This merged roundtable combines two in-depth discussions featuring Gregory Hatanaka, Jamie Grefe, and Geno McGahee. It brings together theoretical explorations of directorial creativity, liminal spaces, and improvisation with practical insights into the economics, technology, and future of independent filmmaking. What emerges is a rich dialogue that captures both the philosophy and pragmatism of today’s indie cinema.
Moderator:
Gentlemen, thank you for joining this roundtable. Let’s begin broadly. How do you each see the current state of independent filmmaking today?
Gregory Hatanaka:
Independent filmmaking today is paradoxical. On one hand, there are more tools available than ever before-you can shoot on a phone or lightweight digital camera and create a feature film. On the other hand, the abundance of content makes it harder to break through the noise. The challenge is no longer just making a film-it’s ensuring it resonates, connects emotionally, and finds its audience. For me, creativity is about shattering expectations while staying true to the chaos of life, much like Nicholas Roeg or John Cassavetes did.
Jamie Grefe:
I feel we’re in a renaissance of risk-taking if you know where to look. Mainstream indie films may play it safe, but at the fringes-where micro-budgets and fearless creators thrive-you’ll find raw, visceral, boundary-pushing work. This reminds me of the boldness of Gaspar Noé or the grounded immediacy of Sean Baker. My own creativity often emerges from the quiet, personal voids-channeling Garrel’s ephemerality, Gallo’s rawness, and Lynch’s dream logic. Storytelling becomes about weaving uncertainty and dread into emotional truth.
Geno McGahee:
Indie filmmaking has always been about passion and grit. Today, it’s easier and harder at the same time-easier because the tools are right at your fingertips, harder because everybody’s doing it. Horror especially is thriving in this landscape because it taps into primal fears. For me, horror is about confronting what scares me personally, filtering that through story, and presenting it honestly. That authenticity is what keeps the genre alive.
Moderator:
How has the economics of indie filmmaking changed since you first started?
Gregory Hatanaka:
The economics have been completely upended. In the past, distribution channels were clearer-there was a defined path through festivals, arthouses, and video stores. Today, streaming dominates, but it doesn’t always translate into revenue for filmmakers. The economics demand flexibility and creativity. You’re not only a director but often a marketer, distributor, and promoter of your own work. It forces us to be nimble, and in some ways, it redefines success beyond just financial gain.
Jamie Grefe:
Economics now often means survivalist thinking. You cut corners, barter, and rely on favors, because resources are scarce. The upside is that the lowered barrier means I can take greater creative risks, since I’m not chasing some mythical financial return. Instead, I can focus on crafting films that need to exist, that carry my personal stamp, even if they only connect with a small but passionate audience.
Geno McGahee:
It used to be about getting your film onto a shelf in a video store. That was tangible and satisfying. Now it’s all digital, and the money flow is completely different. Sometimes it’s brutal and discouraging, but at the same time, it’s wide open. You can reach fans directly in ways that weren’t possible before, and if you work hard to build that relationship, it can be incredibly rewarding.
Moderator:
How has storytelling itself changed in indie film over the years?
Gregory Hatanaka:
Storytelling is more fragmented now, reflecting the fractured nature of modern life. But I still return to classical structures-Cassavetes, Bergman, Kurosawa-because they reveal timeless human truths. What’s changed is less the essence of storytelling than the surface style, which adapts to contemporary rhythms.
Jamie Grefe:
I see a trend toward hybrid storytelling-melding documentary with fiction, dream with reality, horror with comedy. It’s messy, but I think that’s reflective of our times. My stories often blur the boundaries of reality itself, because that’s how I process the world, turning chaos into a kind of strange harmony.
Geno McGahee:
Storytelling in horror has definitely evolved. Audiences are smarter, more aware. You can’t just recycle the same tropes. You’ve got to either push into new territory or get deeply personal. For me, horror is always a way of looking at real fears through a raw lens.
Moderator:
How has technology reshaped your filmmaking?
Gregory Hatanaka:
Technology has democratized the tools, but it hasn’t replaced the need for vision. Editing software, digital cameras, distribution platforms-they’re just tools. The danger is filmmakers confusing technology for storytelling. What matters is how you shape those tools into a meaningful vision.
Jamie Grefe:
For me, technology is liberation. I can experiment in ways that would have been impossible twenty years ago. I can distort images, fracture soundscapes, or stage elaborate one-take sequences without massive crews. It’s a playground where I can translate my dreams directly into cinematic language.
Geno McGahee:
It’s a blessing and a curse. You can shoot a movie on no budget, but you’ve got to be careful not to let the lack of limitations make you lazy. Horror, especially, demands atmosphere, timing, and restraint.
Technology can’t replace that.
Moderator:
How do each of your visions affect one another’s, or differ?
Gregory Hatanaka:
I come from a tradition of character exploration, where emotion and performance drive the story. Jamie pushes me toward abstraction, Geno toward visceral immediacy. We overlap in our commitment to authenticity, and those differences keep our dialogue exciting.
Jamie Grefe:
Gregory’s influence is about rigor and respect for performance. Geno reminds me to stay grounded in genre roots. I lean more toward surrealism, but those contrasts make dialogue between us inspiring.
Geno McGahee:
I respect both of them for being fearless. Gregory pulls me toward reflection, Jamie toward experimentation. My own approach is raw horror storytelling, but hearing their voices makes me consider new textures.
Moderator:
What is your individual approach to filmmaking and story?
Gregory Hatanaka:
My approach is rooted in performance and realism. Even if the world is heightened, the emotions must be true. I want my films to feel lived in, emotionally charged, and honest to the human condition.
Jamie Grefe:
I’m interested in destabilizing the viewer-making them question what’s real and what’s imagined. My stories are often dreamscapes grounded in emotional truth, weaving surrealism with vulnerability.
Geno McGahee:
I start with fear-what scares me, what unsettles me-and build from there. Horror is personal, and that’s where I begin.
Moderator:
Do you take from your own lives in your work?
Gregory Hatanaka:
Always. Every character has fragments of myself or people I’ve known. That’s the Cassavetes tradition-truth rooted in lived experience. Without that, the work risks becoming hollow.
Jamie Grefe:
My films are like diaries. They may be wrapped in surreal or grotesque imagery, but they’re deeply personal. I use cinema to process emotions and moments from my life.
Geno McGahee:
Yes. My fears, my upbringing, my experiences-they all bleed into my films. Horror works best when it’s personal.
Moderator:
Who are your inspirations today?
Gregory Hatanaka:
I continually return to the masters-Kurosawa, Bergman, Cassavetes-but I’m also inspired by younger filmmakers who bring raw voices to the screen. Their willingness to take risks reminds me why cinema endures.
Jamie Grefe:
Gaspar Noé, Sean Baker, but also independent voices I encounter outside the mainstream. Inspiration is everywhere if you stay open, and I thrive on that openness.
Geno McGahee:
I go back to the classics-Texas Chainsaw, Romero, Carpenter-but I’m also inspired by the hunger I see in indie horror today.
Moderator:
How do you see the future of indie filmmaking?
Gregory Hatanaka:
The future is uncertain but hopeful. Distribution will continue to evolve, but the hunger for personal stories won’t vanish. As long as filmmakers continue to innovate, indie cinema will survive.
Jamie Grefe:
I see a future where boundaries blur even more-VR, AI, hybrid forms-but the heart will remain the same: human emotion.
Geno McGahee:
Indie filmmaking will survive because it has to. No matter what, people will keep telling stories their own way.
Moderator:
What advice would you give to new filmmakers entering the indie world today?
Gregory Hatanaka:
Focus on truth. Don’t get lost in trends or technology. Make something honest, and it will endure.
Jamie Grefe:
Be fearless. Break rules, but do so with intention. Don’t imitate-innovate.
Geno McGahee:
Be relentless. Don’t wait for permission. Pick up a camera, gather your crew, and make the film.
Wrap-Up
Independent filmmaking continues to be defined by a balance between freedom and struggle. What unites Gregory Hatanaka, Jamie Grefe, and Geno McGahee is their passion for truth and authenticity, whether through raw horror, surreal dreamscapes, or emotionally grounded performance. The conversation makes clear that while technology, economics, and distribution models will always shift, the heart of indie filmmaking remains deeply personal, daring, and necessary.
About the Participants
Gregory Hatanaka is a filmmaker and distributor (Cinema Epoch / Cineridge) known for championing global cinema and directing works that merge arthouse aesthetics with visceral storytelling.
Jamie Grefe is a writer and director whose surreal, genre-bending projects embrace personal psychodrama, dream logic, and bold stylistic experimentation.
Geno McGahee is a horror filmmaker and founder of X Posse Productions, best known for gritty, authentic stories inspired by classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
