IndieWorks: February Recap

Last Tuesday was the February edition of IndieWorks! It was a sweet and sometimes somber lineup. With 4 films, we had over 50 people in attendance, made up of a super engaged audience.  All the films of the evening focused on the quest to make a connection, and the genres ranged from scifi to horror-comedy to whimsical fantasy to slice of life! The Q&A was filled with great comments and discussions!

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 March screening on the 13th -  featuring a more experimental lineup with issue focused works. 

See photos from the evening:

The Films of the night:

Faithful as Salt (Directed by Jaclyn Gramigna, Written by Jaclyn Gramigna & Stephanie Iscovitz)
A lonely vampire is doomed to a life of perpetual grief.  

Secret Admirer (Written & Directed by Ashley Denise & Ricki Lynée)
Things escalate quickly when Amanda receives a series of unmarked packages at her front door. 

The Origin of Fantasies (Directed by Tanmaya Shekhar, Written by Rosie duPont)
A hair salon janitor FRAGRANCE has an unlikely encounter with a celebrity she's in love with.   

Rooftops of My City (Written & Directed by Maya Jasmin)
The story of two neighbors who meet on their rooftops - both foreigners and artists from Europe living in Brooklyn.

Watch our Q&A Recap (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 rating system of 8 categories:   StoryDialogue/WritingDirectionActingCinematographySoundEditing, and Production Value, along with a nuanced discussion focused on inclusion and originalityThe 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 February 2018 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "The Origin of Fantasies"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "Rooftops of My City" 

Join us next month for our March edition on the 13th!

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CongestedCat is Casting

  • "The Gaze" 

Writer/Director/Producer: Christina Raia,  Co-Produced with 4milecircus.

PREMISE:

An actor is repeatedly catcalled on her way home from a film shoot until she finds just the kind of guy she's looking for.

Short (approx. 7 min). Looking for non-union talent only.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS: 

Ricky: (Lead) 18-27 yrs old, Asian-American ideally, but open to any ethnic minority. Sweet girl-next-door type with an edge hidden under the surface. 

Grace: (Supporting) 70's+, Any race/ethnicity. Stern demeanor. Must be thin or not too fit, to be able to be made fragile looking. (A younger (20s) version of this character will be cast based on the look of the older actor.)

The Creep: (Supporting) Early 30s, White. "All-American" looking man who has a darkness lurking inside. Must be able to scream loudly and be comfortable with spewing vulgar language at people. Involves action.

Scream Queen: (Supporting) 18-30 yrs old, Any race/ethnicity. Must be able to scream like a classic scream queen. Involves a chase scene. 

Guy: (Supporting) 20s-30s, Mixed race/Multi-ethnic. Hipstery. Well-intentioned but pushy crew member. 

Also need men of varying ages/backgrounds/styles to be catcallers. And woman-identifying individuals of varying backgrounds to be part of a small, intense gathering. These roles will not require all day, only a few hours of time.

Production will happen over one weekend in Queens in May.

No pay. IMDb credit, meals, and footage for reels will be provided. This film will be high quality and submitted to festivals, but is meant to be a cathartic experience for all involved. Will be a no-budget, casual, community-oriented filmmaking experience. Totally open to beginner actors. One day commitment for all roles except the lead.

All submissions & inquiries to be sent to: christina@congestedcat.com

 Please include headshot, resume and any possible footage. Will initially request a video audition.