Cindy Marabito (The Dicks From Texas)
SPB: Living in Austin and being a part of South by Southwest for the last several years, I'm often struck by the, what I might label, "niche" music documentaries that pop up, in seemingly increasing numbers, from year to year. How would you assess the market for these types of documentaries, have things gotten better in recent years due to the popularity of streaming video?
Cindy: Well, I’m no expert on the film market. My own experience in film was shaped by the great art and experimental films screened all over UT campus, Dobie Mall and the Varsity Theater on the drag. In those days, film was everywhere. We were all students.
I’m struck by the mass accessibility (i.e. streaming, etc.) to both documentaries and narrative as well as the ease and affordability for filmmakers to create new works. In light of contemporary convenience and platforms, the influence of these great films seems to be missing. Occasionally, there will be a showing, but nothing in comparison to back in the day when an Austin film lover could see a great film at almost any time of the day. In my own film, The Dicks From Texas, I tried to portray a capsule of Austin, TX “good old days.” It would be nice to experience another revolution in cinema. I’m sure game for that.
