Are the most influential independent movies Sweet Sweetback's Baadasss Song followed by sex, lies, & videotape? Sweet Sweetback started a genre, and sex, lies, & videotape put the Weinsteins on the map. What else ranks high on the list?

Isn't Pulp Fiction classified as an independent film? If so, that's a top contender.

'Brother from Another Planet'
'Liquid Sky'
'A Woman Under the Influence'
'Punishment Park'

Halloween

I win.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Night of the Living Dead
The Evil Dead


do these count?

Shadows

Clerks.

Budding filmmakers often look to it as their standard - a film made on the cheap with what you have lying around, with cracking dialogue and interesting characters as your draw.

WINNER!

Blair Witch Project.

I agree with this one.

IMO, it really started the indie film craze of the 90s (and even now somewhat), revitalized the career of Travolta, and put Miramax on the map.

or Slacker.

Godard's Breathless

Reservoir Dogs (While Pulp Fiction is better, I'd say this movie had more of an impact in the independent community.)
Kids
The Passion of the Christ

For me, El Mariachi.

Actually, this is true of sex, lies, and videotape.

What is the criteria for an indie film?

Drugstore Cowboy?

Small budget. Minimal advertising. No major studio support. And they all play at film festivals.

Reservoirs Dogs
Halloween
Evil Dead
blair witch project
clerks

Maybe so....its just that Pulp Fiction was really embraced by the mainstream and even was nominated for Best Picture.

I guess in regards to influential, the question is influenced what? The indie community? or the mainstream?

River's Edge
Suburbia

That's kind of what I was thinking.

I don't think Pulp Fiction could be considered an Indie film. Dogs, maybe, but Fiction loses at least 2 out of three of those.

I'm thinking most influential to the movie industry. So although Pulp Fiction is a far better movie, to me Blair Witch had a bigger impact in terms of marketing through the internet and revitalizing the genre.

Two words:

Palme d'Or

Of course, Pulp Fiction won it too, but sex, lies, and videotape set off a trend where American 'indie' films started to dominate art cinema, including a number of Golden Palms in the last decade and a half.

Very good point...I still think Pulp Fiction was more influential in making indie films more mainstream (by box office performance, award noms and such), but sl&v definately paved its way. Just a matter of perception I guess.

On a personal note, Pulp Fiction got me into the genre.