Molly McGaughey

IndieWorks - September Recap

Last Tuesday was the September edition of IndieWorks! And it was our annual web series month, where we screen episodes from local series. We screened 5 episodes total and had 35 people in house. Smaller crowd than usual, but considering the pouring rain all day, it was quite an impressive turnout! Web series month always plays a little different because we can’t fully program thematically, the way we would other months. We only showcase web series once per month, so we have to be extra selective based on what we get, while also making it a point to highlight the different styles, genres, and unique stories being told in the local episodic space. So, it ends up being a very eclectic night where the only thing fully tying the lineup together is the fact that the stories are all ongoing rather than standalone. It seems this audience was onboard for the ride and enjoyed the different series highlighted.

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 webisodes 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 Halloween Special on October 30th! (We’ll be in costume and it’s going to be super spooky & fun!) 

See photos from the evening:

The Series of the night:

Open Mic (Creator, Writer: J. Martin Raider, Director: Larry Alan Rosenzweig)
David hosts an open mic and struggles to survive while raising his son in New York City.

Split (Creator, Writer: Yael Shavitt, Director: Molly McGaughey)
After auditioning for a drama high school, 13-year-old Sammy makes a crucial choice that splits the path of her life in two. Flash forward twelve years: in one world, Sammy’s grown into Sam, a confident up-and-coming actress in a turbulent relationship with her girlfriend. In another world, she’s Samantha, an eager assistant director living a life of routine with her longtime boyfriend.

Hidden Guardians (Creator, Writer, Director: Daniel Armour)
Held hostage by her abusive father Albur, sixteen year old Zadie Emerson desperately fights to get free and start a new life. When she awakens a mysterious power within her, however, she must decided between using it to runaway or exacting her revenge. 

Queer & Down (Creator, Writer, Director: Jamie DiNicola)
Noah and Julia have never felt like they belonged; aside from with each other.

"Queer & Down" is the story of a young queer couple navigating their love for one another, and their sexualities. Noah, a queer transgender man, hopes to find belonging in a world that denounces his unique masculinity. Julia tries to find her place in a world that invalidates feminine queerness. 

Adult (Creator, Writer: Tatienne Hendricks-Tellefsen, Director: Cynthia Silver)
Two unlikely friends with a ten year age gap, Clementine (19) and Allison (29), face problems from the harsh, judgmental world, and find solace in their weird, but loving friendship.

Watch our Q&A Recap. The perk of web series month is that the episodes can be watched online NOW to offer context to the Q&A! Find most on Youtube!

The award goes to...

At the end of the evening, we announced our winning filmmaker of the Audience Choice Award. We've realized from past years that web series episodes always feel a bit confusing alongside all standalone films at Best of Fest, so we decided moving forward that at this specialty month we'll exclude our Silver Whiskers pick and just award one audience-selected winner all the monetary prizes. The winner receives $50 towards a crowdfunding campaign on SeedandSpark.com should they use the platform and and 50% off 4MileCircus' post-production audio cleaning service for a future project. 

For the September 2018 lineup, our winning series was:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Adult"

Join us next month for our Halloween edition on the 30th! 

(The deadline to submit for consideration is September 29th.)

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IndieWorks: July 2015 Recap

Last Wednesday was the July edition of IndieWorks, and we had our biggest turnout for a monthly screening yet with almost 120 people in house! It was extremely hot outside that night, but people still came out to enjoy some fantastic films with us. We opened both floors and still packed the place. Another first for us was having kids in the People Lounge (seen in our photos below) thanks to one of the films! Overall, it was a wonderful night with a fun lineup & really engaged audience. 

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!

See photos from the evening:

The films of the night:

Solace (Directed by Marvin Van Buren)
A college dropout copes with the loss of his mother and forms an unlikely bond with a homeless man after an encounter with violence. 

Time Signature (Directed by Sean Mannion)
A short film about Danielle, a young woman who befriends her favorite guitarist, Astra, backstage at a concert. The two women head out on an impromptu road trip and Astra reveals that has come to change Danielle's future. . 

Farewell to Robot Arms (Directed by Christopher Ventura & Peter LaSala)
Imprisoned by future technology, a man discovers a forgotten past that helps him and his wife break free.

Live a Little (Directed by Molly McGaughey/Written by Zack Marotta)
About Haley, a young girl who is an overachiever with imagination and anxiety as intense as her ambitions in life. When she is sure she has ingested a poison that will kill her by the end of the day she decides to enlist the help of her best friend to complete every single item on her bucket list.

Lawn Care ( Directed by Marie Schlingmann)
When Nina wakes up to her husband's sudden obsession of caring for their lawn, a day that should be like any other in their suburban home, turns into a symphony of change.

Hungry For Love ( Directed by Justin Ambrosino)
One lonely night in Sapporo, Japan, two foodies meet for the first time and go on an all night dining adventure.

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. It goes on to screen 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 July 2015 lineup, our winning filmmakers were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Live a Little"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "Hungry For Love"

See posters for the films below: 

Molly won Audience Choice at our very 1st series in June 2013. We've already done an Insider Series w/her.

IndieWorks Kickoff: Thanks for the support!

Hey, everyone!  

This past Wednesday we had our very first IndieWorks film series event over at @Room_54, hosted by Lauren A Kennedy and Tony Curtis. If you're unfamiliar with IndieWorks, it's a monthly film series for emerging filmmakers to showcase their work in front of a large audience, offering an opportunity to discover shorts, find an audience, and build the community. For those who joined us Wednesday night, thank you all very much.

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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 is voted upon by the CongestedCat Team by a system rating 8 categories of Story, Dialogue/Writing, Direction, Acting, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, and Production Value. It goes on to screen at our end of the year Best of Fest event.

For the June 2013 lineup, our winning filmmakers were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "5 in 3" Directed by Molly McGaughey.
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "The Sucker" Directed by Katie Carman.

Both films will be featured in our upcoming "IndieWorks: Insider Series", a video series we are featuring on our blog in which we get to know each filmmaker and learn about their creative processes, insight on the industry, upcoming projects, and more! It's another way for us to further our commitment to getting local New York City filmmakers connected to their local community. The series will be released bi-monthly, following each IndieWorks screening event, and hosted by Lauren A Kennedy & Tony Curtis.

July 17th is our next event held in Queens and we hope to see you there with a friend or two! For now, keep an eye out for the upcoming Insider Series and check out the winning films we've embedded below.

The June 2013 lineup is listed here, for those who may have missed the event or want to seek out some of the films and filmmakers.

-Chris