The "Indie" Promise That Just Got Broken
In the cutthroat world of film production, space is the ultimate currency. For decades, the legendary Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire has been the fortress of blockbusters, the home of 007 and the galaxy far, far away. So, when Pinewood announced the creation of a dedicated "Indie Film Hub" last October, it was hailed as a lifeline for the suffocating British independent sector. The deal was simple and explicitly stated: this space was exclusively for lower-budget productions that qualified for the government's new Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC). It was supposed to be a sanctuary for the little guys.
Fast forward to this autumn, and that sanctuary has been breached by Hollywood royalty. ScreenRant can confirm that the very first film to utilize this "exclusive" indie space was not a gritty, low-budget British drama, but Anxious People, a star-studded vehicle headlined by none other than Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie and comedy heavyweight Jason Segel.
The controversy? Anxious People did not qualify for the IFTC. Its budget was reportedly too high to meet the criteria designed to help struggling productions. Yet, Pinewood rolled out the red carpet anyway, effectively effectively rewriting their own rules less than a year after making them. The move has sent shockwaves through the local industry, with many questioning if "Indie" is just a marketing buzzword for "Hollywood Overflow."
Angelina Jolie & Jason Segel: Too Big for the "Indie" Label?
To understand the outrage, you have to look at the project itself. Anxious People is hardly a scrappy underdog. Adapted from the bestseller by Fredrik Backman (the mind behind A Man Called Ove), the film is directed by Marc Forster, the man who helmed massive blockbusters like World War Z and Quantum of Solace. Produced by Hope Studios and 2DUX², with sales handled by heavyweights Black Bear and WME Independent, this is a commercial juggernaut disguised as a character piece.
The plot centers on a botched bank robbery that turns into a hostage situation at an open house, leading to chaos, secrets, and unexpected bonds. It is the kind of mid-budget adult drama that has largely vanished from theaters, which makes its existence exciting for fans—but its production methods infuriating for industry purists. By taking up residence in the Indie Hub, a production with the resources to hire Jolie and Segel effectively displaced potential projects that the facility was built to save.
So the 'Indie' hub is just the 'Angelina Jolie' hub now? Classic. If a movie with her and Jason Segel is considered a struggling indie, actual British filmmakers might as well give up.
The optics are messy. While the film is technically an "independent" production (meaning it isn't funded by a major studio like Warner Bros. or Disney), the spirit of the Indie Hub was to support films with budgets under £15m ($18.9m). Anxious People blew past that cap, yet still took the spot.
The Disney Factor: Why Pinewood is Desperate
Why would Pinewood break its own pledge so quickly? The answer likely lies in the Mouse House. The vast majority of Pinewood Studios is currently locked down on a long-term lease to Disney. Marvel superheroes and Star Wars spinoffs occupy almost every square inch of the main lot, leaving virtually zero room for anyone else. The Indie Hub was created to monetize the few scraps of space left, specifically targeting the new wave of films incentivized by the UK's lucrative 53% tax relief.
However, industry whispers suggest that the demand from these smaller, IFTC-qualifying films might not have materialized fast enough, or perhaps they simply couldn't pay what Pinewood wanted. Faced with empty sound stages, Pinewood seemingly chose cash over integrity. By allowing a non-qualifying, higher-budget film like Anxious People to shoot there, they kept the lights on, but at the cost of their credibility with the grassroots sector.
"We Are a Legitimate Indie": The Producers Fight Back
The team behind Anxious People is not taking the criticism lying down. Executive Producer Samantha Waite addressed the controversy head-on while on set this October, admitting openly that they didn't qualify for the tax credit but arguing that they still deserved the space.
"We didn’t qualify for the Independent Film Tax Credit, but we are a legitimate indie," Waite told reporters. Her argument paints a bleak picture of the current landscape: without the Indie Hub, this movie might not have been made in the UK at all. "We couldn’t have got into Pinewood if we didn’t have this space. Ultimately, [Pinewood have] got to make it work. They don’t want [the hub] to sit empty and turn business away."
Pinewood promised that space to actual British films. Money talks, I guess. It’s always the same story.
It is a pragmatic defense, but one that highlights the fragility of the British film ecosystem. If a "legitimate indie" now requires the star power of Angelina Jolie and a budget that exceeds government support caps, what hope is there for the true unknown filmmaker?
A Glitch in the Matrix: The Website That Forgot to Update
Adding insult to injury is the fact that Pinewood hasn't even publicly acknowledged the pivot. As of November 25, the studio's official website still describes the Indie Film Hub as being "exclusively" for IFTC filmmakers. It is a glaring discrepancy that suggests the decision to host Anxious People was made quietly, perhaps hoping nobody would check the receipts.
Pinewood declined to comment when pressed on the change, leaving analysts to wonder if this was a one-time exception for a high-profile client or a permanent shift in strategy. If the latter, the "Indie Film Hub" is effectively dead in the water, reborn as just another overflow lot for Hollywood productions that can't squeeze into the Disney-dominated main stages.
What This Means for the Future of UK Film
This situation sets a dangerous precedent. The IFTC was designed to revive a dying sector of the British industry—films that cost under £15m. These are the breeding grounds for the next Danny Boyle or Christopher Nolan. If the facilities built to support them are auctioned off to the highest bidder the moment a celebrity comes calling, the initiative fails.
However, for moviegoers, the news is a double-edged sword. While the industry politics are ugly, the result is that Anxious People—a film with a killer cast and a great premise—got made. In a world of endless sequels and reboots, a mid-budget comedy-thriller starring Jolie and Segel is exactly the kind of movie audiences have been begging for. The question remains: did it have to come at the expense of the little guy?
As production wraps and the film heads into post-production, all eyes will be on Pinewood's next move. Will they revert to their "exclusive" promise, or is the Indie Hub open for business to anyone with a checkbook and an A-list star?
