Independent Cinema

D.K. Holm

Kamera Books 2008

Tower Books (Australia)

Comes with DVD:

Film of Film as a Subversive Art

I must admit I am very taken with the Kamera range of film books. They are well produced, comprehensive yet compact in size and succinct. They include focused content, reviews of key films and even relevant DVDs as part of the package ! They border on the authoritive when it comes to content and offer overviews of major film genres in bite sized packages.

These titles are of interest not only to the film fanatic but to any student of cinema, indeed they would prove of exceptional value in TAFE and University film courses. The volume on Independent Cinema is especially informative, in begins with an impressive overview of Independent Cinema with an insightful discussion of exactly what Independent Cinema is and then explore various “forms” of Independent Cinema in the chapters which follow. By choosing a limited number of proponents of Independent Cinema the author is able to get to the heart of the subject rather than packing the book with unnecessary “facts and figures”, rather than taking an encyclopaedic approach, Independent Cinema stresses quality over quantity.

Holm then examines Independent Cinema as a means to enter the mainstream, as a form of autobiography and as truly micro-budget and Independent, each chapter focuses on specific major Independent film-makers with related reviews of their major films. This is followed with an extensive discussion of the future of Independent Cinema and a range of interviews.

There is also a solid resources section outlining key DVDs, Books and websites.

As an added bonus there is a great DVD, Paul Cronin’s Film of Film as a Subversive Art which focuses on the work of Independent film-maker Amos Vogel.