Indie film has always been a place of exploration and unconventional thinking, identifiable by a signature look associated with their low budget productions. Well it used to be anyway; in recent years indie has evolved.

Quality has been stepped up in line with big budget Hollywood productions and more and more indies are making it out of the art houses into widespread distribution. The public response to the unconventional story lines and innovative film making is fueling a boom in the indie film world.

There is concern however that this new interest is tainting the indie scene turning it into little Hollywood where star power and marketability overshadow purpose and artistic expression.

I believe Hollywood’s interest has just raised the bar forcing new filmmakers to step up and produce better movies overall. At the 2007 Sundance Film Festival many of the top filmmakers from previous years had returned from working in the Hollywood system to rejoin indie world.

Garth Jennings for example returns to Sundance after making The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to bring us a brilliant film, Son of Rambow, a story about two young boys, one from a restrictive religious background and the other from a privileged but parentless environment, who become unlikely friends and come together to make a home movie to submit to a young filmmakers contest.

Son of Rambow achieves a wonderful “fun for the whole family” feel,  exploring imagination and friendship while at the same time maintaining an indie edge by not softening the outlaying stories surrounding the kids home lives.

Sundance is also seeing documentary filmmakers returning with accomplished fictional pieces. Writer/Director George Ratliff brought  one of the best films of the festival, Joshua, a perfectly executed thriller surrounding a young genius Joshua Cairn (played by Jacob Kogan) as he plots against his mother (Vera Farmiga) and father (Sam Rockwell) after the birth of a little sister.

A cross between Damien and Doogie Howser, Joshua makes you hope your kids turn out a little slow in the head. This film was written, directed, shot and performed at a level above anything else we saw at the festival and shows how an indie film can be made to play well with theater audiences in wide release.

As for star power, many big stars are seeking out independent vessels in order to get back to their acting roots, bored with the shallow roles Hollywood provides, and others still are stepping behind the camera to direct and produce.

Antonio Banderas had his directorial debut with the premier of his new film Summer Rain. Surprisingly Summer Rain is an art film, but an art film done very well. Beautifully shot and directed, esoteric imagery is supported with a coherent and interesting storyline, absorbable characters and a beautiful soundtrack.

If Sundance ’07 is any indicator the indie film world is in no danger of being absorbed or corrupted by the big studio environment. If anything we are on the edge of a rediscovery in the film world. Hollywood is re-learning that people don’t mind a little story in their films and the indie world is finding that you don’t have to starve for your art.