Joel Edgerton, Amy Madigan, Geeta Gandbhir talk state of indie cinema at the Spirit Awards

Описание: (16 Feb 2026)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Los Angeles - 15 February 2026
1. Medium Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura pose for photos
2. Close up Kirsten Dunst poses for photos
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Geeta Gandbhir, director:
"So I think art reflects life, and life reflects art. So I think what we're seeing is an organic expansion right now. I'm not talking about AI, but I'm talking about the use of different kinds of footage in the films we make, and I think it's because that's the world we live in, right? So cell phone footage, perhaps CCTV footage, even body camera footage, which was so prevalent in my film, really all of that is part of the world that we live in. And so it's organically going to become a part of our stories. And I think that, you know, that will happen. You know, that will happened again as we move forward and as technology changes. But of course we have to think deeply about the role of AI."
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Joel Edgerton, actor:
"I feel like studios, in fairness to them, have a lot of investors and a lot of money behind things... So there's formulas and there's things that they know have worked in the past. And sure enough, independent cinema is not loved by everybody, but I think studios should also, and are probably aware, that not all commercial cinema is loved by anybody. Just sad, or not sad, but it's a fact that it's probably loved by more people, but maybe just because it's shown to more people on more cinemas, you know. I think cinemas become more binary, it's like, bigger things get more... Bigger, more commercial things get more screens, independent cinemas getting squeezed more into like a back closet. But those stories are fantastic. They're complicated, but they don't tick all the right boxes for studios sometimes. But sometimes an independent filmmaker will prove that complicated stories can reach out to more people than a studio mind might think."
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jay Duplass, actor:
"Well, we're at the Independent Spirit Awards and it's all about original art and personal art and I think this is one of the places that is going to be least affected by AI, because no matter how far AI gets you still need to tell a story from the heart, so this is where we are. I think kids are going to use AI and make huge movies, I think. It's going to be hard to stop. But the way that big movies are made right now are already with sort of an artificial intelligence in a lot of ways. It's hard to really judge what's going to happen, but I do think young kids will make the equivalent of a $100 million movie sometime in the next five years."
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku, actors:
Lindo: "This is clearly a very, very, very special phenomenon, 'Sinners.' What I'm hoping is that the things that I'm learning, the things I'm experiencing, will enhance what I bring to projects going forward."
Mosaku: "I feel like it's not ruined anything, in fact, I feel like it has made our standards higher and we expect harmonious, creatively safe spaces to work. And for me that's been like, oh, I'll never settle for a space that doesn't feel safe and encouraging. And I feel like I'm encouraged to speak up for more, I don't know, artist friendly, family friendly sets."
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Amy Madigan, actor:
8. Close up Amy Madigan poses for photos
STORYLINE:
The 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards took place Sunday in Los Angeles, drawing Oscar nominees and other stars of film and television.


"Sometimes an independent filmmaker will prove that complicated stories can reach out to more people than a studio mind might think," he said.









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