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Indiewood (also known as "specialty", "alternative", "indie", or "quality")^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]} films are made outside of theHollywood studio system or traditionalarthouse/independent filmmaking system yet managed to be produced, financed and distributed by the two with varying degrees of success and/or failure.^[8]

The American independent film, prior to the 1980s and first half of the 1990s,^[9][10][11] was previously associated withb movies,exploitation films,avant-gardeunderground cinema (when it was known as theNew American Cinema^[12]), social and political documentaries,experimental animated shorts (since the mid-1930s featuring works by pioneer animatorsMary Ellen Bute andOskar Fischinger) andsocial realistdramas.^{[13][14][15][16][17][18]}

Throughout the middle of the 1990s, the word "Indiewood" (a.k.a. "indie boom" or "indie film movement")^[19][20][4] was invented to describe a component of the spectrum of American films in which distinctions exist, it seemed as if Hollywood and the independent sector had become blurred.^{[21][22][23][24][25][4]}

Indiewood divisions gain from expert experience of the niche industry by hiring leading independent personalities such asHarvey Weinstein^[26] from theDisney fold after the exit of the Weinsteins,^[27][28] andJames Schamus, former joint head ofGood Machine, atFocus Features.^[29]

• Searchlight Pictures
• Fine Line Features (established byNew Line Cinema)
• Lionsgate
• NEON
• A24
• Paramount Vantage
• Summit Entertainment
• Orion Pictures
• Samuel Goldwyn Company
• Warner Independent
• Picturehouse
• United Artists (first founded in 1919 as an independent studio for formersilent film stars likeMary Pickford andCharles Chaplin)
• Blumhouse
• Cannon Films
• Sony Pictures Classics
• IFC Films
• Magnolia Pictures
• Janus Films
• Kino Lorber
• Roadside Attractions
• Bleecker Street
• MUBI
• Amazon Studios (in association withMGM)
• Oscilloscope

^{[30][2][31][19][32][33][34][35][36][37]}

The films are often made for far less money than Hollywood films^[38][39] (some films likeRobert Townsend's 1987's satireHollywood Shuffle andKevin Smith's 1994Gen X comedyClerks were funded by usingcredit cards^[11]) and each aspect of thefilmmaking process has to undergo less scrutiny by committees. Additionally, within the Indiewood approach the filmmaker can take as long as they need in the post-production phase of their film - whereas in Hollywood they are contracted to finish the film in a specific period of time (usually 10 weeks). In Hollywood, the film then goes on to show in focus group screenings on the studio lot. In Indiewood, the filmmakers can determine the next steps of the film. They also bear striking similarities to as well as were influenced by the "proto-indies" of the 1960s such asRobert Downey Sr'sstill image filmChafed Elbows (1966),John Cassavetes'sAcademy Award-nominatedFaces andBrian de Palma'sGreetings (each from 1968) which in turn were influenced by the culture of theBeat Generation, the polar opposite to theconformist, gray-flannel conformity of 1950s America.^[40][16]

Most Indiewood films are first shown atfilm festivals with the hopes of further distribution by being picked up (or purchased) by a larger film company or distributor in order to find broader audiences alongside awards consideration^[41] (e.g. 2009'sA Single Man).^[42]

This section'sfactual accuracy isdisputed. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please help to ensure that disputed statements arereliably sourced.(February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• City Lights (1931)^[36]≈
• Reefer Madness (1936)^[171]
• The Great Dictator (1940)^[36]≈
• Rebecca (1940)^[36]≈

• Little Fugitive (1953)^{[80][14][16][172]}≈
• Salt of the Earth (1954)^[47]≈
• 3rd Ave. El (1955)^[90]
• The Adventures of an * (1957)^[108]
• Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)^[160]
• On the Bowery (1957)^[14][16]≈
• 12 Angry Men (1957)^[36]≈
• The Screaming Skull (1958)^[160]
• Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)^[160]
• Moonbird (1959)^[108]
• Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)^[80]
• Pull My Daisy (1959)^[14][16]≈
• Shadows (1959)^{[68][80][14][16][36][61][47][172]}≈
• Some Like It Hot (1959)^[36]≈

• The Flower Thief (1960)^[16]
• Munro (1960)^[108][173]
• Psycho (1960)^[146]≈
• The Savage Eye (1960)^[172]
• The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961)^[174]
• Blast of Silence (1961)^{[175][176][150]}
• The Connection (1961)^{[80][14][172]}
• The Exiles (1961)^[16][172]≈
• Something Wild (1961)^[177][178]
• Carnival of Souls (1962)^{[179][180][181][151]}
• The Hole (1962)^[108]≈
• Beach Party (1963)^[36]
• Blood Feast (1963)^{[80][36][172]}
• The Cool World (1963)^[14]≈
• The Brig (1964)^[16]
• Help! My Snowman's Burning Down (1964)^[90]
• Nothing But a Man (1964)^[80][47]≈
• Two Thousand Maniacs (1964)^[137]
• Time Piece (1965)^[182]
• Vinyl (1965)^[14]
• Chafed Elbows (1966)^[40][14]
• Chelsea Girls (1966)^[47]
• A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature (1966)^[183]
• Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)^[174]
• The Wild Angels (1966)^[36]
• The Box (1967)^[184]
• David Holzman's Diary (1967)^[14]≈
• Dont Look Back (1967)^[47]≈
• The Graduate (1967)^[132]≈
• The Jungle (1967)^[185]≈
• Portrait of Jason (1967)^[90][16][47]≈
• Spider Baby (1967)^[186]
• The Trip (1967)^[80][36]
• Who's That Knocking at My Door? (1967)^[80]
• Beyond the Law (1968)^[14][16]
• Faces (1968)^{[40][72][14][16][149]}≈
• Greetings (1968)^[40][14]
• Murder a la Mod (1968)^[14]
• Night of the Living Dead (1968)^{[68][80][91][46][36][137][61][187][47]}≈
• No More Excuses (1968)^[14]
• Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One (1968)^[16]≈
• Wild 90 (1968)^[14][16]
• Easy Rider (1969)^{[68][80][91][14][36][61][47][132]}≈
• Midnight Cowboy (1969)^[36]≈
• Putney Swope (1969)^[14]≈

• The Further Adventures of Uncle Sam (1970)^[188]
• Husbands (1970)^[14][16]
• Is It Always Right to Be Right? (1970)^[188]
• Maidstone (1970)^[14][16]
• Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1970)^{[80][189][61][47]}≈
• Wanda (1970)^[80][85]≈
• Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971)^[138]
• McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)^[36]≈
• THX-1138 (1971)^[91][61]
• Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)^[80][61]≈
• The Last House on the Left (1972)^[138]
• Pink Flamingos (1972)^{[6][80][91][36][47]}≈
• Badlands (1973)^[14]≈
• Coffy (1973)^[186]
• Mean Streets (1973)^{[68][91][61][47]}≈
• Messiah of Evil (1973)^[190]
• Sisters (1973)^[138]
• Benji (1974)^{[146][128][191]}
• Dark Star (1974)^[46][36][61]
• Female Trouble (1974)^[36]
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)^{[80][91][138][46][36][61][47]}
• A Woman Under the Influence (1974)^[91][72][36]≈
• Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1975)^[128]
• Coney (1975)^[192]
• Head (1975)^[109][110]
• Hester Street (1975)^[6][85]≈
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)^[36][187]≈
• Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)^[85]≈
• Alambrista! (1977)^[6][14]≈
• Eraserhead (1977)^{[6][68][80][91][138][46][16]}

^{[36][189][61][47][132]}≈

• The Hills Have Eyes (1977)^[138]
• Killer of Sheep (1977)^{[68][193][80][91][16][61][47]}≈
• Opening Night (1977)^[36]
• Dawn of the Dead (1978)^[138]
• Gates of Heaven (1978)^[76]
• Girlfriends (1978)^{[194][14][49][85]}≈
• Halloween (1978)^{[80][91][138][46][71]}≈
• Martin (1978)^[138]
• Northern Lights (1978)^[6][14]
• Piranha (1978)^[91]
• The Whole Shootin' Match (1978)^[195]
• Asparagus (1979)^[196][100]
• Bush Mama (1979)^[14][128]≈
• Heartland (1979)^[6][14][128]

• Atlantic City (1980)^[197]≈
• Friday the 13th (1980)^[68][46]
• The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter (1980)^[198]≈
• Out of the Blue (1980)^[7]
• Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)^{[5][80][128][47]}≈
• The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)^[89]≈
• The Evil Dead (1981)^{[68][91][36][61][69]}
• My Dinner with Andre (1981)^[6][36][76]
• Polyester (1981)^[36]
• Will (1981)^[63]
• Zoot Suit (1981)^[118][199]≈
• The Atomic Cafe (1982)^{[200][201][5]}≈
• The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982)^{[6][14][46][16]}≈
• Chan Is Missing (1982)^{[5][118][63][76]}≈
• Eating Raoul (1982)^[122]
• First Blood (1982)^[19]
• Forbidden Zone (1982)^[202]
• Illusions (1982)^[6]≈
• Liquid Sky (1982)^[6][203]
• Losing Ground (1982)^[6][80][7]≈
• The Loveless (1982)^[6]
• The Secret of NIMH (1982)^{[204][205][95][96]}
• Smithereens (1982)^[34]
• White Dog (1982)^[206]
• Born in Flames (1983)^[47]
• El Norte (1983)^[118][16]≈
• Koyaanisqatsi (1983)^[144][119]≈
• Lianna (1983)^[128]
• My Brother's Wedding (1983)^[7]
• Seventeen (1983)^[63]
• Suburbia (1983)^[7]
• Sundae in New York (1983)^[207]
• Variety (1983)^[122][69]
• Bless Their Little Hearts (1984)^[7]≈
• The Brother from Another Planet (1984)^[5][128]
• Choose Me (1984)^{[6][86][7][69]}
• In Heaven There Is No Beer? (1984)^[208]
• The Killing Floor (1984)^[5]
• Love Streams (1984)^[36]
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)^{[19][70][46][36][63]}≈
• Paris, Texas (1984)^[143][69]
• Repo Man (1984)^[209][210]
• Stranger Than Paradise (1984)^{[135][5][143][6][45][61][128][47][206]}

^{[66][80][91][46][16][36][63]}≈

• Streetwise (1984)^[119][7]
• The Terminator (1984)^{[19][5][68][91][71][61][187][69]}≈
• This Is Spinal Tap (1984)^[68][6][63]≈
• The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)^[5][6]≈
• The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985)^[211]
• Blood Simple (1985)^{[3][135][70][68][6][61]}

^{[45][66][14][80][91][46][36]}

• The Breakfast Club (1985)^[212][187]≈
• Desert Hearts (1985)^{[34][80][86][5][69]}
• Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)^[34]≈
• Down By Law (1986)^[13]
• Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)^{[213][3][6][14][5]}
• Mala Noche (1985)^[5]
• Re-Animator (1985)^[5]
• Runaway Train (1985)^[61]
• Smooth Talk (1985)^[6][63][7]
• Teen Wolf (1985)^[71]
• The Toxic Avenger (1985)^[128][69]
• Trip to Bountiful (1985)^[213][14]
• Blue Velvet (1986)^{[68][6][36][63][61][5][69]}
• Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)^[66][45]
• Hoosiers (1986)^[14][146]≈
• Platoon (1986)^[6][14][69]≈
• Parting Glances (1986)^[86][7][69]
• Salvador (1986)^[14][5]
• She's Gotta Have It (1986)^{[19][5][35][68][80][47]}

^{[91][14][46][63][61][132]}≈

• Sherman's March (1986)^[63][47][5]≈
• Something Wild (1986)^[6][7]
• Stand by Me (1986)^[14][146]
• True Stories (1986)^[6][5]
• Working Girls (1986)^{[3][34][45][66]}
• The Big Easy (1987)^[14]
• Border Radio (1987)^{[6][16][86][69]}
• The Brave Little Toaster (1987)^{[214][215][71]}
• Dirty Dancing (1987)^{[134][80][71]}
• Evil Dead II (1987)^[61][206]
• Hollywood Shuffle (1987)^[6][63][11]
• House of Games (1987)^[118]
• Matewan (1987)^{[5][36][122][61][128]}≈
• Near Dark (1987)^[6]
• Raising Arizona (1987)^[5][81][6]
• River's Edge (1987)^{[6][45][63][206]}
• Your Face (1987)^[102]
• The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)^[89]
• Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)^[35]
• Eight Men Out (1988)^[128]
• Hairspray (1988)^{[127][45][66][36]}≈
• Heat and Sunlight (1988)^[16][63]
• Ko-Ko (1988)^[216]
• Lady in White (1988)^[217]
• Let's Get Lost (1988)^[63]
• The Moderns (1988)^[6]
• Patty Hearst (1988)^[35]
• Powaqqatsi (1988)^[144]
• Running on Empty (1988)^[7]
• Stand and Deliver (1988)^[14]≈
• The Thin Blue Line (1988)^{[3][119][46][47]}≈
• Torch Song Trilogy (1988)^[14]
• All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)^[95][97]
• Chameleon Street (1989)^[62][63]
• Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)^[6]
• Do the Right Thing (1989)^{[19][9][14][36][69]}≈
• Drugstore Cowboy (1989)^{[68][80][9][14][36][61]}
• Heathers (1989)^{[6][45][66][14][36][206]}
• Longtime Companion (1989)^[35][6]
• Roger & Me (1989)^{[119][5][35][6][57][66][47]}

^[14]≈

• Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)^{[20][218][144][219][4][5][63]}

^{[70][35][81][68][165][45][66][80][61][69][91][168][14][152][46][16][36][47][132]}≈

• Sidewalk Stories (1989)^[14]
• True Love (1989)^{[34][6][45][66]}
• The Unbelievable Truth (1989)^{[20][57][66][80][63]}

• All My Relations (1990)^[115]
• The Grifters (1990)^{[35][57][66][14]}
• House Party (1990)^{[70][6][57][66][71]}≈
• Jacob's Ladder (1990)^[19]
• Metropolitan (1990)^{[20][5][35][68][6]}
• Miller's Crossing (1990)^[5][6][14]
• Mountains of the Moon (1990)^[19]
• Paris Is Burning (1990)^[44][35]≈
• Pump Up the Volume (1990)^[159][220]
• Sink or Swim (1990)^[81][220]≈
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)^{[19][71][221]}
• To Sleep with Anger (1990)^{[59][60][193][36]}≈
• Total Recall (1990)^[19]
• Trust (1990)^[57][66][62]
• Wild at Heart (1990)^[35][6][14]
• Barton Fink (1991)^[5][6]
• Daughters of the Dust (1991)^{[5][34][6][80][36]}≈
• Dogfight (1991)^[6]
• Fast Food Matador (1991)^[112]
• Homicide (1991)^[14]
• L.A. Story (1991)^[19]
• Truth or Dare (1991)^[119][35]
• Mississippi Masala (1991)^[6][57][66]
• My Own Private Idaho (1991)^{[19][119][44][35][68][91][36]}
• Night on Earth (1991)^[35][36]
• Poison (1991)^[81][220]

^{[6][57][66][80][61][47]}

• Queen of Diamonds (1991)^[84]≈
• Rambling Rose (1991)^[6]
• The Rapture (1991)^[222]
• Rock-a-Doodle (1991)^[95]
• Slacker (1991)^{[20][4][5][33][57][66][80][91]}

^{[47][220][72][16][36][61]}≈

• Straight Out of Brooklyn (1991)^[6]
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)^[19][5][36]≈
• American Me (1992)^[199]
• Bad Lieutenant (1992)^{[68][6][16][61]}
• Basic Instinct (1992)^[19]
• Bob Roberts (1992)^[165]
• A Brief History of Time (1992)^[57][66]
• Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (1992)^[223]
• Gas Food Lodging (1992)^{[4][6][57][66][14][128][220]}
• Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)^[36]
• In the Soup (1992)^[6]
• The Living End (1992)^[5][44][6]
• Passion Fish (1992)^[5][62]
• The Player (1992)^[169][35][6]
• Reservoir Dogs (1992)^{[20][3][4][224][81][68][220]}

^{[6][57][225][66][36][61]}

• Simple Men (1992)^[6]
• Swoon (1992)^[6]
• Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)^[36]
• Dazed and Confused (1993)^{[5][136][81][68][6][61][220]}
• El Mariachi (1993)^{[20][19][4][5][161][57][66][80][91][168][36]}≈
• Menace II Society (1993)^[6]
• Mi Vida Loca (1993)^[5][6]
• Red Rock West (1993)^[6]
• Ruby in Paradise (1993)^[57][66][14]
• Short Cuts (1993)^{[169][119][68][61]}
• Suture (1993)^[57][66]
• The Wedding Banquet (1993)^[5][6]≈
• Clean, Shaven (1994)^[6]
• Clerks (1994)^{[20][144][3][4][5][70][11][132]}

^{[81][68][6][57][161][146][61][220]}

^{[225][66][80][91][72][36]}≈

• Dumb and Dumber (1994)^[226]
• Fresh (1994)^[6][227]
• Go Fish (1994)^{[5][44][6][57][66]}
• Hoop Dreams (1994)^{[119][4][35][57][66][36]}≈
• The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)^[6]
• I Like It Like That (1994)^[6]
• The Last Seduction (1994)^[6][91]
• Little Odessa (1994)^[228]
• Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)^[6]
• Pulp Fiction (1994)^{[155][229][218][3][219][187][47][132]}

^{[4][224][135][33][6][80][16][36]}≈

• The Red Book (1994)^[113][110]≈
• Reality Bites (1994)^[57][66]
• River of Grass (1994)^[34][6]
• Serial Mom (1994)^[126][6][36]
• Spanking the Monkey (1994)^{[20][3][19][57][66][91]}
• Thumbelina (1994)^[95]
• What Happened Was... (1994)^[153][220]
• Altair (1995)^[230][110]
• Before Sunrise (1995)^[68][57][36]
• The Brothers McMullen (1995)^{[4][6][57][161][66]}
• Crumb (1995)^[119][4]
• Dead Man (1995)^[6]
• Dead Man Walking (1995)^[144][6]
• The Doom Generation (1995)^[128][220]
• Friday (1995)^{[118][159][220]}
• Kicking and Screaming (1995)^{[136][52][220]}
• Kids (1995)^{[3][5][35][68][165][6][80][91][159]}
• Leaving Las Vegas (1995)^[6]
• Living in Oblivion (1995)^{[57][66][91][52]}
• The Pebble and the Penguin (1995)^[95]
• Safe (1995)^{[78][125][5][68][6][14][91]}
• Se7en (1995)^[3]
• Smoke (1995)^[46]
• The Usual Suspects (1995)^{[3][68][6][91][36][61]}
• Basquiat (1996)^[136][163]
• Big Night (1996)^[6][161][66]
• Bottle Rocket (1996)^{[145][20][3][68][36][62]}
• Box of Moonlight (1996)^[6]
• Citizen Ruth (1996)^{[145][20][3][5][6]}
• The Daytrippers (1996)^{[136][6][128]}
• The English Patient (1996)^{[213][19][4][35][6]}
• Fargo (1996)^{[213][19][5][6][128]}≈
• Flirting with Disaster (1996)^{[145][3][165][6]}
• Hard Eight (1996)^[20][3]
• I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)^[6][161][66]
• Lone Star (1996)^{[5][6][91][61][128]}
• Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)^[231]
• Schizopolis (1996)^[3][6]
• Sling Blade (1996)^{[219][4][5][35][36]}
• The Spitfire Grill (1996)^{[4][161][66][14]}
• Swingers (1996)^{[5][68][161][132]}