Mumblecore

What has been the ongoing relationship between so-called mumblecore filmmakers and SXSW?
The 2005 SXSW Film Festival brought this group of filmmakers to out attention. The filmmakers cleverly built up their own promoting by co-creating a half dozen promotional shorts that screened before every film at SXSW. They shot the miniatures in the same format as their naturalistic movies and shared the co-creator credit with all involved, a testament to the DIY tradition of doing more with less and avoiding the trappings hierarchy. Many of the directors were on tour together during the festival circuit and so began to collaborate while on the road.


Broadly speaking, what characteristics define mumblecore?
I have to say I like "Slackavettes" way better! But "Non-jerk Films" also has a nice ring to it. Alecia Van describes this group of filmmakers as approaching film as a naturalistic portait of life and love of artistic twenty-somethings made popular by DV and the internet. I equate the movement to the cinematic equivalent of the indie rock scene. Scrappy young artists who care more about personal storytelling then polish, with a tendency for the sentimental and sincere. Although not all the films share the same stylistic traits, they generally include: improvisation and naturalistic performance by non-actors, tiny budgets, elements of technology, and otherwise ordinary plots.There is also another relationship to indie rock in that the fans of both the music and the films in question are sought out like flea market treasures, little upolished hidden gems that few people know about "or could possibly appreciate." A kind of snobbery that I must admit to being a part of. I think I'm definitely in the Slackavette club.

What have been the most common charges against mumblecore?
Some see the films as a way for the directors to figure themselves out, like a long love letter never sent and object to self-absorbed storytelling. Some go as far as calling the films/filmmakers pretentious, snobby well-to-do white kids pining about their petty lives.

How has the internet affected the DIY distribution of mumblecore films?
Filmmakers say distribution deals aren't really needed. They frequently get offers from garage-basement distributors and in many cases sell the movies directly from their website. Web posting of short and tv series spread the word about their work and drive fans to buy their feature length work.

IFC Films picked up Hannah Takes the Stairs for “day-and-date” distribution. What does this mean?
IFC Films would release the film, opening at the IFC Center series theatrically and at the same time/date deliver it on home video/broadcast on IFC on Demand. Movies like Soderbergh's Bubble (2006) did well in this release format. It was a scheme devised to make the greatest use of the marketing efforts for films that weren't expected to do well at the box office. Many forecasters predict that web releases will correspond with the theater release in the near future following the standard set forth in music by Apple.