Independent films (a.k.a. indie films or just independent movies) are typically produced with little or no financial support from a major Hollywood studio. In recent years, independent films have grown in popularity, especially among movie fans looking for something different from the mass marketed movies made of mainstream consumption. The movies showcased in this collection were selected by our staff from the EZTakes catalog, which is almost all independent films. Read more about independent films and movies.

Genre

• Action
• Biography
• Drama
• Foreign Films
• Martial Arts
• Science Fiction
• Television
• Adventure
• Comedy
• Family
• History
• Musical
• Silent
• Thriller
• Animation
• Crime
• Film Noir
• Horror
• Mystery
• Special Interest
• War
• Anime
• Documentary
• Fitness
• Life/Learning
• Romance
• Sports
• Western

See our special collections

About Independent Films

According to data from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), approximately 15% of US domestic box office revenue was from independent, or indie, studios. Creative, business, and technological reasons have all contributed to the growth of the indie film scene in the late 20th and early 21st century. The roots of independent movies can be traced back to when the early pioneer filmmakers at the turn of the century resisted the control of the Motion Pictures Patents Company, built their own cameras to escape the Edison trusts, and relocated to Southern California where they laid the foundations of the American film industry as well as the Hollywood studio system. The studio system took on a life of its own, and became extremely powerful. Filmmakers once again sought independence as a result. Throughout the decades, independent filmmakers around the world have created a diverse range of filmmaking styles that symbolize their own unique cultures such as experimental film and underground film. Some independent filmmakers have even broken through technological barriers with the use of digital cinema. While most of the American film industry is located in Los Angeles, about one-third of all independent films in the United States are produced in New York.

Until the advent of digital alternatives, the cost of professional film equipment and stock was also a hurdle to being able to produce, direct, or star in a traditional studio film. The cost of 35mm film is even outpacing inflation. Film also requires expensive lighting and post-production facilities. But the advent of consumer camcorders in 1985, and more importantly, the arrival of high-resolution digital video in the early 1990s, significantly lowered the technology barriers to movie production. In fact, both production and post-production costs have been significantly lowered; today, the hardware and software for post-production can be installed in a commodity-based personal computer. Technologies such as DVDs, USB connections and non-linear editing system pro-level software like the open source Cinelerra, the commercial Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, as well as consumer-level software like the open source Kino, have made movie-making relatively inexpensive.- The preceding paragraphs were derived from a full article available from Wikipedia and its use is governed by the GNU Free Documentation License 1.2.