If you’re a modern cinephile, then you have certainly watched at least one A24 film. The independent production company was founded in 2012, and has quickly made an industry-shifting impact in that short amount of time. A24’s approach to delivering unconventional and niche audience driven films has led to over two dozen Academy Award wins as well as a fervent fanbase complete with active Reddit threads and its own official fanclub. How did A24 rise among status to compete with mainstay giants like Lionsgate? That’s what A24 superfan, writer, and pop culture expert Aaron West explores in The A24 New Wave: Empowering Artists, Transforming Modern Cinema. This book takes an in-depth and well-researched look at A24’s history and how the company continues to influence film trends and pop culture at large.
Nerdist received a copy of this book and couldn’t wait to dive into its contents. It explores A24 from a very holistic viewport, including its business practices that toe the line between independent film and mainstream. There are plenty of stories about some of A24’s biggest films, like The VVitch as well as directors who have helped shape its success, including Barry Jenkins, Ari Aster, and Robert Eggers. From its approach to genre trends to its unique aesthetics, A24 has created a unique standard for brave filmmaking and storytelling.
The A24 New Wave can feel a bit like “information overload” at times, but if you are deeply into the history of filmmaking and the trends that have shaped its trajectory, this book is absolutely engaging. West himself is a moderator of the A24 subreddit and spent years piecing together the origin story of A24 following a successful Kickstarter.
In the future, there will be a digital component to the book, a website that will allow for further exploration with “excerpts, bonus chapters, sneak previews into future editions, and also journeys (aka film club) about A24 directors and their films, online classes, and so forth.”
The A24 New Wave: Empowering Artists, Transforming Modern Cinema is currently available with both signed and unsigned copies.