Last Thursday night we had a casual cast & crew viewing of the film. We still have a bit of work to do on the sound mix, but it's 99% there! It was so exciting getting to share the film with the cast & crew, and such fun getting to spend time all together again (now over 7 months since we wrapped production)! The overall response was really positive. We have plans for a more formal premiere with the team & supporters next year. But in the meantime, we're working hard to wrap this baby up and start submitting to festivals!
IndieWorks: Halloween Special Recap
in IndieWorks
Happy Halloween! Last Tuesday was the October edition of IndieWorks, and our annual Halloween Special! As big horror film fans and makers ourselves, Halloween is always a treat for us. We screened 6 spooky shorts and had 45 people in house. A nice sized crowd considering the rainy evening! The films ranged in style, gore, sub-genre and tone. It was a really fun and eclectic lineup than conveyed the different ways horror can be interpreted and portrayed. Some interesting conversations were had!
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 films 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 November screening on the 14th!
See photos from the evening:
The Films of the night:
The Run-In (Directed by Pete Talamo, Written & Produced by Heidi Kikel)
On her way home from a late night party, Hannah experiences an unnerving encounter with a stranger who leaves her mentally paralyzed.
Mare (Directed by Nicole Solomon, Written & Produced by Nicole Solomon & Sean Mannion)
Sean, an anxious and isolated man, goes about his mundane daily routine with a pleasant twist: an unexpected trip to sunny Brighton Beach. His desire to enjoy the gentle breeze, lapping waves, and sunny skies is put to the test as the beach itself seems to turn against him, culminating in an unexpected and deadly confrontation with a mysterious, demonic creature.
I Baked Him a Cake (Directed by Vanessa Ionta Wright, Written & Produced by Samantha Kolesnik)
Lenora can't wait for Dad to come home to celebrate his birthday. The cake is ready, the balloons are out, and the gifts are piled. Only, where is Dad?
Through the Wide Gate (Written & Directed by Patrick Clement, Produced by Catherine Kosiba)
A sensitive young woman stalks a romantic rival in this 1970's-revival psychological drama.
Holiday Fear (Written & Directed by Nicholas Santos, Produced by Matthew John Lawrence, Nicholas Santos, Kyle I. Kelley)
In the final act of a slasher film, Bruce attempts to reclaim his manliness and impress the final girl by finishing off the killer.
Smile (Directed by Bill Kirstein, Written & Produced by Bill Kirstein & Ginny Leise)
A man tells a woman on the street to Smile. He lives to regret it.
Watch our Q&A Recap (shot & edited by Kimberly Drew Whiten). *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 system rating 8 categories of 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 a free Social Media audit ($200 value) from 4MileCircus.
For the October 2017 lineup, our winning films were:
Audience Choice Award: "The Run-In"
Silver Whiskers Award: "Smile"
Q&A with Christina about "Hello"
in Short Films, Press
About a Donkey - Donkey Visit! (Seed&Spark Update)
The film isn't 100% finished just yet. We're still making adjustments to our sound mix and color. But we're super close!
We decided to take a trip over the weekend to visit our titular donkey Cinnamon, her mom Susie, and all our other donkey & human friends at Donkey Park.
We got to share the cut of the film with the human Donkey Park board members, as well as with the stars of the film. See the video below!
Big thanks to everyone pictured in the above photo who rescued Cinnamon & Susie and made their involvement with our film possible. The Donkey Park team all really enjoyed the film. We're so glad we got to share it with them, and we hope to have more screenings in their area next year!
More news to come!
-Christina, Kelsey & the team
Official Selection Ax Wound Film Festival!
Christina's short films, "Night In" and "Enough," are official selections of the 2017 Ax Wound Film Festival in November! It'll be the last festival screening for "Night In," and the first for "Enough." Christina will be attending!
