Dollars and Cineastes.

INDEPENDENT filmmakers; BISKIND, Peter; MIRAMAX, Sundance & the Rise of Independent Film (Book); MOTION picture audiences; PUBLIC opinion; MIRAMAX Film Corp.; FOX Searchlight Pictures Inc.; FOCUS Features LLC; INDEPENDENT Film Channel LLC; LIONS Gate Films Inc.; NEWMARKET Films LLC

Takes a look at the state of independent film making in America. Arguments put forth by Peter Biskind, author of "Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent film"; Historical perspective on the use of the term independent film makers; Independent film companies like Miramax, Fox Searchlight and Focus Features who are owned by major studios; True independents such as IFC, LionsGate and Newmarket who are not; Belief of Biskind that moviegoers don't care more about the quality of movies than about who distributes them; Bias towards the bottom line and how it has affected the independent film business; Public opinion which is being led into judging the success or failure of films according to receipts rather than artistic merit.