There have been a number of recent articles accusing me of not focusing on films like I did when I was running Miramax. It's simply not the case.

During a summer of hyped-comic-book heroes turned screen stars, independent film as a whole hasn't received the attention it's due. Yesterday, we released a film called Boy A in New York. It is about an adolescent who is just released after serving much of his life in custody for the killing of another child. He gets a new name and a chance to re-create himself.

Boy A has already won four Bafta TV Awards (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) including Best Actor and Best Director, and received rave reviews after its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival last year. And even with all of these accolades, the major press outlets are choosing not to cover this film and are instead using their airtime and columns to talk about the newest superhero movie for the hundredth time.

We have been told by a number of reporters that they love the film and would love to do something on it, but they just don't have the space, or that their editors want them to do a big-star profile.

Believe me, I've tried to appeal to their senses, and even lied and told them that Tom Hanks is in the movie, but then they IMDB the movie and find out I'm kidding. So, you see, its not that I'm not focusing on great independent films, it's just that no one is paying attention to them.

I remember a few years ago a critic for a very reputable paper said there weren't many interesting movies out, and I asked him if he'd seen Baran, an Iranian film we were distributing at Miramax, and he didn't know what I was talking about.

Let's face it--I know everyone has their job pressures, especially in media, where gossip reigns supreme. So why would the media want to deal with a tough-minded movie when they could write about the youngest young starlet?

There are no starlets and no fluffy story lines in Boy A. One of the messages of Boy A is about giving people a second chance. It is about seeing the potential in the underdog, taking a chance and watching it grow. But, I won't sugarcoat it--it's still one of the toughest movies you'll ever see: There are no happy endings and no easy solutions.

Independent films still are the underdog, and I've been fighting for years to get them seen by audiences. People have been entertained, they've escaped the heat and reality in movie theaters, but have they been impassioned by a movie this summer?

Have they talked about it long after it ended because it left them seeing something in a different way or questioning reality? And I don't mean trying to recall who designed Carrie's wedding dress--but the bigger questions.

Independent films have engaged in a conversation with society and have only made it stronger. That's why my brother and I continue to make films--to take risks on the little-known screenwriter with great vision and challenge the status quo of the entertainment industry. The industry and the entire society thrive when innovation prevails.

We have always known that we need to fight to allow creativity and innovation to flourish. The industry again stands at a transformational moment, requiring all of us to push the boundaries and show our passion for the industry that means so much to us and to society. Independent studios have been shut down, some staffs have been cut, and some have lost their independence.

You can blame the economy, you can blame conglomerates, but instead of pointing any blame, it's again time to unleash the passion, courage, and know-how to make smart deals that made independent films great to begin with.

The creativity is still there, and the movies are being made. Fifteen years ago, Sundance Film Festival had only 500 submissions, this past year there were 5,000. Just like in the industry, the competition between independent filmmakers has grown, and the dialogue their films created has resonated with the public.

As long as people continue to make movies that they are passionate about, like Boy A, the independent-film industry can, and will, survive and thrive.

Harvey Weinstein