Indie Film Weekly [EP 33]: Architecton (2025) & Didi (2020)
Hey indie film fans, welcome back to Indie Film Weekly—the podcast that skips the sequels and dives straight into the daring. I’m Glen Reynolds from Circus Road Films, and I’m here to guide you through the indie films worth seeing this week—in theaters, on demand, and from deep in the cinematic vault.
This episode is powered by Indie Igniter—your one-stop newsletter and strategy toolkit for building a real audience for your indie film. Subscribe now at theindieigniter.com.
And a reminder: nothing supports indie filmmakers more than showing up in person! So go see movies in theaters if you can—it’s the best way to help keep these stories alive.
New in Theaters
First up this week is Architecton from director Victor Kossakovsky. It’s a slow-burn stunner—a visually ravishing, philosophical deep dive into the ruins of human civilization and the hope buried within its foundations.
Filmed over several years across dozens of countries, Kossakovsky explores how buildings reflect our dreams, failures, and resilience. It’s part travelogue, part elegy, and 100% cinematic—if Terrence Malick studied concrete and steel, this is what he might come up with.
Next, Souleymane’s Story, from French filmmaker Boris Lojkine (loh-KEE-nuh), offers a sharply observed, emotionally urgent portrait of a food delivery cyclist in Paris facing a life-altering immigration interview.
Souleymane, played by Abou Sangaré, has 48 hours to gather documents, prepare his case, and fight for the right to stay. The camera follows him in near real time as he pedals through the city, delivering food, dodging traffic, and navigating bureaucratic indifference. It’s a powerful reminder of how much humanity exists in the margins.
And finally, Harvest from Athina Rachel Tsangari is a mysterious, haunting allegory set in a disappearing village with no name, during seven feverish days.
It’s part fable, part nightmare, all atmosphere. If you like your cinema strange, sensual, and soaked in metaphor, Harvest is for you. You might not understand everything you see—but you’ll feel it in your bones.
So that’s Architecton, Souleymane’s Story, and Harvest—a week for thinking, feeling, and maybe even zoning out in the most artful way possible.
Films to Rent or Download
On TVOD this week, check out Dìdi, the breakout Sundance hit from director Sean Wang. It took home both the Audience Award and the U.S. Dramatic Jury Prize, and for good reason.
Set in the Bay Area in 2008, it follows 13-year-old Taiwanese-American Chris as he grapples with middle school, skateboarding, and the awkward push-pull of adolescence. It’s a tender, funny, and remarkably specific coming-of-age story that balances cultural specificity with universal teenage chaos.
Available now on all major platforms.
Indie Classic
Our classic this week is One Night in Miami…, celebrating its 5th anniversary. Directed by Regina King, the film imagines what happened the night Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown got together after Clay’s heavyweight victory in 1964.
Adapted from the play by Kemp Powers, this chamber drama feels intimate yet monumental. It’s about friendship, legacy, and the burden of Black excellence. With standout performances and razor-sharp dialogue, it remains one of the most confident directorial debuts of the past decade.
Fun fact: Though made for a relatively high indie budget of $16 million, Amazon acquired it before its Venice premiere, signaling the streamer’s investment in socially conscious prestige cinema. You can watch it now on Amazon Prime.
That wraps up this edition of Indie Film Weekly. This week, you can stare at ruins, race through Paris, or disappear into metaphor—and maybe even revisit a night that shaped American history.
Go see a movie in a theater if you can. Indie film survives on your curiosity and your ticket stub.
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Until next week, keep it thoughtful, keep it bold, and keep it indie!