We’ve said it a million times, but Steven Soderbergh is one of the best innovators working in filmmaking today. No, he doesn’t push technology forward with cutting edge CGI like James Cameron. But what he is doing is utilizing new, fun storytelling techniques, as well as creating stories for all different formats, in an attempt to understand what the future of the medium will look like. And right now, Soderbergh, like so many of his peers, is concerned about the future of cinemas and the film industry. He has a plan, at least part of a plan, to help save a segment of the industry—indie filmmaking. But it’s going to take a lot more than just him to make it happen.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Steven Soderbergh, who is promoting the film “Divinity,” an indie sci-fi film that he helped fund and produce, talked about the future of the industry. Specifically, he talked about how true indie films are being left behind in a world dominated by blockbusters and streaming. No, not indie films like Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” or the latest A24 feature. True independent cinema, made by up-and-coming talent who don’t have access to studios or high-profile producers. And if the industry wants to save indie cinema, it’s going to take a lot of A-listers to make it happen.
Soderbergh’s plan is simple—A-list actors should use their clout (and ability to get funding for films) to uplift true independent filmmakers. The ones who are out there desperate to tell their stories. If an A-list actor put their cache to good use, then we would see more studios spend money on young directors, which would then feed a ton of new talent into an industry in need of new voices.
“Nothing would shift the indie landscape faster than a bunch of A-list actors being part of and supporting some young and up-and-coming independent filmmakers — this is how you get things financed,” explained Soderbergh. “When you go to get finance for something if you’re an independent filmmaker, they’ll go okay, what’s the story about and who’s in it? They’re more interested in who’s in it ultimately. And so what’s needed is a real kind of concerted effort on the part of A-list actors who have the juice to make this happen.”
He continued, “Backing some independent filmmakers who haven’t yet made a name for themselves would be the single biggest sequence of events that would result in a resurgence of commercial, independent films. The problem we have right now is there’s no middle. You’ve got sort of the fantasy spectacle big-budget movies, then you’ve got the sort of specialty films. Occasionally, one will break out. But more often than not, there’s kind of a cap to how well they perform that you might be able to break through if you were able to cast bigger names. But that takes real fortitude on the part of that actor because the current of the industry is not flowing toward them doing a low-budget movie for no money with an unproven director. The river doesn’t flow in that direction. It will take somebody deciding they want to support a young filmmaker and really back their vision. To see a real wave of that kind of support would be transformative.”
Of course, Soderbergh isn’t an A-list actor, who can just get a project greenlit off the power of his face and name on the poster. What he can do (and what he has been doing for years) is put his money where his mouth is and fund these projects himself, such as “Divinity” and other films throughout the years.
In fact, he’s already deep into post-production on another film that he is helping fund and produce, the debut feature from filmmaker Rachael Holder, which will star Andre Holland. He explained in the interview that he spoke to Holland, and the actor was upset that he was struggling to find money to fund a film with Holder. So, Soderbergh put up his own money, and that untitled film is in the middle of editing now. According to the filmmaker, this is what he’d rather do with his money, instead of purchasing lavish yachts or homes.
“There’s nothing in my life that I want that I don’t have,” said Soderbergh. “I don’t need a boat. I don’t need homes in the South of France. What I like to do with whatever resources I have is to see stuff happen.”
“Divinity,” which is directed by Eddie Alcazar, is in select theaters now.
