Centropolis

You know how they say if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself? Well, that seems to have been director Roland Emmerich's attitude. He not only directed Independence Day, but he also wrote it and produced it.

Emmerich's very own small production house, Centropolis, is responsible for Independence Day. He owns it with his sister Ute (nothing like keeping it in the family, right?).

The company has produced a whole slew of different films, from huge action flicks similar to Independence Day (ever heard of White House Down and The Day After Tomorrow?) and historical epics (The Patriot) to shorts (Scarmour) and smaller topical films (like Stonewall). And shocker, it is also one of the production companies involved with the sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence. Yes, Shmoopers, Scarmour and Stonewall aside, they totally have a type: Action and sci-fi fare are definitely their (usual) bag.

Just look at their most recent logo if you want to get a sense of their main focus. It's kind of a retro-futuristic cityscape, which definitely screams "sci-fi fantasy" to us. (That's a compliment: we love it when things scream "sci-fi fantasy"…except for maybe real people who are really screaming "sci-fi fantasy.)

The company isn't huge, but it certainly has managed to create a pretty diverse and impressive resume since it began in 1985. Sure, its list of films is pretty short compared to the other companies you usually see churning out blockbusters, but the small "producer-owned" production house gig gives Emmerich the freedom to make the kind of movies he likes.

Movies that often involve spaceships.

Check out more about Emmerich in "Screenwriters" and "Director"—since he basically made this entire movie single-handed.