If you’re familiar with what we’re trying to do here at HieronyVision, then you know we’re committed to independent film. Not just “indie” in the trendy sense. Especially not the often formulaic but independently financed and produced features with A-List stars looking to score acting credibility (and satisfy the overseas sales reps in the process). We’re talking scrappy, DIY, guerilla films made on a minimalist scale that, whether you love them or hate them, express a bold artistic statement. We’re focusing on this through our Ultra Microbudget Filmmaking model and Film Incubator programs because we think it’s the best way forward for independent cinema in this new creative ecosystem. But we also recognize that it’s not exactly new.

As part of this mission, we’ve quietly launched our retro film series, Extreme Close Up. For each installment, you can watch classic films accompanied by in depth histories and case studies. To help curate this specific list of titles, we look back at early movies that we feel connect to our independent filmmaking ethos. So far, we’ve selected a range of intriguing movies from filmmakers with diverse backgrounds and styles. We have films from one of the first Black American film pioneers, a trailblazing woman director, and some true outsider artists.

For instance, our first entry, Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street, may feel like a relatively standard Hollywood film noir on the surface. However, the film was not only made by a visionary director in an overlooked period of his career but also independently produced and financed by Lang and his femme fatale muse Joan Bennett. Plus, there’s a reason the film drove the censorship boards nuts. On the other hand, our most recent choice is a little more obvious in its independent roots: Oscar Micheaux wrote, directed, produced, financed, and distributed Body and Soul himself, as Black filmmakers had limited options in the early days of cinema. But hey, the censors hated this movie too! Maybe there’s a theme here?

We invite and encourage all HV members to check out the films in the series. Whether you’re an independent filmmaker, a cinephile with an interest in the history of obscure and overlooked films, or just a film fan looking to expand your tastes, the Extreme Close Up series offers a range of interesting options… with even more on the way!