independent film

IndieWorks: November Recap

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Last Wednesday was the November edition of IndieWorks, and it was a great night! We're so glad we closed out 2015 with such a lovely evening. We screened 6 fantastic films, all exploring very different characters in different facets of life, from the painful to the confusing to the heartwarming. The lineup was really exemplary of the boundless stories to tell and the variety of ways those stories can be told in short film form. The vibe in the room was engaged and encouraging. The audience seemed to really enjoy the diverse 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! (Also, a thank you to intern Flavio Barreiro for filling in for our resident photographer for the evening.)

See photos from the evening:

The Films of the night:

Ahora Veo (Directed by Marco Antonio Martinez)
Tells the story of an estranged immigrant laborer who returns to his home country after years of living illegally in the United States. His story unfolds as a letter written to his once young wife in the hope she receives it before he arrives.

Leaving Home (Directed by Natalie Fullaondo)
A young girl must come to a decision about her future after dealing with her father's alcoholism and expectations.

Najmia (Directed by Cristhian Andrews)
As labor nears, a pregnant 12-year old Yemeni child bride must endure the challenges of her everyday life. Inspired by the true story of Fawziya Abdullah Youssef. 

Pillows (Directed by Ann Carr/Written & Produced by Ginny Leise)
When Haley lands on her old friend Amanda's doorstep, she uses every distraction she can get her hands on to keep from talking about including Amanda's brother. 

Men Without Women (Directed by John S Fisher)
A New York City story that follows two friends as they balance the fragile line between friends and lovers.

Across the Pond (Directed by Jessica M Thompson)
Grace discovers a treasure map from the 1920s, which sends her on an adventure through the streets of timeless New York City. 

 

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 November 2015 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Najmia"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "Pillows"

Usually, at this point we'd plug our next screening, which was meant to be on January 13th. However, we were just notified and are deeply saddened by the news that the People Lounge, the home of IndieWorks for the past 2.5 years, will be shutting down in January. 

So, we've decided to instead have a farewell party for them on January 6th, and then pick back up with our monthly screenings at our new TBD venue in February. If you'd like to help us find a new space, you can read more about our venue needs in this post. In any case, we hope you'll join us to bid farewell to the wonderful & supportive People Lounge. 

 

IndieWorks: October Recap

in

Wednesday was the October edition of IndieWorks, and it was a lovely evening! We had a smaller crowd than usual of about 30 people (we think because we have 2 screenings this month), but the audience was in no way lacking. Whenever we have smaller crowds, we tend to have a little more audience engagement during the Q&A's. That was certainly the case here, and the discussions had and stories told were just amazing. 

We'd 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!

We'd also like to say a big thank you to our new guest hosts who filled in as MC's of the evening (and who we'll definitely have back again), Ricardo Manigat & Shelby Zoe Coley. Also, a thank you to our intern Flavio Barreiro for covering photography of the evening.

See photos from the night:

The films of the night:

 

Araignee (Directed by Jeremy Jensen)
Two talented spiders compete against each other. Who will be the best weaving master? 

Coffee Shop Conversations (Directed by Kimberly DiPersia)
A comedic series of vignettes in a coffee shop, capturing moments in the lives of patrons and employees. 

Introducing Parker Dowd (Directed by Lauren Ashley Carter/ Written & Produced by Rebecca Blaine Carton)
A dark comedy about a struggling actress who loses a role to her dog and must watch him skyrocket to celebrity as she descends into vengeful madness.

The Texture of the Light (Directed by Arilyn I. Martinez Cora)
A single mother is forced to revisit her past when she desperately needs the stem cells of her ex-boyfriend Javier to help improve her son’s eyesight 

Feeling Wanted (Directed by Yasmin Mistry)
Charell, age 6, woke up to find herself alone. She made breakfast, dropped her baby sister off with a neighbor, and walked to school. With a dad incarcerated for murder, a mom on drugs & a childhood in foster care, Charell knew it was time to break the cycle.

 

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 October 2015 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Feeling Wanted"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "The Texture of the Light"

See trailers for the winning films below: