Grrl Haus Cinema, an independent film showcase, screened a mostly local program, consisting of women, trans and nonbinary filmmakers in DIY and experimental cinema, at The Brattle Theater in mid-July. The Independent caught up with four of the featured filmmakers – Charlotte Benoit, Bre Vergera, Matilda Morales and Jaina Cipriano – to discuss recent trends in movies.
At the top of their minds? The influence of Internet aesthetics and artificial intelligence in new films.
In 2026, there’s been a slew of films based on video games, memes and online aesthetics as Hollywood searches for ways to capitalize on cultural trends. “They like these pre-existing films or memes,” Cipriano said of movie studios turning to Internet folklore as a potential moneymaking scheme. “It feels less risky to them.”
Benoit agreed, suggesting online fandoms are “established” to the point where studios are confident their films will earn their money back in theaters.
The studio system’s latest strategy seems to be hunting down the authenticity associated with DIY filmmaking by hiring YouTubers who reproduce Internet aesthetics. “Studios are completely impersonal, and they’ll chase down whatever works … until there’s nothing left,” Morales concluded.
The pipeline from YouTube to Hollywood continues to grow. Celebrated examples in horror include “Backrooms” director Kane Parsons, whose movie was inspired by an online creepypasta; “Obsession” director Curry Barker, whose movie experiments with the “uncanny valley” makeup trend that spread throughout TikTok in 2023; and the director and star of “Iron Lung,” Mark Fischbach, whose film was drawn from a horror video game of the same name.
Cipriano received this trend positively. She appreciates when anyone “deviates from the Hollywood norm,” saying that the YouTuber-to-filmmaker pipeline benefits the indie scene by reminding audiences that there are voices beyond the handful typically heard in mainstream cinema. Bre and Morales voiced more ambivalence, with the former feeling “undecided” on whether this is a lasting industry shift or a fad.
Aside from standouts such as “Obsession” and “Backrooms,” 2026 has been an excellent year for horror in general. “Send Help” by Sam Raimi, “Leviticus” by Adrian Chiarella and Damian McCarthy’s brilliant ghost story “Hokum” were beloved by audiences and critics. Cipriano views horror as a liberating genre that allows filmmakers to explore trauma and queer-coded stories, often on a low budget. Benoit suggested horror’s current boom is a way for audiences to process global fears in a “controllable” environment.
Furthermore, since horror is a relatively cheap genre to produce, it can be a great entry point for first-time filmmakers and new actors. The popular reception of “Obsession” sparked discussions about whether young audiences are hungry for new filmmaking and acting talent. Morales speculated that audiences are experiencing “celebrity burnout” and “starving” for new, creative voices.
One industry trend that definitely did not win praise from the Grrl Haus audience was the growing role of AI in filmmaking, the mere mention of which earned a round of boos from the audience at the live screening.
When Netflix admitted to using generative artificial intelligence across about 300 titles, fans of indie weren’t necessarily shocked. Arthouse audiences recoiled, though, when A24, a movie studio held by some in higher regard, signed a $75 million artificial intelligence research partnership with Google DeepMind.
A still from Jaina Cipriano’s “You Are Not a Memorial.”Cipriano branded AI as “capitalist-coded,” as it focuses on an end product. She contrasted AI filmmaking with DIY approaches that revolve around “the process of making” rather than the bottom-line result. Morales called AI art “ugly,” voicing disgust at the “crispness and gooeyness” of AI-generated images. Benoit stated succinctly that it has “no soul.”
In opposition to the artificially produced “crispness,” some industry observers have noted a recent trend of DIY filmmakers gravitating toward hand-drawn animation, analog film and practical effects. The four directors agreed that this increasing nostalgia for the imperfections and physicality of mechanical filmmaking is likely a reaction to the artificial smoothness associated with AI products.
All four are reckoning with what the democratization of digital media means for DIY filmmaking. Trends such as the YouTube-to-Hollywood pipeline remind us that the art of film is more accessible than ever. Most people have “cameras in our pockets,” Cipriano said, which allows creatives without a traditional degree to shoot their own first short.
Filmmakers are now expected to be marketing experts too, though, as social media and online branding campaigns have been assimilated into their workload. “Isn’t it funny,” Cipriano remarked, “that 30 minutes of our day used to be someone’s full job?”
Even with the extra effort, Benoit observed that unknown search algorithms turn marketing into a “game of chance” that can leave talented voices overlooked if they don’t achieve virality. If Hollywood is hungry for authenticity in filmmaking, maybe it should make a movie about DIY directors on shoestring budgets making promotional TikTok reels?
Grrl Haus Cinema returns to The Brattle Theatre for an experimental shorts program Sept. 17.
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