'Cool' cinema sells : Examining the role of indie film company A24 in thecontemporary neoliberal US film industry

Abstract: This research approaches independent film producer-distributor company A24 as a neoliberalentity in the context of the contemporary indie film industry. A24’s deliberate construction ofa public image as the ‘cool’ outsider positions them on the borders of independentcinema—in Indiewood. By means of a critical discourse analysis on A24’s indieness, framedby theories of paratextuality and neoliberalism, this research examines the essence of indieoppositionality as performed by A24. The respective indieness and neoliberal character ofindustry trendsetter A24 assist in reflecting on the general trend of independent cinema sincethe digital media wave of the mid-2010s, and suggest a trend towards a neoliberalmainstream-alternative middle ground.