.
The 2026 Gotham Film Awards Nominees
Awards season has begun!
Videos worth watching
How do spooky films get their spooky music? Film•raderie’s Composing for Genre panel features great composers of horror, sci-fi, and more (via film•raderie)
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.
