In this final article, I’m going to give you some info on the studios that are so small and so vastly underfunded that they can truly claim the Indie title. Most of these companies won’t be that familiar to the general public, but their available titles, though not always huge contenders, are certainly noteworthy.

The Traditional Indies

Apparition is so new a studio that it doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page yet. In its first year of major Oscar contention, they’ve collected two films that could play a role in the tech categories, though, due to limited reception, won’t be competing for top prizes. Back in the 1990s, Jane Campion was an indie superstar. She became the first English-language female director to win an Oscar nomination and only the second at the time (Lina Wertmüller was the first female nominated for the Italian film Seven Beauties and since then, American director Sofia Coppola has brought the total to three). The Piano was such a success that there was talk that it could upset the presumptive Best Picture winner, Schindler’s List. The end result was not the case, but it propelled her to fame and earned a few more nods three years later with The Portrait of a Lady. Since then, she’s been nowhere near the Oscars and while her film this year, Bright Star, was received well at Cannes, it has not earned much attention from Oscar prognosticators or the public, so its costumes and art direction are likely nominees, but probably little else. The same can be said for The Young Victoria which has not earned strong critical response and will likely be relegated to those same categories. Next year, however, they have a hot property: Terrence Malick’s New World follow-up The Tree of Life.

Founded six years ago, Freestyle Releasing has had a very mixed bag of pictures. Trying to build itself on the New Line Cinema model of releasing genre pics, their box office success has been better than their Oscar success (Sharkwater and The Painted Veil, to this point, have been their only Oscar-capable films. This year, they have two films that, although unlikely to earn any nominations, are at least in the back of the pack for the hunt. That Evening Sun is Hal Holbrook’s first major film since his career Oscar nomination for Into the Wild. When the film first popped up this year, it was clear they were going to try and push Holbrook for a Lead Actor nod, but as the year has gone on, the film and the chatter have diminished. While it is a weaker year for leads than previous, there are still far too many people hoping to get that slot and Holbrook may have to miss the boat like Frank Langella (Starting Out in the Evening) and Armin Mueller Stahl (Local Color). Their other film features a seemingly spot-on performance by Christian McKay as Welles in Me and Orson Welles. The first trailer makes the film seem too baity and will likely result in no nominations, but McKay should be considered in the race.

IFC Films is the Independent Film Channel’s theatrical distribution company and, thus, has a larger number of offerings than most of the other Indies. Police, Adjective is one of the Foreign Language Film submissions this year, Summer Hours, Passing Strange and In the Loop are getting a push, though each has very little chance at a nomination.

Founded in 2001, Magnolia Pictures has focused on genre films and documentaries, with their docs among the most critically praised and Oscar capable. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Jesus Camp and No End in Sight each earned Oscar nominations for Documentary Feature. While their narrative Oscar pics such as World’s Fastest Indian and Redacted haven’t always ignited critic’s expectations, they had a bona fide hit last year with Let the Right One In, which scored several Foreign Language awards from critics groups and became an instant cult favorite. They have several films this year in competition, but once again, it’s their documentary that seem to be faring the best. Food, Inc. is on the short list for Oscar’s Best Documentary Feature nomination and could do very well if supported by critics groups as expected. On the dramatic front, neither Bronson nor Two Lovers seem to have made virtually no mark on this year’s race even with reviewers’ plaudits.

Starting out in the direct-to-video/DVD market, Monterey Media has been making headway with critics with films like How to Be a Serial Killer, but the only film they are pushing this year is Trucker, which they hope will earn Michelle Monaghan a nomination. But, as Michelle Williams can attest, having a terrific performance (as has been cited by some critics) in a well received movie does not guarantee an Oscar nomination.

The eldest indie in the list, Newmarket Films had strong genre ties (Cruel Intentions for example) before it became an Oscar nominee, but their stable of nods is quite lengthy: Memento, Monster, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Passion of the Christ, Topsy Turvy, The Usual Suspects, Whale Rider and Y tu mamá también. This year, however, they seem to have come up with a film that may not perform to their expectations. Creation has not been released theatrically yet, but some critics have seen it and the buzz has been little but cricket-like. If it picks up some steam in the year-end awards, then perhaps it will compete, but as it stands, I’m not sure Newmarket has much of a shot.

Oscilloscope Laboratories knows the meaning of the phrase “failed Oscar campaign”. They are the studio that attempted to earn Michelle Williams a nod for Wendy and Lucy, so their two films in contention this year, The Messenger and Unmistaken Child have very little chance. However, the latter seems the kind of film Oscar voters might like if they actually watched it; however, that doesn’t seem a likely proposition.

Roadside Attractions has been specializing mostly in documentary features. They’ve tried their hand at narrative films, but have come up mostly colossal duds (Battle for Terra, Beer for My Horses). Their docs haven’t exactly been Oscar magnets with I.O.U.S.A. and The Road to Guantanamo, their best hopes, coming up short. This year, they have the anti-Japan documentary The Cove about Japanese companies that slaughter dolphins. It’s a tough subject and will appeal to critics, but may be too political for Academy voters.

Like nearly every indie studio since the 1980s, Summit Entertainment built itself on the back of genre flicks until it found success with the popular vampire flick Twilight and its sequel New Moon. Neither film is really Oscar material, but two other pics released this year might do well for them. The Brothers Bloom has the least chance, having been released too long ago for most to remember, but may be a popular film with critics for their end-of-year lists. The Hurt Locker, on the other hand, may very well earn the studio a Best Picture nomination. Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraq war flick has maintained a consistent amount of buzz since its theatrical release over the summer despite a dismal box office performance. While I don’t think it will be nearly the success some suggest, a Best Picture nomination seems like it could very easily be in the cards for the film with the wide-open ten-nominee field.

That’s everything. All the studios have been accounted for and most of the Oscar contenders have been mentioned. Within a few days, I’ll be putting the finishing touches on my pre-Precursor predictions. Take a look through these lists and if you see something I’ve missed or that I’ve undervalued, feel free to post a comment. Lots can change between now and the Oscar nominations, so stay astute and keep an eye on this site.