Happy Here in New York

Vote for the 10th Film to Screen at IndieWorks Best of Fest (Year 4)!

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March 7th concluded our monthly screenings for the 4th year of IndieWorks; and now our Best of Fest is just around the corner on April 18th! The event will feature the 9 Silver Whiskers Award Winners of the year, plus a 10th Audience Chosen film.

Before each Best of Fest, we select three films to compete for the last spot at the screening and encourage the audience to choose the winning film. This allows the community to participate in our selection process and the public to see a few of the best of the total 47 films screened this year, building up to our celebratory finale! 

All three of these selected films did exceptionally well in the Audience Choice voting and were high contenders for the Silver Whiskers at their respective screenings. We also feel that they reflect the diverse & innovative approach to visual storytelling that we aim to support and showcase at IndieWorks.

Please watch all three films and VOTE BELOW for the ONE you'd like to see screen with the Silver Whiskers Award winners of the year at Best of Fest.

THE CONTEST HAS ENDED.  

The winning film announced HERE. Feel free to watch the trailers for the selected films below. See you at Best of Fest!

Ashley, a young Native-American girl, converts to Islam in hopes of finding structure in a life where it never existed, but with that decision comes the risk of losing one of the few biological connections she still has. My Identity tells the story of how race, religion, and the foster care experience can shape one's identity. Learn more at: fostercarefilm.com/myidentity Credits: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4658394/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ql_1
www.MuscleFilm.com director HEIDI MIAMI MARSHALL writer TOM WILTON director of Photography JEFF MELANSON editor JOE GUTOWSKI producers FIONA GRAHAM, TOM WILTON, JOHNNY SANCHEZ executive producers FRANK OZ, TOM HUNTER executive producers ROSIE COSCH, SAGE SNAKECHALMER co-executive producers MONICA AFESI, KERRI LYNN MILLER Amanda FIONA GRAHAM Craig MARC MENCHACA Suzie REIKO AYLESWORTH production design DEB O casting TIFFANY LITTLE CANFIELD co-producer DAVID WATTS co-producer / 1st AD RANDY TROY associate producer / 2nd AD DAREN DONOFRIO 1st AC NOLAN BALL gaffer SHANE MOORE 2nd AC JOE COZZA key grip DEXTER KENNEDY sound mixer EMMANUEL GERMOND wardrobe design LAUREN ROTHERY make-up MAGDALENA BUCZKOWSKA asst production design RACHEL LEIGH BRYAN script supervisor MICHELE RICE stunt consultant JESSE GEGUZIS DIT TIA BYINGTON-NOLL caterer JEANETTE COLBY PA/asst to catering GRACE KELLY PA/transportation JINN S KIM vfx post house METHOD STUDIOS vfx producer BRAD WOOD vfx artist JESSICA RAYBURN audio post house SONIC UNION audio post producer LAURA BERMUDEZ sound design OWEN SHEARER re-recording mixer BRIAN GOODHEART color correction house COMPANY 3 color senior producer KATIE ANDREWS color DI manager TOM GEHRING colorist JAIME O’BRADOVICH music supervisor JAMES BABSON “World Without Tears” written and composed by LUCINDA WILLIAMS performed by LUCINDA WILLIAMS produced by MARK HOWARD and LUCINDA WILLIAMS published by WARNER TAMERLANE PUBLISHING CORP. / LUCY JONES MUSIC (BMI) permission courtesy of LUCINDA WILLIAMS and TOM OVERBY/HELLO CLEVELAND MGMT
Sinopsis: SOL, whom left Argentina to pursue a career in acting in NYC, receives a visit from her best friend VICKY, whom she hasn't seen for three years. Vicky imagines that Sol lives a glamorous life in NYC but the reality is not as it seems. Vicky has news which can ruin their friendship forever.

IndieWorks - January Recap

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Last Tuesday was the January edition of IndieWorks, and what a night it was. We thought the rain would keep people away; but we ended up with 80 people in house to watch our 5 films of the night and spend the evening in thoughtful discussion! Our first two films explored issues of race in contemporary America through very character focused lenses. The last three explored feelings of isolation, discontent and struggling to find fulfillment in all facets of life, with a particular focus on female friendships. Some lovely and insightful conversations came out of the lineup. We hope connections were made, as well!

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'll join us again for our February screening on the 7th. 

See photos from the night:

The Films of the night:

The Visit (Directed by Shane Andries, Written & Produced by Vishwas Vishwas)
A 'brown' man with a beard finds himself caught in a dilemma when two men show up to his house looking for answers. Stereotype, victim, or perpetrator? "The Visit" is an upside-down look at present day racial realities.

Privilege (Directed & Written by Berman Fenelus)
A short film that reflects on the epidemic of police brutality in communities of people of color. The audience witnesses the effects of such an encounter when it strikes an affluent African American family who, despite their accomplishments and achievements, realize they can still fall victim to the violent world which they thought they were far removed from.

Happy Here in New York (Directed & Written by Rodrigo Baumgartner Ayres, Written by Caroline Rosalino)
Best friends reunite in New York City but their friendship will never be the same.

Greener (Directed by Alessia Gatti, Written & Produced by Martha Frances Williams, Produced by Laura Vogels)
Three friends ask themselves ' can we have it all?' 

Keep Me Posted (Directed & Written by Hillary Nussbaum)
A biting look at the impact of texting and social media on our closest relationships, told through the lives of 3 female friends trying to grow up without growing apart. In the process, they grapple with everything from career crises, dating, and marriage, to self-doubt, anxiety, and depression.

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!

With Year 4 at IndieWorks, we've transitioned away from our one on one Insider Series and have started shooting and sharing the Q&A's from our screenings so that all filmmakers and their work get highlighted. Please note there are some 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! congestedcat.com/indieworks/ On order: The Visit (Directed by Shane Andries, Written & Produced by Vishwas Vishwas) A 'brown' man with a beard finds himself caught in a dilemma when two men show up to his house looking for answers. Stereotype, victim, or perpetrator? "The Visit" is an upside-down look at present day racial realities. Privilege (Directed & Written by Berman Fenelus) A short film that reflects on the epidemic of police brutality in communities of people of color. The audience witnesses the effects of such an encounter when it strikes an affluent African American family who, despite their accomplishments and achievements, realize they can still fall victim to the violent world which they thought they were far removed from. Happy Here in New York (Directed & Written by Rodrigo Baumgartner Ayres, Written by Caroline Rosalino) Best friends reunite in New York City but their friendship will never be the same. Greener (Directed by Alessia Gatti, Written & Produced by Martha Frances Williams, Produced by Laura Vogels) Three friends ask themselves ' can we have it all?' Keep Me Posted (Directed & Written by Hillary Nussbaum) A biting look at the impact of texting and social media on our closest relationships, told through the lives of 3 female friends trying to grow up without growing apart. In the process, they grapple with everything from career crises, dating, and marriage, to self-doubt, anxiety, and depression.

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 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 January 2017 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Happy Here in New York"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "The Visit"

Watch the Trailer for our Silver Whiskers winner below: