IndieWorks: November Recap

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Last Wednesday was the November edition of IndieWorks, and it was a great night! We're so glad we closed out 2015 with such a lovely evening. We screened 6 fantastic films, all exploring very different characters in different facets of life, from the painful to the confusing to the heartwarming. The lineup was really exemplary of the boundless stories to tell and the variety of ways those stories can be told in short film form. The vibe in the room was engaged and encouraging. The audience seemed to really enjoy the diverse lineup and the night as a whole! 

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! (Also, a thank you to intern Flavio Barreiro for filling in for our resident photographer for the evening.)

See photos from the evening:

The Films of the night:

Ahora Veo (Directed by Marco Antonio Martinez)
Tells the story of an estranged immigrant laborer who returns to his home country after years of living illegally in the United States. His story unfolds as a letter written to his once young wife in the hope she receives it before he arrives.

Leaving Home (Directed by Natalie Fullaondo)
A young girl must come to a decision about her future after dealing with her father's alcoholism and expectations.

Najmia (Directed by Cristhian Andrews)
As labor nears, a pregnant 12-year old Yemeni child bride must endure the challenges of her everyday life. Inspired by the true story of Fawziya Abdullah Youssef. 

Pillows (Directed by Ann Carr/Written & Produced by Ginny Leise)
When Haley lands on her old friend Amanda's doorstep, she uses every distraction she can get her hands on to keep from talking about including Amanda's brother. 

Men Without Women (Directed by John S Fisher)
A New York City story that follows two friends as they balance the fragile line between friends and lovers.

Across the Pond (Directed by Jessica M Thompson)
Grace discovers a treasure map from the 1920s, which sends her on an adventure through the streets of timeless New York City. 

 

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 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 November 2015 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Najmia"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "Pillows"

Usually, at this point we'd plug our next screening, which was meant to be on January 13th. However, we were just notified and are deeply saddened by the news that the People Lounge, the home of IndieWorks for the past 2.5 years, will be shutting down in January. 

So, we've decided to instead have a farewell party for them on January 6th, and then pick back up with our monthly screenings at our new TBD venue in February. If you'd like to help us find a new space, you can read more about our venue needs in this post. In any case, we hope you'll join us to bid farewell to the wonderful & supportive People Lounge. 

 

We Need a New Space for IndieWorks

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We're devastated to announce that the People Lounge, the space where we've hosted IndieWorks for the past 2.5 years, is shutting down at the start of 2016. The People Lounge has been our home, not just for IndieWorks, but for us as a team. We shot episodes of 'Kelsey' there, and like the characters on the show, it became our regular bar. We'd host wrap parties, premieres and team get-togethers there. We're so sad to see it go. Please join us in saying goodbye and celebrating the good times at the People Lounge on January 6th at 7:30pm. 

When we started IndieWorks, our very first month was at a hole in the wall bar where the owner was insincere and exploitative (exactly the kind of attitude & environment we were trying to counter with the creation of IndieWorks). Meeting Heinz, the owner of the People Lounge, a couple weeks later was a gift. He was supportive and generous. He believed in what we were about and, though impressed with our ability to bring in a crowd, it was never about money or quotas with him (or his staff). Like us, he believes in building and supporting a community. From our second month (July 2013), until our last screening this week, IndieWorks and the People Lounge were united. The warm and welcoming atmosphere we've always been complimented on at our screenings were not just from us, but an extension of the vibe set by Heinz and his team. It breaks our hearts to have to move on to another space, but IndieWorks must continue because we've only just begun! So we're reaching out to our community in hopes that we'll find a new home that has the same warm and welcoming vibe, understands our not-for-profit ideology and has all our tech needs. It's not going to be easy, which is why we need your help. But before we get to that, we'd just like to say a final thank you to the people behind the People Lounge: Heinz Liu & Allen Leung, and Danny, Bradley, Mario, Jeremy & Vidal. They'll always be part of the IndieWorks team. We do hope you'll join us for our farewell party to them on January 6th. 

We hope to be back with our final 2 screenings of our 3rd year (before April's Best of Fest) in February. In order for that to happen, here's what we need in a space:

  • Location: ideally, we'd stick with the Lower East Side since it's convenient for us and most boroughs. However, we're open to anything in Manhattan below Harlem or Long Island City.

  • Tech: we prefer a space with a projector and screen rather than just a TV. Right now we have a 6 foot projected image in the front with our films splitting to 2 flat screens in the back and upstairs. We assume we won't find this wonderful setup again (the People Lounge added the second flat screen for us), but we hope to match this as much as possible. We also need to have a good sound system and be able to hook up to a laptop. (We must be able to screen via digital files, NOT discs.) (*2019 search update: our current setup is a 20-foot screen, which has spoiled us a bit, but as long as the screen is at least what we used to have and, more importantly, can accommodate large crowds where everyone can see - then we’ll be good!)

  • Space: our average month has 50 people in attendance, but we've had as big as 130 people in our audience. So we need a big space with decent seating. We assume we're only going to get bigger! We don't want a theater. We like the lounge feel because it feels less formal and promotes engagement and conversation; plus we love supporting a local business through drink sales. This leads to the next point.

  • Accommodations: everyone on the CongestedCat team volunteers for IndieWorks. Since we've started charging a small fee for submissions with year 3, we've been able to cover still only a small percentage of our overhead (web hosting & storage, making of awards & step & repeat(s), promotional expenses). So, we literally have no funds to pay for a space. The People Lounge appreciated the business we brought in on a Wednesday night, but never put drink minimum demands on us or anything of that nature. As struggling filmmakers ourselves, we'd hate to have to start doing that to our guests, so we'd ideally find a place that will appreciate the business on a weeknight but also allow us to suggest to the audience that they buy drinks rather than enforce the sentiment.

  • Atmosphere: similar to the previous point, we don't mind if a space has their regulars; we in no way want to take away business. However, we want a venue that doesn't attract rowdy types. At IndieWorks, we're all about respect and support. We'd hate to have random patrons in the place talking during the films and disrespecting the filmmakers. We were never a private event at the People Lounge, but Heinz and his team set a certain standard. When regulars would come in, they'd always respect the event going on, and usually participate in the mingling and Q&A!

Those are the key things. Of course we could make a crazy long list because, at the end of the day, we'd just be listing everything the People Lounge has been for us. But we know we won't find another People Lounge. We can only hope to find something that comes close, with a new set of wonderful people to add to the team. 

Please email indieworks@congestedcat.com with any suggestions. Thank you!

HELLO (Teaser)

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Check out the teaser for my new short film "Hello." 

You can read more about the film in this blog post. I'm not submitting to many festivals, but would like to get it out there, see how it's received and have a few local screenings before putting it online next Fall. But no worries, we will have content going out in the meantime. We're still on the festival circuit with our crowdfunded shorts "We Had Plans" and "Not Our Living Room" and will be releasing them online in the Spring.

-Christina 

IndieWorks: Halloween Recap

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Wednesday was our Halloween Special at IndieWorks, and what a night it was! It was pouring rain outside but we still had 50 people in house (a few in costume) and the night was filled with gasps and laughs! The Q&A led to fun and creative discussions; and a lot of people stuck around after the screening to mingle and meet possible collaborators. It was so great seeing genre film and filmmakers really appreciated by our audience. 

We'd 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!

We'd also like to say a big thank you to our new guest host Gwen Albers (and of course Tony Curtis), and our photographer of the evening Alyssa Meadows. 

See photos from the night:

The films of the night:

CROW (Directed by Jaclyn Gramigna)
A troubled man makes a connection with a friendly stranger on a train, right before the act of his lifetime. 

Blood Memory (Directed by Marc Macaluso)
A single mom must overcome her brother's vengeance before giving herself and her son a new beginning. 

Palpitations (Directed by Tae Jung Choi)
In a hospital for mentally challenged patients, a nurse strikes fear in her helpless victims through acts of brutal violence. The Woman is constant in her coldness until she encounters a new patient: Charlotte. There is an eerie quality about the adolescent girl that causes The Woman to relive the traumatic experiences of her dark childhood. 

Waffle (Directed by Rafael De Leon Jr.)
A disfigured science fair champion invites her new friend over for dinner, but by the time dessert comes around, the two schoolmates will discover each other's true, unpleasant natures.

Disturbances: My Little Angel (Directed by Katie Carman-Lehach)
Holly makes her big move to a new city and checks into an old boarding house. She plans to move into something more permanent once she finds a job, but a current tenant may have other designs.

Whisper (Directed by David Abramov)
On a festive Halloween night, two men go out to cause a real nightmare. 

Choice Cuts (Directed by Jeff Meyers & Keith Jefferies)
A pair of sadistic sibling serial killers. A beautiful young woman handcuffed and gagged. We know how this is going to turn out. Or do we?  

Larry Gone Demon (Directed by Matthew John Lawrence)
A frenetic, punk-rock nightmare centering on one asshole of a roommate. When three twenty-somethings must deal with the incorrigible and incredibly demonic Larry, they risk life and limb in an attempt to save the soul of their once-kind-and-unassuming friend while also procuring his five-hundred dollars in back rent.. 

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 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 Halloween 2015 lineup, our winning films were:
    Audience Choice Award:  "Disturbances: My Little Angel"
    Silver Whiskers Award:  "Larry Gone Demon"

See trailers for the winning films below: 

SUMMIT at Rhode Island International (Vortex) Film Festival Recap

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Last Saturday, Summit screened the Rhode Island International Film Festival's Vortex Sci-fi, Fantasy & Horror Film Festival (the genre sidebar of their main festival), and I was invited to participate in a panel the day before. So, my mom & I decided to drive there early on Friday and make a weekend of it. It was a ton of fun! This was largely because I got to spend the weekend with my mom, which is pretty rare lately, but also because Rhode Island is beautiful (I had never been before) and the festival organizers were so warm and welcoming. 

The panel (Behind the Camera Lens) on Friday was curated by RIFF programmer Shawn Quirk and moderated by Rhode Island Film & TV Office Executive Director Steven Feinberg. My fellow panelist was Rhode Island based genre filmmaker Tommy DeNucci, who just released his third feature, Almost Mercy. The panel was for a class of film students at Roger Williams University. I enjoyed speaking on the panel and getting to know Tommy & Steven. We talked a bit about our inspirations and approaches to filmmaking, but the panel had a main focus on filmmaking in the Ocean State. Steven Feinberg seemed to single handedly bring film industry to Rhode Island five years ago and it has been flourishing ever since. It seems like the state works with independent filmmakers to make low budget filmmaking possible while also following the rules and increasing production value. Locations and permits are a lot easier & cheaper to come by than in NY (or LA) if you go through the Film & TV office. It feels very much like they really care about film and filmmakers, not just about making a buck anywhere and everywhere; and I was definitely convinced to try to shoot my next feature in Rhode Island. 

My mom couldn't resist recording the panel (at least each time I spoke), so here are some clips thanks to her: 

Tommy DeNucci's film can be watched on Netflix. (I have not watched it yet.)

As for the Summit screening, well there was a smaller turnout than I or the festival expected. However, despite being small, the crowd was great. There were 17 people in the audience, plus the two of us, the projectionist and some festival staff. The space was nice, a local chapel theater, and the picture quality was excellent. The day before, I had heard festival director George T. Marshall mention swapping out a projector at one of the locations because he cares about how the films look. This is something I really appreciate, particularly after our Manhattan Film Festival experience. The sound was really great, as well (by that I mean the space and speakers; anyone who has seen the film or our budget knows/can assume the audio is a little rough around the edges at times.) I was really satisfied with the screening on a technical level. 

I've seen the film so many times now that I have a hard time reading the room. I'm so immersed in my own boredom, that I half expect someone to stand up rolling their eyes & walk out. But, thankfully, that never happened. In fact, the audience was very engaged during the Q&A. They asked a lot of questions, mostly related to where I found the actors and how I worked with them, how we got our location (and where & when we shot), and the budget. My favorite question regarded the typical use of the killer's POV in slasher films and how that was lacking (or was it?) in Summit (cannot elaborate - spoilers). A lot of people asked for my card, more so than at other festivals, which was cool.

And on top of a successful screening, I was awarded Best Director!!! Out of 80 films (7 of which were features), I was given Best Director. I'm still so blown away and grateful! Having seen a few of the films at the festival, I have to say, I'm truly honored because Summit was in impressive company! (Full list of winners HERE.) A huge part of directing is recognizing talent in others, so I must thank my cast & crew because I won due to their talent and dedication. I cannot thank them enough.

After the screening & awards ceremony, we said our goodbyes and hit the road. I hope to be able to visit again next summer because with my win came an all-access pass to the main festival in August! 

Click through photos from the weekend:

They should release their hi res photos from the festival soon. 

Our next & final screening of Summit will be in January at the Macabre Faire Film Festival (more details soon), followed by the film's VOD release! 

-Christina