jamie dinicola

IndieWorks - Kicking off June with Pride Recap

in

Last Tuesday was the start of our 7th season at IndieWorks, as well as our annual Pride celebration featuring shorts across different styles & genres all with LGBTQ+ representation both on & off screen! Coming off the heels of a decision to test venues for the new annual season, we decided to cap our program at 4 shorts. Our trial venue for this month, though an improvement in terms of the immersive quality we’re aiming for this year, is smaller than we’d like for our permanent new home. So we kept the program short and our external promotion minimal in order to keep the room from overflowing. Because of this, we had our smallest turnout yet of only 25 people. But it actually ended up being the perfect size for the space, and resulted in one of our loveliest Q&A’s with a real intimacy to the discussion. We hope the filmmakers and audience felt the same. And we'd like to say thank you to them 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 know some connections were made!

We hope to see them and more of an audience at our July screening on the 30th, this time at Nuyorican Poets Cafe, for an eclectic mix of shorts about the hurdles and humor of being seen and making a connection.

See photos from the evening:

The Films of the night:

The Flickering Forest (Written & Directed Rebecca Shoptaw)
A queer fairy tale in which an eerie yet charming forest spirit leads a girl into the woods.

Like Glass (Directed by Andrew K. Meyer, Written by David Elijah)
Zion, a club kid grappling with their gender-fluid identity, finds liberation in New York City’s avant-garde nightlife scene while facing backlash from their boyfriend who struggles to understand.

Seeing Glory (Written & Directed by Rick Hamilton)
Gloria prepares a feast of the senses for the rapidly ailing Eva in an attempt to share a perfect evening and be seen for the woman she truly is. 

Will I Say So (Written & Directed by Jamie DiNicola)
Simply, a story of vulnerability. 

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 next 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. 

62597580_2810715489001744_5337286598096584704_n.jpg

For the June 2019 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Like Glass"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "Will I Say So" 

Join us for our July edition on the 30th!

IndieWorks - September Recap

in

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 5 episodes total and had 35 people in house. Smaller crowd than usual, but considering the pouring rain all day, it was quite an impressive turnout! Web series month always plays a little different because we can’t fully program thematically, the way we would other months. We only showcase web series once per month, so we have to be extra selective based on what we get, while also making it a point to highlight the different styles, genres, and unique stories being told in the local episodic space. So, it ends up being a very eclectic night where the only thing fully tying the lineup together is the fact that the stories are all ongoing rather than standalone. It seems this audience was onboard for the ride and enjoyed the different series highlighted.

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 30th! (We’ll be in costume and it’s going to be super spooky & fun!) 

See photos from the evening:

The Series of the night:

Open Mic (Creator, Writer: J. Martin Raider, Director: Larry Alan Rosenzweig)
David hosts an open mic and struggles to survive while raising his son in New York City.

Split (Creator, Writer: Yael Shavitt, Director: Molly McGaughey)
After auditioning for a drama high school, 13-year-old Sammy makes a crucial choice that splits the path of her life in two. Flash forward twelve years: in one world, Sammy’s grown into Sam, a confident up-and-coming actress in a turbulent relationship with her girlfriend. In another world, she’s Samantha, an eager assistant director living a life of routine with her longtime boyfriend.

Hidden Guardians (Creator, Writer, Director: Daniel Armour)
Held hostage by her abusive father Albur, sixteen year old Zadie Emerson desperately fights to get free and start a new life. When she awakens a mysterious power within her, however, she must decided between using it to runaway or exacting her revenge. 

Queer & Down (Creator, Writer, Director: Jamie DiNicola)
Noah and Julia have never felt like they belonged; aside from with each other.

"Queer & Down" is the story of a young queer couple navigating their love for one another, and their sexualities. Noah, a queer transgender man, hopes to find belonging in a world that denounces his unique masculinity. Julia tries to find her place in a world that invalidates feminine queerness. 

Adult (Creator, Writer: Tatienne Hendricks-Tellefsen, Director: Cynthia Silver)
Two unlikely friends with a ten year age gap, Clementine (19) and Allison (29), face problems from the harsh, judgmental world, and find solace in their weird, but loving friendship.

Watch our Q&A Recap. 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 this specialty month we'll exclude our Silver Whiskers pick and 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 and 50% off 4MileCircus' post-production audio cleaning service for a future project. 

For the September 2018 lineup, our winning series was:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Adult"

Join us next month for our Halloween edition on the 30th! 

(The deadline to submit for consideration is September 29th.)

14368700_1206699062736736_1426299267256859161_n.jpg

IndieWorks: Pride (Year 6 Kickoff) Recap

in

Last Tuesday was the June (Pride-themed) edition of IndieWorks, and our first of Year 6! We screened 5 films and had over 60 people in house! Our first two films were dramatic, narrative pieces. They were beautifully shot, thought-provoking, and often bittersweet in nature. The second set of three films were slightly more experimental, all exploring identity in different ways. The styles and genres of those ranged but were all very visually driven. All the pieces of the night featured LGBTQ characters and celebrated the beautiful diversity that exists with pride. Some lovely discussions were had, and the night was a big success!

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 all enjoyed the films and the opportunity to network with other filmmakers and film enthusiasts. We know some connections were made! 

Enjoy the rest of Pride month! And we hope you'll join us again for our July screening on the 10th -  featuring an exceptional lineup of shorts focused on loss, grief, and healing. 

See photos from the evening:

The Films of the night:

Her Being Home (Directed by Ellie Gravitte, Written by Sophia Maro)
A young woman turns to an unexpected place to find comfort in a new home.  

Sanctuary (Directed by Jeanette Sears & Nicole Solomon, Written by Jeanette Sears)
Throughout the 1960’s, gay bars served as havens for a marginalized queer community across the country. Frequent police raids and laws dictating women to wear three pieces of “gender appropriate clothing” resulted in countless cases of police harassment, assault, and brutality. "Sanctuary" follows Meg and Abigail as they navigate their interaction and coping process after one such raid. 

Spot (Written & Directed by Jamie DiNicola)
A group of twenty-somethings circle around a stoop and share a joint when one of them gets lost in the mystery and beauty of the urban sidewalk - a mosaic of stories emerge. Spot pushes the known boundaries of diversity and inclusion in indie filmmaking.  

Living Waters (Directed & Animated by Ezra Ray)
When Judaism and transgender experiences intersect, there are many revenues of discourse and action that a trans individual can pursue. This experimental animation shows the birth and subsequent transformation of the protagonist through a Jewish lens. Jewish rituals of purification and transformation are found within water, and offer a path of renewal in this film. 

Hopelessly (Written & Directed by Tony Clemente)
Darren is determined to find a connection, no matter how many people he has to go through. Explore the day in the life of a queer, polyamorous relationship, in all its awkward beauty.

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 next 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. 

For the June 2018 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Sanctuary"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "Her Being Home"