mumblecore

[Benjamin Zimmer]

"Mumblecore" is being used to label a new movement of young filmmakers
with a "DIY" aesthetic, reminiscent of John Cassavetes's work in the
'70s (in fact another label is "Slackavetes"). It was apparently
coined by Eric Masunaga, sound mixer for director Andrew Bujalski, at
the 2005 South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW). The term is getting
press attention now because of a film festival at New York's IFC
Center, "The New Talkies: Generation DIY".

http://www.indiewire.com/people/people_050502bujalski.html
(Indiewire, Aug. 2005)
http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/spring2007/features/mumblecore.php
(Filmmaker Magazine, Spring 2007)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguide/features/story/0,,2081767,00.html
(The Guardian, May 19, 2007)
http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0734,hoberman,77534,20.html
(Village Voice, Aug. 17, 2007)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/movies/19lim.html
(New York Times, Aug. 19, 2007)
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/ny-film0822,0,5447651.column
(Newsday, Aug. 22, 2007)

"Mumblecore" was apparently coined on the model of the various
"X-core" subgenres spun off from hardcore punk/post-punk music
(metalcore, grindcore, queercore, thrashcore, funkcore, rapcore,
machocore, foxcore, Nardcore, etc.).

(Google asks me if I meant "Dumbledore".)


--Ben Zimmer

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