讀後心得

The protagonist of 《艾諾拉》, Maggie Madison, won the Oscar for Best Actress. The American independent film market has faced challenges due to the pandemic, with reduced fundraising and fewer opportunities for release. Director Sean Baker insists on low-cost production, using new works to give a voice to marginalized communities, and won four Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and Editing. He has been passionate about film since childhood and was inspired by independent cinema after entering New York University, which launched his directing career. With works like 《外賣》, he showcases his exploration of authentic human stories.

The female lead, 麥琪麥迪遜 (right second) in "艾諾拉," plays a showgirl and delivers an outstanding performance, winning the Oscar for Best Actress this year.

The American independent film market has undergone significant changes after the pandemic, making fundraising more challenging, and the opportunities for theatrical releases have noticeably declined, leading to a decrease in overall box office revenue, causing concern among industry professionals. Despite the difficult situation, American independent filmmaker 西恩貝克 remains committed to low-budget productions and streamlined teams, using non-professional actors to voice marginalized communities through his work. This year, he won four major awards at the Oscars for "艾諾拉," including Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and Editing, setting a benchmark that is hard to surpass in the industry.

At 54 years old, 西恩貝克 was influenced by his mother from a young age, leading him to various monster-themed films. His film education began at the community library and was influenced by films like "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," which impacted his high school viewing experiences. He once dreamed of directing Hollywood commercial films. After entering New York University, he was exposed to the works of directors like Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch, and Richard Linklater, leading him to appreciate a wide range of independent films.

For 西恩貝克, New York City is like a large film school. During his studies, he often visited the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Lincoln Center, and Anthology Film Archives, and he became a regular at several art cinemas. He gradually fell in love with works that tell human stories rather than relying on special effects, laying the foundation for his future directing career.

After graduating from college, 西恩貝克 worked as a sound and audio producer at a publishing company while also shooting commercials, saving some money. Realizing he could not sell a blockbuster action film, he embarked on the path of independent production, directing his first work, "四字經" (Four Letter Words), at the age of 25. He invested $50,000, most of which was spent on buying film stock, and ultimately had to seek help and borrow props and shooting locations to complete the project.

Four years later, the film was selected for the 2000 South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW), which was a great encouragement for him. Although it received decent reviews, it was only released on a small scale and ultimately resulted in a financial loss, but he did not become discouraged. At this time, influenced by the "Dogme 95" film movement initiated by Danish director Lars von Trier, 西恩貝克 co-directed "外賣" (Take Out) with Taiwanese producer 鄒時擎, depicting the story of Chinese illegal immigrants working as delivery men in New York Chinese restaurants. The budget was only $3,000, and the production team consisted of only three people; apart from the two directors, one of the lead actors also took on related work for the crew. The film was selected for several small film festivals but ultimately did not get released.