Minor Mogul
Making movies independently
Sola ars nobis veritatem ostendit
Welcome to Minor Mogul!
Please note that this website is currently under construction. If, for some reason, you’re visiting the site in this pre-launch state and have any comment, criticism, suggestion, or dead-link report to make, please contact Minor Mogul via GMail at MinorMogul@GMail.com (other contact methods should work, but may not be fully functional yet). Thank you.
If you’re like me (and who wouldn’t want to be like me?), you want to make movies, but aren’t interested in working in Hollywood. We Minor Moguls would rather remain small and independent, even if we never become rich and famous. We just wanna make movies!
This website aspires to fill what seems to be an empty (nonexistent?) niche: Resources for creators who want to tell stories using moving images and audio, while ignoring The Industry.
On this site you won’t learn how to break in to Hollywood, or how to advance your career in Hollywood once you’ve broken in. You won’t find articles about landing an agent, getting your script read by a production company, or networking at TIFF or Cannes or Sundance. (You will, however, find reviews of Hollywood movies; we can learn from anything.)
You will find articles about the art and business of making movies independently, reviews of movies, equipment, and books helpful to independent creators, and lists of resources for the independent creator. You will also find a Showcase of free-to-watch movies by independent creators. The Trailer Park teases independently-made movies that you must pay to watch.
If you have something to say that aligns with this mission, Minor Mogul welcomes submissions.
Thank you for your interest in Minor Mogul and in making movies independently!
Latest articles
The last few articles are listed here in reverse-chronological order (most recent at the top). You can also see the complete list of items.
Riceboy Sleeps (2022)
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Written and directed by Anthony Shim; with Dohyun Noel Hwang, Ethan Hwang, and Choi Seung-yoon.
Set (mostly) in 1990s Vancouver, a Korean single mother raises her young son, determined to provide a better life for him than the one she left behind.
IMDb • Watch trailer on YouTube • Watch full movie on CBC Gem (requires sign-in)
Reviewed by CS
Posted May 21, 2026
Riceboy Sleeps explores Korean-Canadian identity through the bond between mother and son. The movie examines bullying, parenthood, and the unseen sacrifices that shape the immigrant experience. Anchored by beautifully-textured 16 mm cinematography and kitchen-sink dialogue delivered in unhurried takes, Riceboy Sleeps derives its emotional weight from the immersive on-screen world it creates.
Caleb Daniel vents his feelings
By DTL
Posted April 30, 2026
CD sends DTL a Facebook “Friends” request for the stated purpose of “talk[ing] shit to you” over something or other. Apparently he was triggered by a comment DTL made, but he doesn’t say what he’s so angry about.
BC Buds (2024)
Added to the Showcase on April 9, 2026
Written and directed by Rudy Lenz. With Marito Lopez, Julian Nelson, and Keilani Rose. Comedy / thriller, 2024, 23:00, colour.
A brother and sister operate a small cannabis farm. Their newly-developed strain of Weed attracts the attention of Yakuza gangsters . . . and a trio of deadly assassins.
Official website • IMDb • Watch on YouTube
You are not a distributor!
By DTL and MAT
Posted February 26, 2026
Finding distribution for an independent movie can be so difficult that many creators seek to bypass what they think of as gatekeepers. Some of these creators try to become distributors themselves.
Sometimes these individuals manage to combine stupidity, ignorance, wishful thinking, entitlement, and self-righteousness into a toxic stew that, while doing them no good, can serve as object lessons to the rest of us of what not to do.
Can you make a living making movies independently?
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By KO’D
Posted January 15, 2026
If you have any kind of artistic aspirations, you probably want to spend most of your time creating your art. Ideally, you want to do it full-time. Alas, you will find that you still have to pay for a place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear, etc. — the daily expenses of being alive. Is it possible to make a living from making movies independently?
See the full list of articles.
Latest articles
- See a list of the most-recent articles on this website, or the complete list of articles.
Latest links
- Writing: “I’ll make up a whopper you can’t refuse! Why do we love to believe cinema’s best lines were improvised?”” by Amelia Tait (if you send the link to someone, note the typo in the URL)
- Distribution: “DVDs are the new vinyl records: Why Gen Z is embracing physical media”” by Cerys Davies
- Criticism: “The 50 greatest films directed by Canadians””, presented by CBC Arts
- Criticism: “From Stranger Things to Killing Eve: Why TV shows should only be one season long”” by Amelia Tait
- Writing: “The Only Screenplay Beat Sheet You’ll Ever Need”” by Jason Hellerman
- Funding: “Is your film fundable?”” by Elliot Grove
Favourite items
- “Don’t make these movies!” by MAT presents a list of movies that have already been made eleventy-squillion times, so you don’t need to make them again.
- “Can you make a living making movies independently?” by KO’D answers the question all newbie creators (and their families) ask.
Submit to Minor Mogul
Minor Mogul always seeks articles about making movies independently, reviews of mainstream or indie movies, or narrative movies for the Showcase. See the submission guidelines.
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