
One of cinema’s most rewarding elements is the reminders artistry can flourish under any circumstances. Powerful creativity informs so many movies with threadbare budgets and minimal resources at their disposal. There is no cynicism in these low-budget productions. Just a desire to get specific visuals, ideas, and characters out into the world. Earlier this year, I witnessed a comedy named Fantasy A Gets a Mattress. Made for $3,800, this Seattle-set tale is full of memorably wacky characters, oddball jokes, and creative filmmaking. It’s a deeply inspiring enterprise, a reflection that striking cinema, as Anton Ego, would put it, “can come from anywhere”. While rich filmmakers wax poetic on the “virtues” of A.I. cinema devoid of humanity or aloof shareholders declare theatrical movigoing dead. indie efforts full of vibrant creativity are more important than ever.