80 Independent Films Trivia Questions with Answers
80 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Independent Films trivia spotlights bold, distinctive movies made outside the traditional studio system and the filmmakers who brought them to audiences. Questions range from Christopher Nolan’s low-budget debut Following and Darren Aronofsky’s Pi to Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, Spike Jonze’s Her, and Todd Haynes’s Carol.
The collection also includes breakthrough performances, unusual production styles, and acclaimed films such as Birdman and Wim Wenders’s Paris, Texas. With 80 questions spanning several decades, it suits film-club discussions, cinema classes, pub quizzes, awards-season game nights, and anyone who enjoys discovering influential movies beyond mainstream franchises.
Which 2011 independent film directed by Sean Durkin was the debut of Elizabeth Olsen?
Answer
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Which 2012 independent film features a young girl named Hushpuppy in a post-apocalyptic bayou?
Answer
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Which 2013 Coen brothers film follows a folk singer navigating the Greenwich Village scene?
Answer
Inside Llewyn Davis
Which 2003 indie film directed by Sofia Coppola won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay?
Answer
Lost in Translation
Which 1999 independent horror film was shot in a found-footage style and created a viral marketing campaign?
Answer
The Blair Witch Project
Which 1999 indie film features a puppeteer who finds a portal into John Malkovich's mind?
Answer
Being John Malkovich
Which 2014 Wes Anderson film is set in a fictional European hotel and stars Ralph Fiennes?
Answer
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Which 1998 Danish independent film was the first Dogme 95 film?
Answer
The Celebration
Which 2013 independent film directed by Shane Carruth was made for $50,000?
Answer
Upstream Color
Which 2010 independent film directed by Lena Dunham was shot on a budget of $65,000?
Answer
Tiny Furniture
Which 2018 independent film is the directorial debut of rap artist Boots Riley?
Answer
Sorry to Bother You
Which 2003 independent film features a man who inherits an abandoned train depot?
Answer
The Station Agent
Which 2004 independent film won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Charlie Kaufman?
Answer
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Which 2013 independent film is based on the shooting of Oscar Grant by BART police?
Answer
Fruitvale Station
Which 2019 independent film about a divorce was written and directed by Noah Baumbach?
Answer
Marriage Story
Which 2018 independent film is the directorial debut of Bo Burnham?
Answer
Eighth Grade
Which 2016 independent film won the Oscar for Best Actor for Casey Affleck?
Answer
Manchester by the Sea
Which 1974 independent horror film, filmed in Texas, was budgeted at about $60,000?
Answer
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Which 1984 independent film directed by Jim Jarmusch is a black-and-white road movie about three characters?
Answer
Stranger Than Paradise
Independent Films trivia — quick answers
What are good Independent Films trivia questions?
Good Independent Films trivia questions identify directors, actors, plots, production details, and landmark low-budget movies. Examples include naming Christopher Nolan’s debut, identifying Lady Bird’s director, recognizing Her’s operating-system relationship, and connecting Birdman with its single-shot illusion.
How hard is Independent Films trivia?
Independent Films trivia is often medium to difficult because it spans many directors, decades, countries, genres, and breakout performances. Questions about widely known films such as Lady Bird are approachable, while low-budget debuts and international cinema titles are more challenging.
What was Christopher Nolan’s first feature film?
Following, released in 1998, was Christopher Nolan’s first feature film. Shot in black and white on a very small budget, the British independent crime thriller follows a young man who begins following strangers and becomes involved with a burglar. Nolan also wrote, directed, and edited the film.
Which independent film features a man in a relationship with his operating system?
Her, written and directed by Spike Jonze, follows Theodore Twombly, played by Joaquin Phoenix, as he develops a romantic relationship with Samantha, an advanced operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson. The 2013 film explores loneliness, intimacy, technology, and the changing nature of human connection.
Which 2014 film was acclaimed for creating the illusion of one continuous shot?
Birdman, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, was acclaimed for its extended-take visual style, which creates the impression that the film unfolds in one continuous shot. Michael Keaton stars as a former superhero actor attempting to revive his career through a Broadway production.