The ITVS Indies Roundup

A curated list of indie news and recommendations from ITVS’s Rebecca Huval.

They say to never judge a book by its cover, nor a movie by its book, but here’s an excuse to do both: The Atlantic compiled iconic book covers next to their movie posters, such as The Great Gatsby. Prepare to drool over the design. “I can haz film fest?” The first-ever Internet Video Cat Film Festival has arrived! On August 30, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis will host the keyboard cat on the big screen. “It is an experiment," organizer Katie Czarniecki Hill told the Los Angeles Times. "It will be interesting to see if people think it is silly, or great, or a waste of time. But I like the idea of everyone admitting they like cat videos."

If you’re wondering who will be making the calls at the next Academy Awards, run through this list of 176 lucky artists and execs whom the Academy has invited to become members. How does McDonald’s make its food look so appetizing in its ads when the real thing might be, well, a little bit different? Here’s a behind-the-scenes video that shows how a “food stylist” finesses the Quarter Pounder into its most photogenic form. 

f you enjoyed The Amazing Spider-Man (come on, admit it) or 500 Days of Summer, hear what director Marc Webb has to say about breaking into filmmaking in this short video. For instance, “I think it’s important to be self-analytical without being self-loathing.” 

Beautifully edited with subtle ambient music, this short documentary explains how Svalbard, a small arctic town, became the epicenter of climate science after the Norwegian gained sovereignty over the archipelago in 1920. Tim Burton: the early years, all compiled in one place. See his original 1984 Frankenweenie, with all its rawness and charm, before it gets turned into a stop-motion animation flick this October.