festival recaps

Queens World Film Festival Recap (2021)

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The 11th annual Queens World Film Festival wrapped up on Saturday, and we screened “Game Brunch” in it this year. This is my favorite local festival and I’ve written about it many times in the past. So I’m not going to say too much about it in general here, just the highlights of 2021.

Usually held in mid-March, last year’s festival was one of the first to pivot to a virtual version - and just a couple days before the festival was meant to start. They weren’t able to create much of an experience with such short notice, but I appreciate that they didn’t cancel and that I was able to enjoy the full lineup online (and receive nice feedback on “Affliction” from other filmmakers who watched online as well). This year, they did a hybrid version, which included their usual kick-off trailer party a few weeks before the official start of the festival (which Kelsey attended with me), and then simultaneous screenings happening on a virtual platform and live at different venues around Queens.

Because of limited capacity, they didn’t have their usual MOMI and Kaufman Astoria theater venues (aside from their opening and closing night films at MOMI), but instead used more social-distance friendly event spaces, including our old IndieWorks venue, The Local. I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t attend any in-person screenings besides my own because of two reasons. One, all the venues require masks and, while I strongly believe in the need to continue wearing masks indoors (unless they’re verifying vaccination status) to protect venue staff, I also strongly dislike wearing a mask while trying to watch something because it fogs up my glasses. And two, Queens World overlapped with the virtual runs of Blackbird Film Festival and Chattanooga Film Festival, (the latter’s program was especially enticing) and I was on a mission to watch as much as possible from all three programs; so watching online from my couch where I could hop back and forth between virtual platforms was the ideal way to “attend” all three festivals. So for this reason, I can’t speak to how the live festival went as a whole. But I really appreciate the team for taking on the challenge of essentially having two festivals running at once and accommodating all comfort levels.

“Game Brunch” first screened online on Thursday, July 1st, in the evening. One filmmaker reached out after to tell me how much she loved it, which was a sweet surprise. Then the following night, Ryan joined me for the live screening at the Local. Since it was starting at 9pm and a rainy evening, I was worried it’d be completely empty. But there were 30 people in attendance, which included one filmmaker whose film was also screening, the family members of another screening film’s director who couldn’t be there, and some other filmmakers whose films weren’t in the block. To be kind of frank, I found the placement of my film in this particular block to be a bit baffling. It was a strong group of films but all were very dark and serious. And while “Game Brunch” definitely plays with horror through its music and suspense, it’s completely for laughs (I’ve been referring to it as a fantastical farce). If the other films were dark but heightened genre films, I’d get it but the “Horrible Happenings” block was straight drama with horror elements. It was focused on the very real horrors of the world and was filled with a lot of trauma. So my silly film being spliced in the middle of some serious social commentary was a jarring experience. When the film started, I could tell the audience was unsure whether or not it was meant to be funny because of how nothing before had any intended laughs, so they were sort of stifling their laughter . But once people realized it was very much a comedy, the audience let loose and laughed a ton. The sound quality was great, since the front bar was fairly empty, and it looked great up on the big white wall. I enjoyed experiencing it with the audience and hearing the beats that made people chuckle the most.

The Q&A moderator did a nice job personalizing questions for me and the other filmmaker in attendance. Afterwards, I got a bunch of nice comments from the crowd about how “hilarious” it was; and there was an especial appreciation for how much “character” the film had in its use of sound. I think people were particularly grateful for how lighthearted it was amongst so many heavy pieces.

All in all, it was a nice night. And I’m glad I also got to enjoy so much of the lineup via the virtual version. I look forward to experiencing the festival in its full glory again in future years.

-Christina

Catch the film next at:

Blackbird Film Festival Recap (2021)

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I haven’t written a festival recap in over a year! I did write this blog post with highlights of our Q&A’s from Affliction’s virtual run; and I did write this twitter thread about the good side of my virtual fest experiences over the last year. But last weekend screening Game Brunch at Blackbird Film Festival was my first time screening in front of a live crowd since November 2019, so here I am back to recapping! (Thanks to vaccines!)

I don’t want this post to be too long because I feel like it could turn into a stream of consciousness about 2020 and the pandemic we’re still living in. Plus, I’ve talked about my love for Blackbird in my 2018 and 2019 recaps. So I’m just going to share the highlights of my 2021 experience under these pics from the weekend.

  • The festival was held in person from Thursday, June 17th through Sunday, the 20th, via outdoor tent screenings during the day and drive-in screenings at night. It then went virtual from the 21st through 30th. I really appreciate the festival sticking with an outdoor setting because of the concerns I expressed in my IndieWorks Update regarding venue staff safety, an ambiguous honor system in terms of being vaccinated/going maskless, and potentially more contagious variants. I also appreciate the fact that the fest chose to continue offering a virtual option as well, to give more attention to the films beyond the small group of people able to attend in person.

  • I attended with Kelsey, Dani (who acts in the film), and my husband Justin. Because it was being held at a beautiful lodge instead of at the typical university, we decided to make a real vacation out of it - spending time eating out (for the first time in over a year) and enjoying nature (also for the first time in a year), instead of binging films - as I tend to do at festivals. I loved the weekend for this reason, but it also meant I didn’t get to watch as many films and participate in filmmaker meetups as much as I would’ve liked. (Thankfully, I was able to make up for that via the virtual version over the last week. The program was very strong and thoughtful, as usual!)

  • We were able to attend the evening kick-off party and morning movie trivia and we had a blast with the trivia especially.

  • Screening in a tent was fun and felt comfortable for going maskless but also not ideal for picture and audio quality. A white tent kept it cool in the sun but also kept the room pretty bright, so “Game Brunch” didn’t look the way I’d hoped for the audience to see it. And the tent let some noise pollution in, which thankfully wasn’t traffic since we were in the woods - but there was music and chatter from people exploring the (cute but too close) craft fair the festival had also organized. So I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed. However, it was still so nice to be able to experience the film in front of an audience. It was not only my first time doing so in general in over a year, it was the first time seeing “Game Brunch” with strangers at all. I had forgotten how nerve-racking that experience is! But once people started laughing, I was loving it. There were 30 people there; it seemed to be primarily other filmmakers and their families. Considering the volume issues, it’s hard to say whether or not all the context leading to the punchline communicated, but the film got a lot of laughs in all the right places.

  • It wasn’t until I was standing up in front of everyone that I realized it had not only been a year since I last spoke live in front of a crowd, but it was my first time talking in person to even more than a handful of people at a time (and just a month a earlier, it had been a year since I spoke to literally anyone in person other than Justin)! So I was unsurprisingly anxious and realized while awkwardly introducing myself that I need to work on finding my public speaking groove again. (I had definitely grown comfortable in my zoom speaking & teaching zone, where I could be seated in lounge pants and surrounded by my cats and all the various beverages I could want.) Despite my initial unease though, the Q&A was nice. It was moderated by IndieWorks alum Stacey Maltin, who did a great job picking up on the nuances of each of the films. I look forward to finding my groove again and doing more speaking at other live festivals later this year.

  • I got a few nice comments about how amazing the cast chemistry was; and one guy told me it was exactly his type of humor and his favorite of the festival. Also, an elderly woman told me she didn’t understand my film but she thanked me for seeing my vision through - which was endearing and oddly sweet.

  • I was excited to experience my first drive-in but it unfortunately got rained out the night we planned to go. The festival was able to quickly pivot and secure a screening room inside the lodge to screen the night’s films, though. We ended up grabbing dinner while that was being organized, but it looked like a major success from their photos. Overall, the festival staff did a wonderful job making this strange year easing back in a success. They provided a lot of opportunities to safely connect with other filmmakers and experience other local artists through live music and things like the craft fair I mentioned. It was a lovely weekend “in the sticks” (as Upstate-born Justin would say).

  • This post was still pretty long - sorry!

-Christina

Local Vegan Treat:

  • Everything at Brix is delicious!

Catch the film next at:


Ax Wound Film Festival Recap

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I just returned from Brattleboro, Vermont, where “The Gaze” screened at the 5th annual Ax Wound Film Festival. This was my 4th time at the festival. I wrote about how much I love the festival in past recaps from 2016 and 2017, so I’ll keep this one brief.

Ax Wound isn’t a big buzzy festival, but it is definitely one to aspire to be part of because of its heart. Like I stated in my Horrible Imaginings recap, where Miguel’s warmth is what makes that festival stand out, I feel the same about this fest because of festival director Hannah Neurotica (founder of Women in Horror Month). Her kindness sets the tone for the screening event. There’s something so sincere and special about the way she treats filmmakers and gets genuinely excited about the work we’ve made. And the intimate atmosphere she creates makes you really feel part of something bigger than just showing up for a screening; it leads to really nuanced discussions about the craft of filmmaking and our individual artistic intentions. It’s also one of the few times I’m on a stage with a group of filmmakers and get to just represent myself instead of feeling like I have to speak for all woman-identifying directors.

As for this specific year’s festival, it was especially great because I again attended with my mom. Any time I get to spend with her is always a joy. And I got to be reunited with a few filmmaker friends I met at past years at Ax Wound (including Julia Berkey, who was a grip for “The Gaze” and there with her own short), while making a handful of new friends too. The festival was overall well attended, with the early morning and late night screenings pulling in around 30-35, and the rest of the blocks through the day (including ours) hitting nearly 50 people in attendance. The Q&As were timed well and gave everyone a chance to speak, with space to really dissect the creative process. There were rich conversations that spanned themes and processing trauma to practical tips for special effects and working with collaborators. It was a lovely time and one I hope to have again next year.

Also, they have the best swag bags around, no contest. Thanks to all the sponsors who make that possible! And thanks to Hannah, Ashlee Blackwell of Graveyard Shift Sisters and the volunteer team for another wonderful experience screening my work.

-Christina

Local Vegan Treat:

  • Superfresh! Organic Cafe has some tasty vegan desserts, including a chocolate vanilla pie that we enjoyed a slice of!

Catch the film next at:

  • This was it for 2019 screenings. We hear about the remainder of our run through the Spring in early 2020.

Nightmares Film Festival Recap

in ,

I just got back from Columbus, Ohio where “The Gaze” screened at Nightmares Film Festival. This was my third year with a film in the festival but my first time attending. I’m so glad I finally got to experience it.

Going into the weekend, I was little bummed to be traveling alone since I had such a fun time last weekend with some of the team at Adirondack Film Festival. But that feeling quickly subsided because I found myself chatting with people right away while waiting for the opening night film; and from that point forward I was completely immersed in the festival.

The real highlight of Nightmares is the venue itself. The Gateway Film Center is wonderful. The screens are beautiful, with amazing sound systems, and the seats are so comfortable. I saw 5 features and over 40 shorts and everything looked & sounded amazing. The venue also has a bar inside with a food menu. And it’s centrally located enough that popping in and out for coffee or other food options was super convenient. Also, the upstairs lounge that leads to the two theaters where the festival’s screenings are held is very conducive for striking up conversations and making connections while between screenings. That no-pressure ability to meet people, combined with the scheduled filmmaker meetup Friday afternoon, led to quite a few new acquaintances that may become longterm friends.

The screening blocks are packed with films, so the Q&As are brief and sometimes skipped all together. But I got some great comments about “The Gaze” after the block. A few people complimented or asked about pulling off the VFX (done by Sean Mannion). And this crowd in particular enjoyed the meta layers to the film. Some mentioned that they really enjoyed the surprise of the ending.

I know filmmakers appreciate my transparent breakdowns of what to expect out of the festivals I attend, so here’s a rundown of what I experienced at Nightmares. In addition to the impeccable technical aspects, the festival gets good overall attendance. I was pleasantly surprised to see that with nearly 70 people at the opening night films that ended after 1am, there still managed to be 40 people at the 9am film the following morning. My block was nearly sold out with over people 70 people in the room. And that seemed to be the case, at least through most of Friday and Saturday (I had to leave before the final day). The last block Saturday started at 2am. I have no idea what that turnout was like but I heard a lot of people say they were going to stick around for it, and many of those people had been there for the 10am screenings that day! That’s something unique about the festival. While I’d say most of the attendees were other filmmakers, Nightmares has a small but super devoted base of fans who just love horror and love meeting genre creators. I met a group of men who drive from Indiana every year to watch as much as possible (they were definitely in the 10am to 4am group of watchers). They don’t make movies, they just love watching movies and call themselves horror cinephiles. I’ve been to horror conventions before and know how super fans can be. But these guys are unique in that they specifically love independent horror and take pride in discovering new voices within the genre. It was really cool seeing them excitedly ask the attending filmmakers to sign their postcards and other memorabilia that we indie filmmakers are so used to nobody caring about at most festivals.

As for the programming as a whole, they do a good job of offering very different options across two screens the whole time. It gives people the choice for what best suits their tastes & interests, and showcases the full variety of what the genre offers. Overall, I found the films had really high production value, but were, unfortunately, pretty heavy on the male gaze (which isn’t uncommon at most genre fests that aren’t explicitly inclusion focused or run by women). I will say that they don’t shy away from critiques and conversations surrounding issues within the genre, as evidenced by their programming of a Social Progress Through Horror panel every year, where diverse panelists are encouraged to speak openly. I appreciated that panel and Jason & Chris(fest founders)’s overall openness to discussion.

All in all, I had a nice weekend and enjoyed having my film as part of the festival.

-Christina

Local Vegan Treat:

  • There was thankfully one vegan option in the area, a vegan fast food place 2 blocks away called Eden Burger, and they had really tasty desserts!

Catch the film next at:

Adirondack Film Festival Recap

in ,

I just got back from a wonderful weekend in Glens Falls attending the Adirondack Film Festival for my short “The Gaze” and Kelsey’s short “Revelations.” Kelsey & I attended last year and absolutely loved it. Here’s that recap, which details all the amazing aspects of the festival we were delighted to discover for the first time. This year, we were thankfully joined by Dani Thomas, our team member and Kelsey’s fiancée, for the whole 4-day trip, as well as “Revelations” Cinematographer Kimberly Drew Whiten and her girlfriend Rosemary Janeiro on Saturday. We all had a blast.

We were initially disappointed to see that, despite having two screenings for each film (one on each day), our blocks were actually programmed up against each other both days. We realized this would mean having to divide and conquer during our screenings, rather than be there to support each other. However, it actually ended up being kind of cool swapping screenings between the two days. The venues are all in walking distance, so it was easy to head over to each other’s block after we each introduced our respective film.

The audience reactions to both films were great! “Revelations” got a low of “aww”s at a sweet moment, and many people commented on how touching the short was and that they especially appreciated the representation of queer women over 40. “The Gaze” got a really loud “HA!” at an appropriate moment towards the end, which was fun to hear. Some filmmakers had nice comments after, and I had 2 local encounters that were really thrilling. One was when a man who I’d assume would dislike my film (based on a conservative appearance), came over to tell me he really enjoyed it and was considering buying one of the drawings based on it (more on the drawings later). And the other was when a young couple came over at the afterparty and said they just had to meet me and discuss the “brilliance” of my film. One of the young women was a local college student and an aspiring actor. She was so excited to chat with me that I couldn’t help but be really excited to chat with her! I’m glad the film resonated so much. It was a joy meeting and speaking with them.

Beyond our own screenings, we all watched over 50 shorts and multiple features. We went to parties and ate amazing meals. And most of all, made a bunch of new friends. I’m not going to recap the whole experience because it would be unnecessarily long (too late?). But I’d like to highlight some reasons why this festival is truly something special. Between my own work and traveling to festivals for my role with Seed&Spark, I’ve attended probably 100 festivals at this point, including some top tier ones. And this one just completely stands out. It's definitely in my top 3 as a filmmaker.

  • The community really shows up! This festival has 6 screens going at once the entire time and somehow manages to nearly fill all rooms. I’ve been in screenings where there are 200 people sitting there, which you’d think would mean the other venues are empty, but in fact none has less than 30 people and most have significantly more. I’ve never experienced local, non-filmmaker crowds like this. It’s truly wonderful. At both screenings of both “The Gaze” and “Revelations,” 60 people were in the room. Seriously. We counted. During the same window of time, we each had somewhere between 58 and 65 people watching our film. And this happened two days in row! That’s amazing, and that was in just 2 of the 6 venues.

  • Speaking of the venues, they’re great! They all have excellent picture and sound. Even the ones that aren’t actual theaters have an immersive quality thanks to efforts of the technical staff. They all also have a lot of character that give you a sense of the town.

  • And the town itself is worthwhile. It’s really easy and enjoyable to walk around. There are great shops and restaurants (with vegan options). And with the fall foliage, just standing around in the center of town is its own reward.

  • The programming is excellent! Head of Programming Jess Levandoski talks about her programming process in this article. I really respect her taste, and I appreciate her commitment to inclusion and representation. The audience is pretty homogeneous (white and mostly retirement age). So I think it’s wonderful that Jess makes it a point to program content that will possibly challenge their points of view. (And I find it equally wonderful that they all keep coming out for those diverse perspectives each year.) The shorts blocks are put together with such thoughtful curation and aren’t crammed with too many films (they all cap out around 60 minutes). And I really, really love that they create an overt distinction between invitational features (called “headliners”) and the truly independent features coming from submissions. I talked more about this last year, since we were there with a feature.

  • The accommodations and community-building are top notch. The festival takes care of the filmmakers in big and small ways! Not only does the festival offer a free hotel room to every single film with someone in attendance, they also have free food at a party every night and at one filmmaker breakfast. The festival staff members are also super warm and welcoming. They all recognize you and your film, and really make filmmakers feel special. This is most apparent in the existence of the Tooning In Gallery, which consists of drawings by local artist Anthony Richichi. He draws at least one piece inspired by a frame in each film that has a representative in attendance. I’ve never seen that anywhere else. It’s such a lovely element of the festival, and obviously so much work on his part. I just love it!

I will say that the one con amongst all the pros of the festival is the fact that they don’t have Q&As. I believe it’s because they want to keep things perfectly on time and running smoothly (which they totally do), and Q&As can be unpredictable. But if they’d just build the time into the blocks, I think this very attentive audience would be super into having Q&As. As filmmakers, we don’t just want to see our work in front of a crowd; we want to hear feedback and know how things are being interpreted. We want to discuss our artistic intentions and talk about the making of what we and our collaborators did together. There were so many times through the weekend where I desperately wanted a Q&A. Not even for my own work, but for others. I had questions for the filmmakers, but had to run to catch another screening. Or, even if I could spend the time talking to the filmmaker(s) one-on-one after, what I really wanted was to hear what that particular audience would say or ask about the film(s) in a group setting. There was one block, probably my favorite of the bunch that I saw, called Laugh Therapy. It featured comedies about the experience of being a woman. I feel it tackled underrepresented subject matters in entertaining ways. There were 200 people there and they were laughing non-stop through the block. I would have seriously loved to hear the conversations that’d come out of that room. I think it would’ve been a cathartic experience for so many people involved. The lack of Q&As is the only thing that disappoints me about a festival that is otherwise phenomenal. I hope that they listen to all the filmmakers asking for Q&As this year, and incorporate them next year. And, of course, I hope I’ll be there next year to experience it!

-Christina

Local Vegan Treat:

Catch “The Gaze” next at:

“Revelations” premieres on our site on November 5th!