Tuesday evening was our February screening of IndieWorks, and it was a great night! We were so happy to see that some of our local promotion for our new venue has started to pay off. We had over 40 people in house for our 5 films of the night. There was a nice batch of artists from Astoria who were not affiliated with any of the screening films who came out to enjoy the event. We hope to see them again and more from the Sunnyside, Woodside, Astoria and LIC area at future months!
As a lead up to Valentine’s Day, the full lineup featured films that explored the vulnerabilities of dating and pursuing love. The first two films tackled important social issues, while the second half spanned self-discovery and acceptance. We had great Q&A sessions and noticed a lot of exchanging of info at the end of the night. We believe some valuable connections were made!
We'd like to say thank you to the filmmakers and the audience for coming out to spend the evening with us. We hope all enjoyed the films, as well as the opportunity to network with other filmmakers and film enthusiasts.
We also hope to see YOU at our March screening on the 10th! It’ll feature films filled with surfacing secrets.
See photos from the evening:
The Films of the night:
White Flags (directed by Luke Harlan, written by Sean Patrick Higgins & Shaunette Renee Wilson)
A new romance begins to spark after a friend sets Him and Her up on a first date, leading to a second, a third, a fourth. Over the course of a few weeks, the spark grows, their connection deepens, and momentum builds leading to an encounter that leaves Her in a state of confusion and shock. "White Flags" is a study on the complexities of consent, and an unflinching look at modern dating culture.
Proof (written & directed by Nora Jaenicke)
Iman, a Pakistani woman, met Evan, a New York native, while the two were film students in New York City. Iman is on a student visa and just returned from a trip to see her family. After being together for 4 years, the two get engaged and are planning to get married. However, during an interview with an immigration officer, Iman's world is about to collapse. The immigration officer is suspecting her of immigration fraud.
Day One (written & directed by Ellie Gravitte)
A young woman struggling with self-identity imagines a not-so-unlikely interaction with a stranger on the subway.
Bath (written & directed by Meredith Dobbs)
Discussions about sexuality and politics during a weekend away in Bath prove to Nick and Ella that despite their six years together, they don’t have it all figured out. Bath was filmed in London and was done entirely using improvised dialogue.
Stuck (directed by Alyssa May Gold, written by Nathalie Frederick)
When two young women get stuck in the bathroom at a party they are forced to reconcile their feelings for one another, showing us that being brave enough to speak your truth can lead to a happy ending.
Watch our Q&A Recap. *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 rating system of 8 categories: Story, Dialogue/Writing, Direction, Acting, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, and Production Value, along with a nuanced discussion focused on inclusion and originality. The Silver Whiskers winner goes on to screen again at our end of year Best of Fest screening in April.
The Silver Whiskers winner also receives $50 towards a crowdfunding campaign on SeedandSpark.com should they use the platform and 50% off 4MileCircus' post-production audio cleaning service for a future project.
The February 2020 winning films were:
Audience Choice: White Flags
Silver Whiskers Award: Bath
