American Independent Cinema 4219-SD035

American cinema is often perceived through the prism of mainstream Hollywood production. This is where the image of the USA comes from, where icons are born and where money is made. Meanwhile, the so-called “indie” scene is attracting the attention of viewers, critics and … Hollywood producers. Where does the independent film production and distribution begin and where does it end? What does it mean to be “an independent film director”? What are the main topics and motifs of the work of American independent filmmakers and how do they change over time? The discussion on American indies will be a starting point to a talk on contemporary America: its roots, its society, culture and tradition. Most of all it will be a talk on the main themes, aesthetics, cinematic style and form of indies.

The purpose of this course is to explore various aspects of American independent cinema starting from the presentation of early examples, such as John Cassavetes’ Shadows, Terrence Malick’s Badlands, Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider, John Waters’ Pink Flamingos, Shirley Clarke’s Portrait of Jason, Melvin Van Peebles Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets. The aesthetics, characteristics of people and places, narrative structure, form and style of independent cinema are here of particular interest. The critical analysis of chosen titles will be the main objective of the course.

The representatives of the 80s and 90s independent filmmaking, such as Roger Corman, Jim Jarmusch, David Lynch, Richard Linklater, Quentin Tarantino, Todd Solondz, Steven Soderbergh, Kevin Smith, Joel and Ethan Coen, Gus Van Sant, David Gordon Green, John Singleton, Harmony Korine, Gregg Araki, Whit Stillman, Peter Bogdanovich, Hal Hartley, Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach, Darren Aronofsky, Andrew Bujalski, Ira Sachs and the examples of their work will be discussed as well.

Talk of the New Wave of American independent filmmakers, such as Barry Jenkins, Dee Rees, Debra Granik, Ramin Bahrani, Nathan Silver, Alex Ross Perry, Sean Baker, Lynn Shelton, Duplass and Safdie brothers, Shane Carruth, Gillian Robespierre, Daniel Patrick Carbone, David Lowery, Josephine Decker, Jeff Nichols, Benh Zeitlin, Sarah Polley, JC Chandor, Ava DuVernay, Ana Lily Amirpour, Ryan Coogler, Damien Chazelle will be included in the weekly seminars. They will be divided into sections that include certain themes and motifs for discussion. Each motif comes with a set of two motion pictures that the students will be required to watch before the class, while other examples would follow.

Possible topics for discussion include, but are not limited to: definition of independent cinema, definitions of American society and divisions through the lens of independent filmmakers, race and ethnicity, masculinity and femininity, gender, class, politics, social engagement, realism, mainstream convergences, places and milieu, characters, avant-garde independents, minorities and immigration, blaxploitation, new queer cinema, memory and nostalgia, American Heartland, mumblecore, cultural contexts, Sundance and Independent Spirit Awards vs Hollywood.

By the end of the course students will be familiar with works of American independent filmmaking, including such names as (early indies) Cassavetes, Waters, Clarke, (80s and 90s) Jarmusch, Linklater, Tarantino, Solondz, Anderson, Baumbach, (New Wave) Duplass, Carruth, Shelton, DuVernay, Korine.