2016 has been a big disappointment in terms of blockbuster movies; out of the six big titles this year had to offer, only Captain America: Civil War delivered. But for the independent film industry, this year has been on fire. A majority of that success can be attributed to A24, an independent distribution company from New York. Thanks to them, we got plenty of diverse voices that bigger studios wouldn’t dream of taking on. We got The Witch, American Honey, and Moonlight—three spectacular films that are accumulating so much awards buzz (American Honey and Moonlight are currently tied for six nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards). A24 has never been afraid of the “controversial” picks. One of their more interesting distributions actually turned out to be one of my favorites of 2016: Swiss Army Man. The existential picture, featuring Daniel Radcliffe as a farting corpse, prompted multiple walkouts at Sundance. However, A24 took a chance on it and gave that voice to first time film directors, Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. With so many women and people of color being shafted in the film industry, I love that A24 is bringing their beautiful stories to the big screen. I only imagine what they have in store for 2017. – Yasmin Kleinbart
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