Here’s the Most Significant Indie Films of the Year

UPDATE: CulturalWeekly.com Readers’ Nominations for Most Significant Truly Independent Films as of 9/14/10: The Man From Earth, The Visitor, The Station Agent, The Brothers McMullin, Hoosiers, Stranger Than Paradise, Tender Mercies, The Full Monte, Paris Texas, The Return of Secaucus Seven, Mean Streets, The Piano, The Long Good Friday, Raising Arizona, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Il Postino, The Celebration, American Splendor, Winter’s Bone, The Professional, Diner, Airplane, This Is Spinal Tap, Billy Elliot, Valley of Ellah, Mad Max, Dead Man, Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai, Faces, Husbands, Brother from Another Planet, If…,   Paris, Texas,   Stranger Than Paradise, Down By Law,  A River Runs Through It,   First, Last and Deposit,   Killer of Sheep, Chacun Cherche Son Chat, Bad Timing, Taxi Driver, Aberdeen, Blood Simple, My Summer of Love, Pulp Fiction, The Magdalan Sisters, Lilya4Ever, Secrets and Lies, Sweetie, Reprise, Half Nelson, Frozen River, Jesus’ Son, Withnail & I, My Life As A Dog, The Dreamlife of Angels, Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar, Mifune’s Last Song, Fish Tank, The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Run Lola Run, Memento, Cooley High, Sankofa.

Keep ’em coming’…

Original Post: The Independent Film & Television Alliance just named the “30 most significant indie films.”  Here is their list.

1981-1990: Amadeus; Blue Velvet; Dances With Wolves; Das Boot (The Boat); Gandhi; My Left Foot; A Nightmare on Elm Street; Platoon; Sex, Lies and Videotape; The Terminator (Honorary mentions: The Killing Fields; The Last Emperor; The Toxic Avenger)

1991-2000: Braveheart; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Fargo; Four Weddings and a Funeral; Life is Beautiful; Pulp Fiction; Reservoir Dogs; The Silence of the Lambs; The Usual Suspects; Where the Day Takes You (Honorary mentions: Basic Instinct, Good Will Hunting, Trainspotting)

20001-2010: Brokeback Mountain; Crash; The Hurt Locker; Inglourious Basterds; Juno; Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring; Million Dollar Baby; Monster; The Pianist; Slumdog Millionaire; (Honorary mentions: Bowling for Columbine; Memento; Twilight)

The only thing weirder than this list is the fact that the IFTA has trademarked the phrase “30 Most Significant Independent Films.”  Seriously.  Check out their press release.

If any of you believe that Lord of the Rings or Braveheart or Million Dollar Baby are indie movies, you have never seen Blood Simple or Blair Witch Project or Down By Law. I’m preparing a longer article about what has really strangled American independent movies, and I’ll run it in a week or so.

For now, I’d like to hear from you – let’s name CulturalWeekly.com’s Most Significant Truly Independent Films. Nominations open!

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