IndieWorks

IndieWorks: August Recap

in

Last Wednesday was the August edition of IndieWorks, and it was such a great night! We trimmed our typical 6 film lineup to 5 because three of the films were over 15 minutes (we try not to let the evening run too late) and we wanted to see if last month's overflow of 120 people in house was a fluke or the norm moving forward. As it turns out, we really have grown that much because even with 1 less film, we had over 75 people in house and had to open both floors! The vibe and energy in the room were positive and supportive. The audience seemed to really enjoy the lineup and the night as a whole! 

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 hope you enjoyed all the films and the opportunity to network with other filmmakers and film enthusiasts, and we hope some connections were made!

See photos from the evening:

The films of the night:

Tom in America (Directed by Flavio Alves)
Michael and Betty have been united by one guiding principle: no secrets. But when a provocative Tom of Finland doll triggers Michael's long-buried desires, Betty discovers that secrets have been part of their life all along. 

Before We Lose (Directed by Cristhian Andrews)
The love story of a mother and her 3 year old son and the turn their lives take with her deteriorating health condition in the Black Sea Region of Turkey.

Love & Badminton (Directed by Kenneth Maharaj)
Meldrick Whitaker is at a major cross-road in his life. Stay committed to his beleaguered marriage to Wilamina or succumb to his infatuation to Lisa who happens to be the only person that shares an interest in his favorite avocation, Badminton.

Into The Woods ( Directed by Anne Hu)
An idealistic couple journeys through the treacherous woods of their relationship in hopes of finding love. 

Unwritten ( Directed by Anita Carroll)
A young woman returns to New York City and grapples with heartbreak, loss, and things unsaid.

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 system rating 8 categories of Story, Dialogue/Writing, Direction, Acting, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, and Production Value. The Silver Whiskers winner goes on to screen again at our end of year Best of Fest event in April! 

The Silver Whiskers winner also receives $50 towards a crowdfunding campaign on SeedandSpark.com should they use the platform, and both winners received a free 2015 subscription to Bright Ideas Magazine and have the opportunity to be interviewed for our Insider Series. 

For the August 2015 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Unwritten"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "Before We Lose"

See posters for the winning films below: 

 

The other 3 on our Facebook Page. 

IndieWorks: July 2015 Recap

in

Last Wednesday was the July edition of IndieWorks, and we had our biggest turnout for a monthly screening yet with almost 120 people in house! It was extremely hot outside that night, but people still came out to enjoy some fantastic films with us. We opened both floors and still packed the place. Another first for us was having kids in the People Lounge (seen in our photos below) thanks to one of the films! Overall, it was a wonderful night with a fun lineup & really engaged audience. 

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 hope you enjoyed all the films and the opportunity to network with other filmmakers and film enthusiasts, and we hope some connections were made!

See photos from the evening:

The films of the night:

Solace (Directed by Marvin Van Buren)
A college dropout copes with the loss of his mother and forms an unlikely bond with a homeless man after an encounter with violence. 

Time Signature (Directed by Sean Mannion)
A short film about Danielle, a young woman who befriends her favorite guitarist, Astra, backstage at a concert. The two women head out on an impromptu road trip and Astra reveals that has come to change Danielle's future. . 

Farewell to Robot Arms (Directed by Christopher Ventura & Peter LaSala)
Imprisoned by future technology, a man discovers a forgotten past that helps him and his wife break free.

Live a Little (Directed by Molly McGaughey/Written by Zack Marotta)
About Haley, a young girl who is an overachiever with imagination and anxiety as intense as her ambitions in life. When she is sure she has ingested a poison that will kill her by the end of the day she decides to enlist the help of her best friend to complete every single item on her bucket list.

Lawn Care ( Directed by Marie Schlingmann)
When Nina wakes up to her husband's sudden obsession of caring for their lawn, a day that should be like any other in their suburban home, turns into a symphony of change.

Hungry For Love ( Directed by Justin Ambrosino)
One lonely night in Sapporo, Japan, two foodies meet for the first time and go on an all night dining adventure.

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 system rating 8 categories of Story, Dialogue/Writing, Direction, Acting, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, and Production Value. It goes on to screen at our end of year Best of Fest event in April! 

The Silver Whiskers winner also receives $50 towards a crowdfunding campaign on SeedandSpark.com should they use the platform, and both winners received a free 2015 subscription to Bright Ideas Magazine and have the opportunity to be interviewed for our Insider Series. 

For the July 2015 lineup, our winning filmmakers were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Live a Little"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "Hungry For Love"

See posters for the films below: 

Molly won Audience Choice at our very 1st series in June 2013. We've already done an Insider Series w/her.

IndieWorks: June 2015 (Start of Year 3) Recap

in

Last Wednesday was the June edition of IndieWorks, our first of Year 3! We ended up only screening 5 films instead of our usual 6 because a filmmaker couldn't make it and, since our series is largely about community building, it didn't make sense to screen the film without a representative. But even so, we had an excellent lineup of films and a packed house with over 60 people, including an audience that really seemed to engage with the films and filmmakers. 

We'd just like to say thank you to everyone who came out to support the filmmakers and spend the evening with us. We hope you enjoyed all the films and the opportunity to network with other filmmakers and film enthusiasts, and overall had as much fun as we did!

See photos from the evening:

Photos by our friend & photographer Alyssa Meadows.

The films of the night:

The Way You Love (Directed by Lydia Darly)
A short about unconditional love and forgiveness of the past in order to be free. 

Tadaima (Directed by Robin D'Oench)
After the closure of the US Internment Camps at the end of World War II, a Japanese American family returns home and must find the strength to rebuild both their house and family amidst the emotional and physical destruction caused by the war.

In Loving Memory of Uncle Harold (Directed by Lily van Leeuwen)
At a reunion Winnie tries to bring her estranged family members closer together by playing a family game 

Places (Directed by Adam Taylor)
A short film about the complication of flirting.

Rolling ( Directed by Adam Volerich)
A teenage couple celebrates their last night together with an evening of drugs and music, but when the party ends before the drugs wear off they find themselves wandering the suburbs with nothing to do.

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 system rating 8 categories of Story, Dialogue/Writing, Direction, Acting, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, and Production Value. It goes on to screen at our end of year Best of Fest event in April! 

The Silver Whiskers winner also receives $50 towards a crowdfunding campaign on SeedandSpark.com should they use the platform, and both winners received a free 2015 subscription to Bright Ideas Magazine and have the opportunity to be interviewed for our Insider Series. 

For the June 2015 lineup, our winning filmmakers were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Rolling"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "Tadaima"

See the trailers of both films below: