Top 10 Best Independent Films

Quentin Tarantino's $1.2 million debut announced the arrival of the most influential American filmmaker of his generation. Its nonlinear structure, pop culture dialogue, and ear-severing torture scene made it the defining independent film of the 1990s.

Kevin Smith maxed out credit cards to shoot this $27,575 black-and-white comedy in the New Jersey convenience store where he worked. Its profane, pop-culture-drenched dialogue and slacker philosophy captured a generation and launched the Askewniverse franchise.

Sean Baker's film about children living in budget motels in the shadow of Walt Disney World is a heartbreaking portrait of American poverty shot with the warmth and wonder of a child's perspective. Brooklynn Prince's performance at age six was more naturalistic than most adult actors achieve in a lifetime.

Darren Aronofsky's $60,000 debut about a paranoid mathematician seeking patterns in the stock market announced a singular directorial vision. Shot in grainy 16mm black-and-white, its claustrophobic intensity and Clint Mansell's electronic score created an unforgettable sensory experience.

Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund cast actual residents of Rio's favelas to tell a sprawling decades-long crime saga on a shoestring budget. The result is one of the most kinetic and emotionally devastating films ever made, proving that authentic voices produce the most powerful cinema.

Damien Chazelle's $3.3 million jazz drumming drama pits Miles Teller against J.K. Simmons in one of cinema's most abusive mentor-student relationships. Simmons's terrifying Fletcher won the Oscar and the film's final drum solo sequence is the most exhilarating climax in 21st-century cinema.

Shane Carruth wrote, directed, produced, scored, and starred in this $7,000 time travel film that is so intellectually dense viewers need flowcharts to follow its plot. Its lo-fi aesthetic and uncompromising refusal to simplify the science made it a cult phenomenon among puzzle-film enthusiasts.

Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez's $60,000 found-footage horror film grossed $248 million worldwide through revolutionary internet marketing that convinced audiences the footage was real. It invented viral film marketing and spawned an entire subgenre of horror filmmaking.

Sean Baker shot this vibrant comedy about transgender sex workers in Los Angeles entirely on iPhone 5S phones with anamorphic lens adapters. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor delivered breakthrough performances in a film that proved cinematic beauty has nothing to do with expensive equipment.

Quentin Tarantino's $1.2 million debut announced the arrival of the most influential American filmmaker of his generation. Its nonlinear structure, pop culture dialogue, and ear-severing torture scene made it the defining independent film of the 1990s.

Kevin Smith maxed out credit cards to shoot this $27,575 black-and-white comedy in the New Jersey convenience store where he worked. Its profane, pop-culture-drenched dialogue and slacker philosophy captured a generation and launched the Askewniverse franchise.

Sean Baker's film about children living in budget motels in the shadow of Walt Disney World is a heartbreaking portrait of American poverty shot with the warmth and wonder of a child's perspective. Brooklynn Prince's performance at age six was more naturalistic than most adult actors achieve in a lifetime.

Darren Aronofsky's $60,000 debut about a paranoid mathematician seeking patterns in the stock market announced a singular directorial vision. Shot in grainy 16mm black-and-white, its claustrophobic intensity and Clint Mansell's electronic score created an unforgettable sensory experience.

Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund cast actual residents of Rio's favelas to tell a sprawling decades-long crime saga on a shoestring budget. The result is one of the most kinetic and emotionally devastating films ever made, proving that authentic voices produce the most powerful cinema.

Damien Chazelle's $3.3 million jazz drumming drama pits Miles Teller against J.K. Simmons in one of cinema's most abusive mentor-student relationships. Simmons's terrifying Fletcher won the Oscar and the film's final drum solo sequence is the most exhilarating climax in 21st-century cinema.

Shane Carruth wrote, directed, produced, scored, and starred in this $7,000 time travel film that is so intellectually dense viewers need flowcharts to follow its plot. Its lo-fi aesthetic and uncompromising refusal to simplify the science made it a cult phenomenon among puzzle-film enthusiasts.

Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez's $60,000 found-footage horror film grossed $248 million worldwide through revolutionary internet marketing that convinced audiences the footage was real. It invented viral film marketing and spawned an entire subgenre of horror filmmaking.

Sean Baker shot this vibrant comedy about transgender sex workers in Los Angeles entirely on iPhone 5S phones with anamorphic lens adapters. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor delivered breakthrough performances in a film that proved cinematic beauty has nothing to do with expensive equipment.