I don't actually think sex, lies, and videotape was the most important independent movie or that it was the only one that helped usher in this new period in film making. However, I was able to find several articles and evidence that said it was pretty much solely responsible, so I went with it. sex, lies WAS important, but I don't totally agree that it was "the one and only" so to speak. I surely didn't want to spend any more time digging for sources to meet the requirements though.

sex, lies, and videotape and the Independent Movie
By Jennifer Haynes

sex, lies, and videotape caused changes in the way independent movies were viewed, and it also helped usher in a new age of independent film making. This movie was directed by Steven Soderbergh in 1989 and stars James Spader as Graham, Andie MacDowell as Ann, Peter Gallagher as John, and Laura San Giacomo as Cynthia. Graham videotapes women talking about their sexual experiences without ever actually having sex as his own penance for his past. Cynthia makes a tape and breaks off her adulterous relationship with John. Then Ann makes a tape with him and decides to end her marriage with John after learning of his infidelity.

sex, lies, and videotape started off with an unusual amount of hype from various independent film festivals and award shows. James Spader won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival, Steven Soderbergh received the Palme d’Or, and it also swept through the Independent Spirit Awards. Then it moved on to receive nominations in the Golden Globes and the Oscars. In total, it received 11 awards and 11 more nominations. All of the acclaim received from Cannes alone brought the movie into theaters in the US. When it first came out, it managed to gross four million dollars in four weeks, which was an impressive number considering it was only playing on 101 screens (“No fib”).

“With production costs of about $1 million and [total box office] profits of $25 million, sex, lies, and videotape produced a better rate of return than many hugely successful Hollywood blockbusters. Relative to its cost, the Miramax release was one of the most profitable films of the decade” (Levy). It was the number 7 movie in the box office during its 5th week showing. This, combined with its financial success, caught the attention of bigger studios and investors and “…led Hollywood studio executives and agents to realize the financial potential of independent films” (“validation”).

This realization transformed the whole idea of independent movies. “…much of the contemporary focus on independent film would not exist if it were not for [sex, lies, and videotape]…there had always been a clear distinction between a studio film and an independent one” (Steven Soderbergh). sex, lies, and videotape blurred that line, and allowed for the mainstreaming of independent films.

Independent film venues went under major changes during this period. Starting with sex, lies, and videotape at Cannes, and followed by David Lynch’s Wild at Heart and the Coen Brothers’ Barton Fink, a transition began. It was a “…movement from filmmakers who had been represented there for years to new names and countries that had not often figured in the competition.” (McCarthy) Not only that, but now independent festivals such as Cannes and Sundance are packed with reporters, critics, and newscasters, as well as big Hollywood stars. It’s not rare to see actors normally paid millions of dollars working for very little to work in these movies.

Clearly, sex, lies, and videotape is an important movie with regard to independent films. It not only changed the way Hollywood and the general public viewed the independent scene, but it also helped begin the ushering in of a new decade of filmmakers. Were it not for the surprising financial success and critical acclaim, independent movies and festivals would not be what they’ve become today.

Works Cited

Levy, Emanuel. Cinema of Outsiders. New York: New York University Press, 2001. <http://www.rit.edu/~pjp7690/history/history_part09.html>

Mast, Gerald and Bruce F. Kawin. A Short History of the Movies, Eighth Edition. New York: Longman, 2003.

McCarthy, Todd. “U.S. indies have golden touch in 1990’s.” Variety 24 Mar. 1997: InfoTrac Web: Gen’l Reference Ctr Gold. 23 Nov. 2003 <http://www.columbiastate.edu/library/databases/databases _directory/databases_index.html>

“No fib – in Sex, Lies, and Videotape newcomer Laura Giacomo provides plenty of the first.” People Weekly 11 Sept. 1989: InfoTrac Web: InfoTrac OneFile. 23 Nov. 2003 <http://www.columbiastate.edu/library/databases/databases _directory/databases_index.html>

Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989). 23 Nov. 2003. The Internet Movie Database. 23 Nov. 2003 <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098724/>

Steven Soderbergh. 27 Oct. 2003. Tribute Entertainment Media Group. 23 Nov. 2003 <http://www.tribute.ca/DIRECTORS/BIOS/1535.htm>

“‘validation of diversity’ at Sundance festival, A.” N.Y. Times News Service 20 Jan. 1997. <http://www.saigon.com/~kyanh/archives/vn-gblf/msg00311.html>