There have been several news and surprises in the film industry this year. Some were good, and some were not.
However, a pattern that seems to be developing is the increasing success of independent movies, which stand their ground to many multi-million dollar films. Last but not least, on this exciting list is Aftersun.
British film produced by the BBC Films and British Film Institute, like most British independent productions, is written and directed by Charlotte Wells and produced by MUBI and A24.
Aftersun, which is Wells's debut into the industry, has been able to gather a noticeable amount of nominations and awards over a pretty short period, attracting critics’ curiosity all over the world.
This coming-of-age drama follows the life of Sophie, an 11-year-old Scottish girl, on vacation with her father at a Turkish resort on the eve of his 31st birthday.
A strong plot for a strong cast, composed of emerging talents like Frankie Corio and Cecilia Rowlson-Hall, and well-established but still new personalities like Paul Mescal.
The Irish actor, who became famous thanks to the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People, seems unstoppable, with more exciting projects and a prestigious Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role in Aftersun.
However, the Academy has not been the only institution to prize Wells’ outstanding job, as her film got a pretty long number of nominations and awards, among which the British Independent Film Awards, New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Gotham Independent Film Awards, Melbourne International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, National Board of Review, European Film Awards, and more.
Additionally, to evaluate the project of the Scottish director even more, Aftersun broke another record for independent cinema.
As reported by MUBI on its LinkedIn profile, Wells’ movie is now the most streamed ever on the platform, simultaneously crossing over 1.58£ million at the UK and Ireland box office. This solid result makes Aftersun the highest-grossing British independent debut in the United Kingdom in the last ten years. Also, it became the highest-grossing British female debut since 2008, when Mamma Mia was realized.
Therefore, what Wells has been able to achieve with this project is not only relevant to her and the incredible team that worked on it.
The importance of these results demonstrates how, in modern cinema, money is not essential to be successful. This idea was unthinkable about 40 years ago, but more and more young directors and actors are trying to make their way into the industry by developing independent movies.
The possibility of achieving greatness without a money barrier has allowed great artists to thrive, gifting us with beautiful works.
Aftersun embodies what being an independent movie means: ‘different.’ And we can all agree that ‘different’ always stands out from the mass.
Share This Post On
0 comments
Leave a comment
You need to login to leave a comment. Log-in
