Life is busy – people in DC, Hollywood, and beyond are talking about the proposed federal film and TV tax incentive: What it is (via The Hollywood Reporter), what it needs to include (via Puck News), what hurdles it faces (via Deadline), and what its financial impact could be (via The Wrap). 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 (September 2026)
AMC Theatres Plans to Distribute Small and Mid-Budget Movies Directly to the Big Screen (via Jason Hellerman for No Film School)
The big theater chain is leaning into small movies with its new label Leawood Films.
AMC Getting Into Distribution Is Bad for Business Actually (via Colby Day for Hollyweird)
A counterpoint to the big theater chain leaning into small movies.
The Real Lesson of the Summer Box Office: Fans Want to Feel Connected (via Alissa Wilkinson for The New York Times)
Moviegoing is BACK! …So, now what?
She Also Found It at the Movies (via Alan Jacobs for The Hedgehog Review)
Film critic Pauline Kael’s legacy (good and bad) 25 years after her death.
Neptune Frost and the Final Future of Afrofuturism (via Charles Tonderai Mudede for e-flux Journal)
Re-examining the 2021 film, “the most important Afrofuturist work of this decade.”
Jeremy Thomas: An Astonishing Career (via David Hudson for The Criterion Collection)
Honoring the legacy of the late Oscar-winning producer, who made films with Bernardo Bertolucci, Agnès Varda, David Cronenberg, Terry Gilliam, Wim Wenders, Richard Linklater, and more.
Just Because You Build It, Doesn’t Mean They’ll Come (via Aaron Strand for The Slam)
Lessons learned from a self-distribution roadshow release.
Indieo Promises an Ecosystem That Will Enable Independent Filmmakers to Make a Living, Finally (via Deidre McCarrick for MovieMaker Magazine)
An interview with the founders of the upstart “connective ecosystem” for filmmakers.
Paramount Wins Warner Bros Takeover After Settling States, Union Lawsuits (via Jody Godoy and Deborah Mary Sophia for Reuters)
Hot Monopoly Fall has begun.
25 New Faces of Film 2026 (via Natalia Keogan, Chloe Lizotte, and Maxwell Paparella for Filmmaker Magazine)
The emerging filmmakers to keep your eye on.
This Single DVD Is Traveling Around the Country to Find a Sweet Indie Film Its Audience (via Alison Foreman for IndieWire)
The Handle With Care film team on bringing their movie to your literal doorstep.
How a Utah Film Producer Is Ditching the Indie Playbook to Prove His Model Drives Profits (via Catherine Bennett for Utah Business)
Daren Smith, producer of Brotherhood: A Cinematic Musical, has ideas for shaking up indie distribution.
“I Was a Mess”: Barry Jenkins Revisits Moonlight, 10 Years Later (via Rebecca Ford for Vanity Fair)
How the Oscar-winning writer/director adapted to “overnight” success.
Indie Film’s Plot Twist: Huge Demand, Not Enough Movies (via Ashley Cullins for The Ankler)
The finances, the buyers, and the audiences up for grabs in today’s indie market.
The Almost Unbelievable True Story Behind the Wackiest Texas Movie Ever Made (via Sean O’Neal for Texas Monthly)
Looking back at 40 years of David Byrne’s directorial debut, True Stories.
In case you were ignoring us (aka blatant self-promotion)
Stowe Story Labs presents the SAGindie Fellowship
Applications are now open for the 2027 Stowe Narrative Labs. Let SAGindie pay your way!
Videos worth watching
SAGindie’s Michael Sládek talks to reps from The Black List, Sundance Institute, Stowe Story Labs, and Antigravity Academy about the ins and outs of filmmaking labs (via SAG-AFTRA Foundation)
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.
