| Musings on indie film, media, branded content and related items from Sub-Genre Founder, Brian Newman. |
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People showed up. They went on their own odysseys just to see The Odyssey in the best format possible. Me, I had to wake up and travel to a particular multiplex for a 7:30am start time, just to see the film projected close to properly. I’d do it again, because something was at stake. Alissa Wilkinson said in the NYT that civilization itself was at stake. A master of cinema had the conviction to take a big swing and do things right, and audiences knew that, so we showed up because the stakes were sufficient to buy a ticket a year in advance or show up just after dawn for a movie in a theater. That’s what works now, and no, you don’t need to spend like Christopher Nolan to succeed. You can spend like Curry Baker did on Obsession – just $750K – and fans showed up. Most of them seemed to praise the stakes – fans on Reddit praised the movie for its precise filmmaking, and how it built genuine psychological tension rather than relying on heavy CGI. Lots of reviews noted how “real” it felt. But people know they need to see it because he tried something hard and raised the stakes. You can do this at any level. In fact, most good films, most good art, comes down to raising the stakes. Taking a gamble for the sake of art. An audience can feel it – wow, they really went for something here. That’s what we want, more often than not. Except when we don’t – sometimes you just need to escape, relax, and the stakes don’t have to be as high. But usually, even in pure entertainment, something more important is at stake in some manner, to make it worth your time. And in this marketplace, what works is “upping the stakes.” I was going to say spectacle is what works right now. It feels like the word for this moment. But after consulting with many clients and a few filmmakers, I kept coming back to the same advice when watching their rough cuts, giving advice on what would work better for festivals and distribution – showing what’s at stake. And spectacle is becoming cheaper by the day thanks to AI, so focusing on the stakes becomes even more important. One example. My company is advising a brand on a project that is being shot right now, and like always, we’re already planning the distribution strategy before they’ve even begun the edit. It’s about an athlete pulling off a big accomplishment – a record-breaking kind of feat. We watched some outtakes from the footage the director had shot, not even an assembly cut, and they asked what they should keep in mind going into the final shoot. My answer was to make sure to show us what’s really at stake for the athlete. Sure, they’re trying to break a world-record, but even then, we’ve seen that movie many times before – someone is always breaking some record. What raises the stakes here and makes this something I’ll not just watch, but tell someone else they should watch it, too. Because that’s always your goal – people think it’s to make something people want to watch (if they think about audience at all). But that’s stopping short (of the real stakes). The goal should be – make something so good that they call a loved one when they leave the theater and say, you must watch this movie I just saw. Or more often, press that share button and send it to a friend. That’s the only movie worth making right now. It’s what financiers are looking to fund, what distributors are looking to buy and distribute, and what audiences bother to show up for in theaters and online. It’s what you need to be making – whether you’re one of my brand clients trying to make movies people will want to watch instead of ads they want to avoid, or one of my indie filmmaker friends trying to make a movie that can get funded, watched and then shared. It’s also happens to be what’s needed in the business side of film right now as well. A lot of things are broken in the industry right now – too many to list here. But at the same time, it’s also a time of great possibility – people are showing up in theaters for movies again; the creator class is becoming the new auteur; there’s good within the AI bad; and money is hunting for good ideas. I see new film-related start-ups business plans almost weekly now, or sit in a conference where people are pitching their new business ideas, or hear them over a coffee or zoom. Too often, the proposed solution isn’t interesting because it isn’t ambitious enough. The stakes aren’t high enough to matter. We need bigger solutions, where people see the stakes and are taking a big swing, a risk to make it work. Quick aside - This does not mean everything needs to be a merger like Paramount-WBD. Sure, a lot is at stake there – people’s jobs, entire studio eco-systems, the future of media and news, and maybe even democracy. But for David Ellison the stakes are just can he come out of his father’s shadow (with his father’s money…), and that’s not that interesting, except as fodder for the next version of Succession. It’s just about money and legacy issues, and it will necessitate massive layoffs and cuts, not the building of something impressive, needed and new. Anyway, right now, the stakes are high in the industry – can we build a new ecosystem for indie and auteur voices. Can we build on the momentum of people coming back to theaters and discovering risk-taking old and new voices, and have a new golden age of storytelling? What will Sundance build in Boulder? (sorry, had to throw that in there). In my world, what brands will do what’s next in brand storytelling, instead of just repeating what’s been going on for fifteen years now? What future we get will depend on how seriously artists and businesspeople in film think about what’s at stake and raise the ante in what they try to accomplish. It’s gonna be a fun six-twelve months to watch. After I get back from vacation that is… see below for more on that. |
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| FilmArthouses are Thriving According to Study: Indie theaters are thriving, according to the 2026 Art House Convergence National Audience Survey, with 88% of moviegoers identifying their favorite indie cinema as their community’s cultural hub, and 70% claiming them as “very valuable” lifestyle destinations.
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A survey of over 27,000 U.S. moviegoers from more than 50 art house cinemas reveals that the state of independent exhibition is strong in the face of challenges. Some of my favorite findings from their study: Read more from the study at their website (links to PDF).
More Film Censorship - Neon comes to the Rescue - Luca Guadagnino’s ARTIFICIAL had been set-up at Amazon’s MGM Studios for quite some time - as a tough look at Sam Altman and OpenAI. But then, it wasn’t anymore - the studio dropped the film - which I’m sure had nothing to do with Amazon’s $50B investment in Open AI… Luckily, Neon won the competition to buy the film and will be bringing it to theaters, streaming and an Oscar campaign soon. This story did get covered in multiple places, but no one seemed willing to go to far down the path of investigating why a $40M+ investment in a film was shelved at the last minute. I imagine it’s not just the investment in Open AI, but something more - another shoe to drop, maybe in some other biopic or book a few years from now. On the plus side - Neon should do a good job with this release, which is a good thing for movie-lovers everywhere.
The Merger Should Still Be Blocked - and it might be thanks to AG Bonta and others: Although even I have been feeling it may be a lost cause in this administration, more evidence came out against the merger with the publication of MACRO Lab of UCSD’s new report “The Costs of Consolidation.” Over 20 respected media scholars contributed to the report, which is pretty damning and in any other world than the one we live in now, this merger would be blocked. Check out the report for all of the gritty details- if you do nothing else, read the intro and conclusion, which also has steps you can take to block the merger and to build a better alternate future. And then… 20 states, led by California’s AG Rob Bonta announced a lawsuit intended to block the merger! This is something we’ve been working on at the Future Film Coalition, and it’s pretty exciting. The team has put together a “What Happens Next” page, where you can learn a) what happens next (duh!) and b) take action to influence the outcome. Check it out. Of course, as I am writing this, the EU just approved the merger, and the UK remains on the fence - this will be a fast developing story.
Cinecology Launches: The folks at the Climate Film Fest have launched a year-round companion, digital publication called Cinecology, and it looks pretty cool. From their description: “Cinecology is a year-round companion to the festival and a space for ongoing conversations about climate cinema. The platform will be a hub for all things climate film; we’ll publish interviews with CFF filmmakers, film reviews, essays, and profiles of the communities responding to climate change through innovative moving images. Think of Cinecology as an extension of our festival that continues the conversation beyond the screen.”
I’ll be a panelist at Humanitas Industry 101: Financing 101 on July 29th: I’ll be speaking soon on a panel on July 29, 2026 online. The panel description is: One path to making your first feature film is to make a standout short or proof of concept film. But what are the first steps once you’ve written a script? We’ll speak with a group of filmmakers about budgeting, financing, crowdfunding, and other advice for first time short filmmakers. Panelists include: Rebecca Green (@rebfive), Brian Newman (@brianmnewman) (me), Helena Sardinha (@helenasardinha), Liz Sargent (@lizziesarge), and moderator Mynette Louie (@mynettelouie). Check out the line-up and register here.
Brazil’s New, Most Expensive Movie Ever is a Political Ad: There’s a new movie coming out in Brazil called “Dark Horse” (not it’s not that Todd Solondz one) and it’s a little odd - in English, in a country that doesn’t speak the language much; about former, disgraced president Jair Bolsanaro, as played by Jim Caviezel (what is it with that guy?!), and it turns out it was secretly put together by his son Flávio Bolsonaro, who has been running for president himself, and it was also not so secretly funded by disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro to the tune of $24 million - The Secret Agent only cost $5M - all of which was reported by The Intercept Brasil, and then the NYT (gifted link). Bolsanaro tried to deny all of this, but the news keeps leaking, and apparently it is sinking his own campaign instead of helping it. Just another day of suspect film financing to influence politics… jeesh. Perhaps I should have filed this under branded entertainment instead of film?
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| Cookie Queens in Theaters and Some Brand Partnerships:Check out the upcoming release of Cookie Queens in theaters starting August 7th, and online later this Fall. I’ve been emailing with the director, and she sent me some interesting info about how they engaged brands for the release of the film - while maintaining complete creative control and freedom (this is not brand funded entertainment, this is an indie film that involved brand partners naturally after production). Check out the info from the filmmakers below and at the link:
Cookie Queens opens in U.S. Theaters: August 7th Directed by Alysa Nahmias Produced by Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, Alysa Nahmias, Jennifer Sims Info and Ticketing: www.cookiequeensfilm.com
LOGLINE: It’s Girl Scout Cookie season, and four tenacious girls strive to be a top-selling “Cookie Queen,” navigating an $800 million business in which innocence and ambition collide.
BRAND/IMPACT PARTNERSHIPS: Cookie Queens was produced independently by the producers' companies, AJNA Films and Beautiful Stories. The filmmakers did not obtain brand sponsorships while making the film. Cookie Queens premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival to glowing reviews and won the Festival Favorite Audience Award at SXSW. It was acquired for U.S. distribution by Roadside Attractions. Since the premiere, the filmmakers have formed impact partnerships with brands including: Girl Scouts of the USA (which was not involved in the making of the film), Free People, EF Tours for Girls, Ooly, and Radio Flyer Wagons.
Some of these partnerships arose through existing relationships the filmmakers built during production. For example, EF Tours for Girls was the tour company used by one of the Girl Scout troops in the film whose storyline involves travel, and Free People sponsored a grant for women directors with the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund that was awarded to Alysa. Representatives from Radio Flyer and Ooly watched and "liked" the Cookie Queens trailer online once it was released. Alysa then DM'd them to share more about the film's release and set meetings with the distribution and impact team, which proved positive.
Proof that you can involve brands after the film has been made, and keep your creative control and freedom in the process. I hope to talk with Alysa about her experience soon, and will post more about that here, but for now - check out the film in theaters soon! (BN) |
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| The Price of Milk premieres on Doc+ / GASLIT hits theaters and USA Today: For over a year, we’ve been working at Sub-Genre with the good folks at Oatly, one of our clients, on the new series THE PRICE OF MILK from People’s Television and XTR. It has now launched on Documentary+ which has new ownership and is expanding pretty rapidly. You can watch it for free here, and check out the official trailer here. The four part series tells the untold story behind the ‘90s ‘Got Milk’ campaign leads a 4-part investigative romp from the dairy farm to the White House, diving into Americans’ love/hate relationship with milk and the dairy industry’s impact on pop culture. The series was produced by XTR and co-directed by Nicholas Bruckman and Yoni Backer, and they did a great job (as did the whole team at People’s TV and XTR). The series was funded by Oatly, but they gave the filmmakers creative control and final cut - as brands should always do, but here, they chose hard-hitting investigative journalist filmmakers, which was pretty brave - but the series is also not just an exposé, but a lot of fun. Variety has the news.
GASLIT! from GreenPeace USA with Jane Fonda in theaters and USA Today: We’ve also been hard at work on the theatrical release of GASLIT! the new documentary from GreenPeace USA, directed by Katie Camosy, and starring Jane Fonda. We opened in theaters in NYC and LA, and just wrapped DC and other cities (the full list is on the website here). We also got some great press, including this piece in USA Today, which was also on their front page in the print edition (top of the page, and then also in the arts section).
In GASLIT, Fonda travels across the oil fields of West Texas’ Permian Basin and through the Gulf Coast of Louisiana visiting the communities impacted by oil and gas production, bearing witness to the decades-long struggle between fossil fuel profiteering, environmental racism, and the lives of everyday people. Along the journey, Fonda sees firsthand how environmental degradation and climate devastation merge, burdening those on the frontlines of liquefied natural gas (LNG), plastics, and petrochemical production. GASLIT is a documentary about the individuals and communities fighting back against the oil and gas extraction boom that has positioned the United States as the world’s largest exporter of LNG.
Soon, we’ll announce some digital deals for online access, and it’s making the rounds of community/impact screenings now through the rest of the Summer before going online. We’ll run updates on the website and socials soon. Sign up there if you also want to hear about a soon to be announced live-stream as well (hint, hint). |
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| Misc.How to Measure Community?: Ben Odell’s Open Gardens has become a must read with almost every edition over the past year, and this is particularly true of his recent post on How to Measure Community - the Six Dimensions Test. Everyone is going crazy over creators and their communities, especially after the success of Obsessions, etc. but how do you figure out who has a useful, sticky community, and whether that community will follow them into another medium? Ben took the time to interview some experts, and he came up with six tests of how strong a community is - my favorite example - think of sports fans. They stick around even when the team is losing. How much ownership does the community feel it has? Does the creator really interact meaningfully with their fans? Check out the tests in the post - and think of how they apply to your own fans, too. |
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| Beach: Rockaway Beach @ Beach 92 + Social Vacation Aug.This month’s “pool of the month” is not a pool, but my favorite city swimming hole, and where I’ve been doing a tiny bit of swimming this Summer - Rockaway Beach at Beach 92nd, or anywhere nearby really (this photo of mine is from around the early hundreds blocks). Every day, I see swimmers one or two hundred yards out from shore, doing long, leisurely swims. But I tend to swim between the jetty’s, just past the surf break and the surfers, and tend to swim about 1K or a little further before getting too cold to continue. I used to swim very early, but now I wait until when the lifeguards are on duty after 9am just to be extra safe. I’ve been out here for a month this year (mid-June til mid-July), and the water has been quite cold for me, so cold I even purchased a neoprene swim cap to supplement my wetsuit, but you never feel better than the end of a real ocean swim. Truth be told - many days were too choppy and windy for me, so I swam much more often at the Rockaway YMCA, which has a very nice pool, but I did the ocean as much as possible. If you swim and live in NYC, I highly recommend taking the subway or ferry to the Rockaways for a few swims each Summer. As I am leaving the beach the water is finally getting warm enough to skip the wetsuit, and it stays that warm from Mid July til Mid September (heartier swimmers will claim June is warm enough as well). And when it’s too cold - you can jog on the beach, which I also do every morning as my own 5k race against myself and the rising sun.
AUGUST - Social Media and Newsletter Vacation Alert
It’s that time of year again - every August (which is just around the corner) I take an annual digital detox break for the month of August. Each year, I unplug from all social media, all postings, and all newsletter writing and online reading for the entire month of August (until after Labor Day). That means no more newsletters til September. I’ve been doing this since 2010, and it’s always a necessary refresh for my brain. But this year, I’ve been posting this newsletter much less often - I switched from once a week to only once a month recently as I’ve just been too busy with two jobs (something I’ll write more about here soon, but I am not exaggerating or even humble-bragging, but I’ve been working two jobs at once - Sub-Genre and something soon to be announced, I hope). So, this break will seem longer than usual. I think I need this break more than ever - maybe it will re-energize me and make me start posting more often.
For those of you who are just readers, not clients, I’ll see you again post Labor Day, and I bet you won’t even have missed me. For clients, and potential clients, I’m still working through August 13th, and am easy to find on email, but then I completely disconnect for a vacation from August 14-Labor Day. Why am I telling all of you this here? Because too many people reach out via the newsletter, and this is a way to let the world know how to find or not find me in the interim. Until Labor Day... be well, take your own digital detox, see some movies on the big screen, and keep dreaming up ways to change the future. |
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