IndieWorks

IndieWorks - July Recap

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Tuesday was our July edition of IndieWorks. We screened 4 films and had over 50 people in house! All four dealt with grief and overcoming loss. The styles and genres varied, but all were compelling and extremely well done. Some thoughtful discussions were had. We, unfortunately, had patrons in the bar in back that were a bit noisier than usual at times. But, overall, the night was a big success!

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 all enjoyed the films and the opportunity to network with other filmmakers and film enthusiasts. We know some connections were made! 

We hope you'll join us again for our August screening on the 14th -  featuring a fun lineup of thrillers, scifi, and animation.

See photos from the evening:

The Films of the night:

En Route (Directed by Pamela Harris, Written by Pamela Harris & Kathryn Rhoads, Produced by Elisabeth Ness)
Two estranged sisters must face each other for the first time in a year -- on the 6-minute ride to their deceased brother's memorial.  

Tyrannosaurus Death! (Written & Directed by Adam Volerich)
A whimsical romp through suburban melancholy told through split timelines. We follow Russell, a traumatized loner who poetically narrates us through the past and present as he commits a life-altering faux pas and tries to bounce back from it. 

Rockaway Moon (Written & Directed by Charlotte Purser)
After the loss of her husband, a young mother refuses to leave the house. One morning, her sister coaxes her out for a daylong adventure in their childhood neighborhood, Rockaway, Queens. Memories arise around every corner as they make their way to the beach. 

We Were Kids (Written & Directed by Adam Taylor)
Unwelcome circumstances compel an equally unwelcome reunion for two long estranged brothers. 

Watch our Q&A Recap. *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:   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 50% off 4MileCircus' post-production audio cleaning service for a future project. 

For the July 2018 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Tyrannosaurus Death!"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "We Were Kids" 

Join us next month for our August edition on the 14th!

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IndieWorks: Pride (Year 6 Kickoff) Recap

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Last Tuesday was the June (Pride-themed) edition of IndieWorks, and our first of Year 6! We screened 5 films and had over 60 people in house! Our first two films were dramatic, narrative pieces. They were beautifully shot, thought-provoking, and often bittersweet in nature. The second set of three films were slightly more experimental, all exploring identity in different ways. The styles and genres of those ranged but were all very visually driven. All the pieces of the night featured LGBTQ characters and celebrated the beautiful diversity that exists with pride. Some lovely discussions were had, and the night was a big success!

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 all enjoyed the films and the opportunity to network with other filmmakers and film enthusiasts. We know some connections were made! 

Enjoy the rest of Pride month! And we hope you'll join us again for our July screening on the 10th -  featuring an exceptional lineup of shorts focused on loss, grief, and healing. 

See photos from the evening:

The Films of the night:

Her Being Home (Directed by Ellie Gravitte, Written by Sophia Maro)
A young woman turns to an unexpected place to find comfort in a new home.  

Sanctuary (Directed by Jeanette Sears & Nicole Solomon, Written by Jeanette Sears)
Throughout the 1960’s, gay bars served as havens for a marginalized queer community across the country. Frequent police raids and laws dictating women to wear three pieces of “gender appropriate clothing” resulted in countless cases of police harassment, assault, and brutality. "Sanctuary" follows Meg and Abigail as they navigate their interaction and coping process after one such raid. 

Spot (Written & Directed by Jamie DiNicola)
A group of twenty-somethings circle around a stoop and share a joint when one of them gets lost in the mystery and beauty of the urban sidewalk - a mosaic of stories emerge. Spot pushes the known boundaries of diversity and inclusion in indie filmmaking.  

Living Waters (Directed & Animated by Ezra Ray)
When Judaism and transgender experiences intersect, there are many revenues of discourse and action that a trans individual can pursue. This experimental animation shows the birth and subsequent transformation of the protagonist through a Jewish lens. Jewish rituals of purification and transformation are found within water, and offer a path of renewal in this film. 

Hopelessly (Written & Directed by Tony Clemente)
Darren is determined to find a connection, no matter how many people he has to go through. Explore the day in the life of a queer, polyamorous relationship, in all its awkward beauty.

Watch our Q&A Recap. *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:   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 50% off 4MileCircus' post-production audio cleaning service for a future project. 

For the June 2018 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Sanctuary"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "Her Being Home" 

IndieWorks: Best of Fest Year 5 Recap

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INDIEWORKS: BEST OF FEST

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Last Tuesday was a special night at IndieWorks! We celebrated the conclusion of our 5th year! Between watching the 10 fantastic films, mingling with the talented filmmakers, and engaging with the wonderful audience, we had a ton of fun! In total, we had nearly 80 people in attendance and it was clear the crowd enjoyed the lineup and the evening as a whole. We hope new connections were made!

THANK YOU. 

To all of the incredible people involved in this community who submit their work, attend our monthly series, follow our content, and spread the word of anything IndieWorks... we truly thank you. It's been another great year of innovative, local films and filmmakers.

Five years ago, Christina decided she wanted to create a monthly film series for local independent filmmakers to showcase and discuss their work with an audience and connect with their (our) peers in a friendly, supportive, engaging and still encouragingly competitive environment. Sure enough, we made it happen and it has grown into something so wonderful, more so than we could have imagined over the past five years. It's been a real passion project from our team, and we hope it has stayed true to the ideals of helping independent filmmakers find an audience and build a network & community of likeminded, productive & talented individuals. Thank you all for being part of it! We're honored to screen & support your work! 

The full lineup & nominations can be found in our previous post.  

THE AWARDS GO TO...

AUDIENCE CHOICE: "Sibs" (Samantha Slater & Cynthia Silver) - Wins $50 towards a Seed&Spark campaign and script coverage from the CongestedCat team of one future short screenplay.

BEST EDITING: "Runaway" (Harrison Heller) - Wins $50 towards a Seed&Spark campaign and script coverage from the CongestedCat team of one future short screenplay.

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE: "Chocolates" (Patricia Selznick & Ford) - Wins $50 towards a Seed&Spark campaign and script coverage from the CongestedCat team of one future short screenplay.

BEST WRITER/DIRECTOR: "Cake" (Anne Hu) - Wins $50 towards a Seed&Spark campaign and script coverage from the CongestedCat team of one future short screenplay.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (DJ Carroll) & GOLDEN WHISKERS (BEST OF FEST): "Madness" (TJ Choi) - Wins $250 towards a Seed&Spark campaign, a 1TB G-drive, 50% Off any a la carte Post-Production Service 4milecircus offers, script coverage from the CongestedCat team of two future short screenplays, and a day of social media promotion from the CongestedCat team.

Our team with all the talented filmmakers of the night!

Photos by Chris Carroll. Video coverage by Kimberly Drew Whiten. Big thanks for their time & talent throughout night! See all the fun we had below! 

THAT'S A WRAP!

Check out the recaps from ALL 10 SCREENINGS of Year 5 of IndieWorks. 

As we take next month as an opportunity to go out and make things, we hope you will too. Our 6th Year of IndieWorks kicks off in June on the 5th, with our Pride-themed screening -- so keep in touch & stay up to date through our social media accounts. We want to see YOU at the next screening!

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Be sure to submit your films on our IndieWork page, and watch episodes of our Insider Series with the monthly Winners from all 5 years to get more insight into their screened films & upcoming work. 

IndieWorks: March Screening

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Last Tuesday was the March edition of IndieWorks! The first half was a set of experimental works exploring various forms of struggle. The 2nd half was narrative works that were different in style and tone but unified by a sense of loss and connection. With 5 films, we had 35 people in attendance, made up of a super engaged audience. It was a smaller crowd than usual, but considering there was a nor'easter predicted, it wasn't too shabby! The Q&A was filled with thoughtful comments and discussions! We'd 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 5th annual Best of Fest screening on April 17th -  featuring all our monthly Silver Whisker Award winners of Year 5!

See photos from the evening:

The Films of the night:

Small Fish/Missing People (Directed by Vinny Sacchetti)
The stories of various young people in New York City and their shared struggle of trying to achieve their ideal selves.  

The War (Directed by Jaime Ekkens, Written by Soré Agbaje)
A short mixed media experimental film that incorporates live action footage, stop-motion animation and other animation techniques. It is written and performed by Soré that chronicals sexual harassment and the many ways men target and exploit their power over women on a daily basis. 

Paralysis (Written & Directed by Victoria Negri)
A woman struggles to wake from a nightmare and finds herself where she started.   

Underneath the Sound (Written & Directed by Olga Nikulina)
What would you do if music was your life and you were losing hearing? What would you hope for if your child was diagnosed with deafness? "Underneath the sound" tells a story of a musician who refuses to lose the passion of his life and of a deaf child who gets his chance to hear with a help of the cochlear implant.

Chocolates (Written & Produced by Patricia Selznick, Directed by Mike Cattelona)
Alone together for the first time in years, two sisters go to their family's weekend home to set up for their parents anniversary party. Delicately weaving through their strained relationship, they struggle to relax in each other's company. That is until one sister finds the party favors and suddenly their trip takes a new turn.

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:   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 March 2018 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Paralysis"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "Chocolates" 

Join us next month for our Best of Fest on the 17th!

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