If You Like Stories of Inspiration and Creativity, Go See 'Indie Game: The Movie' | No Film School

The other day I saw an inspiring documentary about independent creativity, and even though it wasn't about film, it couldn't be more relevant to The Age In Which We Live. The landscape of video games is the same as the landscape of movies: it's divided between multimillion-dollar blockbusters made by large corporations employing hundreds of salaried craftspeople, and tiny passion projects made by small teams working from sweat equity and fevered inspiration. After a successful festival run and road tour, Indie Game: The Movie finally opened theatrically this weekend, and if you're in NY, LA, San Francisco, or Phoenix I can't recommend it highly enough.

Here's the trailer for Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky's superbly shot and edited doc:

The subject of two successful Kickstarter projects, Indie Game chronicles the independent sector of an industry that, thanks to healthy marketplaces like Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Store, and Steam, has been revolutionized by digital distribution in a way that independent film has not. At least not to the same extent, and at least not yet. Whether or not you have aspirations to tell stories of the interactivity variety, as I do (stories that may be considered games), Indie Game is a superbly-crafted doc that, like many great docs, could be put in a time capsule and used to explain a particular era in highly entertaining fashion.

Here are the theatrical runs this weekend; there are many more locations (including some international locations) listed on the screenings page. And if you're not in any of these locations, the film will eventually be available via digital distribution avenues... of course!

New York
IFC Center
May 18th-24th
Directors in attendance 18th-19th
Tix & info here

Los Angeles
Laemmle’s NoHo 7 theater
May 18th-24th
Tix & info here

San Francisco
Roxie Film Center
May 18th-24th
Tix & info here

Phoenix
The Film Bar
May 18th-20th & 25th-27th
More info here

If you've already seen it, what'd you think?

Link: Indie Game: The Movie

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Mark Duplass Has Some Thoughts on Sundance Acceptance

Mark Duplass Share His Thoughts on Sundance Acceptance

The Calvary King delivers a hopeful message to filmmakers who didn't get into Sundance.

Mark Duplass has always been a filmmaker's filmmaker. He famously delivered his "The Cavalry is Not Coming" speech at SXSW as a call to action for independent filmmakers to stop waiting and start shooting. Duplass also historically creates and works on small-budget indie projects, including being a key member of the lo-fi, bare-bones mumblecore movement. He's also a charismatic actor who brings a relatable ethos to every role he plays—not to mention seems like an overall cool dude.

We love Mark Duplass.

All the above considered, it's no surprise to see Duplass take to social media with an encouraging statement following the recently announced 2025 Sundance lineup this past Wednesday. Duplass, hot off positive reviews for the recently released The Creep Tapes on Shudder, warmly comforted filmmakers that if you happened to apply to Sundance and weren't selected, hey, that's okay. They curate 15,775. It happens.

We all know rejection sucks, but don't sweat it. Be proud of your project no matter what. And watch Mark Duplass's full snippet of encouraging wisdom below.

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