Some of what we should be thankful for in The Cinema Biz, 2025
Part 1 of what this Hope hopes is an ever expanding list.
Let’s not despair.
Sure Hollywood may be evacuating while Indie has stagnated into meaningless, but we still have some bright spots out there.
And since I decided that 2025 ends with Q3, it is time to take stock of all the good things that happened in this terrible year. Join me, please, and let me know what else I may have missed.
I am only looking at America right now. If you want to help me expand my gaze to the rest of the world, let me know. What have you seen as bright spots out there?
15 Good Things About The American Cinema Biz, 2025 Edition
This list is alphabetical (sort of).
California ups its tax credit to respectable levels.
I am still in the “too little, too late” camp on this one, but most of my friends are happy, so there’s that.
Class Of 2025 Auteurs arrive!
IMO it takes two in a row to gain entry, but it can either by box office or execution, and certainly both. Michael Covino & Kyle Marvin (The Climb & Splitsville), Zach Cregger (Barbarian & Weapons), Celine Song (Past Lives & The Materialists), and James Sweeney (Straight Up & Twinless) all hit that mark. FWIW I think three new entrees is pretty typical, but four? That’s a good year! I think we need one of FilmStack’s resident data scientists to confirm that.
Community Nonprofits Are Revitalizing Cinemas
There seems to be a growing trend in 2025 of nonprofits purchasing and operating theaters (e.g., Metro Theater in NYC, Roxie Theater in SF, Triplex Cinema in MA), ensuring preservation, cultural programming, and independence from purely commercial pressures. Yay!
Distributors are still being born in America!
Black Bear has CAA-thought-to-be-lifer Ben Kramer running a distribber for them now. CAA also helped hatch Row K that Megan Colligan is running. Rich Spirit (founded by James Shani) has shown a taste for the bold, supporting both The Apprentice and Kahil Joseph’s BLKNWS. Jason Hellerstein founded 1‑2 Special with plans to release 10 films annually. Newbie The Forge did a SXSW pickup this year. And there’s an Aura rising too. There’s also sales agents XYZ and Highland (via their distro arm The Avenue) moving further into the distro field, and Bob Yari’s Magenta Light hopefully following up on 2024 fave Strange Darling. So what is that? 6 new distribs? 8? 8.5? Still counting? Could we please return to bidding wars in the presales stage please?
FilmStack is here!
It was at the start of the year, that I pointed out what was happening here… a community has been built. And it is growing. And we are doing good things. Daily Inspo posts hoping to get the ‘stack to award us a stand alone film category. Of course the Film Stack Challenge of The Month. And a nice variety of RESOURCES that many of us are posting. Mostly it is just a lot of thoughtful discussion about how to build a better system, how to get your movie made well, and what films are awesome — or not, but there’s a lot more to come too.
