For over three decades the major Hollywood studios have operated
specialty film divisions, companies that were originally established to
focus primarily on the European arthouse film market, before moving on
to the burgeoning American independent film market and in the process
transforming it in fundamental ways. Hollywood's Indies is the first
book to offer an in depth examination of the phenomenon of the studio
specialty film labels, by tracing their history since the establishment
of the first such division in 1980, United Artists Classics. The book
provides a detailed account of these divisions, their business
practices, their position within the often labyrinthine structure of
contemporary entertainment conglomerates, their relationship to the
Hollywood majors and their contribution to independent cinema in the
United States. In examining these companies Yannis Tzioumakis provides a
fresh perspective on the history of contemporary American independent
cinema, which he divides into three periods: the independent, the indie
and the indiewood. Each of these eras is characterised by a particular
group of studio specialty labels and, to a large extent, by a distinct
expression of "independent" filmmaking. A number of case studies are
provided, including such celebrated films as Lianna, Mystery Train, The
Brothers McMullen, Barcelona, Greenberg, and many others.
