In the Wake of ‘Titanic,’ Indies Sailing Ahead

“The year of independents,” observers trumpeted following last year’s wealth of Oscar nominations for independent films. Miramax’s “The English Patient” went on to dominate the awards, bringing home nine Oscars for Miramax; “Fargo” and “Shine” also made strong showings.

Before Tuesday morning, pundits had 1997 figured as the year of the studios’ revenge. But as it turns out, it wasn’t nearly as one-sided as that.

While this year’s Oscar sweep may well belong to uber-studio movie “Titanic”--which garnered a record-tying 14 nominations--Miramax’s “Good Will Hunting,” with nine nominations, tied for second with Warner Bros.’ “L.A. Confidential.”

So instead of a full swing back to dominance by the studios, Tuesday’s nominations revealed continued strength on the part of independents. Miramax’s “Hunting” and “Wings of the Dove,” Fox Searchlight’s “The Full Monty” and Fine Line Features’ “The Sweet Hereafter” all garnered multiple major category nods.

Other well-reviewed indies that got at least one nomination were Miramax’s “Mrs. Brown,” October Films’ “The Apostle,” MGM-distributed “Ulee’s Gold” (originally picked up by Orion Pictures), Sony Pictures Classics’ “Afterglow” and Fine Line’s “Deconstructing Harry.”

“People were implying that this would be the year of the studios. It actually turned out to be a very balanced year; it’s incredibly heartening to see that,” said a jubilant Mark Ordesky, president of Fine Line Features, on Tuesday morning after the nominations were announced.

Ordesky is particularly happy that Fine Line’s “Sweet Hereafter,” which has so far grossed only $3 million at the box office, now may get noticed by audiences. “This enables us to put the film on the map for a potentially broader audience; that’s been a challenge,” Ordesky said. “[“Hereafter”] is a film that we all love intensely, and I think is easily the best-reviewed film of the year.

“When you . . . get a film like this, you think, the gods have smiled on us. Then you go out into the marketplace, and you’re up against films like ‘Titanic.’ ”

“Full Monty,” by contrast, has already grossed nearly $200 million internationally. Given its $3.5-million budget, that makes it one of the most profitable films ever--and a rare example of both critical and financial success for such a low-budgeted movie. Fox Searchlight President Lindsay Law admitted that as much as he had hoped for academy recognition for “Monty,” he was still stunned at its four nominations, including one for best picture.

“As they read down the announcements, I was at home alone just screaming,” said Law on Tuesday.

Law said “Monty” was helped by being almost a contradiction in terms: a high-concept independent film. “It was a movie that was very easy to ‘get’ and explain. Other films were just as good, but you couldn’t tell someone in a sentence what they were about.”

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Even so, Fox Searchlight launched a print advertising campaign four weeks in advance of “Monty’s” opening to create a buzz. While that’s common for big studio pictures, it used to be unheard of for independents. “You used to be able to run an ad the Sunday before the film came out, you got written up in the paper, and that was that,” Law said.

This kind of marketing muscle is made possible by the fact that most “independents” now have deep-pocketed studios behind them. Fox Searchlight is owned by 20th Century Fox parent News Corp.; Miramax by Disney; Fine Line is controlled by Time Warner, which owns the Warner Bros. studio. Of the studios, only Paramount has yet to form or purchase a “specialty” division; it’s expected to soon.

Another apparent contradiction--the big-budget independent feature--has also become common. Many rival independents grumbled last year that Miramax’s $40-million “English Patient” was not a true independent film. Most of the independent films up for awards this year were more modestly budgeted, though “Hunting” cost $20 million--still high by traditional independent standards. Miramax’s hit “Chasing Amy,” for example, was said to have cost only $250,000.

Last year’s indie Oscar sweep was at least partly due to weak studio competition, said Dawn Hudson, executive director of Independent Feature Project/West.

“[In 1996] there seemed to be a dearth of provocative, interesting films. . . . Sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw,” Hudson said.

This year, studio films such as “Titanic” and “As Good as It Gets” proved formidable competition for the independents. “Titanic” in particular made it hard for independent films to get noticed at year’s end--a favored time for smaller Oscar hopefuls to be released.

In hindsight, said Fox Searchlight’s Law, there was probably better opportunity for the independents than they had anticipated at the beginning of last summer. Independents by and large stayed away from June, he said, while would-be blockbusters such as “Batman and Robin” proved disappointing. “It’s always a chess game, figuring out when to release your film,” he admitted.

No matter how many critical kudos the independents get, they will continue to face an uphill battle financially. More movie theaters are continually built, but just as fast, there are more movies competing for screen time. If a film doesn’t open well, say those in the independent business, it’s quickly shunted aside by most theater owners in favor of the next hoped-for cash cow.

“[Six years ago], ‘Howards End’ was in two theaters for six months. It eventually went on to become a big hit, but that probably couldn’t happen today,” said IFP’s Hudson of the Sony Pictures Classics-distributed film that received nine nominations and three Oscars.

Because of the difficulty of the business, most expect some independents won’t survive beyond the next two to three years. “This is a very tough, competitive, crowded and expensive business,” said Fine Line’s Ordesky. “Hits are the exception, not the rule. Everyone’s commitment is going to be tested; I think it’s almost inevitable there will be some shakeout.”

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Events Leading Up to Oscars

A rundown of significant events in the film industry between now and March 23, when the Academy Awards will be presented:

* Feb. 21: Writers Guild of America awards.

* March 3: Final Academy Award ballots mailed out.

* March 7: Directors Guild of America awards.

* March 17: Deadline for receipt of Academy Award ballots.

* March 21: Independent Spirit Awards.