This is a list of notable American independent films (which are also known sometimes as "specialty", "alternative", "indie", and/or "quality")[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] that were made outside of the Hollywood studio system or traditional arthouse/independent filmmaking yet managed to be produced, financed and distributed by the two with varying degrees of success and/or failure.
They also bear striking similarities to as well as were influenced by the "proto-indies" of the 1960s such as Robert Downey Sr's still image film Chafed Elbows (1966), John Cassavetes's Academy Award-nominated Faces and Brian de Palma's Greetings (each from 1968) which in turn were influenced by the culture of the Beat Generation.
[26][27][28][14][29][30][31] Many post-WWII period independent filmmakers, like Francis Thompson, believed that cinema is an art form and a forum for discussing social issues.
[32] A notable scholar of indie cinema is Ray Carney, known for championing the works of Cassavetes and Mark Rappaport.
[36][37][38][39][40][4] Indiewood divisions gain from expert experience of the niche industry by hiring leading independent personalities such as Harvey Weinstein[41] from the Disney fold after the exit of the Weinsteins,[42][43] and James Schamus, former joint head of Good Machine alongside producer Ted Hope, at Focus Features.