I really love independent films. There's something so determined about the people who work on them.
It's never easy getting an independent film made and distributed - even when it's easy.
In the early '90s when the American independent movie started, it held personal vision as a premium. That was brilliant timing.
When you're making an independent film, there is no guarantee that anyone is going to see it, ever.
In the early '90s, when those little art films started coming out, we were introduced to Quentin Tarantino and guys like that, and independent cinema was something that everyone wanted to be a part of.
You can get money and make a really cheap movie. You can, from independent financers who are just giving you money to support artists. This is what was happening in the '90s, and I was very fortunate to be a part of that.
What's exciting about Sundance is that they're making a name for themselves in this boutique television niche world, and there's energy behind that.
I was making a lot of independent movies before the independent movement.
I started in the theater world in New York City - and indie films - and I love the feeling of your head coming together and trying to tell a simple story, a small story, and just getting that vibe of storytelling without all the craziness of big budget.
I didn't have any ambition to produce big mainstream popcorn movies.
I think independent movies are actually very challenging right now, because it was this huge scene and it was great for a few years. Then, it was totally co-opted by the studios. Now, it's become very corporate, the independent scene.
'The Girlfriend Experience' was definitely the break-out. When it came out, I started getting other opportunities.
I'll put it this way: with the kind of films that I do - creatively driven, with interesting directors and writers - I don't feel the need to work with the super established, top-tier directors that are out there.
