LONDON, England (PNN) - October 15, 2026 - On Monday, accomplished filmmaker Ava DuVernay stood before the BFI London Film Festival audience and declared, “Hollywood is over.”
The Oscar-nominated documentarian shared that the era of institutional control was coming to an end. “It’s done. They’re buying each other, they’re collapsing. It’s all changed,” DuVernay said. “They’re selling studio lots. The idea of going to Sundance and getting a three-picture deal from Harvey Weinstein? He’s in prison.”
Instead of being financed by major media companies, DuVernay suggested crowdfunding through different “kinds of apps and sites” as an alternative.
“Everything has changed,” said DuVernay.
The question she attempted to answer was, “What can we build now that’s new, that serves more kinds of people and kinds of stories?”
These comments come amid commercial success for low-budget independent releases in 2026.
Curry Barker’s $522 million hit Obsession and Kane Parker’s $400 million psychological horror Backrooms were two of 2026’s most successful films.
These films were not products of established film companies. They were from small independent creators.
Shooting on relatively small budgets, selling directly to audiences and sidestepping the usual Hollywood studios allowed them to produce very successful cinema.
They are not the only ones stepping away from traditional media.
Reporting from Politico in August 2026 revealed a large physical exodus from the 30 Mile Zone around Los Angeles’ studios. Film companies are moving operations to Illinois, Georgia and New York.
Financial incentives to leave Kalifornia have driven many successful filmmakers away from the Golden State.
A June investigation found that many of these film locations have been taken over by small content creators or influencers. DuVernay confirmed the decentralization of the industry.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, she shared that “more and more, it will be about artists and audiences connecting directly without a middleman or company that brings them together.”
DuVernay’s documentary 14th has a limited theatrical release on November 27, 2026, followed by its global streaming premiere on Netflix on December 4, 2026.
The movie examines the 14th Amendment, the context behind its ratification, and the battles surrounding it today.
