Budget? What budget? Indie Gems Grab the Oscar Gold!
The gongs have been given – and this year, the underdogs got their flowers! We tally up our predictions, celebrate our latest impact film hitting cinemas, and revisit an incredible disability story with an Aussie champion at the helm.
good.film
23 days ago
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Our Streaming Picks of the Month
But first up, let’s get watching! March is looking properly packed for primo streaming, so we’ve scooped up the very best of the month for you. Here’s our picks – what are you in the mood for?
Something gripping…
No, it’s not a new reality series about Brad Pitt’s home life (but we bet that would be gripping, too). Instead, it’s the nickname for Pittsburgh’s busiest hospital. And while this Binge series DOES share a familiar link to “E.R.” in its leading man, Noah Wyle, this isn’t just a straight ripoff of the seminal 90s series.
As a gritty look at the challenges and pressures faced by the US healthcare system’s dramatically understaffed frontline workers, there’s an undeniable social context here. The twist? The entire series plays out in real time – 15 episodes cover the pulsing rush and heartbreak of just one, full 15-hour shift. Nurse, hook us up!
Something mouthwatering…
Absolutely famished waiting for new episodes of The Bear? Tuck in a napkin and pull up a table, your culinary prayers have been answered. This British-made miniseries, now streaming on SBS OnDemand, is a continuation of the incredible (99% on Rotten Tomatoes) one-shot film of the same name, with a stack of the same cast members back in the kitchen.
Like its Chicago-set cousin, Boiling Point hits the classic YES CHEF! notes: pressure, camaraderie, and kitchen chaos all get a run in the intense confines of fancy-pants restaurant, Point North. But loosening the film’s 90-minute belt to 4 x hour-long episodes gives the BBC series more room on its plate (sorry) to tackle the economic and mental health challenges of this otherwise tasty industry. You’ll want to gorge this in one sitting.
Something bouncy…
If you were as confused by the sudden cancellation of HBO’s incredible LA Lakers series Winning Time as we were (it was the strikes and the price tag, FYI), this might just scratch your itch. And if you were wondering where Almost Famous ingenue (and Goldie Hawn Jr.) had been lately, here’s your answer to that too.
The series looks at how “reformed party girl” Isla handles running her family’s pro basketball team, and it’s a smart and slam-dunk funny exploration of corporate sexism and “nepo babies” (or as mid-40s Hudson is called in the show, a “nepo crone”). The show was actually pitched & produced by Jeanie Buss, current owner of the LA Lakers – and daughter of Jerry Buss, the main character in Winning Time. As a spiritual sequel, this is nothing but net.
And keep your eyes peeled for…
Call us nerdy, but we’re absolute suckers for a show about the movie business – and where the UK’s recently cancelled Marvel satire series The Franchise kinda missed the mark, The Studio looks to have the celluloid-scented goods.
The killer comic cast is led by Seth Rogen, playing the frazzled new head of a studio who’s desperate to attract celebrities and make something relevant, while juggling the corporate demands of Senior VPs who insist “We don’t make FILMS, we make MOVIES!”
Apple are keeping tight wraps on any early word for this one, but check out the teaser trailer for a taste, including some fabulously pissed-off cameos from Martin Scorsese, Charlize Theron and more. The Studio drops weekly on AppleTV+ from March 26th.
Anora, Emilia and Co.: a Groundbreaking Year of Independent Film
That sound you’re hearing is the last gurgle of champagne filtering through the kidneys of Hollywood's best and brightest, as the Oscars have finally been bestowed and “awards season” draws to a close. And the winners couldn’t feel more different than last year’s box office behemoth Oppenheimer, which cost US$100 million to make (and an equal amount to publicize).
This year, NINE of the Academy’s top awards – including Best Picture, Director, Best Actor and Actress – were shared between flyweight features Anora, The Brutalist, and A Real Pain. Each were brought to life on comparatively tiny budgets: $6m, $9.6m, and $3m respectively. That’s spare change in studio terms. Even added together, it’s LESS THAN 10 PERCENT of what it cost to produce, say, the pricey interplanetary sequel Dune: Part Two.
You can add I’m Still Here to the indie mix – Brazil’s very first winner for Best International Film was made for an astonishing $1.5 million, and beat out France’s heavily favoured 13-time nominee Emilia Pérez. And let’s not forget Flow, the magical film from Latvia that proved to be the David to Dreamworks & Pixar’s Goliath, becoming the first EVER independent film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature (stay tuned for our guide to Flow coming to your inbox later this month)!
No shade against the big spenders – we love a great popcorn spectacle as much as the next Wicked fan. But what it proves is that fantastic storytelling isn’t linked PURELY to bucks on screen. Giant sandworms might be jaw-dropping, but dare we suggest what really moves the hearts and minds of audiences (and clearly, Oscar voters) are resonant themes like grief, belonging, bodily autonomy, class discrimination, generational trauma and more. They’re the evergreen human touchpoints that pump through the veins of this year’s anointed Oscar winners.
To the less starstruck among us, the Academy Awards might SEEM like an indulgent pony show – especially in the wake of California’s brutal wildfires, which swept through right on Tinseltown’s doorstep. But as host Conan O’Brien pointed out, there’s more to the Oscars than flashbulbs, TikToks and A-list stars. It’s also a night where the filmmaking community comes together to genuinely acknowledge the work of countless artisans and technicians. People that don’t ever land on the covers of magazines or The Hollywood Reporter’s Instagram feed.
For many film industry workers, it’s the absolute pinnacle of a long career spent behind the scenes. Take writer-director Sean Baker, who’s been crafting indie films for 25 years, many of which revolve around bringing empathy and understanding to the often-maligned sex worker industry. Or 60 year old Paul Tazewell, the Emmy- and Tony-award winner who on Sunday became the first black man in history to win the Oscar for Achievement in Costume Design. Tazewell described earning the Academy Award for Wicked as “the highest point of my life, my North Star.”
So, how’d your office Oscars pool go? We scored a respectable 16 correct predictions from 23 categories – with Best Actress proving to be the ultimate nailbiter! Congratulations to (relative unknown, but not A Complete Unknown) Mikey Madison, who took home the accolade for her fierce and undeniable turn as Ani in Best Picture winner Anora. Even if it did mean that, at age 62, Demi Moore basically just lived out the exact plot of The Substance IRL…
But back to Anora, the anti-Pretty Woman that captured Cannes audiences all the way back in May, where it wowed the crowd to score the Palme d’Or. It’s only the fourth film in history to pick up both prizes – so what makes it such a winner? We reflect on all of Anora’s glittering 4-karat facets in our guide to the film below!
What makes ANORA the sex worker dramedy with a difference?
The Blind Sea Makes Waves on Netflix
Speaking of underdogs, now’s your chance to catch one of the best sports stories of 2024 – and even better, it’s an Australian champion who’s riding the wave.
The Blind Sea follows the irrepressible Matt Formston, the world champion surfer, Paralympian, cyclist, author, Executive Coach and keynote speaker who’s apparently never even heard of the phrase “resting on his laurels”.
Not content with winning gold medals and world titles (he has enough to rival Thorpey AND Ariarne!), the legally blind sportsman aimed for his next peak: surfing the fearsome and mountainous waves of Nazaré, Portugal. What happens next is electrifying.
We supported The Blind Sea’s theatrical release last year along with Shark Island and Harvey Norman – now we’re pumped to see the film land on Netflix for a whole new audience to discover. Add this uplifting doco to your watchlist tonight, and have a read of our (spoiler-free) guide to the film below, before you hit play!
This Wave Scares the World’s Best Surfers. He Took it On Blind.
Sacred Fig Makes an Impact on Audiences
It’s the film that shouldn’t exist – but now, Australian audiences have discovered it with gusto. We’ve been proudly supporting the masterful The Seed of the Sacred Fig since the start of 2025, in partnership with our friends at Sharmill Films. And after a run of fantastic preview screenings, the film hit screens nationwide last Thursday.
It’s received stellar reviews from The Age, The Australian and The Guardian, among others, plus over 100 international awards and nominations, including Best International Feature at the Academy Awards. But we think the best reactions have come from you, the community whose movie opinions mean the most to us!
Haven’t been to the movies for a while? There’s no better reason to grab a friend and go. We can promise you, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a film that will profoundly change the way you look at the world.
See The Seed of the Sacred Fig in cinemas - Get Your Tickets
