There is something magical about a vibrant independent film community!

Although many independent film movements seem to be centered in major cities, smaller communities should not overlook the value of supporting such efforts. On our Case Studies page, we have listed several smaller communities that have quickly seen the benefits. Often they were started by a few filmmakers of dedicated watchers. And, most likely they ended up creating some type of event such as regular screenings, which just about always resulted in the creation of a significant film festival.

The Benefits:

1. Increased Community Teamwork. Unlike other sporting events and most forms of art that have few participants and many spectators, since the creation of independent film involves many people playing a variety of roles, this collaborative form of art necessitates the development of leadership skills and cooperation. As such, the relationship and training that comes from the fun of filmmaking quickly impacts other endeavors within a community.
2. Improved Quality of Life. When studying numerous transforming communities, one common factor is often the energizing affect of an increased emphasis on the arts. This is true whether it is visual arts, music, film, dance, etc. When a community embraces the arts, it seems that the individuals in the community become more resourceful and attractive to outsiders. Therefore, when someone is considering retiring or even relocating a business to a community, the attractiveness of area is often more of a factor of the level of energy exuded by the residents rather than financial incentives. An art-oriented community does not need to sell itself. Rather, the attraction of their increased energy of an area's populace is often much more potent than one would think.
3. Direct Economic Impact. Once a independent film community becomes sufficiently mature to move from public screenings and begin hosting film festivals that feature films submitted by filmmakers from around the country -- and even around the world -- the area starts benefitting from an increase in tourism dollars. Typically, a smaller film festival starts out by screening 50 to 100 films over a three to four day period. Provided that the festival is well-run and is able to steadily increase the awards to winners, the reputation of the event quickly grows. This means that the number of genres can increase, thereby increasing the number of submitted films. In turn, this attracts increasing numbers of viewers who appreciate that they will have available a wide selection of carefully pre-screened films. Additionally, the special carnival-like atmosphere tends to make this an experience that creates loyal audiences who desire to repeat the experience on a regular basis. This benefits local merchants, such as restaurants and hotels, while surging sales tax revenue for the municipalities involved. The typical film festival attendee tends to be rather well educated with money to spend.