Small Movies With Big Heart Are The Real Golden Globe Winners

"Selma," directed by indie filmmaker Ava DuVernay,
 is one of the most powerful historic dramas ever made.

Most of us watched the Golden Globes from the comfort of our living rooms Sunday night. But the good news is that for those of us who aspire to tell stories on film, star-studded awards shows are more accessible than ever before.

Of the five movies nominated for Best Motion Picture, Drama, four were made for relatively modest budgets: "Selma," "The Theory of Everything," "The Imitation Game" and "Boyhood" (which won the big prize) were all made for $20 million or less. (I couldn't find the budget for the fifth nominee,  "Foxcatcher," listed the Internet Movie Database or anywhere else online.)

While $20 million may be out of reach for the average indie filmmaker, it's considered a shoestring budget in Hollywood. The innovative "Boyhood," which traces a boy's development as actor Ellar Coletrane literally ages onscreen, was made for just $2.4 million, spread over 12 years of production.

With crowd-sourcing and constantly evolving technology that has dramatically brought production costs down, moviemaking is a much more democratic medium than in decades past when big studios dominated.

Even big stars recognize the value of small, character-driven movies.

"Thank you for keeping small movies alive," George Clooney said upon accepting the Cecil B. Demille award for career achievement. "The big ones do fine. It's the small ones that need support."

The most inspiring story at this year's Golden Globes was that of "Selma" director Ava DuVernay, who was the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Best Director Golden Globe (Richard Linklater won for "Boyhood"). DuVernay, who started out as a publicist, self-financed her first two films, the excellent "I Will Follow" and "Middle of Nowhere," of just $50,000 and $200,000, respectively.

"Selma" is truly one of the best movies of this or any other year, brilliant capturing the historic 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches and documenting the incredible sacrifices of Dr. Martin Luther King and countless everyday activists.

The success of "Selma" and of DuVernay proves that dreamers really can make their dreams come true. And anything is possible.