- The Rough Guide is the essential companion for anyone interested in American Independent, low-budget and maverick filmmaking. The book looks at the deep-reaching history of American "indie" cinema in all its guises, from its earliest incarnations in the 60s and 70s to the growth of indie avatars (Sundance and Miramax) and even considers where it is today. It explores the definitions of "independent" film in terms of both aesthetics and means of production and comes complete with a canon of the 50 greatest American "Indie" films of all time.