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Winning an Oscar will taste even sweeter for some films up for Hollywood's highest honors Sunday -- many less commercial movies struggle to get financed, and will savor success all the more intensely.
"Investing in independent films are financially very speculative, and generally anybody with a modicum of sanity stays away from them," said Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, producer of "The Kids are All Right."
The lesbian parenting film is on the 10-strong shortlist for best picture Oscar -- at least half of which, including frontrunner "The King's Speech," had to battle financially just to get off the ground.
The British historical drama, in the running for 12 Oscars, only made it because the powerful Weinstein brothers took a shine to the film's screenplay, about the stammering George VI.
The same goes for boxing movie "The Fighter," which was saved when mini-major Relativity Media put $25 million on the table after the initial investor Paramount pulled out, as did many of the original actors.
Films like Facebook movie "The Social Network" -- vying to edge out frontrunner "The King's Speech" at the Academy Awards -- were always expected to be box office hits, but for others prospects were less clear.
"The financing of 'Kids' was a long and winding road. Over the years studio divisions were interested, but ultimately none of them would greenlight the movie," recalled Levy-Hinte.
"In 2005 we entered preproduction only to have our financing evaporate. Ultimately, we brought in Celine Rattray who worked with us to bring in UGC-PH, Gilbert Films, and a dozen other equity investors to finance the movie."
"Investing in independent films are financially very speculative, and generally anybody with a modicum of sanity stays away from them," said Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, producer of "The Kids are All Right."
The lesbian parenting film is on the 10-strong shortlist for best picture Oscar -- at least half of which, including frontrunner "The King's Speech," had to battle financially just to get off the ground.
The British historical drama, in the running for 12 Oscars, only made it because the powerful Weinstein brothers took a shine to the film's screenplay, about the stammering George VI.
The same goes for boxing movie "The Fighter," which was saved when mini-major Relativity Media put $25 million on the table after the initial investor Paramount pulled out, as did many of the original actors.
Films like Facebook movie "The Social Network" -- vying to edge out frontrunner "The King's Speech" at the Academy Awards -- were always expected to be box office hits, but for others prospects were less clear.
"The financing of 'Kids' was a long and winding road. Over the years studio divisions were interested, but ultimately none of them would greenlight the movie," recalled Levy-Hinte.
"In 2005 we entered preproduction only to have our financing evaporate. Ultimately, we brought in Celine Rattray who worked with us to bring in UGC-PH, Gilbert Films, and a dozen other equity investors to finance the movie."
