Happy Valentine's Day from CongestedCat!

Watch Short Films About Love

We're breaking our monthly newsletter formula for this month only because we think sharing and celebrating love is so important right now. Below find four of our favorite shorts about love by local filmmakers that we've screened at our monthly screening series, IndieWorks.

"La Loteria," Written & Directed by Shahir Daud/ Produced by Shivali Gulab

"July," Written & Directed by Jason Latorre/ Produced by Tara Latorre

"The Bureau of Short-Term Affairs," Directed by Bryan Artiles/ Written & Produced by Sissy Denkova

"Hungry For Love," Written & Directed by Justin Ambrosino/ Produced by Soojin Chun

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And watch "Kelsey," a piece of our own content, our critically acclaimed 10 episode web series about friendship and finding love. Free on our site! 

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And lastly, be sure to check out and support our latest creative endeavor, our second feature film, About a Donkey, currently crowdfunding for production funds. We believe this film will combat hate and spread hope. We believe it will invite people to empathize with others who may not necessarily look or live like them because, after all, love is love.  

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We hope you feel love today, whether it be romantic, familial, platonic... Just love. 

Meet Burgh! (Seed&Spark update)

Burgh is played by Ben Kaufman. You know how growing up you maybe have a picture in your head of who your perfect significant other would be, and then you meet the person you'll end up with and they're nothing like that picture but so much better? Casting Ben as Burgh was kind of like that, where we had a very specific idea of who Burgh should be. We wanted someone with a bit of different look and a bit more of a bubbly vibrance; but then Ben came in and brought his own feel to the character and it just felt right -- he felt like Burgh. He also had amazing chemistry in his callback with Christina Shea-Wright (who had already been cast as Cecilia). He brings a lot of depth and heart to his snarky one-liners. We're excited to see more of what he brings to Burgh. Watch what he has to say about the character and the film. 

More about Burgh:

Burgh is a charming prankster who works in Broadcast and is currently seeing Cassie, a local politician who also happens to be his sister Annie's nemesis.

Suggested Tweet: Meet Burgh, one of the characters in #aboutadonkey, an inclusive comedy currently crowdfunding on @seedandspark! https://vimeo.com/203862959.

Suggested Facebook Post: Meet Burgh, one of the characters in About a Donkey, an inclusive comedy film currently raising funds to make their full feature! https://vimeo.com/203862959.

We've got a big push to hit 50% by tomorrow. Thank you everyone who's making it happen!  

-Christina, Kelsey & the team

Meet Annie! (Seed&Spark update)

Annie is played by Alexandra Clayton. I've known Alexandra for a couple years now because we screened a web series she co-created at our monthly screening series IndieWorks. But I'm really happy that we're now becoming friends and getting to collaborate as a result of this project. She's such a lovely person and a versatile actor. Annie, being the only character in their 20s that we were casting for, led to the most actor submissions of all the roles. We had hundreds, possibly over a thousand submit just for her. But Alexandra stood out right away; not just because she showed up to her audition with a fake baby bump, but because she brought such sincerity to the role right from the start. Watch what Alexandra has to say about her character and the film. 

More about Annie: 

Annie, the youngest of the bunch, is on maternity leave from her work as a teacher and on the verge of having her first baby with her husband, Paul. Though arguably the most level-headed of the family, she has been known to go to great lengths to keep everyone smiling.

Suggested Tweet: Meet Annie, one of the characters in #aboutadonkey, an inclusive comedy currently crowdfunding on @seedandspark! https://vimeo.com/203707345.

Suggested Facebook Post: Meet Annie, one of the characters in About a Donkey, an inclusive comedy film currently raising funds to make their full feature! https://vimeo.com/203707345.

We hit 40% thanks to all of you! Our next big push is to hit 50% by Tuesday! Thank you for being part of making this film. Please keep spreading the word so we can reach more people who want to join in making it.

-Christina, Kelsey & the team 

Meet Tim! (Seed&Spark update)

Tim is played by Peter Jensen. In his audition, Peter pulled out an actual printed photo of a donkey when the script called for his character to do so. That's not the reason we cast him, of course, but it definitely made him stand out more than he already had. There's a certain whimsical sadness to Tim. Peter is a much more outgoing and assertive person, but he transforms on screen. We're excited to work with him and fully bring Tim to life. Watch what Peter has to say about his character and the film. 

More about Tim:

Tim’s quiet, thoughtful, and lately has been feeling pretty empty. After spotting a similarly sad looking donkey at a roadside market, he decides to take her home and make her part of the family.

Suggested Tweet: Meet Tim, one of the characters in #aboutadonkey, an inclusive comedy currently crowdfunding on @seedandspark! https://vimeo.com/203501598

Suggested Facebook Post: Meet Tim, one of the characters in About a Donkey, an inclusive comedy film currently raising funds to make their full feature! https://vimeo.com/203501598.  

If you miss any of our Meet the Cast videos along the way, they'll be in the Media Section of our Campaign page after they go out in updates. So far, you've met Cinnamon, Cecilia, Ann & Tim. 

We'd just like to send a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has gotten us to 37%! We believe this film matters; we're so grateful that you feel it does too. As of yesterday's contributions, we're up to date in all our donkey thank you photos. Check out our Facebook page if you missed yours. 

More soon! Now let's hit 40% by this weekend!

-Christina, Kelsey & the team

Meet Ann! (Seed&Spark update)

Yesterday we introduced you to Cecilia; today meet Ann. Ann is played by Katherine Wessling. She was actually the last actor we cast after months of auditioning. Ann is not my favorite character from an audience perspective because I don't personally identify with her as much as others. But she is my favorite from a director's point of view because she's so flawed and complex. At the start of the film, Ann can be very intense. We needed to find an actor who could bring an authenticity to her struggle and handle that drama, but also hit the comedic beats and allow the audience to sympathize with her. Katherine is such a warm and wonderful person; I think she brings a likability to the role while still fully embodying the flaws of the character. I've really enjoyed discussing who Ann is and where she's coming from with Katherine, and cannot wait to collaborate more to bring her to life on screen. Watch what Katherine has to say about her character and the film. 

More about Ann:

Ann has been battling depression for a while, which has caused her to be mostly house-ridden. Because of this, her relationship with her family has suffered. When the donkey comes into their lives she can't help but feel replaced.

Suggested Tweet: Meet Ann, one of the characters in #aboutadonkey, an inclusive comedy currently crowdfunding on @seedandspark! https://vimeo.com/203315517

Suggested Facebook Post: Meet Ann, one of the characters in About a Donkey, an inclusive comedy film currently raising funds to make their full feature! https://vimeo.com/203315517 

We're pushing to get to 40% by this weekend. We have confidence we'll get there. We just need your help to spread the word about why this film matters.

Thank you! 

Christina, Kelsey & the team