20 Best Indie Movies Of 2015

By Andrew Dilks / December 27, 2015

It hasn't been the best year for independent filmmakers - a number of well-received movies which did the festival rounds last year have struggled to find distributors and their impact at the box office has subsequently been less than impressive. It's a crying shame, because on the evidence of those films which have been released the quality is as high as ever, with a number of genre-defining movies coming out which put Hollywood's efforts to shame. As the saying goes, big ideas don't need big budgets, and year after year indie movies prove that often the real quality comes from those filmmakers unable to lavish cash on their production. From innovative movies shot entirely on a phone to bold, brilliant science fiction not afraid to explore deeper philosophical ideas, these are the 20 best indie films of 2015

20. Snow In Paradise

British gangster movies are ten to the dozen these days, and you only have to watch a handful of those currently available on Netflix in the UK to realise that quantity rarely equals quality. Snow In Paradise is a rare exception to this rule. Set in London (where else are British gangster movies set these days?), Snow In Paradise follows Dave (Frederick Schmidt) as he deals with the aftermath of a scam gone wrong, escaping from his looming problems with heavy drug use and visits to a prostitute, who remains one of the few people in his life who offers some sympathy. Ignore the 50% Rotten Tomatoes score - this is an unusually intimate examination of the criminal underworld which takes a brave turn towards religious salvation of a most unexpected kind.