Indie Movie Capital of the World?

For the second year in a row, Austin has been named the #2 American city in the annual rankings of the "best places to live, work and make movies," according to industry magazine MovieMaker. It's also the sixth consecutive year that our town has been in the top ten.

Praising the powerhouse Austin Film Commission for its dedication to "bringing exciting new programs and initiatives, ... from the smallest detail to the biggest," MovieMaker goes on to call our town an "Indie Stalwart," on account of the fact that Austin supports its citizens' low-budget endeavors:

"Best of all, the city respects the passion and pocketbooks of its indie community," says MovieMaker. "They know that moviemaking is a win-win situation, whether you're making a multimillion-dollar feature starring Sandra Bullock or a $50 production with your dad's digital camcorder."

We also suspect it has a lot to do with abundance of film-oriented organizations in town, such as the Austin Film Society, Flicker Film Festival, the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF), and, of course, the SXSW Film Festival, as well as our plentiful film outlets (The Drafthouses, The Dobie, The Paramount, and our various indie video stores -- many of which Austinist kinda owes some hefty late fees) which make many of these productions visible to an otherwise-inaccessible crowd.

The full rankings:
1. New York City
2. Austin
3. Portland
4. Chicago
5. Philadelphia
6. Los Angeles
7. Miami
8. Baltimore
9. Wilmington, NC
10. Memphis

* Image found on www.recar-realtors.com