Foreword
The following is an account of my encounters with the American indie film scene of the late 1970’s/early 1980’s. It was a time when independent film producers first started to organize themselves for better financing-, distribution- and exhibition opportunities. Organizations were formed, knowledge of the ‘how to’ was getting shared widely. The indie endeavors also started to be noticed and recognized, both abroad and at home. In other words, a different and exciting time. What is an independent film exactly and why is it an important phenomenon? In an article in the L.A. Times (June 1990) former indie filmmaker and at the time executive producer for the PBS program ‘ Point of View ’ Marc Weiss described it as follows: “[…] The thing that really defines independents is that the editorial control is in the hands of the filmmakers. They decide how it’s going to be made, what style it’s going to be and what they will be including and not including. The best of the crop bri...