Underplayed Gems

Indies Under Fire (2006)

Indies Under Fire poster
Directed by
Jacob Bricca
Genre
documentary film
Country
United States
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

This documentary follows the struggles of independent bookstores in the United States as they compete with big chain stores. It focuses on the closure of Printers Inc. Bookstore in Palo Alto and the impact of Borders opening in Capitola and Santa Cruz. The film shows how communities lost a central gathering place when their local bookstore shut down.

informativesoberingobservationalnostalgicreflectiveeducationalevocativegrounded

What happens

Indies Under Fire: The Battle for the American Bookstore (2006) is an American documentary film which chronicles the difficulties faced by independent bookstores in the information economy. The Palo Alto based Printers Inc. Bookstore which closed in 2001 is the primary focus of the film. It also explores the impact of Borders moving into two small towns filled with independent bookstores: Capitola, California and Santa Cruz, California. Director Jacob Bricca stated that he was inspired to make the documentary in response to the closing of Printers Inc. Bookstore: "I took the [store's closing] very personally [...] I grew up in Palo Alto and spent many hours reading and hanging out at Printers Inc. I saw the strong connection the community had to the bookstore and, like others in the film, was very distressed at its closing." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.