#director-john-squires

[ follow ]
fromOregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
21 hours ago

A Portland Panorama of indie films * Oregon ArtsWatch

On May 2, 2025, arts and cultural organizations across the country received notifications that grants and funding promised by the National Endowment for the Arts were being rescinded. This was part of a larger initiative by the Trump Administration to dismantle not just the NEA, but also other arts advocacy programs including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
Portland
fromNo Film School
2 days ago

How a $30K Animated Indie Scored a Theatrical Run - Then Landed on HBO

Glander and producer Payson made Boys Go to Jupiter with a tiny team and a $30,000 budget, showcasing the potential of indie filmmaking in animation.
Independent films
Film
fromVulture
2 days ago

The Twist in The Drama Is Not the Problem

The film features a controversial plot twist involving a character's past plan for a school shooting, sparking significant online speculation and backlash.
Music production
fromIndieWire
3 days ago

This Is What Honest AI Conversations Sound Like in Hollywood

Mastery in the age of AI is evolving, requiring individuals to excel beyond a baseline of quickly learned skills.
#independent-film
fromLondon Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com
2 months ago
Film

From First Capital to Netflix: How independent films are actually built - Lessons from Marco Robinson - London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com

Independent films require early, decisive capital plus rapid assembly of operational leadership to turn concepts into executable productions.
fromIndieWire
2 months ago
Film

In Development: Not Every Filmmaker Has to Be a Hydra

Filmmakers must increasingly manage marketing, distribution, and entrepreneurship alongside creative work, even though many prefer focusing solely on filmmaking.
Media industry
fromIndieWire
4 days ago

To Access Stranded Capital, Filmmakers Need to Learn Demand-Side Thinking

Shifting from supply-side to demand-side thinking is crucial for independent filmmakers to attract investment and audience interest.
Independent films
fromThe Mercury News
4 weeks ago

Mountain View filmmaker goes back to school at Cinequest

Independent filmmaker John Kim completed his comedy film 'Reunion' despite production beginning during the devastating Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires in Los Angeles on January 7, 2025.
Graphic design
fromItsnicethat
4 days ago

California Dreaming: The latest issue of A Rabbit's Foot is about the inventors and innovators of our movie-making culture

A Rabbit's Foot magazine celebrates the future of film and artistic craftsmanship while exploring California's innovative cultural landscape.
Podcast
fromSan Jose Spotlight
6 days ago

San Jose filmmakers create space to support women - San Jose Spotlight

PowerHouse is a women-owned production and event space in San Jose aimed at empowering women in the broadcast industry.
SOMA, SF
fromIndieWire
1 week ago

Steven Soderbergh's 'The Christophers' Wins Narrative Audience Award at Sonoma International Film Festival 2026

The Sonoma International Film Festival 2026 showcased 104 films, highlighting emerging filmmakers and culinary experiences, with increased ticket sales.
#new-directorsnew-films
fromThe New Yorker
2 days ago
Independent films

New Directors, New Films

The New Directors/New Films series showcases diverse films with innovative narratives, including 'Variations on a Theme' and 'Next Life'.
fromFilmmaker Magazine
5 days ago
Independent films

Exclusive Clip: Roseanne Pel on Her New Directors/New Films Closing Night Title Donkey Days

The 55th New Directors/New Films festival showcases rising talent from April 8-19, featuring diverse films including Leviticus and Donkey Days.
Independent films
fromFilmmaker Magazine
5 days ago

Exclusive Clip: Roseanne Pel on Her New Directors/New Films Closing Night Title Donkey Days

The 55th New Directors/New Films festival showcases rising talent from April 8-19, featuring diverse films including Leviticus and Donkey Days.
Film
fromVulture
3 days ago

Should A24 Be Worried About The Drama's Plot-Twist Drama?

The Drama features a controversial plot twist involving a character's admission of a near mass shooting, sparking significant backlash.
Independent films
fromVulture
2 days ago

Ryan Gosling Can't Star in the Daniels' Upcoming Project

Ryan Gosling will not star in the upcoming film by Everything Everywhere All at Once directors due to scheduling conflicts.
fromThe New Yorker
3 days ago

"The Drama" Struggles to Justify Its Combustible Premise

In a bustling Boston café, Charlie is instantly smitten with Emma, who is quietly reading a novel. He approaches her, gushing about the book, only to realize she hasn't heard him.
Film
fromThe New Yorker
2 days ago

An Artists' Duel Proves Restorative in "The Christophers"

Soderbergh has become such a prolific, tirelessly resourceful, and altogether uncategorizable filmmaker that you have to wonder why the mechanics of the break-in still inspire him.
Independent films
Photography
fromThe New Yorker
3 weeks ago

Films Are Fantasies. Here Are Their Realities.

Atsushi Nishijima, an on-set stills photographer, has documented major films over the past decade and a half, capturing candid moments between takes on sets directed by prominent filmmakers.
fromInverse
4 days ago

James Gunn's First Movie Proves He Hasn't Changed in 20 Years

Gunn's first screenplay, Tromeo & Juliet, was co-written with Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, promising 'all the body-piercing, kinky sex, and car crashes that Shakespeare wanted but never had.'
Independent films
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

Hook, line and cinema: why boxing films are still a knockout

Boxing has been a prominent subject in film, showcasing its emotional and physical intensity while reflecting societal themes.
Arts
fromwww.npr.org
3 weeks ago

'American Classic' is a hidden gem that gets even better as it goes

American Classic is a charming streaming series on MGM+ about a Shakespearean actor who returns to his small Pennsylvania hometown to escape scandal and reconnect with local theater.
Media industry
fromIndieWire
3 weeks ago

If You've Been Waiting for Normal in Hollywood, Here It Is

YouTube surpassed Disney as the world's largest media company while accomplished independent producers like Ted Hope struggle to find industry support, signaling a fundamental shift in entertainment's structure and sustainability.
Independent films
fromEsquire
5 days ago

Andrew Scott Knows the Next Stephen Spielberg Is Out There. But How Do We Find Them?

We Were Here is a humorous mockumentary about Indian retirees resisting AI by taking over machine jobs.
Film
fromFast Company
2 weeks ago

Are you in a competitive creative career? Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins has advice on what it takes to find success

Even Academy Award-winning filmmakers like Barry Jenkins worked survival jobs while building their careers, emphasizing that persistence and flexibility are essential for sustaining a creative career in film.
LA real estate
fromLos Angeles Times
19 years ago

Ford nailed the role

Harrison Ford's Hollywood Hills home features his original carpentry work and was instrumental in launching his acting career after director George Lucas hired him as a carpenter.
Film
fromFilmmaker Magazine
2 weeks ago

"You Have to Adjust the Sails to the Winds": Graham Parkes on Wishful Thinking

A couple discovers their relationship can manifest reality, causing positive or destructive outcomes in the world based on their emotional state.
Independent films
fromNo Film School
1 week ago

How Some Clever Marketing Got My $75K Microbudget Film on HBO

Indie filmmakers can thrive despite traditional distribution collapse by leveraging digital marketing and audience engagement strategies.
Film
fromIndieWire
2 weeks ago

Indie Star Joe Swanberg Never Really Left - but He's Definitely Back Now

Joe Swanberg returns to feature filmmaking after nearly a decade with 'The Sun Never Sets,' a romantic triangle shot in Alaska starring Jake Johnson and Dakota Fanning.
Independent films
fromIndieWire
2 weeks ago

Why This Director Is Raising $3 Million for a Rom-Com Ecosystem

Jonah Feingold is building Romantical, a media company infrastructure around romantic comedy, applying startup methodology to independent film production and distribution.
Film
fromVulture
2 weeks ago

Paul Thomas Anderson Explains Himself (Kind Of)

Paul Thomas Anderson wrote One Battle After Another for his children to explore how his generation left the world for theirs, addressing complex character portrayals and generational themes.
Independent films
fromIndieWire
2 weeks ago

Indie Film Has an Architecture Problem

The indie film model is structurally designed to fail, with misaligned incentives between investors, filmmakers, distributors, and audiences, resulting in only 0.025% of screenplays achieving profitable theatrical outcomes.
#ai-filmmaking
Independent films
fromInverse
2 weeks ago

'Normal' Is An Above-Average Action Thriller Saved By Bob Odenkirk

Bob Odenkirk stars as a temporary sheriff in a Minnesota town that harbors a criminal conspiracy involving billions in gold, forcing him into unexpected action against the entire community.
Film
fromEsquire
3 weeks ago

Do Original Movies Have Any Hope Left? I Went on a Journey to Find Out.

Theaters must create unique event experiences to compete with home entertainment, driving elaborate marketing stunts and premium screen innovations.
Film
fromTechCrunch
3 weeks ago

Steven Spielberg says he's 'never used AI' in any of his films | TechCrunch

Steven Spielberg opposes AI use in creative filmmaking roles, stating he has never used it in his films and will not replace creative individuals with machines.
fromAnOther
3 weeks ago

Roger Deakins on the Five Films Every Aspiring Cinematographer Should See

Cinematography isn't about beautiful images. It's about producing a whole series of images that serve a story. If I come out of a premiere and somebody says, 'Oh, I love the shot when such and such ...' I know I've made a mistake.
Film
Film
fromEntrepreneur
3 weeks ago

This Cult Filmmaker Learned Something About Audiences Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know'Make Them Feel Something'

Kevin Smith built a personal brand by connecting directly with fans, which created lasting career opportunities beyond individual film projects in an unpredictable industry.
Film
fromEsquire
3 weeks ago

Celine Song Just Might Have the Answer to What's Plaguing Hollywood

The film industry faces consolidation and AI disruption, yet original films like those by Celine Song prove ambitious storytelling can achieve both critical acclaim and commercial success.
UX design
fromMedium
2 months ago

From playwright to stage manager

Self-generating AI interfaces require structured constraints like A2UI to prevent chaotic, unusable experiences and shift designers from deterministic blueprints to probabilistic protocols.
#acting
Books
fromThe Mercury News
2 months ago

Author, film director Sayles to appear Jan. 20 in Berkeley for new book

Crucible traces Ford Motor Company's evolution from the 1920s through World War II, mixing historical figures and fictional workers to explore industrial, racial, and political dynamics.
#film-criticism
Independent films
fromEsquire
1 month ago

Kevin Williamson Breaks Down the Secrets of 'Scream VII'

Kevin Williamson returns to direct Scream VII after decades away, bringing back Neve Campbell's Sydney Prescott and exploring the meta-meaning the franchise holds for both the actress and filmmaker.
Film
fromEsquire
1 month ago

The Sudden Ascent of Lewis Pullman

Lewis Pullman approaches acting roles by assessing whether the challenge of embodying a character outweighs his fear, believing meaningful work requires overcoming that initial instinct of doubt.
Film
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

Nonprofessional Actors Are the Heart of the Movies

This year's Oscar contenders feature nonprofessional actors alongside established performers, creating authentic performances that distinguish these films in the new casting achievement category.
fromThe Independent
1 month ago

17 great movies ruined by terrible endings

10 Cloverfield Lane Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman and John Gallagher Jr are locked in an underground bunker for the majority of this left-field sequel to Cloverfield, with thrilling results. In the film's final throes, Winstead's character exits the bunker, and finds that her captor was telling the truth about an alien invasion above - a twist that completely and ruinously dissipates the hard-earned tension that came before.
Film
Film
fromFuturism
1 month ago

Hollywood Is Lying to Everyone About How Much AI They're Using, Says Consummate Hollywood Insider

Hollywood studios are using AI more widely across writing and production than they publicly acknowledge.
Film
fromwww.mercurynews.com
1 month ago

Pillion' stars, director enjoyed their walk on the wild side

Pillion centers a gay dom–sub love story that celebrates leather community visibility, sparking enthusiastic, costumed screenings and earning strong critical acclaim.
Film
fromInverse
1 month ago

'How To Make A Killing' Is A Screwy Social Satire That Falls Just Short Of The Mark

How to Make a Killing follows Becket Redfellow murdering wealthy relatives in a tonal blend of black comedy and satire, buoyed by Glen Powell's charm.
Film
fromOregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
1 month ago

FilmWatch Weekly: Alexander Skarsgard in 'Pillion,' Glen Powell in 'How to Make a Killing,' and more * Oregon ArtsWatch

Two new films show divergent strategies: Glen Powell's dark comedy uses impersonation and satire, while Alexander Skarsgård's Pillion pursues enigmatic, explicit provocation.
Film
fromThe Atlantic
1 month ago

The Real Secret to a Filmmaker's Success

Coppola, Lucas, and Spielberg in the 1970s combined artistic daring with commercial ambition, reshaping Hollywood through auteurism and blockbuster filmmaking.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Is This Thing On? review funny is as funny does in Bradley Cooper's John Bishop-inspired tale

Will Arnett plays a believable, non-outrageous would-be comedian in a likable but not fully convincing remarriage comedy directed and co-written by Bradley Cooper.
fromEntrepreneur
1 month ago

How Steven Spielberg Transformed My Career

In fact, I've made a conscious habit of seeking out successful individuals so I can learn from their experiences. But the man often nicknamed the "King of the Hollywood Blockbuster" continues to elude me. And yet, despite never meeting face to face, Spielberg taught me one of the most important lessons of my entire career. It's a lesson I've learned through engaging with his work.
Film
Film
fromFilmmaker Magazine
2 months ago

My Best Work as (Mostly) an Editor

Laid-off after 11+ years, a career summarized through curated print archives, notable interviews, commissioning achievements, and comprehensive 35mm production indexing.
Film
fromFilmmaker Magazine
2 months ago

A Tech Writer's Appreciation of Scott Macaulay

Digital technologies and the internet democratized filmmaking, enabling indie filmmakers with low-cost equipment and new distribution platforms, reshaping production, post-production, and exhibition.
Film
fromIndieWire
2 months ago

Critics, Filmmakers, and Why the Future of Movies Belongs to the People Who Give a Sh*t About Them

At the New York Film Critics Circle awards dinner, a lengthy speech about critics' relationship with filmmakers prompted playful roasts from presenters.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

I wasn't acting: that was me': how non-actors took over Oscar season

Directors often cast non-professionals to capture authenticity through lived experience and physical presence alongside trained actors.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

The Guide #229: How an indie movie distributed by a lone gamer broke the US box office

Two unusual releases contrasted a costly, widely distributed first-lady documentary with a self-financed YouTuber-made indie horror that achieved notable box-office success.
Film
fromFilmmaker Magazine
2 months ago

Reflections on Independent Film and 33 Years of Filmmaker

An editor assembled a personal, serendipitous Reflections feature blending memoir, advocacy, film history, and design for a final issue.
Film
fromFilmmaker Magazine
1 month ago

True Story: I Used My Jeopardy! Winnings to Finance My First Feature

Lifelong passions for magic, film, and trivia converged into a filmmaking career and a rekindled fascination with Colon, Michigan's rich magic heritage and storytelling potential.
Film
fromFilmmaker Magazine
2 months ago

The Best Films of 2025 As Chosen By Some of Its Key Directors

Cinema persists as a collective, embodied form of resistance and memory against normalized violence and the outsourcing of recollection to algorithms.
Film
fromInverse
2 months ago

How The Most Ambitious Vampire Movie Of The Year Found Its Secret Weapon

Justin Long humanizes morally ambiguous, narcissistic characters by exploring their self-justifications, making audiences partially complicit in their downfall.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

We're a hot button topic': is intimacy coordination the most misunderstood job in film-making?

Intimacy coordinators protect cast and crew and shape intimate choreography while the role evolves amid controversy and high demand.
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

The Type of Comedy That Makes for Great Drama

For someone best known as an actor, Bradley Cooper's core interest as a filmmaker is perhaps unsurprising. Thus far, he has been entirely consumed by examinations of performance-first digging into a pop musician's stratospheric career climb in A Star Is Born, then wrestling with Leonard Bernstein's desire to reimagine classical music in . Both movies were hefty pieces of entertainment, filled with love, death, and grand human experiences. His newest, the fetching
Film
Film
fromInsideHook
2 months ago

In Defense of Movie Sex Scenes

Onscreen sex scenes can be narratively essential but are often gratuitous, harmful, or disruptive when objectifying participants, reinforcing stereotypes, or damaging a film's flow.
fromOpen Culture
2 months ago

How the "Netflix Movie" Turns Cinema into "Visual Muzak"

A quarter-century later, it's safe to say that those days have come to an end. Not only does the streaming-only Netflix of the twenty-twenties no longer transmit movies on DVD through the mail (a service its younger users have trouble even imagining), it ranks approximately nowhere as a preferred cinephile destination. That has to do with a selection much diminished since the DVD days
Film
Film
fromIndieWire
2 months ago

Bob Berney on Five Wild Decades at Sundance, and Chasing Movies No One Else Wanted Like 'Memento' and 'Donnie Darko'

Bob Berney identifies promising films at Sundance, secures financing and distribution, and mounts release and awards campaigns that bring them to wide audiences.
fromLos Angeles Times
2 months ago

Independent studios scramble to stay afloat as film and TV production lags

Last week, he opened a $230-million movie and television studio on the edge of the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles nestled alongside the dramatic new Sixth Street Bridge. The state-of-the-art complex has five sound stages, offices and other proper movie studio features such as a mill, commissary and base camp. "We just had all the major networks, all the major streaming platforms walk through this facility and they can't believe how nice it is," said Wainright, managing partner of East End Studios.
Film
Film
fromInverse
2 months ago

'The Odyssey' Trailers Are Kinda Boring For A Good Reason

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey adapts Homer's epic, starring Matt Damon; trailers received lukewarm reaction and face adaptation and spoilage challenges.
fromFilmmaker Magazine
2 months ago

DP Michael Bauman on "One Battle After Another"

Anderson's One Battle After Another continues a resurgence of VistaVision that now includes The Brutalist and Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things and Bugonia. The format, which uses 8-perf 35mm traveling through the camera horizontally rather than vertically to create a larger negative, gained popularity as a non-anamorphic widescreen alternative in the mid-1950s. It was used for everything from Biblical epics ( The Ten Commandments) to musicals ( White Christmas) to Alfred Hitchcock thrillers ( Vertigo and North by Northwest).
Film
fromFilmmaker Magazine
2 months ago

Cue the Sun: DP Steve Yedlin on "Wake Up Dead Man"

After spending the last Knives Out entry on a billionaire's private Greek island, master sleuth Benoit Blanc's latest mystery Wake Up Dead Man takes him to a remote parish in upstate New York to solve the murder of a priest (Josh Brolin). It's a classic locked door mystery, with Brolin's monsignor stabbed mid-mass in a closet a few feet from his pulpit.
Film
Film
fromsfist.com
2 months ago

New Seth Rogen Movie That Was Shot in SF Gets Huge Ovation at Sundance, Sets Off Major Bidding War

Seth Rogen's San Francisco-shot comedy premiered at Sundance to a standing ovation and sparked a multi-studio bidding war that could boost the city's comeback narrative.
Film
fromFilmmaker Magazine
2 months ago

"Everyone Should Be After Greatness": Kimball Farley, Back To One, Episode 374

Kimball Farley is a versatile rising actor gaining recognition for transformative performances and significant upcoming film projects in 2026.
fromenglish.elpais.com
2 months ago

Jim Jarmusch, filmmaker: If you put money into my movie, you don't tell me how to make it, no matter who you are'

When a movie ends, Jim Jarmusch almost always gets sick. Which illness varies it could be a cold, the flu, or worse. The phenomenon has taken place for years. In his filmography, the director tends to post more questions than answers. In contrast, when it comes to his health, he has arrived at a clear conclusion: It's fucking hard to make a movie. And that's equally true if it's good or bad. It requires a lot of resistance and concentration.
Film
Film
fromIndieWire
1 month ago

IndieWire's 101 Guide to Working with Hollywood Unions - What Do Indie Filmmakers Need to Know?

Entertainment unions shape working conditions, preserve institutional knowledge, and explain production delays and shifting economics across film, television, and digital content.
Film
from48 hills
2 months ago

Screen Grabs: All eyes on IndieFest and Mostly British's big cinematic ideas - 48 hills

Two long-running Bay Area festivals, SF IndieFest and Mostly British Film Festival, reopen with locally focused, daring films including documentaries on Santacon and Dennis Peron.
Film
fromQueerty
2 months ago

WATCH: Hope emerges through love (& in-the-buff modeling) in intimate indie drama Surfacing - Queerty

Surfacing follows a depressed, pill-addicted man whose recovery deepens as blurred therapeutic boundaries and new relationships compel him to open his heart.
Film
fromVulture
2 months ago

How Do You Talk About a Movie Like Josephine?

Eight-year-old Josephine witnesses a rape, experiences trauma-induced visions of the perpetrator, and faces scrutiny over her competence to identify and testify against him.
Film
fromThe Independent
2 months ago

Paul Dano breaks silence on Quentin Tarantino's 'weak sauce' criticism of his acting

Paul Dano responded gratefully to widespread support after Quentin Tarantino called his performance in There Will Be Blood weak.
Film
fromVulture
2 months ago

Every Sam Raimi Movie, Ranked

Sam Raimi blends low-budget horror roots, slapstick visual inventiveness, and mainstream blockbusters, creating cult classics and uneven studio spectacles.
[ Load more ]