Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 11, 1994 TAG: 9408130009
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOCELYN NOVECK ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
It's about shoes.
The big studios, the ones that bring us extravaganzas starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford, are ``geared to sell shoes in a big shoe store,'' Altman says. In other words, they need to sell a lot of shoes fast.
But filmmakers like Altman, whose ``Short Cuts'' and ``The Player'' were made outside the studio system, don't do well in the big stores. ``We're made for boutiques,'' he says.
Ah, but boutiques have a smaller clientele, which is why Altman and such like-minded directors as Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee and Jim Jarmusch are enthusiastically supporting a new cable channel devoted to introducing their work to the masses - the customers of those big stores.
The Independent Film Channel, being launched Sept. 1 by the cultural channel Bravo, will present 24 hours a day of feature-length and short films, documentaries and other programs about independent filmmaking. It promises to deliver its product unedited and commercial-free.
The new channel comes as a number of independent films have made a breakthrough in the mainstream market.
At this year's Academy Awards, ``The Piano'' won two acting awards and was nominated for best picture, and Altman was nominated for best director for ``Short Cuts.'' Last year, ``The Crying Game'' and ``The Player'' did well in the nominations. And a big hit at the box office this year has been ``Four Weddings and a Funeral,'' the whimsical British romance starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell.
``We've seen a dramatic increase in interest in these films,'' says Kathleen Dore, general manager of the new channel and of Bravo.
Box office grosses for independent films have grown dramatically - 61.6 percent from 1991 to 1993, Dore says. More importantly, with the recent successes, ``there is just a buzz about these kinds of movies,'' she says.
What makes independent films different from their big-studio counterparts? Quite simply, their raison d'etre, Altman says.
``What you get in our films is the possibility of something new creatively,'' he says. ``Most of these films are made by artists. What drives them to be made is not how much money they can bring in.''
But why bring independent films to television? Not to compete with theaters, but rather to develop an audience in parts of the country that may never otherwise get to see them.
``In much of the country, a lot of these films aren't even released in theaters or in video stores,'' Dore says.
Altman agrees: ``In Alabama, they don't know what we're talking about.''
Although the Independent Film Channel will show works by known filmmakers, it also wants to introduce artists who haven't had the chance to develop a name.
With that in mind, an important feature will be ``Short Cuts'' - not the movie, but short films, that obscure Oscar category that often decides who wins the office pool. The channel will finance and premiere a number of these 30- to 60-minute works.
Among other features planned are ``Director's Choice,'' a weekly series of top directors' personal favorites, ``People We Like,'' spotlighting often-unsung actors and actresses, ``Reel Perspectives,'' a showcase for documentary makers, ``New Voices,'' featuring first-time features or student works, ``International Film Festival,'' showing such films as ``Indochine,'' ``Europa, Europa,'' and ``La Femme Nikita,'' and ``Cult Classics,'' described as ``Films on the cutting edge, subject matter too bizarre or taboo for the mainstream, movies you can't find anywhere else.''
Scorsese heads the channel's advisory board, which includes Altman, Lee, Jarmusch, Joel and Ethan Coen, Martha Coolidge, Ed Saxon and Steven Soderbergh. One of their functions, Dore says, is to help identify and work with emerging filmmakers and students.
Though exposure will help, Altman says there will always be a huge gap between his kind of films and the big-studio ones, both financially and in terms of recognition.
``I don't kid myself. I've been nominated for Oscars - but I don't win,'' he says. ``And even if our films break through occasionally, like `The Crying Game' or `The Player,' they'll never compare with the business that `The Flintstones' and `The Addams Family' does.
But that's fine with Altman.
``I choose to be in this category, because I do well this way,'' he says. ``If I tried it the other way, I would fail.''
by CNB