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Elsa Keslassy
International Correspondent
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River courtesy TIFF The indie film biz head into this year’s American Film Market amid one of the industry’s most tumultuous periods in recent memory. The completion of Paramount Skydance’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix’s leadership shake-up have triggered a wave of layoffs and cuts within the last month, while streamers across the board are becoming much more selective about acquisitions. For indie producers, sales agents and distributors, the upheaval means fewer buyers and projects, and an increasingly competitive marketplace. Yet the business has also been reshaped in ways that give reason for optimism. Theatrical is once again the engine of the indie economy, and Gen Z audiences are driving some of the year’s surprise hits, from “Obsession” to “Backrooms,” and, most recently, the nearly three-hour doc “You Can See Everything.” “We’re going to see so many more of these stories dominating in the box office. It’s what audiences want to see. If you look at the data and you look at what’s happening in the industry, the strongest, the best-positioned players in this sector are the independents,” says Jackie Brenneman, a former top executive at the National Assn. of Theatre Owners, who in January was appointed president and CEO of the Independent Film & Television Alliance, which organizes the American Film Market.
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