Movies have the power to enrich our lives and inspire us in ways we never imagined. While easily accessible and digestible movies on platforms like Netflix are great, there’s so much more to discover. Independent cinema offers unique perspectives and stories that can broaden our horizons. And there’s nothing quite like the experience of visiting the cinema, immersing yourself in a new world, and sharing the joy of film with others. Finding hidden gems, exploring different cultures and stories – the moving image has so much more to offer. Let your imagination run wild and your spirit soar.
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Discovering and Enjoying Movies
as a hobby
Movies touch our hearts and awaken our vision, and change the way we see things. They take us to other places, they open doors and minds. Movies are the memories of our lifetime, we need to keep them alive.
Martin Scorsese
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Helpful content to start discovering and enjoying movies as a hobby
We aim to provide accurate information, but errors might be found. Always exercise judgment and discretion.
📼 Videos
Short visual inspiration.
🎙️ Podcasts
Play an episode while exploring the page.
A film is – or should be – more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what’s behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.
Stanley Kubrick
📜 Terms
Basic lingo for orientation.
- Indie Cinema: Traditionally defined as films made outside the major Hollywood studios. Today, some films produced by major studios or their subsidiaries can still be considered “indie” if they maintain a focus on unique stories, lower budgets, and creative freedom for the director. Distribution through independent channels and a focus on character-driven narratives can further solidify an indie identity, even with some studio backing. As the film industry landscape changes, the definition of “indie” becomes more nuanced, but the core spirit of independent filmmaking – artistic exploration and distinct storytelling – remains.
- Screenplay: The script of a film, including dialogue, character descriptions, and action scenes.
- Director: The person responsible for overseeing the creative aspects of a film.
- Producer: The person who oversees the production of a film, from financing to post-production.
- Cinematographer: Also known as a Director of Photography, they oversee the camera and light crews.
- Editor: The person who cuts and pieces together the film to create the final product.
- Cast: All the actors and actresses appearing in a film.
- Crew: The technical staff working behind the scenes to create the film.
- Box Office: The total revenue a movie generates from ticket sales.
Partial list of film movements
- French Impressionism: An avant-garde silent film movement that emerged in France after World War I and focused on enhancing the aesthetic qualities of each frame and portraying the psychological states of the characters.
- German Expressionism: A dark and stylized film movement that developed in Germany after World War I and used distorted sets, lighting, and shadows to create a sense of horror and alienation.
- Soviet Montage: A revolutionary film movement that originated in Soviet Russia in the 1910s and introduced the technique of montage, which is the editing of shots to create meaning and emotion.
- Italian Neorealism: A gritty and realistic film movement that emerged in Italy after World War II and depicted the harsh realities of poverty, oppression, and injustice in post-war society.
- French New Wave: A radical and innovative film movement that flourished in France in the late 1950s and early 1960s and challenged the conventions of Hollywood cinema with unconventional narratives, editing, cinematography, and sound.
- New Hollywood: A creative and experimental film movement that dominated American cinema in the late 1960s and early 1970s and reflected the social and cultural changes of the era with more complex, ambiguous, and controversial themes and characters.
- Hong Kong New Wave: A vibrant and diverse film movement that emerged in Hong Kong in the late 1970s and early 1980s and showcased the talents of directors such as John Woo, Tsui Hark, Wong Kar-wai, and Ann Hui.
- Cinema Novo: A political and artistic film movement that originated in Brazil in the 1960s and aimed to portray the realities of the Brazilian people, especially the poor and oppressed, with a critical and aesthetic perspective.
- Iranian New Wave: A cinematic renaissance that began in Iran in the late 1980s and early 1990s and produced some of the most acclaimed films of world cinema, such as those by Abbas Kiarostami, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Jafar Panahi, and Asghar Farhadi.
- Dogme 95: A manifesto-based film movement that was initiated by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg in 1995 and advocated for a return to a more pure and authentic form of filmmaking, free from artificiality, technical gimmicks, and genre conventions.
❗ How to start discovering and enjoying movies as a hobby
First moves for getting acquainted and breaking the ice.
- Watch these videos for inspiration.
- Choose a movie recommendation website and rate movies you already watched.
- Try one of the recommendations.
- Rewind and repeat.
📚 Books
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🪜 How-tos
Step-by-step tutorials.
📄 Articles
Further reading.
🌐 Websites
Go-tos for information.
Streaming Guides
Curated Streaming Services
Movie Recommendation Engines
I think cinema, movies, and magic have always been closely associated. The very earliest people who made films were magicians.
Francis Ford Coppola
🍿 Movies
Nothing like a film for inspiration.
❓ FAQS
Get a clue.
How do I find the next film to watch?
Try movie recommendation engines. Streaming guides often have a recommendation system as well. If you want others to pick films for you, try curated streaming services.
I have a movie I would like to watch but it isn’t included in my streaming subscription, how can I watch it?
Recommendation engines and streaming guides, such as JustWatch, usually show your streaming options based on your location. Often, there are free options (potentially with ads), so don’t be discouraged if a movie isn’t included in your streaming subscription.
What is indie cinema?
Traditionally: Indie cinema referred to films produced and distributed completely outside the major Hollywood studios. These films typically had lower budgets and relied on independent financing and distribution channels.
The Blurring Lines: However, in recent decades, some major studios have created subsidiaries or divisions specifically dedicated to producing and distributing independent films. These films might still be considered “indie” in some ways, focusing on unique stories and character development, even though they benefit from the financial backing and distribution muscle of a major studio.
Here are some factors to consider when determining if a film produced by a major studio can still be considered “indie”:
- Budget: While indie films can vary in budget, they are generally lower budget compared to mainstream studio films. However, a bigger budget doesn’t automatically disqualify a film from being indie, especially if the studio allows for creative freedom.
- Distribution: The film’s distribution strategy can be a clue. If it relies heavily on independent film festivals and smaller theaters before a wider release, it leans more towards indie.
- Creative Control: The level of creative control given to the director and filmmakers is a significant factor. Indie films typically offer more creative freedom than studio productions.
- Subject Matter: Indie films often explore unconventional themes or stories that might not be commercially viable for mainstream audiences.
Ultimately, the classification of a film as “indie” can be subjective. While some argue that true indie films must be completely independent, others acknowledge the evolving landscape where studios can embrace independent projects while offering valuable resources for distribution.
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💡 Tips
Additional advice for beginners.
- Go beyond Netflix with curated streaming services, such as MUBI and The Criterion Channel
- Research thoroughly. Go wide and deep, and use different tools and resources.
- Search for local initiatives and film clubs, such as The CineSkinny Film Club.
- Explore classics and the history of cinema for free by discovering Public Domain movies.
- Search for local independent cinemas, and visit them.
- Get out of your comfort zone – explore different genres from different times and different places.
- Follow a cinema podcast.
- When you don’t find a new movie inspiration, re-watching an old favorite is always rewarding.
- JustWatch displays streaming options in your area. It shows free options as well, so you are not confined only to your streaming subscription. If no free options are currently available for a movie you want to watch, you can request notifications for when one becomes available.
- Subscribe to cinema newsletters or YouTube channels for automated inspiration.
- “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the song goes, but a few radio stars survived. Similarly, streaming almost killed video stores. Almost, but not quite. There is still one last Blockbuster, and a few more video stores out there, along with media stores that have video sections. They can provide a unique way to explore new movies. Who knows, maybe you will support a video store revival. It kind of makes sense—there are still music stores, so why not video stores?
Additional information
| Activities | |
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| Fields | Arts, Education, Entertainment and Media, History and Culture, Language and Communication, Music, Social Activism, Spirituality |
| Locations | |
| Participants | |
| Skills | Active Listening, Attention to Detail, Communication, Concentration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Cultural Awareness, Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, Language Skills, Research |