Long the patron saint of indie filmmakers, Mark Duplass is back at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival not to share his latest film, but rather four indie episodic television pilots.

Duplass, as he explained at a round-table discussion on the future of indie TV, as well as the premiere of the pilots that he and his brother produced, is betting big on indie television being the bold new frontier of indie filmmaking.

And, if you think about it, it actually kind of makes sense. Let’s explore more from his discussion below.


Mark Duplass and his Indie Roots

SXSW 2024 marks the official launch of the Duplass Brothers Productions’ new model for indie episodic television, which was culminated by Mark Duplass introducing their Duplass Brothers Indie TV Showcase at the Stateside Theater the other night.

In his intro, Duplass shared his hopes that the indie filmmaking revolution that he was a part of in the mid-2000s and early 2010s, which helped launch his career in indie film and mainstream television, might be back, but in a different form from before.

The showcase featured four indie episodic television pilots all produced by the Duplass Brothers, with one featuring Duplass on-camera as well. The pilots included: Penelope, The Broadcast, Ryley Walker & Friends, and The Long Long Night and ranged from heartfelt coming-of-age stories to slapstick dystopian news broadcasts.

Duplass Brothers Indie TV Showcase

Duplass Brothers Indie TV Showcase

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Is the Future of Indie Film on TV?

The central thesis at the heart of Duplass’ showcase and panel though is that indie television, and in this sense he means both traditional as well as streaming, might end up being the future of indie filmmaking. In his panel, which you can watch in its entirety below, Duplass along with creatives from each of the shows, explores more about the secret sauce of this pioneering new way of making episodic television, from development to production to distribution.

Check it out below.