Author Emanuel Levy, a film scholar and critic for the trade paper Variety, catalogs the independent-film movement from the 1970s to now. Levy said from Arizona State University, where he teaches.
Independent cinema is here to stay.
It's no longer a trend. . . . It's the most important festival in the United States. . . . Smith said from his current home in New York. The early days were noted for challenging films, financial difficulties and a tight-knit community, Smith said. Smith's book chronicles the U.S. Film Festival's growth, the Sundance Institute's founding in 1981 and its taking over of the festival in 1985, and the critical and commercial success that followed.