Brad Pitt Says Indie Cinema “Feels as Strong as in the ’90s”

Ahead of what will likely be a rabid San Sebastian Film Festival premiere, Brad Pitt joined his Heart of the Beast director David Ayer for a press conference on Wednesday.

Journalists and attendees swarmed the room at the town’s Kursaal Theater, where a jovial Pitt made his first San Sebastian appearance since the 2009 presentation of Inglourious Basterds alongside filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. He touched on man’s bond with dogs, the consolidation of Hollywood and the current independent film climate.

Pitt was swiftly asked about his producing outfit and what he makes of the indie film landscape. The star was buoyant: “I think the current setup has actually been really conducive to independent [films], in a really cool way because more eyes are getting on these projects. It feels even as strong as in the ’90s,” he said, asking Ayer for his own opinion. Related Stories Movies Mike Leigh Explains Why "It's More Than Probable" That 'Tender Loving Care' Is His Final Film Business VFX House 22Dogs Launches New Facility at Pinewood Toronto Studios (Exclusive)

Ayer chimed in: “I think there’s new pipelines of discovery out there, new auteurs. We have people coming in off YouTube or the internet,” he said, referencing young horror directors Curry Barker and Kane Parsons, “but now we’re seeing what I believe may be the ascent of it, as we find filmmakers in that space, but also as young people matriculate into the industry. They have much different tastes, and they grew up on a different sense of media than we did. So I’m actually very excited about the future and future opportunities and future stories that are going to be told.”

Pitt was asked straight out of the gate about the consolidation of Hollywood, with the Paramount-WBD merger looming and the streamers reining supreme. “What I love about what streaming has brought to us is so many more opportunities for actors, writers, directors,” replied Pitt. “And because of that, we have a greater plethora of really interesting stories and really interesting talents, and that’s been amazing. Of course, we had a dip — and we’re seeing that come back; we’re seeing the communal experience being embraced again.” He continued: “But what happened is movies got so expensive. We always talk about this. The very big tentpole movies were able to recoup, and the more independent, lower-budget, or anything in the middle ground — anything from maybe 30, 40, 60 [million] — has a really difficult time getting made, even movies like ours, because it’s very difficult for the studio to recoup that middle budget. […] I’m hoping these movies still have a lot [of support], because that’s usually where I end up most,” he laughed. “The middle ground.”

Pitt was also asked about the emotional bond between his character, James, and the dog, Odin, and why those bonds are so important in real life. He replied: “[The characters] James and Odin are both extremely capable creatures. They’ve been trained. They’ve been hardened. They’ve been proven.