--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Independent film is not only an oxymoron…" description: "\"Independent film is not only an oxymoron; it doesn't exist anymore.\" — Martha Plimpton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/martha-plimpton-10006_cinema_independent-film-is-not-only-an-oxymoron_471528.jpg" --- # Independent film is not only an oxymoron; it doesn't exist… ![“Independent film is not only an oxymoron; it doesn't exist anymore.” quote by Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/martha-plimpton-10006_cinema_independent-film-is-not-only-an-oxymoron_471528.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/martha-plimpton-10006_cinema_independent-film-is-not-only-an-oxymoron_471528.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/martha-plimpton-10006_cinema_independent-film-is-not-only-an-oxymoron_471528.jpg) > “Independent film is not only an oxymoron; it doesn't exist anymore.” [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The concept of “independent film” has become contradictory because mainstream influences dominate production and distribution. **In simple terms:** Independent film is now mainstream. Key Takeaway Question how to preserve true independence. Themes film industry independence culture commercialization Mood cynical reflective Type critical observational When to use this quote - budgeting - festival planning - distribution strategies - audience expectations Key Concepts artistic integrity market forces definition of independence Questions to Reflect On - What defines true independence in cinema? - How can creators retain autonomy? A Different Perspective Even “independent” labels can mask corporate control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Exist Anymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-anymore-1192810/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Film Oxymoron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-oxymoron-4074624/) [Independent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent/) [Independent film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent-film/) [Oxymoron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oxymoron/) [Oxymoron Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oxymoron-doesn-4074625/) ## Related quotes > [Here are the good things about independent films: They do the more interesting, chancy scripts. They're run by love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/here-are-the-good-things-about-independent-films-they-do-the-more/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [I didn't want to be around anybody because it was just too much for my brain. But, as an actress, you hope you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinsel-korey/i-didn-t-want-to-be-around-anybody-because-it-was-just-too-much-for/) [Tinsel Korey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinsel-korey/) > [I've spent a great deal of my life doing independent film, and that is partly because the subject matter interests me and partly because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-ve-spent-a-great-deal-of-my-life-doing-independent-film-and-that-is/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [I'm just thinking of 2001, which I think is the most expensive independent film ever made - which is great, someday I hope I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/i-m-just-thinking-of-2001-which-i-think-is-the-most-expensive/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [I did a film when I was about 30; it's a coming of age story called 'Gas Food Lodging,' and I'm so proud of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-knepper/i-did-a-film-when-i-was-about-30-it-s-a-coming-of-age-story-called/) [Robert Knepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-knepper/) > [At the end of the day, it's all one version of telling a story. I treated this as if it was a two million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-farrell/at-the-end-of-the-day-it-s-all-one-version-of-telling-a-story-i/) [Colin Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-farrell/) > [The culture of independent film criticism has totally gone down the drain and this seems to come with the territory of the consumer age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/the-culture-of-independent-film-criticism-has-totally-gone-down-the/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [I love the energy of an independent film set. No one is there for the money. Everyone is there 'cause they really want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mamie-gummer/i-love-the-energy-of-an-independent-film-set-no-one-is-there-for-the/) [Mamie Gummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mamie-gummer/) > [I like independent films... European films. I do go and see popular films as well because my kids force me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-grady/i-like-independent-films-european-films-i-do-go-and-see-popular-films/) [Frances O'Grady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-grady/) > [I love independent films, it's the only place as an actor you're totally allowed to breathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leguizamo/i-love-independent-films-it-s-the-only-place-as-an-actor-you-re/) [John Leguizamo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leguizamo/) > [There was an interesting article in Los Angeles Magazine about women directors. A woman director makes one bad independent film and her career is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-wolf/there-was-an-interesting-article-in-los-angeles-magazine-about-women/) [Dick Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-wolf/) > [On the set of an independent film you can tell that nobody is doing it for the money. Everyone is there because they love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferrell/on-the-set-of-an-independent-film-you-can-tell-that-nobody-is-doing/) [Will Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferrell/) > [The great thing about an independent film is that you're too busy working, and you're too busy hoping to God to get it done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/the-great-thing-about-an-independent-film-is-that-you-re-too-busy/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [A lot of independent films offer a harsh reality check.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-plaza/a-lot-of-independent-films-offer-a-harsh-reality-check/) [Aubrey Plaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-plaza/) > [It's always a challenge to make an independent film. It's always a challenge to make a low budget film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-heche/it-s-always-a-challenge-to-make-an-independent-film-it-s-always-a/) [Anne Heche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-heche/) ## More by Martha Plimpton > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [It's easier to lecture women on sexual morality than it is to explain why all Americans shouldn't have comprehensive, fair, and equal health care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/it-s-easier-to-lecture-women-on-sexual-morality-than-it-is-to-explain/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [When you're working with good people it brings good things out in you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/when-you-re-working-with-good-people-it-brings-good-things-out-in-you/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I wouldnt say Malkovich is totally insane, but hes not living in the real world. Hes living in his world, which is a fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-wouldnt-say-malkovich-is-totally-insane-but-hes-not-living-in-the/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [It's long been accepted as fact that the availability of family planning services saves lives. Where women have access to these services, children and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/it-s-long-been-accepted-as-fact-that-the-availability-of-family/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [The word 'equality' shows up too much in our founding documents for anyone to pretend it's not the American way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/the-word-equality-shows-up-too-much-in-our-founding-documents-for/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [Things come to you in life when you're prepared for them, when you're ready for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/things-come-to-you-in-life-when-you-re-prepared-for-them-when-you-re/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [People seem to think that you should be willing to speak to them whether they're jerks or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/people-seem-to-think-that-you-should-be-willing-to-speak-to-them/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [Actors, they come and go, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/actors-they-come-and-go-you-know/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [My mom just didn't put a very high premium on me being like really famous or really wealthy or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/my-mom-just-didn-t-put-a-very-high-premium-on-me-being-like-really/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I like cluttered, old, dark-wood antiques. I like character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-like-cluttered-old-dark-wood-antiques-i-like-character/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I wasn't paraded around for sale at all. My mother wasn't into that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-wasn-t-paraded-around-for-sale-at-all-my-mother-wasn-t-into-that/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [See, I don't watch reality television anymore. I watched a little bit of it for awhile, but I found it turned my soul into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/see-i-don-t-watch-reality-television-anymore-i-watched-a-little-bit/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [As an actress for most of my life, I am profoundly familiar with poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/as-an-actress-for-most-of-my-life-i-am-profoundly-familiar-with/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I love dogs because they're so adaptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-love-dogs-because-they-re-so-adaptable/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) [Explore all 68 Martha Plimpton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Independent film is not only an oxymoron; it doesn't exist anymore.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martha Plimpton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/independent-film-is-not-only-an-oxymoron-it-doesn-t-exist-anymore/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/independent-film-is-not-only-an-oxymoron-it-doesn-t-exist-anymore/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/martha-plimpton-10006_cinema_independent-film-is-not-only-an-oxymoron_471528.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/martha-plimpton-10006_cinema_independent-film-is-not-only-an-oxymoron_471528.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/martha-plimpton-10006_cinema_independent-film-is-not-only-an-oxymoron_471528.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Independent film is not only an oxymoron; it doesn't exist anymore.” — Martha Plimpton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Martha Plimpton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Independent film is not only an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/independent-film-is-not-only-an-oxymoron-it-doesn-t-exist-anymore/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/independent-film-is-not-only-an-oxymoron-it-doesn-t-exist-anymore/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```