D. K. HOLM

Just what is independent cinema? D. K. Holm aims to define a term all too carelessly used both by media commentators and marketers, and distinguish it from categories such as avant-garde, underground, experimental or art films, with which it is often confused.By contrasting studio-era Hollywood with changes in the business since the 1970s, and the rise of companies such as Miramax and New Line, it shows the birth of a commercial environment in which the new independent cinema can emerge.Profiles of specific filmmakers suggest how diverse personalities use independent cinema for individual ends; directors such as James Mangold, who found indie cinema to be a stepping stone to more mainstream movies, Jill Sprecher, who uses its flexibility to explore philosophical ideas, and Guy Maddin, one of the few true independent filmmakers, whose films are beholden to his own unique vision rather than financiers or abstract audience markets.

Just what is "independent" cinema? D. K. Holm, columnist for Kevin Smith's website and author of "Robert Crumb" and "Quentin Tarantino,""" aims to define a term that can be difficult to distinguish from categories such as avant-garde, underground, experimental, or art films. By contrasting studio-era Hollywood with changes in the business since the 1970s and chronicling the rise of companies such as Miramax and New Line, this book shows the birth of a commercial environment in which the new independent cinema could emerge. Detailed assessments and previously unpublished interviews with filmmakers, such as James Mangold "(Walk the Line"),"" Jill Sprecher "(Clockwatchers"),"" and Guy Maddin ("The Saddest Music in the World") show the vastly different roles independent cinema can play in different hands. An accompanying DVD features Paul Cronin's documentary "Film as a Subversive Art: Amos Vogel and Cinema 16," about the founder of the New York Film Festival and one of the country's most important film societies.