Industry Days - People vs. Money: Valuing Your Crew and Protecting Your Budge | Presented by IPA
Saturday, October 17, 2026 at 10:15 AM until 11:30 AM
AMC Newcity | Filmmaker Lounge, 1500 N Clybourn Ave c301, Chicago, IL 60610
festival
Obsession famously earned over $263 million at the U.S. box office on a budget of under $1 million, sparking debate about how indie crews are paid. New directing “boy wonder” Curry Barker’s future may be set, but what about the people who worked on his first feature? On the other hand, filmmaker Greg Kwedar’s Sing Sing paid every crew member the same flat day rate and created a guaranteed profit pool for cast and crew.
While few people are getting rich in independent filmmaking, how can filmmakers budget, produce, and finance their movies in ways that benefit everyone involved? How do you protect workers’ rights and well-being on a low budget? And how do you get investors to agree to these standards?
Moderator Kyle Henry (Filmmaker, Northwestern Professor)
Speakers Tony Barraca (IATSE), Sarah Marie Flores (Anarchists United), Eugene Sun Park (Full Spectrum Features)