This book charts three decades of specialist and independent filmmaking in Hollywood. The specialty film divisions of the major Hollywood studios were established to focus on the European arthouse film market before moving on to the burgeoning American independent film market. Hollywood's Indies is the first book to offer an in depth examination of the phenomenon of these labels, by tracing their history since the establishment of the first such division in 1980, United Artists Classics. The book provides a detailed account of the divisions, their business practices, their position within the often labyrinthine structure of contemporary entertainment conglomerates, their relationship to the Hollywood majors and their contribution to independent cinema in the United States. It provides a fresh perspective on the history of contemporary American independent cinema, which Tzioumakis divides into three periods: the independent, the indie and the indiewood. Each of these eras is characterised by a particular group of studio specialty labels and, to a large extent, by a distinct expression of 'independent' filmmaking.
A number of case studies are provided, including such celebrated films as Lianna, Mystery Train, The Brothers McMullen, Barcelona, Greenberg and many others.