What would movies be about if not for love? Since well before the days of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in “Casablanca,” romance has driven countless classic stories, setting up some of the highest highs in cinematic history to follow. Be it Cary Grant and Grace Kelly seeing stars in “To Catch a Thief” or Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal disturbing diner patrons in “When Harry Met Sally,” the 20th century was chock full of iconic romances that helped humanity fall in love with the movies. Of course, those titles were dominated by white artists telling largely heteronormative tales — meaning many (but not all) of the best and most inclusive romances have arrived this millennium. Now, the best romance movies of the 21st century both resonate and surprise, showing
Author Archives: Alison Foreman
Zoe Saldaña has an Oscar thanks to “Emilia Pérez,” but the Best Supporting Actress winner couldn’t escape awards season without defending her controversial film one last time. Backstage at the Dolby, Saldaña took questions from press and responded to a Mexican reporter who described the country as “the heart of the film.” They further described French filmmaker Jacques Audiard’s depiction of Mexico as “hurtful” — and asked Saldaña to react to the criticism. “First of all, I’m very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended,” Saldaña said. “That was never our intention. We spoke and came from a place of love, and I will stand by that.” She continued, “I don’t share your opinion. For me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico. We weren’t making a
Feb
Arriving on a busy blue carpet for a gray day at the beach, guests at the 2025 Indie Spirit Awards agreed: It’s time to Make the Movies Messy Again. Inside the ceremony tent, host Aidy Bryant put it perfectly when she said, “It’s been a great year for film and a bad year for human life.” Hundreds of the most important decision-makers and visionary artists championing creative independence today gathered in Santa Monica, California on Saturday to honor the best in boundary-breaking film and TV. “Anora” and “Baby Reindeer” won the most categories in several tight races, but the show’s main source of dramatic tension came from the countless news items surrounding a tough awards season. From fraught talk of cultural fascism to economic critiques of the entertainment industry, honorees
Feb
As indie filmmakers from around the globe converge on California for the 40th Independent Spirit Awards, IndieWire — the voice of creative independence — is preparing for a groundbreaking day on the arrivals carpet in Santa Monica. The celebration from Film Independent will air at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 22, but while fans wait for festivities to begin, they can meet IndieWire on the red (technically blue at the Spirits) carpet for informed interviews with many of the event‘s top honorees. Yes, for the first time in our nearly 30-year history, IndieWire is hosting a pre-show! We’ll talk with many of the presenters, nominees, and other artists making fearless magic at this critical time for storytelling, while we blaze a trail of our own. Powered by LiveU technology, our show
Feb
On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age. In February 2025, we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with three weeks of Romantic Midnight Trysts. First, read the BAIT: a weird and wonderful pick from any time in film. Then, try the BITE: a behind-the-scenes breakdown of the project’s ending, impact, and any other spoilers you’d want. The Bait: The Pizza Guy Doesn’t Get to Just Decide What Pizza Is Worth In a time when not every midnight movie passes the political sniff test, “Make Me a Pizza” earns five-star reviews from all the right customers. Filmmaker Talia Levin’s cult-hit short film has been described as a “Marxist pizza porno” by its mostly LA-based creative team — who in turn call themselves “an artistic collective of hot queer dorks.”