Tuesday evening was our third screening in our 7th year of IndieWorks and, coming off the heels of a decision to test venues for the new annual season, it was our first time trying out Sanger Hall. Other than a few minor hiccups from using a new tech system in a new space, the night went extremely well and the venue really suited the needs of our series. It has the warm vibes that we’ve been searching for in a new home. We had 30 people in house for our five moving and thoughtful films of the evening. A slightly smaller crowd than usual, but we anticipate getting back to our typical attendance now that we’ll be sticking with a permanent venue again moving forward. That said, the audience was very engaged and had great questions throughout our conversational Q&As. The first half of the lineup featured powerful documentaries that were very specific to New York City but in a larger sense explored identity and contemporary America. The second half featured poignant and heartwarming narrative pieces about love and loss, and the communities that embrace us. All 5 pieces left us feeling and contemplating long after we initially watched them, and we believe the audience had a similar experience. 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 know some connections were made!
We hope to see YOU at our September screening on the 17th, again at Sanger Hall in Sunnyside, for a narrative mix featuring a couple comedies about every day struggles and a couple dramas about family and self-discovery.
See photos from the evening:
The Films of the night:
¡Hola Kitty! (Directed by Daniel Burity)
The film addresses the challenging issues of Latino illegal immigrants in the US. The main subject is a Latino immigrant who works in New York City in a Hello Kitty costume; a popular Japanese fictional character.
Reflections at 29 (Directed by Tanmaya Shekhar)
Tanmaya looks back on his life on the eve of his 29th birthday.
Neighborhood (Directed by Ben Garchar)
The lives of three strangers—a pigeon keeper, a webcam model, and a man haunted by ghosts—intertwine mysteriously amidst the backdrop of a rapidly gentrifying Bushwick.
As One (Written & Produced by Tawny Sorensen, Directed by David Spaltro)
Jill must put one foot in front of the other to move through her grief, and with connection she discovers that every mile has a story.
Closet Supes (Written & Directed by Kesav Wable)
Two East-Indian step-brothers, one straight and the other queer, host a podcast where they discuss queer innuendo in their favorite comics growing up. When a mysterious listener confronts one of them after an episode covering Hindu religious comics that were popular in 1980s India, the duo are taken on an unexpected journey.
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.
The August 2019 winning films were:
Audience Choice Award: As One
Silver Whiskers Award: Neighborhood
