“Today, it has become almost impossible to tell the difference between a Hollywood film and an independent one. Both are now controlled by the same value system; Box Office and Opening Weekend. For both, success is measured in dollars. Independent filmmakers have had to become skilled at the Hollywood game. To get a film financed they have to cast Stars. They have to write scripts that still somehow will guarantee to the distributor that the seats in the theater will be filled. So, for me, the independent films that somehow do miraculously end up on screen now look and feel just like Hollywood films. They feel thin, tired and laced with artificial ingredients. There are a few that make it through but they are very rare. What I look for in an independent film is a passionate, personal vision. I look for the directors whose main interest was in making the film, not in selling it”.
Tom DiCillo