Disgusted by the potential exploitation of Letterboxd to gain more power over a narrow industry, users of the app are fighting head-to-head with Hollywood bigwigs to protect the voices of independent filmmakers and cinephiles. If indie filmmakers are constantly under strain created by a monopolized Hollywood, and Letterboxd breeds opportunity for newer films to gain traction, why can’t big studios step down and allow small filmmakers a place in their own community? Letterboxd should not become a marketing tool for thriving studios to push their films’ visibility above that of an indie.
Letterboxd harbors a space for everyday moviegoers to nerd out and become movie critics, especially with indie films. Through community engagement, the site serves as a paramount place for those films to discover and build new audiences in an industry that is impossibly hard to break into. When big production companies express interest in buying this stepping-stone platform, they are fueling the flames indie filmmakers jump through just to stay relevant.
Intrinsic Entertainment Collaborative, a public benefit company founded by screenwriter Elizabeth Joyce, is advocating against the involvement of any big studio or corporation through their Letterboxd4All campaign. The campaign represents a community-backed bid, aiming to give film lovers and makers a starring role in the future of the platform. Unlike corporations that potentially view the acquisition as a tool to rise above competitors and see users as monetary value, the campaign recognizes the importance of users as they are the main component of what makes Letterboxd valuable.
Netflix, A24, Skydance Media and Sony Pictures are joined by The New York Times in the bidding war. Aside from Letterboxd4All, The Times proves favorable as a corporation due to the fact that they aren’t a production company. The risk of a studio overshadowing new indie films with their produced blockbusters would be reduced. However, corporate ownership could still remain a threat to the accessibility of the platform by implementing paywalls that could decrease the benefits small filmmakers receive from the engagement brought forward by a community eager to participate. The fact that Letterboxd thrives off of its sprawling demographic of indie filmmakers and supporters who do not wish to be controlled in their safe space, should spark concern for interested studios as they are a main contributor to the struggles indie filmmakers deal with while trying to create their belonging in an impossible industry.
