Though some might view this as "selling out," I think that it is not only an incredibly smart marketing move but also a business one. No one can doubt the rise of success of Mexican directors over the past few years. The very fact that someone like Alfonso Cuaron can make low budget indie Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN and then go on to direct a multi million dollar franchise movie such as HARRY POTTER illustrates this. With not only the box office but critical success of Guillermo del Toro's PAN"S LABYRINTH and Alejandro González Iñárritu's BABEL, it is extremely forward thinking for these filmmakers to "strike while the iron is hot" and use their collective celebrity to gain access to financing for their films. They have the track record to back it up. The interesting thing about this group is that though they have spent their early careers dipping into the same pot for money for "foreign films," they have remained very supportive of each other. They read each other's scripts, bounce ideas, share crew, etc. It is very reminiscent to me of how some of American indie filmmakers like Allison Anders, Todd Haynes, Alexandre Rockwell and Rose Troche used to work. Helping each other out when someone needed it, reading each other's work, being supportive of each other, etc.

I would love to see a move back to collaboration in indie film as opposed to what I think is competition now. Though I am thrilled that there is more money and more access and more audience out there for indie film, this has made the competition for all of it much more fierce even on the low end of spectrum where young filmmakers are becoming less and less likely to collaborate than in years past. Everyone seems to be about themselves and how they are going to "make it." The only place where I have not seen this, is with marketing and outreach. More and more I am seeing filmmakers get together to publicize their screenings at festivals - short filmmakers all in the same program or the short filmmaker and the feature filmmaker getting together and doing an after party, etc. This is great to see. I would love it to happen and be encouraged to happen on the production side.

There is a possibility, though unlikely, that the offer to the studios by the Mexican filmmakers may be rejected. Even if it does, there is a great lesson to be learned for filmmakers at every level - sometimes together you are much more powerful and have much more control and access than you would have if you go at it alone. Collaboration with other filmmakers does not mean you lose. It often can mean that you gain - seeing how others work, banding together to share information or crew and getting perspective on your own work, can only make you as an individual filmmaker better.

Keeping it indie,

Julie