{"id":6059,"date":"2026-08-17T15:07:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T15:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6059"},"modified":"2026-08-17T15:07:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T15:07:19","slug":"american-independent-film-production-is-dying-jeff-nichols-wants-to-save-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6059","title":{"rendered":"American Independent Film Production Is Dying. Jeff Nichols Wants to Save It."},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nJeff Nichols is not only one of cinema\u2019s foremost chroniclers of the American South, but is doing his damnedest to revitalize the film scene in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.<\/p>\n

Read more Amy Schumer to Star in and Produce Break-Up Comedy \u2018Best Divorce Ever\u2019 (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tWhen he brought his acclaimed film \u201cLoving\u201d \u2014 about the landmark Loving v. Virginia case that legalized interracial marriage nationwide \u2014 to Little Rock back in 2016, he surveyed the scene and didn\u2019t like what he saw.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI wanted to bring it to my hometown and show them what I\u2019d done and there was no email list or any central grouping of anyone interested in film,\u201d recalls Nichols.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo, over drinks with his former high school classmate Kathryn Tucker, they hatched a plan to start the Arkansas Cinema Society and its film festival Filmland in order to foster a film community in Arkansas. Nichols was inspired by what Richard Linklater had accomplished with the Austin Film Society and its impact on the local film scene in Austin, Texas, where Nichols resides.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor me, some of the biggest barriers to being a filmmaker were confidence-related and not being able to set eyes on anyone that had done it before; it puts up this invisible wall that makes it seem unattainable,\u201d explains Nichols. But landing an internship with The American Pavilion during Cannes made being a filmmaker seem possible.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI started to break down those barriers and think, \u2018There\u2019s no reason why a kid from Little Rock, the son of a man who ran a furniture store, couldn\u2019t be in the film business.\u2019 A big part of the Cinema Society is bringing people here who make movies so people can listen to them and lay eyes on them,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 2026 edition of Filmland, which ran Aug. 12-16, saw a number of actors and filmmakers descend upon Little Rock, including Matthew McConaughey, the star of Nichols\u2019 riveting film \u201cMud,\u201d which helped kick-start what came to be known as the McConaissance. McConaughey was on hand to screen his latest film \u201cThe Rivals of Amziah King,\u201d participate in a career-spanning conversation with Nichols and receive Variety<\/em>\u2019s Legend & Groundbreaker Award.<\/p>\n

\nVariety <\/em>sat down with Nichols \u2014 the man behind films such as \u201cTake Shelter,\u201d \u201cMidnight Special\u201d and \u201cThe Bikeriders\u201d \u2014 to discuss the unfortunate state of independent film production in America and the rumors swirling around Margaret Qualley and Drew Starkey, the stars of his upcoming thriller \u201cKing Snake,\u201d out next year.<\/p>\n

\nYou shot your recent film, \u201cKing Snake,\u201d down here in Arkansas, right?<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\t\u201cKing Snake\u201d wouldn\u2019t have been able to be here without the work of this whole film community, and honestly, the work of the governor and different legislators to push film subsidies and make it happen.<\/p>\n

\nNow, shooting in America is\u2014<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tNearly impossible, and especially independent film. We scouted Vancouver just out of necessity.<\/p>\n

\nSo why are we seeing so many productions move to Canada or England or Eastern Europe? Because that\u2019s obviously hurting jobs and the film community in America.<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s devastating<\/em>. Studios negotiate contracts with these guilds and unions, and I suppose when they make agreements that they don\u2019t ultimately want to pay for the results of they take production elsewhere. I\u2019ve been in Georgia, and from what I\u2019ve heard it\u2019s been a pretty devastating blow with Disney taking everything to London; the work there has been challenging since this last round of strikes and everything else. The thing is, American independent filmmakers do have to abide by those contracts \u2014 and they weren\u2019t built for us. We really need to look, as an industry, at independent film production \u2014 what it provides, what it costs \u2014 and we need more flexibility in those contracts, and more flexibility from our unions and our guilds in order to make things at different price points so that as independent film producers we have a fighting chance to keep things in the U.S. The truth is, as state-based subsidies continue to change and move, that\u2019s not enough. We have to find ways to have independent film producers stay in the United States, and it\u2019s a massive challenge, so that in between the big studio films there\u2019s a thriving ecosystem of film.<\/p>\n

\nWhat are some other concrete steps that could be taken to bring independent filmmaking back to America besides rethinking those guild and union contracts?<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tA federal tax incentive would be a pretty fascinating thing to look at, which has been floated, that you could layer on top of state incentives. You\u2019re competing against places that offer various tax incentives, but the reason why productions are going to these other places is because of the exchange rate and incentives, sure, but they\u2019re not taking American crews and getting cheaper labor. So, at some point, that issue has to be addressed. Everybody needs to make a living and inflation is crazy, but we have to find flexibility in the budget level. You have different-tiered films and those budget levels haven\u2019t changed in a really long time.<\/p>\n

\nWhat do you make of \u201cObsession,\u201d which has made $500 million worldwide against a budget of $750,000? You also had \u201cBackrooms,\u201d which was made for $10 million and is now A24\u2019s highest-grossing movie.<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tI think it\u2019s great. I actually visited the set of \u201cBackrooms\u201d when I was scouting Vancouver, and the director [Kane Parsons] seemed really nice. I hope it\u2019s a couple of things: Those films are good, and those filmmakers are good filmmakers, and they\u2019re being rewarded for sticking to their guns and making something that spoke to the audiences they were targeting. And I don\u2019t want to diminish any of that at all, but I really hope it\u2019s a reflection of where society is right now in terms of watching movies. I ran into an older guy in Wimberley, Texas, in 2020, and in 2015 they\u2019d had a massive flood there that was tragic and several people died. We were taking about that community specifically, and it seemed like in 2020, even with the start of the pandemic, that community was finally starting to bounce back. He said, \u201cFive years \u2014 that\u2019s how long it takes for a community to get over a tragedy.\u201d I was really struck by the broader idea of that and here we are in 2026, five years out of [the Covid pandemic], and the world is opening back up. Look at \u201cThe End of Oak Street\u201d and how that\u2019s performing. Yes, you have \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d and you \u201cSpider-Man,\u201d but there\u2019s a healthy ecosystem that seems to be building for cinemas and theatrical exhibition. What\u2019s really interesting to see is: Are these other films that aren\u2019t horror films or blockbusters starting to show promise? And can the studios, and indie studios, start to invest in a broader spectrum of films to put into theaters? That\u2019s what I\u2019m hoping is happening.<\/p>\n

Read more Rosie O\u2019Donnell Was \u2018Surprised\u2019 by Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s Guest-Hosting Offer and Believes a David Ellison-Run CNN Would Be \u2018Tragic\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\nI hope so too.<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tAnd look: I\u2019m from Little Rock, Arkansas, so it always seemed insane to me that movie theaters wouldn\u2019t do well every weekend because there\u2019s not that much to do! You know? If you\u2019re a teenager and you want to go out with your friends, there just aren\u2019t a lot of options other than going to the movies. I would like to think we\u2019re reforming back into a culture that watches films. There was a period there where people were talking about how films in theaters \u201cneeded your support,\u201d and that\u2019s never good and not why people buy tickets. \u201cPlease come support us!\u201d I think we\u2019re moving away from that and it speaks to our industry as a whole.<\/p>\n

\nWhat do you think about the pending Paramount Skydance takeover of Warner Bros.? I know the DGA basically came out in support of the merger.<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tWell, I think they\u2019re in support of reality. I think they have to be in support of reality, and the reality is, this thing is going to happen, and if you wanted to stand in the way of it, you should have done it a lot sooner. Now, all you\u2019re doing is delaying jobs. It\u2019s not to say, \u201cI really support this merger because I want it to go through!\u201d I think it\u2019s a done deal, and of course the AG of California definitely disagrees and thinks it\u2019s not a done deal, and I\u2019ve read his op-ed, but\u2026 did Warner Bros. or Paramount have any of the biggest films of the last few months? It\u2019s been Universal, Focus (through Universal), A24 and Disney. How can you argue it\u2019s anti-competitive when the biggest blockbusters are from four different studios?<\/p>\n

\nAnd Warner Bros. lost Christopher Nolan during the pandemic by putting their whole slate on streaming as well as their handling of \u201cTenet.\u201d<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tThey made horrible, horrible choices with that filmmaker and didn\u2019t treat that filmmaker with respect and got exactly what they had coming to them. I could tell you a horror story about having a big film at Fox, a sci-fi film called \u201cAlien Nation,\u201d and Disney absorbed it and it didn\u2019t make it through that merger. So, I had a very personal, up-close look at it. I worked on it for four years, and it\u2019s still something I want to make, so it\u2019s hard to put me in the camp of, \u201cSure, mergers!\u201d But I think you have to take David Ellison at his word when he says he wants to release more theatrical films through both of those studios.<\/p>\n

\nYou don\u2019t think his promise to release 30 movies a year in theaters is a bit unrealistic?<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t think it\u2019s unrealistic at all \u2014 not with two studios. That\u2019s 15 films per studio, and it should be 40. I think audiences are going to be there to receive all kinds of films. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s insane at all and it\u2019s actually needed.<\/p>\n

\nI guess the issue is that there\u2019s no way to really enforce that if he reneges on it.<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s no way you\u2019re going to legislate or negotiate that, but there needs to be some reality that comes to bear in this conversation and we need to get back to making movies. That\u2019s where I\u2019m at.<\/p>\n

\nWhat was it like to make \u201cThe Bikeriders\u201d with Tom Hardy? He plays a tough guy in that film.<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tWhat I found interesting was how not<\/em> alpha his performance was. The A storyline of that film is a love story between the three characters, so by definition he\u2019s in love with Austin Butler\u2019s character. How he portrayed getting his heart broken by this young man, the same way Jodie Comer\u2019s character gets her heart broken, I was really fascinated by. You write these roles on the page and then these actors pour themselves into them and I\u2019m always fascinated by what they bring. And I\u2019ll say this: There was never a take of Tom\u2019s where you weren\u2019t paying attention, and that is a real gift. He kind of vibrates. There\u2019s an energy kicking off that guy that\u2019s extraordinary.<\/p>\n

\nWhat happened to \u201cYankee Comandante,\u201d your film about Che Guevara and William Alexander Morgan starring Adam Driver?<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tI love that film and I would really like to make it. It\u2019s hard to take a movie out in March of 2020. That was a rough year! I love it so much and David Grann\u2019s article that inspired it is so good. I\u2019m loath to ever say movies are important, but it feels like something that\u2019s important. Adam was going to star as William Morgan, and now that won\u2019t happen, but we\u2019ve got another project that we\u2019re going to do together. It\u2019s an important film not only about our relationship with Cuba but also our relationship with the Southern Hemisphere and whether we\u2019re able to export our ideology. I love what the film talks about and I love that it\u2019s a true story that\u2019s a little bit gonzo.<\/p>\n

\nIs the project with Adam Driver the two Cormac McCarthy books you were adapting, \u201cThe Passenger\u201d and \u201cStella Maris?\u201d<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s not. Those two books would become one screenplay, which I\u2019ve written, because the books are connected. But that was with New Regency and I don\u2019t think they\u2019ll be moving forward with that one. It\u2019s a challenging story and it made for a challenging screenplay. Ultimately, they were looking for a more commercial story and I think I was a little too faithful to the books.<\/p>\n

\nCan you tell me about your next film, \u201cKing Snake?\u201d I\u2019ve read it\u2019s a psychological thriller, which sounds a bit different for you.<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tIn a way, it\u2019s a return. It\u2019s the first original piece I\u2019ve made since \u201cMidnight Special,\u201d which came out 10 years ago, so it\u2019s really exciting in that it\u2019s something that\u2019s cut from whole creative cloth and completely out of my mind \u2014 and sometimes I feel a little out of my mind. I really go for it in this one, and I\u2019m really excited to see how it plays.<\/p>\n

\nIt sounds like Southern Gothic horror.<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tThere are definitely horror elements to it, for sure, and more forward-facing horror elements than I\u2019ve ever done. You\u2019ve found me at a sensitive time in the process because I\u2019m there in the editing room right now putting together my first pass, and to be brutally honest, I\u2019m still figuring the film out. One thing I\u2019ll say is: Margaret Qualley and Drew Starkey are phenomenal in the film. They are so good<\/em> in this film and they are so good<\/em> together. I guess I\u2019m always making relationship dramas, but it\u2019s fascinating to me how central it is to this movie. \u201cTake Shelter\u201d was made by a guy who\u2019d just got married and wanted to find out what makes a good marriage, and \u201cKing Snake\u201d is made by a guy who\u2019s been married 18 years and we\u2019re on the flipside of that conversation because they play a young newlywed couple and they\u2019re still nascent, but it\u2019s written from the perspective of someone who\u2019s been married for a long time. There are parts of it that feel like \u201cLoving\u201d in terms of the intensity of the relationship.<\/p>\n

\nYou spoke about Margaret and Drew\u2019s chemistry in \u201cKing Snake\u201d and they apparently got so close during the making of it that it has sparked romantic speculation.<\/strong> <\/h5>\n

\n\tI didn\u2019t see any of that. But making a film is a really intimate thing, and you\u2019ll understand it when you see the film, but they just really depend on each other in this film. But it\u2019s also intimate with me. I\u2019m sharing songs, books and films that move me, as well as personal moments from my life. To make a film like this you really have to open yourself up to the people you\u2019re making it with. I didn\u2019t see anything specific related to that beyond the frames of the film, but there\u2019s definitely a lot of energy there between the two of them and I think it\u2019s going to make the film really special.<\/p>\n

Read more Netflix Unveils \u2018The Diplomat\u2019 Season 4 First Look, Sets October Release Date<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The \u201cMud\u201d director and co-founder of the Arkansas Cinema Society spoke to Variety about indie film’s struggles, the Paramount-Warners merger and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film"],"yoast_head":"\nAmerican Independent Film Production Is Dying. 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