IndieWorks: September Recap

Last Tuesday was the September edition of IndieWorks! And it was our annual web series month, where we screen episodes from local series. We screened 6 episodes total and had over 40 people in house. Smaller crowd than usual, but considering the rainy evening, it was quite an impressive turnout! Web series month is always a special one because it's nice getting to meet characters we could tune into over and over again. And web series in general tend to be comedy leaning, so it was an overall fun night filled with a lot of laughs. Unfortunately, one of our filmmakers had to cut out before their Q&A, but otherwise the night was a real success with thoughtful discussions and lots of mingling!

We'd just like to say thank you to everyone who came out to support the filmmakers and spend the evening with us & them. We do hope you enjoyed all the webisodes and the opportunity to network with other filmmakers and film enthusiasts. We know some connections were made! AND we hope you'll join us again for our Halloween Special on October 24th! 

See photos from the evening:

The Series of the night:

Pair of Normals (Created (written & directed) by Jason Hood)
Iris, an anxious Youtube psychic fresh out of a mental hospital, and Betty, a destitute college dropout who makes ASMR videos, meet and bond when they are dragged to a vlogger meetup. When they meet again in a chance encounter after both their lives have worsened significantly, Iris offers Betty a place to stay.

You Only Die Once (Created (written & directed) by Amanda B. Goodman)
A 6 episode modern horror comedy web series that tells the story of three life long best friends and vampire hunters from Astoria Queens as they face the biggest threat to their family yet.

Modern Aliens (Written & Directed by Jordan Jaffe, Produced by Samantha Slater)
The documentary periodical comedy series dedicated to unearthing alien influence in modern society. 

[Blank] My Life (Created & Written by Alex Spieth, Directed by Benjamin Viertel)
In episode 5 of season 2, Susan realizes rape culture isn't that far from home.

Seeking Sublet (Created (written & directed) by Katie Tibaldi)
A new comedy web series about two roommates in search of the perfect third roommate in New York City. Think you've had bad roommates? Tune in. Commiserating begins here.

Keep Me Posted (Created (written & directed) by Hillary Berkowitz)
WA biting look at the impact of texting and social media on our closest relationships.  

Watch our Q&A Recap (shot & edited by Kimberly Drew Whiten). The perk of web series month is that the episodes can be watched online NOW to offer context to the Q&A! Find most on Youtube!

The award goes to...

At the end of the evening, we announced our winning filmmaker of the Audience Choice Award. We've realized from past years that web series episodes always feel a bit confusing alongside all standalone films at Best of Fest, so we decided moving forward that at our specialty months we'll just award one audience-selected winner all the monetary prizes. The winner receives $50 towards a crowdfunding campaign on SeedandSpark.com should they use the platform and a free Social Media audit ($200 value) from 4MileCircus. 

For the September 2017 lineup, our winning series was:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Modern Aliens"

Join us next month for our Halloween edition on the 25th! 

IndieWorks - January Recap

Last Tuesday was the January edition of IndieWorks, and what a night it was. We thought the rain would keep people away; but we ended up with 80 people in house to watch our 5 films of the night and spend the evening in thoughtful discussion! Our first two films explored issues of race in contemporary America through very character focused lenses. The last three explored feelings of isolation, discontent and struggling to find fulfillment in all facets of life, with a particular focus on female friendships. Some lovely and insightful conversations came out of the lineup. We hope connections were made, as well!

We'd just like to say thank you to everyone who came out to support the filmmakers and spend the evening with us & them. We hope you'll join us again for our February screening on the 7th. 

See photos from the night:

The Films of the night:

The Visit (Directed by Shane Andries, Written & Produced by Vishwas Vishwas)
A 'brown' man with a beard finds himself caught in a dilemma when two men show up to his house looking for answers. Stereotype, victim, or perpetrator? "The Visit" is an upside-down look at present day racial realities.

Privilege (Directed & Written by Berman Fenelus)
A short film that reflects on the epidemic of police brutality in communities of people of color. The audience witnesses the effects of such an encounter when it strikes an affluent African American family who, despite their accomplishments and achievements, realize they can still fall victim to the violent world which they thought they were far removed from.

Happy Here in New York (Directed & Written by Rodrigo Baumgartner Ayres, Written by Caroline Rosalino)
Best friends reunite in New York City but their friendship will never be the same.

Greener (Directed by Alessia Gatti, Written & Produced by Martha Frances Williams, Produced by Laura Vogels)
Three friends ask themselves ' can we have it all?' 

Keep Me Posted (Directed & Written by Hillary Nussbaum)
A biting look at the impact of texting and social media on our closest relationships, told through the lives of 3 female friends trying to grow up without growing apart. In the process, they grapple with everything from career crises, dating, and marriage, to self-doubt, anxiety, and depression.

Watch our Q&A Recap (shot & edited by Kimberly Drew Whiten). *Please know there are some film spoilers - feel free to look for an opportunity to catch the films at a festival or computer screen near you & then come back to watch!

The awards go to...

At the end of the evening, we announced our winning filmmakers for both Audience Choice Award & Silver Whiskers Award. The Audience Choice Award is voted upon by all those in attendance, and the Silver Whiskers Award is judged by the CongestedCat Team based on a system rating 8 categories of Story, Dialogue/Writing, Direction, Acting, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, and Production Value. The Silver Whiskers winner goes on to screen again at our end of year Best of Fest screening next April. 

The Silver Whiskers winner also receives $50 towards a crowdfunding campaign on SeedandSpark.com should they use the platform and a free Social Media audit ($200 value) from 4MileCircus. 

For the January 2017 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Happy Here in New York"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "The Visit"

Watch the Trailer for our Silver Whiskers winner below:

Join us next month for our February Screening on the 7th!