'Kelsey' at Outfest Recap

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Christina and I were invited to participate in the In With The New Out panel at Outfest, which was a huge deal since Outfest is the leading organization that promotes what they see as equality by creating, sharing and protecting LGBT stories on the screen. The panel was, as always, very fun and OutFest was very well attended, which made for a full audience with lots of positive energy. 

 

Screening 'Kelsey' on such a big screen and getting the audience response was a necessary reminder of why I love to create, why it's so important to keep going and that the payoff doesn't always (actually quite rarely) come in the form of financial gratification but the joy and participation of those who consume our content. For one and a half hours, the duration of the panel, my self-doubt had gone on vacation and I thoroughly enjoyed the positive energy of the room.

I got to hang out with wonderful filmmakers on and off the panel, some I had met before, others I now consider new friends. After the panel some of us grabbed lunch and discussed the film industry and LA in general. It was a short but wonderful time and I hope to go again next year (with Christina). 

Some lessons I learned along the way, the hard way: 

  • Don't walk -- especially if you're not wearing sunscreen.
  • If you're getting into a car service, be prepared to talk.
  • AirBnB is cheap and effective and less scary than initially feared.
  • 'Kelsey' works well on a big screen (yay!)
  • Everyone is struggling to finance their content.
  • The sun will burn you through your car window and leave you with one side of your face more freckled than the other.
  • Don't buy breakfast at the airport (what was I thinking?!) they'll charge you a liver and a kidney.
  • I love NYC.

IN WITH THE NEW OUT PANEL (in sitting order): Moderator: Damian Pelliccione (Boys In Tech) Panelists: Kieran Turner (Wallflowers) Dalila Ali Rajah( DykeCentral) Tina Cesa Ward ( Anyone But Me/Producing Juliet) me (Kelsey) Kevin O'Keefe( The Transgender Project) Joe Dietl (Where The Bears Are)

We'll keep you updated on the next few panels. (Last year we were at Cinema Q & the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival). 'Kelsey' will be screening in Dublin next at the GAZE Film Festival!

-Kelsey

IndieWorks: July 2015 Recap

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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.