Drugs -- Addiction -- Hip Hop -- Subcultures

October 02, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

Drugs Addiction Hip Hop Subcultures

**Sundays** - **A crew of skateboarders in recovery. Length: 12.04 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Lije Sarki.**

Cats & Dogs -- Animals -- Environmental

October 02, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

Cats and Dogs Animals Environmental

**Well Groomed** **Well Groomed is a journey into the kaleidoscopic world of competitive creative dog grooming. Length:** **9 minutes.** **Director Rebecca Stern.**

AFI Conservatory -- Filmmakers to Watch (1) -- Filmmakers to Watch (2)

October 02, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

AFI Conservatory Filmmakers to Watch (1) Filmmakers to watch (2)

**Born on the 5th of July** Ruby, who has lost her mother at birth, works as a rookie cop in LA. One night she pulls her gun to stop a robbery, only to find herself in the same situation, as when she was born. But now the roles are reversed, she has the power to make a decision that can save a life. Short film. Writer/Director Daniel Carsenty.

Hiya

October 01, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

A shy girl gains confidence through the reimagination of her own religion by becoming the figures she prays to in an unlikely way.

Interview with Writer/Cinematographer Bettina Campomanes

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I grew up in a very religious Catholic home and we were mainly taught to pray and love God in a very specific way. After moving to America, I grew more comfortable in my own skin and felt less of a need to display my religious beliefs in a traditional way. Throughout the years it felt shameful to come back to it because of the way I display myself, but if anything, I feel like the way I do things only supports that love and does not bash on it. Religion should help you feel like you’re important and loved, and what better way to display that self-love than to display that confidence with a fun new fit?

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Considering most religion-based films these days take itself so seriously, I offer our film as a change of pace. I'd like to say it's quick, charming, and gets to the point. There is also a lack of Filipino stories presented to a western audience, so this is a wonderful way to peep into our world for a few minutes.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

In this day and age, people need to remember there is no right way to express your faith. Whether you believe in something or nothing at all, religion and ideologies are inclusive of all forms of love. Learning to love religion again but in your own way should not be seen as blasphemous.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The story always remained the same, but there were many instances where we had to figure out how to properly present our protagonist's dilemma. "How do we make her compare herself to the sexy/free woman?", "How do we present a household that affects one's self esteem?"

From there we figured that simple actions and the way we capture that could speak volumes. From the way characters look at each other and the way they treat their environment, it became a statement on the way your environment controls you and the ways in which you can shape yourself as a result.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Because we lost a quarter of this film in a robbery, it was very difficult to complete the vital dream sequence using stills. I'm grateful stills were even documented from the BTS to present what had happened, but even then, was hard to separate what you wanted to see versus what you actually got.

To my surprise, reviews have been rather positive and nobody could tell that something had happened. Using the stills in the dream sequence worked. I was going for a La Jetée (1962) style which was very risky but I think paid off.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

It has caused me to question my trust in the original process. Though it would have been nice to have my footage complete, I forget there could be "happy accidents" and that people process stories in different ways.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Hopefully this will help our team get more funding for a reshoot. Much of the film was lost in a robbery (the rolls of exposed film were stollen along with the camera + more) and amidst trying to recover financially/emotionally, we are all still trying to fund for a reshoot to regain what was lost. Much of the crew's work was lost and we would love to have the support to get that back. We must present the film as we had intended it to be.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I would love for people to be aware of Filipino stories and how we need more of them out there. It always moves me when I see my people on screen or learn of the people behind it. I think Pinoy artistry in America is very rare and we need to see it and feel it for people to know we exist and we do it WELL.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

Positive or controversial sounds good to me. Impersonation of religious figures can be a very touchy subject, so it's good to test those waters.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Can you display your love for God if it's displayed sensually?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Interview: October 2022

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Hiya

Length:

3:00

Writer/Cinematographer

BETTINA CAMPOMANES is a Philippine-born Cinematographer and Musician based in Los Angeles, CA. She has previously done work with clients such as Demi Adejuyibe (21st of September video series), Mac Cosmetics, the NCAA (March Madness), and Twitter (Vine), to well-established indie-musicians such as Dounia and Dear Ears. Her work both as a DP and musician has been featured on Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, New York Magazine, Scout Magazine, and Color X Studios. She was a recipient of the 2019 New York Cinematography Awards for her debut narrative film, and was a finalist at the 2020 Asian Cinematography Awards. She recently received her MFA at American Film Institute and continues to work on narrative projects as a writer/director in addition to being a DP. Suffice it to say, she’s a hoot.

Director

NAOMI CHRISTIE is a first generation Vietnamese American born and raised in California. Her creative career began in photography including fashion, commercial & advertising photography. She transitioned into directing with music videos and fashion films. She has a BA in Screenwriting and is currently getting her MFA as a directing fellow at AFI. Naomi is most interested in portraying female sensuality with the female gaze, coming of age stories, and mixed genre concepts.

Producer

PHILIP YUZHONG GE is a Chinese producer and writer based in LA who uses his multicultural sensibility to tell authentic and compelling stories of underrepresented communities. Currently a producing fellow at the American Film Institute, Philip produced over a dozen narrative shorts and co-wrote two of them. His short film, Langue, was an official selection of Palm Springs Shortfest and a semi-finalist of the Student Academy Awards. He is also selected as a fellow of 2022 Telluride FilmLAB. Philip previously received his BA and MA degrees in economics from USC and Columbia.

SHUNCHAO XU is from Wuxi, China. He received a BA in Film and Marketing at Emerson College. The films he produced have went into multiple international fests like Cairo, Leeds, Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Fest. In addition to producing short films, he assisted the producer of the TV series April Star and the DP of feature film The Legend Hunters. Shunchao has rich bilingual production experience and he’s currently a 2nd year producing fellow at AFI.

Key cast:

Mary Jo Izabel Del Rosario Mendoza (Ina), Tess Oakland (Mary), Ina Dahilig (Mia), Rhandy Torres (Romi)

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/betthole

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/betthole/

More info:

https://www.bettscampo.com/

Made in association with:

AFI Conservatory

The Wake

October 01, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

A restless 15-year-old has spent his life surrounded by death, raised in his parents' funeral business in "small town USA." He views his alcoholic father as profiting from the dead. While a wake is held in his parents' funeral home, he breaks into the deceased's house, counting on it being empty. In his view, the dead no longer need what he pockets. He recruits his deaf-mute younger brother to join him in his robberies, unaware of what the consequences may be.

Interview with Director Luis Gerard

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I wanted to explore the rebellious nature of youth linked to a funeral home environment. It is a thriller with a “twist” ending yet it explores the relationship between brothers in a non-working family structure and it has something to say about the accessibility of guns in present day American society and their eternal appeal to the young.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Because it will engage you as a viewer. It is structured as a thriller with an ingenious concept: two brothers whose parents run a funeral home, take advantage of the wakes to rob the now empty homes of the recently deceased… you wonder how long they can get away with it, so… you’re hooked into watching and I love how the ending catches everyone by surprise.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The personal is the rebellious nature of youth as I was one of those difficult kids growing up. The bonding of brothers and hero worshipping of an older brother are universal themes which are interlaced in a seamless way and the social comment of the accessibility of guns in today’s society emerges naturally from the story. It is not patched on, and that is one of the things I am most proud, of how one things leads to the next in the script’s construction.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

I started with the idea of these two brothers going about robbing the empty homes of the recently deceased while their families were at the wake. I made one of the brothers the rebellious Cain and a younger brother a hero worshipping Abel and to give a reason of why they went about it and how they knew the exact timing of the wakes, it must be their parents who ran the funeral home, so the older brother must look at his father in particular, as one who takes advantage of the dead, so in his rebelliousness, he must outdo his father, hence he robs the home of the dead his father works on… and it culminates with the main character viewing his own Wake.. it’s a continuous spiral of growing tension to its inevitable ending.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

I wanted to make the relationship between the two brothers, special and unique, almost as if they had their own language and that lead me to make the younger brother a deaf mute. This was written and shot before CODA (the post was delayed due to COVID). So when CODA won the Oscar it was just before my first showing of the short and everyone praised me and the young actors in it and make reference to CODA’s success…

By the way, the young actor is really deaf and the one who plays his older brother had to learn sign language to communicate with him, so they had to spend a lot of time together, rehearsing and that made them really bond like a family. You see them acting together in the film and their scenes together are beautiful. These two kids were wonderful and they provide the human element that connects with an audience. Their scenes together went beyond from what I was hoping for. To make one of the brothers deaf make the shoot longer and more complex, but I look at the end results and I have to “pinch” myself as to how lucky I was.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

The emotional response I get from the audience as per the relationship between the two brothers still surprises me. It is beyond what I was expecting. On the other end there is a shot in the twist ending when everybody goes “wow” (a shot that I improvised in the middle of shooting the scene) that works just as I expected. It’s a moment of pure cinema as Hitchcock would say…

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

To discover a work that entertains and while entertaining you has something to say about the rebellious nature of youth and the bonding of brothers… it’s my return to narrative filmmaking after years of doing commercial and I want audiences to be aware of my work as a filmmaker as I will next work on my first feature.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

All of the above. Film festivals of short films, and the buyers and distributors who handle them, have in their hands the future of the next generation of filmmakers. They are the ones that help us connect with an audience and give us the “push” to next becomes feature filmmakers.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I just want the audience to embrace the film, what it has to say as to the love between brothers and just to enjoy the ride…

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

The magical language and connection between brothers and the appeal of guns to the very young. Actions have consequences and guns are not something to treasure..

Would you like to add anything else?

Just like in Truffaut’s DAY FOR NIGHT, I just wish that the audience enjoys the film as much as I enjoyed making it. Wearing the hats of writer/producer/director was a nightmare, but now I look at the film and how it engages the audiences, and somehow the feelings of a nightmare or a troublesome shoot vanish. It feels in retrospect, like real joy!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Working on 3 different features. One, A BLIND EYE is a psychological thriller dealing with illegal immigration as two women in an isolated farm must learn to trust each other to survive. WHERE ONLY THE DEVIL DARES, is a multiple story dramatic mosaic set in the US and Mexico where the paths of a serial killer, an American doctor who performs abortions and a child obsessed woman verging into madness, collide. The third, CHOPPER, is a thriller shot in actual time and set entirely inside a helicopter whose pilot has been kidnapped to aid in the escape of political prisoners. All three are very different and very challenging.

Interview: October 2022

The Wake

Length:

23:36

Writer/Director/Producer

Writer, director, and producer Luis Gerard studied at the University of Puerto Rico where he began making films. His very first film QUE SERA was in the official selection of the prestigious Venice Film Festival and his second short ABSOLUTION was selected at The Sitges Film Festival. Branching into feature work, Gerard recently directed the second unit for HUSTLE, a basketball drama starring Adam Sandler, produced by Netflix, released in June of 2022.

Key cast:

Zander Bhola-Colbeck, Walter Carpenter

Looking for:

producers

AYSHA

October 01, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

AYSHA (10) a small, rebellious girl wearing a full-body veil, and her SISTER(9) are put to a religious test in a backyard in Afrin (Syria) by a covered WOMAN. However, the strong head Aysha is struggling with identity and secrets and takes a stand.

Interview with Director Cengiz Akaygün

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! I like themes that are connected to the question of identity and the oppression of cultures and genders. I am Kurdish myself, so it was natural for me to deal with this topic.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

If you want to see a film in 12 minutes that entertains, surprises, moves emotionally, informs and gets to the heart of a serious big world issue in the shortest possible time, then you should watch this film

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I think the two are connected. But I like to tell about the personal level, the microcosm of the little people. That's where I draw the line to the big theme. AYSHA is about a little girl who doesn't want to recite a religious sura and doesn't want to wear the clothes that are forced on her by the patriarchal system because she has a good reason for it. The argument between mother and daughter in the backyard of a house is actually about the oppression of cultures and genders.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The basic idea and the bracket of how the story begins and ends was actually clear from the beginning. There were only subtleties that made up what made the story stronger. I thought a lot about the characters and kept making changes. I think in three months or four months the book was sitting. Then there were small changes every now and then during the preparation and again later when we had to change the motif.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Mostly very good so far. It is not only well received by the jury, the audience has also always celebrated the film.

A nice feedback came from the former Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick himself. I would like to share it here: "He has brought big themes to the screen in a very short time," Kosslik praised. "Aysha has many dimensions, told in an absolutely unobtrusive but absolutely impressive way." To tell with the least means of something that reflects the greatest forces of our world," "In our eyes a short film cannot do more, especially since the film covers the whole spectrum of feelings and also thoughts in a detailed and sensitive way."(Dieter Kosslick)."

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

No, it shows me that the film works and that it has achieved its goal.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Like everyone else, I want the film to be heard. Because this topic is close to my heart. Your site is a great way to do that. Thank you very much for that.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Everyone you name is involved in distribution, sales and publication. That is why they are all important. My film represents the standpoint of humanism, human rights and equality. That's why it's even more important to make the film visible in these times.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

Since it is a short film, we all know that it is more difficult to distribute or market. Because it reaches fewer people, the impact is also not as high, I would argue. Because the feature-length film is a medium that is more established in society. That's why it's all the more important to give the film a platform that makes it visible. In our case, that means festivals or important prizes. For example, it would have a very different effect if the film were nominated for an Oscar or maybe even won. That's what I would like to see. Even if it is not easy.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Good Questions. I would imagine that the question about whether it is sometimes better to subordinate or conform for a certain purpose in order to survive in a system that is fascistic or to fight against such a system even if you have to die for it.

Would you like to add anything else?

Thank you for your Interview and the good Questions. Please keep your fingers crossed for Aysha that it makes the shortlist for the Oscars and maybe even gets nominated. That would be a dream.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

At the moment, the big goal for everyone is the feature-length film.

Interview: October 2022

AYSHA

Length:

13:00

Writer/Director/Producer

Writer, director and producer Cengiz Akaygün was born in Stuttgart in 1979. He grew up as a Kurd in Turkey and returned to Stuttgart at the age of seven. After graduating from high school, he studied communication and media sciences in Duisburg. Since 2014, Akaygün's works have focused on socially critical themes. He has received numerous awards for his short films. In 2020, he was nominated twice for the Human Rights Film Award in Germany.

For his last short film AYSHA he received the Short Film Award at the 55th HOF International Film Festival in Germany. Whereupon further national and international nominations and awards followed. Currently, Aysha is in the pre-selection for the German Short Film Award. Now, this ground-breaking film is in consideration for an OSCAR®.

Key cast:

Jiyan Akaygün, Halima Ilter, Ecem Türkmen

More info:

www.freemonkey.art

Black Dragon (Rồng đen)

September 29, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

Vietnam, 1968. A feared American colonel, nicknamed the “Black Dragon” by Vietnamese locals, is forced to confront his inner darkness after his platoon captures a young Viet Cong girl with terrifying powers in this psychological horror-fable inspired by the real-life Mỹ Lai Massacre.

Interview with Writer/Director Alexander Thompson

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I’m drawn to the human capacity for malevolence and any circumstance that allows it to flourish in its most audacious form, like warfare. With “Black Dragon” I sought to examine what happens when harrowing circumstances brings even the most noble-minded among us into alignment with our lesser angels. The real-life Mỹ Lai Massacre was an especially sinister pretext for this sort of thematic exploration.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

During my research into the particulars of the massacre, I was struck by the relatability of the soldiers who carried it out. These men were not born evil; in other circumstances they were decent, well-adjusted members of society who leaned into something singularly, deeply sinister in this context. That’s the universally frightening part - any one of us could carry out an act like this in the wrong time and place. Cross-reference the particulars of the Mỹ Lai Massacre with any other war and you quickly find its familiar time and again. I have my reasons for selecting the Vietnam War and this event specifically but it is, soberingly, not so unique.

In the film, Matt Del Negro’s character, Colonel Palmer (the titular “Black Dragon/Rồng đen”, so-named by Vietnamese locals due to his distinctive dragon tattoo) is portrayed as an adoring father who believes what he is doing is justified under the aegis of a well-oriented moral compass. It so happens that compass leads him along a path of death and suffering, and he does not see this clearly until things have devolved into chaos.

At the archetypal level Palmer and Celia Au’s character, Chau, are articulations of personas I’ve inhabited or people I’ve known. That sounds precious but it’s the only way I know how to lend a character any solid definitional scaffolding. Palmer ‘the Man’ needed to be fully-realized in my mind in order for Palmer ‘the Monster’ to have dramatic weight. And with regard to his nickname, dragons are pervasive mythological embodiments of evil derived from animals who assailed our hominid ancestors - winged birds of prey, venomous reptiles, predatory felines/canids quadrupeds. It’s latent but it’s all there. You see a dragon representation in media and your brain makes a subconscious association with evil because it’s all these ancestral predators amalgamated into one being within this evolutionary-psychology framework. No matter if it’s the dragon slayed by St. George or the one Maleficent transforms into at the end of “Sleeping Beauty”, it’s all the same thing, same shorthand, same symbol. In our film, it is a manifestation of the evil Palmer aligns himself with.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

When I first started developing the story it was through Chau’s eyes. As I researched the Mỹ Lai Massacre in more depth my interest shifted to the men who carried out this crime less so than its victims - not that there isn’t a harrowing story there of course, but I couldn’t shake how easily I saw myself in these soldiers. With “Black Dragon” being probably the most straight-forward horror film I’ll ever make (for better or worse) there needed to be that potent and relatable dread or fear-factor. So that’s the direction I took the material.

At the time I began work on the script (as a university student in my early 20s) I’d recently been introduced to the writings of Carl Jung, specifically his Archetypes and the function of the Shadow as a representation of the unconscious, so there’s a lot of that influence there, a lot of Anima/Animus duality stuff vis-à-vis Palmer and Chau, and of course the metaphorical emergence of Palmer’s inner dragon as a representation of what he comes to embody. Again this may ring a bit precious but for me it was a vital discovery, this set of axioms. I have C.G. Jung and his disciples to thanks for setting me on an obsessive pursuit of “timeless” versus “timely” storytelling. If a narrative tracks there will always be plenty for modern viewers to glom onto, yes, but that’s not my personal North Star.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Very humbling feedback. I’m highly critical of the film. “Black Dragon” reflects sensibilities and capabilities of a younger self, attempting to bite off more than my team and I could chew. We punched above our weight class with the time, money and resources we had, so there’s lots of bruising and scarring from that in the film. It languished unfinished on a hard drive for quite a while and only got resurrected and completed during the pandemic. My hopes were not high that it would find much admiration but it’s had a modest little go for itself so far on the fest circuit. More importantly, it's been opening a surprising number of doors for our feature projects, so it’s had some strong professional salience in my life. That, I am very grateful for.

Best of all has been the occasional kind word or review. That’s always a treat, any interaction like that where your work speaks to someone at an emotional level. Isn’t that why we do any of this at all, to move and inspire one another?

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I suppose you never really know how an audience will respond to your work until you hand over the reigns to them. They decide its fate, whether your efforts bore fruit or not. I’ve seen “Black Dragon” twice now with fairly-packed houses at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood and that’s a terrifying, vulnerable, but very informative and rewarding experience. Of course I will never see that same film the audience does. I was there. I know how the sausage was made. It wasn’t pretty. But what can you do? You pick up and sally forth.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

You've done a very fine job of curating thoughtful, individualistic works from passionate filmmakers. If anyone reading this happens to have a pallet for historical horror-fables with Jungian leanings (can that become its own sub-genre?), perhaps they'll find something appreciable within our humble effort.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I’d enjoy speaking with journalists about the themes and historical context of the film. Festival Q&As invariably err on the side of technical inquiry - ‘how’ and not ‘why’. I’m a filmmaker, obviously what’s happening under the hood to make a film work or not work is of interest to me, but thematic exploration and character always need prevail. Any technical consideration is in service of those needs, never the other way around.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

It’s designed to be mnemonic, in the same way fairy tales and fables of old were ascribed with coded moral lessons. “Black Dragon” is meant to remind viewers that there’s a monster lurking in each of us, ready to spread its wings under the right circumstances. You can never be too certain you will prove to be the infallible protagonist of your own story. That is by no means a foregone conclusion.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Who would you embody in this situation, against a backdrop of such harrowing circumstances as those seen in the film? Would you blindly follow orders, would you yield to your darkest impulses - or would your moral compass align with virtue? Are you the hero or villain of this saga? Don’t be so sure you know the answer. I sure don't. And I hope most of us never end up in a situation as horrific as the Mỹ Lai Massacre, forced to confront these questions firsthand.

Would you like to add anything else?

I have two long-time collaborators and friends to thank for getting the film finished: Editor Zach Kashkett and lead VFX Supervisor/Colorist/Unreal Engine Artist Isaiah Kang. Zach talked me out of abandoning the film full-stop, and Isaiah dove headlong into some very sophisticated post-production tools that we’re excited to now have in our filmmaking arsenal. A director is only as good as his or her team, and I feel deeply fortunate to have a very strong one. They’re my family. Hopefully we’ll be doing this together for a long time to come.

Of course I must also thank my entire crew and cast, particularly leads Celia Au, Matt Del Negro and newcomer Chris Day. They brought so much to this film. I hope people take particular note of Day's contribution. He is a very gifted young actor who really blew us all away on set.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

We’re in post on another short called “Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting”, a Neo-western fairy tale about mothers, daughters and the beasts they hunt. It stars Milly Shapiro (“Hereditary”) and Pollyanna McIntosh (“Walking Dead”) and features creature VFX from the teams behind the ”Fantastic Beasts” franchise, various Marvel productions, Guillermo Del Toro films… You name it. We hope to hit fests circa fall of ’23. Readers can follow that film’s journey here: https://www.instagram.com/emandselmagogriffinhunting/

I have a number of feature projects in development, a few of which have begun to mobilize as a direct result of the surprisingly effusive reaction “Black Dragon” has garnered amongst producers, executives and financiers. That’s a whole other story for another time.

Interview: September 2022

Black Dragon (Rồng đen)

Length:

14:47

Director

Alexander Thompson seeks to explore the human condition through a personal brand of cinema that infuses a love of dark fairy tales, aberrant psychology, strange monsters and even stranger people.

He is in post on "Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting", a neo-western fantasy short starring Milly Shapiro (“Hereditary”) and Pollyanna McIntosh (“Walking Dead”). Its ambitious creatures VFX hail from by the team behind "Fantastic Beasts” and “Marvel” franchises, as well as countless other studio tentpoles.

Upcoming projects include "Cyrilla's Bestiary” w/ Armory Films ("Mudbound", "The Peanut Butter Falcon", "Arctic”), New England-set maritime ghost story "Fathoms" and a grounded coming-of-age fantasy drama, “The Sisters”, a semifinalist in the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ 2022 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship.

Producer

North Carolina native Sam Froelich produced such films as Eli Roth's breakout horror hit "Cabin Fever" and David Gordon Green's acclaimed feature debut, "George Washington". He is an alumni of the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Key cast:

Celia Au, Matthew Del Negro, Chris Day

Looking for:

journalists, film festival directors

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/blackdragonshortfilm/

Hashtags used:

#blackdragonshortfilm

Where can I watch it?

Upcoming screenings include but are not limited to:

Nashville Film Festival / Nashville, TN - VIRTUAL - Fri Sept 30th
Beyond Fest / Los Angeles, CA - Sat Oct 1st
Flickers' Rhode Island Int'l Film Festival / Providence, RI - Oct 15th
Portland Film Festival / Portland, OR - Mon Oct 17th
Eerie Horror Film Festival / Erie, PA - Sat Oct 19th
Filmquest / Provo, UT - Fri Oct 28th

First Down

September 27, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

First Down is a gripping documentary that profiles an underdog team in America’s first all-girls tackle football league. This band of misfits and outcasts compete for the title while tackling their struggles both on and off the field.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Carrie Stett

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I made this film because I was an athlete in school and realized how much sport helped me through challenges in life. With the 50th anniversary of Title IX upon us, I wondered what barriers to equality in sports still remained, so I went looking all over the country for stories. I wanted to show the dynamics of young women in sport and, ultimately, why it matters so much to give opportunity to all who want to play

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Watch this film to see real young people speaking their truth. Hopefully audiences will relate to them in a way that sparks further conversation about the issues they are all dealing with, from addiction to depression to gender identity.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The theme that emerged as we were filming was about being your authentic self. I think that's something we can all relate to. Coach Crys does that by announcing his new pronouns on the first day of practice. It's also about inclusivity. That resonates with me because I was an athlete, and when I was little I was crushed to realize that baseball and football did not allow girls to play. We are conditioned to accept that but I ask, "Why not?"

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

I went to tell a story about sports that became a story about youth mental health and how sports became a support system.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The film has been written up in the Washington Post, Upworthy and featured on WGN Morning News in Chicago. It won Best Documentary Short at Cinequest Film Festival and has been selected for many other festivals. This film touches people. I regularly have educators reaching out asking if they can screen the film in their classrooms. I love this because it's a chance to reach people through storytelling. I hope it inspires young people and helps those that need support to get the help they need.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Some feedback has been around whether there is chance for injury, specifically concussions. It's the subtext of whether girls should be playing tackle football because they might get injured. Nobody is shutting down men's football for that reason. It has also surprised me to see a lot of the backlash these girls receive on social media as well.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I would like to amplify the film's message. To generate discussion around teen mental health and empower them to ignore anyone who says they "can't" do something.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I'd love to have more film festival exposure, distribution and more media exposure. Ultimately, we're finding that young people are responding to this film, so our goal is to reach that audience. I would also like to find financial backing for a feature or series I've been developing around this same subject.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

If it helps one person believe in themselves or find a way to talk to someone about a mental health challenge they're having, that's a win. I want to create a conversation that's much needed. And of course I'd love to see girl's tackle football in schools. There is so much interest, we just need to provide them a league of their own.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Should schools create girls' tackle football programs? How can girls who want to play find and/or start leagues in their communities? How do we talk to teens about their mental wellbeing and provide the appropriate resources for them to thrive?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I am working on a feature version of this and a documentary on women's semi-pro players

September 2022

First Down

Length:

12:06

Writer

Carrie Stett and Brian Loschiavo

Director
CARRIE STETT tells stories that make an impact. Her award-winning brand films have gotten over 600 million organic views and have won the ANA Multicultural Award, a Silver Telly and have been shortlisted for a Cannes Lion.

Carrie directed Candace Parker’s film TITLE IX: 37 WORDS THAT CHANGED AMERICA for TBS. Her short film FIRST DOWN, about an underdog team of female tackle football players, won best documentary short at Cinequest 2022 and will continue on the festival circuit this year.
Carrie was previously selected for the SHOOT New Director’s Showcase featuring the top new directing talent globally. Carrie is a former college tennis player and Harvard University assistant tennis coach.

Producer

Carrie Stett and Whitney Clinkscales

Key cast:

Crys Sacco (coach), Naliyah Reuckert, Liz Rubens, Giselle Gomez, JD Vernieuw, Riley Moreno Hillman, Renica Reuckert (coach) (all others are players)

Looking for:

distributors, journalists, film festival directors

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/LAdirectorgirl

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lawriterdirectorgirl/

Hashtags used:

#firstdownfilm #girlsplayfootballtoo #director #titleix

More info:
www.firstdownfilm.com and www.carriestett.com

Screened:

Cinequest

SECOND THOUGHTS

September 24, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

A woman goes to the countryside to think about her life, but her thoughts accompany her.

Interview with Zora Rux, Elisa Plüss

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I once read in a psychology book: "When two people have sex, there are 4 others with them in the same room. And those four are the parents." I pictured this image and found it interesting for a film. Then I thought it would also be exboyfriends, friends, siblings, anyone be there. So I started writing the script. It turned out to be a very chaotic very long first draft and I turned it into a feature.

I think it is interesting to film thoughts as we are not able to see them with our eyes or cellphones.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

The film is a surrealist comedy about a woman who goes to the countryside to think about her life and her relationship, but is accompanied by her thoughts. The film touches themes as partnership doubts, searching for your true self and being influenced by others.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

In the film the main character Marie has to find out whether her boyfriend who proposed to her, is the right one to spend a life with or not. She is confronted with a lot of thoughts about her relationship and also her life in general.

Even though Marie is in the global north, the themes of confusion, doubts and not feeling ready for lifelong commitment are universal.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

I started writing the film as a short, but it immediately became longer than I thought with all her voices in her head being played out as characters in the same room. I then turned the film into a feature.
A big influence on the development had also the DoP Jesse Mazuch and the sound engineer Robert Hefter, with whom I discussed several script versions and who shared ideas. Photographing the whole film prior to the shoot made us think in images a lot and also shaped some scenes.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The best feedback was a 20 year old woman who wrote me after watching the film at Cinema Jove in Spain, that it was the best film she had seen in her whole life.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

It surprised me that people are calmly laughing and giggling throughout the film. I found the situation of having thoughts present while the couple is having relationship fights, lying to each other or trying to have sex, funny, but I wasn't expecting that others would share my subtle humour.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

The film is on festivals right now and of course we are happy if festivals contact us to consider the film for them.

The film will is distributed by UCM.One ( https://ucm.one/de/) and opens in german cinemas in autumn 2022 and we would be happy to have the film in cinemas in other countries. And of course streaming and showing the film in instutions. So, overall, raising interest in the film and getting in touch with potential collaborators.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Journalists, film festival programmers, distributors.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I am happy if people feel seen in their strange-being and feel that they are not alone. I am happy when the film amuses and inspires the audience.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

How do your thoughts look like?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I am writing a new fiction feature film called MEN BEHIND FAMOUS WOMEN about men doing care and house work. I am also co-writing a feature film about a world where the genders are switched that is called GIRLSPLAINING.

Interview: September 2022

SECOND THOUGHTS

Length:

1:25:30

Writer/Director

ZORA RUX studied film directing at DFFB and worked as assistant to Roy Andersson. SECOND THOUGHTS is her first feature, as a writer she is working on the feature GIRLSPLAINING about gender roles and MEN BEHIND FAMOUS WOMEN about men doing housework.

Producer

LEONIE MINOR, ROXANA RICHTERS and FRED BURLE studied at DFFB. Fred recently co-produced the Cannes-title "Holy Spider".

Key cast:

Elisa Plüss (Marie), Thomas Fränzel (Julian), Lola Klamroth (Louise), Sebastian Schneider (Henrik), Judith van der Werff (Maries mother ), Henriette Confurius (Nata Lia & Natalia)

Looking for:

journalists, film festival directors, sales agents, distributors

Instagram:

www.instagram.com/ichichich_film

More info:

http://www.zorarux.de/html/films/ich.html

Where can I watch it?

Cinequest

DISCONTINUED

September 21, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

A depressed millennial discovers that the world she knows is just a simulated version of reality that is being shut down. Suddenly, she's the only one who wants to stick around.

Interview with Trevor Peckham, Michael Villucci, Ashley Hutchinson

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

TREVOR - In all honesty, I never wanted to be a director until a few years ago. I was working as a cinematographer and getting frustrated with the jobs I was (or wasn’t) getting. I decided to take matters into my own hands and make the kind of movie I wanted to make. From there, I came up with the basic idea and the script came together pretty quickly. When COVID hit, everything slowed down and I got to spend extra time tweaking the script…which was definitely a good thing being that it was my first feature.

MIKE - We were bored during COVID, seemed like an interesting way to keep us out of trouble.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

TREVOR - I think this film is pretty dense, but also fun to watch. Hopefully it makes you laugh and think at the same time. I’m hoping that anyone will be able to relate to at least some aspect of it, but it is definitely focused on the millennial experience.

MIKE - What Trevor said!

ASHLEY - This film tackles a lot of anxieties that young people today face. It’s philosophical, but lighthearted, which is a tough line to toe….basically what Trevor said.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

TREVOR - As I said, the film is very thematically dense and also very personal. There are a lot of themes at play (ranging from free will to religion to life and death) but one that always stands is mental health. I think it’s safe to say that mental health is a serious problem with younger generations, especially as we face an uncertain future.

MIKE - We tried to work in themes from our experience as millennials and then imagined a world where those feelings could be turned upside down. We had a background actor on one of our bigger shoot days ask to read the script because she was bored standing around, so I sent it over. I realized near the end of the day that she was nowhere to be found and asked the group she was with where she’d gone. Her sister, who was also nice enough to come along as background, told me that she made it to the second scene in the script, where there’s a particularly heavy therapy scene, and left after bursting into tears. At first I was bummed to be down a person on a heavy background day, but then realized that if the script had managed to reach someone in such a way, that things were gonna be okay.

ASHLEY - As the person “going through it,” it was a very personal exploration of myself as an actor and as a person and as Sarah. Her anxieties sort of encapsulate many of the anxieties that young people today already face, and to be able to reflect that point of view on screen was rather cathartic for me. Everyone going through this unorthodox apocalypse scenario in the film has a choice to make—and in a lot of ways the choice between going it alone and choosing the road more traveled is a judgment call we all have to make on a daily basis. How do we stay true to ourselves while acknowledging that we do need others to support us? There’s a lot to glean here.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

TREVOR - It started with a few pretty specific ideas for themes and plot points, and then it was mainly about connecting all of it, which took a long time. We prepped the movie very heavily, so the shoot was very efficient and the edit came together quickly.

MIKE - At first we worked to develop a more cyclical overall story, Trevor had weaved some thematic throughlines dialogue-wise. I felt like audiences deserved just a hair bit more closure in the third act, even though we agreed that the ending should remain open to interpretation on their side of things. I’m happy I pushed Trev that way, because it led to him writing that great final scene between Sarah and The Guide. I think Ashley can talk more to the process of how the dialogue was workshopped.

ASHLEY - I was the first cast member to receive the script, and over the course of the rehearsal period, Trevor and I made some changes to the dialogue to better suit my voice. We also made some decisions about certain portions of the script (one example being the ending) to make the motivation behind the acting more specific. Even if we don’t ever reveal our secrets, we made sure to have the script mapped out from a character perspective.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

TREVOR - It’s just now starting to get out there, but it’s doing well. We were excited to win the Audience Award for Best Sci-Fi/Horror/Thriller at Cinequest.

MIKE - Before Cinequest, the only folks who’d seen us go through making it. It’s been really nice getting the film in front of people who can watch it with fresh eyes. Also, big shout out to Cinequest and Coney Island Film Fest for having us, they’ve been great outlets for us to meet other filmmakers!

ASHLEY - I think prior to Cinequest a few weeks ago, none of us really knew what to expect, since primarily the people who had been watching were friends and family close to the film. Once we premiered, we were blown away by the response. We sold out our second show and ended up moving to a bigger theater for our final screening. And of course selling out our NYC premiere so far in advance was really encouraging!

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

TREVOR - I’m happy that it’s been more positive than not. I consciously decided that I wanted to make a movie that I wanted to see, even if that meant it wasn’t for everyone. Almost all of my favorite movies are pretty polarizing, so I was prepared for pretty much any reception!

MIKE - A big highlight for me personally has been getting the movie in front of other filmmakers and hearing their notes. I think after living with Discontinued for so long, hearing what fellow movie nerds see in it is always interesting.

ASHLEY - I’m definitely still reeling from winning an Audience Award at Cinequest. While I think the film is fantastic, I definitely knew that the subject matter isn’t for everyone. But to see the audience support, it’s made me realize that this film is really marketable and that people can connect to it a lot more easily than I expected.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

TREVOR - We really made this movie to share a story that we wanted to tell, so we’re just happy if more people see it and it resonates with them.

MIKE - I really dug your website! I think Wearemovingstories.com covers a beautifully eclectic mix of films, and I’m humbled you’ve decided to include us as well.

ASHLEY - A big personal goal is to get the movie out there to get myself out there. This movie was my first leading role in a feature.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

TREVOR - All of the above. We’re definitely working outside of the system, which has given us the flexibility to make a film in our own way, but we definitely need help getting it out there. We’re also starting to focus on getting the next projects off the ground and growing our team.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

TREVOR - In all honesty, I just hope it makes people think. I’ve joked from the beginning that my dream is for people to argue about it on Reddit.

MIKE - If people think or feel anything new after watching it, I’d consider it a job well done. I feel like the purpose of art is to make an impact on people, whether it’s positive or negative, I’m hoping this piece can do just that.

ASHLEY - Obviously, I’d like people to love it, but I think more than that I want people to not be able to stop thinking about it. Whether they like it or not, the best is when it can make people think.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

TREVOR - This film is basically an hour and a half of questions that could spark debate. What is real? What’s the meaning of it all? Does it even matter? At the end of the film I’m sure people will be asking: what did she choose, and did she choose at all?

MIKE - Always thought the biggest question folks could walk away from this film with, was asking one another whether or not reality is a simulation!

ASHLEY - If you were given this choice, what would YOU choose?

Would you like to add anything else?

TREVOR - Just to thank everyone who helped us get this thing made and everyone who has taken the time to check it out. It’s been amazing to share it with you all. We’re excited to get going on the next one!

MIKE - We couldn’t have done this without the support of family and friends, I just hope they realize that this is their movie as much as it is ours. Thanks again for coming across our little film!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

TREVOR - We currently have two other feature scripts that are more or less ready to go, one of which we are starting the early stages of pre-production on. We like making stuff and want to get right back to it!

Interview: September 2022

DISCONTINUED

Length: 1:32:00

Writer/Director: Trevor Peckham

Producer: Michael Villucci, Trevor Peckham and Ashley Hutchinson

Key cast: Ashley Hutchinson, Langston Fishburne, Robert Picardo, Michael Bonini, Charlie Talbert, Risa Benson, Bill Sorice, Michelle Yazvac

Looking for: distributors and film festival directors

Driverless

September 20, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

The first road movie with no drivers.

Interview with Charles Pelletier, Stephen Foster

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

CHARLES: I always enjoyed old road movies when they would come up on television, like "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" and "Gumball Rally," and with the invention of driverless cars, I had the inspiration to invent a screwball comedy that poked fun at corporate greed and the madcap caper of a road movie. It has a lot of elements of screwball comedies, but some technical differences, so I invented a new term, which I like, screwbyte comedy. My little term for when computers come into the picture and cause the upside down world of a screwball comedy.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

STEPHEN: If you have ever worked for a greedy boss or had a horrible job, this film will make you laugh. The characters are kinda crazy, the dialogue is snappy and it tells a funny "us vs. them" story. We have a excellent hand-picked cast who do an extraordinary job at creating the world

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

CHARLES: The theme of the rich vs. the poor, the crazy slide of technology and mean management at corporate jobs are all themes that I enjoy exploring. I have a big issue with the uber-rich and American Oligarchs and wanted to bring a little Molière/Jonathan Swift style satire to that subject. I enjoy writing comedy scripts that unveil the obvious: there are too many ridiculously rich people, and the rest of us must scrape by. American real income has gone up by 15% since 1970, whereas in other countries, France for example, it’s gone up by 150%. It’s just not fair, frankly. I enjoy telling stories and blowing the whistle on issues like income inequality, but with humor.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

STEPHEN: Charles came up the script and characters and wrote many drafts to get the characters, the dialouge and the circumstances perfect. It was important to us to concoct a world gone wild where the driverless cars are run by insane bosses who don't care about anything except the dollar.

As we went into filming, we had to modify some of the scenes due to locations and the time we had in the location without losing any of the humor. We ultimately got everything on screen that was important in the script.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

CHARLES: People are really enjoying the mad-cap comedy and the characters. They really enjoy the mean bosses syndrome we explore, and the insanity of the office workers. Many have commented how much they relate to Glen and Raj who work in the office. They also seem to enjoy the Quaker character, Woodrow, and the bubble-headed management workers. And they like the shape of the story, who wins and who gets their cumuppance.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

STEPHEN: It's always rewarding when an audience tells you they see themselves in the work you present. We aimed at creating a satire of society without being offensive which can be hard to do in these very challenging times. To reveal the inequality of a workspace can be like ripping the band aide off a wound. We are happy to challenge with humor.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

CHARLES: We hope to expose more people to the fim and make them laugh at little. Humor always makes the medicine go down. These are screwed up times, to tell you the truth, and we have to voice our concerns and issues.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

STEPHEN: We would love more film festival directors, sales agents and journalists to help us amplify the message. We shot the film on a shoe-string budget and would love to see it expand. The film could be a proof of concept for a feature length film. We also have many projects in the files ready to shoot.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

CHARLES: We want to make people laugh and make them think. If you can get people laughing at difficult issues sometimes, that opens the topic of conversation as opposed to preaching or yelling at them. We want people to care for each other and have compassion.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

STEPHEN: "Should the rich give back to the poor?"

Would you like to add anything else?

CHARLES: We hope everyone enjoys this film and the funny messages. Laughter heals.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

STEPHEN: We have many scripts, we are trying to get funded. We have a project "The Little Johnny Dumplin' Show" which could be funded easily as it requires a self-contained shoot. The film would be a hybrid of "Waiting for Guffman" meets "HeeHaw."

Interview: September 2022

Driverless

Length:

28:20

Writer/Director

CHARLES PELLETIER is the writer and director of the comedy short “That’s Opportunity Knocking,” which won 24 awards at film festivals. A composer as well as a writer, he wrote the music and lyrics to the award-winning Off-Broadway musical “The Green Room.” His song “It’s All About Me” from “The Green Room” won the Songwriter’s Guild of America Award for Best Musical Theatre Song.

Chuck has written three produced musicals, hundreds of songs, and has sold screenplays and licensed theatre pieces around the world. As a solo artist, he wrote and released the album “Flight Times.” He wrote the music and lyrics to a children’s musical “The Boy Who Stood Still,” which premiered at the University of New Hampshire, and the music to the musical “Sour Grapes,” which premiered at the Copake Theatre. His screenplays have won numerous screenplay competitions. His original songs have been heard on radio stations and placed in several independent movies including Valentine Man, Eyes of Innocence, Piling Up Vera, Chasing Indigo and Zyzzyx Road.

Charles has acted professionally in plays and musicals and has done film and commercial work in Chicago and Los Angeles. He is currently the vocal music director for Princess Cruise Lines. Charles has a bachelor of arts in music from the University of Illinois, has studied with William Warfield (singing) and Roque Cordero (music composition), and has done additional study in literature and music at Oxford University in England.

Producer

STEPHEN FOSTER is an award-winning actor/writer originally from Ft. Worth, Texas. He won 5 best supporting actor awards for the comedy short “That’s Opportunity Knocking.”

His screenplay “My Missing Year” won the Jury Award at Nova Film Festival, won Best unproduced script at Fusion International Film Festivals. Was semi-finalist in Table Read My Screenplay contest. Nominated for best Drama at Big Bear Film Summit. The screenplay was optioned by Yarn Spinner Entertainment.
His co-written (with Chuck Pelletier) screenplay “Clubbed!” was a quarter-finalist in the Page Screenplay contest and nominated for Best Unproduced script in FIFF.

He co-wrote “The Little Johnny Dumpling Show.”

He’s featured in the indie movies “Off Hollywood,” “David Whiting Story,” “Hidden Hills,” and “Expect Delays.” He is featured in the webseries “Studio Lot,” “Eternity Hills,” “C.P.R.,” “Finding Olivia,” “What’s My Intention,” and “Ground Floor.” He directed the music video “Dream Vacation.” His comedy “Legends and Bridge” (Joan Crawford, Bette Davis & Judy Garland) won critical praise and award nominations. Stephen co-wrote the book to the hit Off-Broadway musical “The Green Room.” He starred as Icarus in the Hollywood Fringe hit show “Seven Dreams of Falling.”

He is author of the best-selling book “Awakening the Actor Within”.

Key cast:

Stephen Foster (Glen, Randy, Woodrow), Navnoor Kahlon (Raj), Renee Laramore (Joanne), Will Roberts (Miles), Donald Burns (John), Daniel Luna (Gordon),Steven Morana (Darren), Ashley Tsai (Sylvia)

Looking for:

producers, sales agents, journalists, film festival directors

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/driverlessmovie

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/driverlessthemovie

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/driverlessthemovie/

Hashtags used:

#driverlessmovie #driverlesscars #officecomedy #filmfestival #comedyshort #oligarchy #film

More info:

https://driverlessthemovie.com

Glendale International Film Festival, Sept 30th, 5:25pm, Block 5

People & Wolves: a Wisconsin Story

September 16, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

The film tells the story of Wisconsin's gray wolves, the controversies surrounding them, and how people are learning to coexist as these native predators are again fulfilling their ecological role after returning to the state about 45 years ago.

Interview with Director/Producer Rachel Tilseth

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Why use the title “People & Wolves”? I believe people have been connected with this iconic canine since the beginning of time; either with the wild wolf or through domesticating him/her to become our best friend. There has always been a connection between us two species. I want the viewer to see how people have worked to recover wolves in Wisconsin. That is my primary goal as producer and director of this film project. I have always been a let’s get it done kinda person, focused on solving the problem, and showing the public through this film that people and wolves can find a way to coexist.

My interest has always been in wolf recovery bringing the species back to the Wisconsin landscape. I’ve spent over two decades learning about wolf recovery in Wisconsin. When I began tracking in the year 2000, there was a total of 66 wolf packs compared to 234 packs today. I’ve witnessed wolf recovery firsthand as a participant in the program as a citizen scientist volunteer. I learned that they are very elusive and go out of their way to avoid any contact with us humans. I was fortunate enough to learn about a wolf pack that I helped monitor. Through observation learned how family-oriented they are just like us, or like our best friend the dog. I’ve learned a great deal from working with biologists like Adrian Wydeven and Peter David about wolves' ecological value and from Marvin DeFoe, an Ojibwe tribal elder, about the cultural value of wolves.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

The film will explain what led to the most controversial hunt in the guise of a lawsuit. A conservative advocacy group of hunters felt that not holding the mandated wolf hunt violated their rights. Unfortunately for wolves, they won their case. Previously NRB had voted to have the hunt in the fall of 2021. The film will show how fast things progressed after the January 2021 federal delisting. During the court-ordered February 2021 hunt, more than 200 wolves were harvested as hunters quickly went over the quota, shutting down the hunt after just three days. This hastily put-together hunt angered Wisconsinites, and it caused a black eye on the state's environmental record.

In the film, Adrian will inform the viewer about how the hunt affected the health of the wolf population. The film will also interview scientific advisors from Timber Wolf Alliance and Wisconsinsin's Green Fire, an organization of conservation professionals and committed citizens. The film will interview experts in the field of wolf ecology and conservation. The film will interview Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & Messenger of Peace, who will talk about how wolves are an iconic species of the American landscape, and they play an extremely vital role in the ecosystem where they live

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

We just finished our first shoot at a Wolf Ecology & Conservation Workshop. The attendees were enthusiastic learners and were happy to participate the documentary film project.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

We have found that many are interested in supporting the film and have expressed such. However, in any venture, particularly at the startup phase, funding is very often dependent on “proof of concept.” To that end, this grant will provide us with the funding needed to develop a meaningful fundraising campaign highlighting the work that has been done to date and the work that is to come.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

The feedback has always been favorable in regard to making a film about this topic.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We are looking to spread the word about this very important topic and the film project to get public awareness and for fundraising.

People & Wolves film will screen for public awareness and education across the wolf recovery areas both locally in Wisconsin and nationally. To give back to conservation efforts currently underway to manage the wolf.

In addition to these goals, we are planning to take this film to various film festivals with hopes of reaching even more people. These screenings can bring a greater interest, with recognition and more awareness to the stars of our film, the people and wolves. We are also working towards holding film release events at different wolf education advocacy groups across the country. A percentage of proceeds from the event go directly to each facility that hosts a film screening.

Would you like to add anything else?

Marvin DeFoe, another main protagonist, is a contributing author of the Ma'iingan Relationship Plan and a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Marvin is passionate about the maintenance and revitalization of the Ojibwe language, and he will tell the viewers the significance of the wolf to the Ojibwe culture. Marvin will talk about the tribe's relationship with the wolf and will tell the story of how they became a brother to the wolf. Ma'iingan (wolf) is our (Ojibwe) brother and what happens to him happens to us. Marvin lives on the Red Cliff reservation on the northernmost tip of Wisconsin's Bayfield Peninsula on the shores of Lake Superior. Marvin passionately believes the state (Wisconsin) did not consult with the tribes! Hunters even took the tribe's portion of the quota. Ojibwe do not hunt the Ma’iingan. They protect him! The film will interview tribal members and Peter David, a biologist, now retired, on the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission. The film will explain how a year after the controversial February 2021 wolf hunt, a California judge ordered gray wolves in much of the lower 48 states on the ESA list on February 18, 2022.

"Ma'iingan (wolf) is a relative, and you don't "manage a relative; you build a relationship with a relative." Quote from the Ma'iingan Relationship Plan

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

At the moment we are in production and fundraising for this project.

Interview: September 2022

People & Wolves a Wisconsin Story

Length:

1 hour

Writer/Director

Rachel Tilseth Producer & Director of the film project is a retired art educator, freelance writer, and filmmaker. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education, 1992, from UW-Stout, graduating with cum laude honors. In 2000 became involved in Wisconsin’s Wolf Recovery Program. She became a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Volunteer Winter Wolf/Carnivore Tracker in the year 2000 and, as a result, learned about the lives of wild gray wolves.

Producer

Manish Bhatt and Rachel Tilseth

Key cast:

Adrian Wydeven, Marvin DeFoe, Peter David and Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & Messenger of Peace

Looking for:

distributors, film festival directors, buyers

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/wolvesofdouglascowisc/

Hashtags used:

wolf documentary, #politics, grey wolves, Wisconsin, Endangered Species Act, Political Intrigue, Wolf hunting,

More info:

https://wolvesofdouglascountywisconsin.com/

Smile of the Mask

September 14, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

THIS FILM IS ABOUT A WOMAN WHO IS A VICTIM OF
ACID ATTACK AND HER FACE IS NOT NORMAL.
FOR THIS REASON IT IS DIFFICULT FOR HER TO BE
PRESENT IN THE COMMUNITY.
ALTHOUGH BECAUSE OF COVID, SHE USES A MASK
AND ENTERS THE COMMUNITY.
BUT NOW ITS THE MASK THAT SMILES NOT HER!

Interview with Writer/Director Abbas Ghazali

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I wanted to be the voice of women who are victims of violence and who cannot have a normal presence in society.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

The film is about one of my friends who was subjected to violence and this kind of violence happens every day and everywhere in the world, but the politicians do not want the exact statistics of these victims to be recorded.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

I have been thinking about acid attack victims for a long time and I came up with the idea of this script during quarantine because I think now is the best time to understand these victims.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Excellent. I guessed right, because after a long period of quarantine and wearing a mask for a long time, people were able to identify with the character of the movie much more easily, and I feel that I succeeded.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I got the most amazing feedback from two people. The first time when my friend who is an acid attack victim saw the movie, she was in tears and said she felt like he saw herself in the movie. The second feedback was related to Ms. Lucia Annibali, a member of the Italian Parliament, who liked the movie very much.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Because we want to be the voice of victims of acid attack all over the world

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

All of them.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

We want all the people of the world to know the hardships of acid attack victims' lives.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Did you know that there are people who are forced to always wear a mask just because of our judging eyes?

Would you like to add anything else?

I am a successful actor in my country, now I think I can turn my mental concerns into movies. And I definitely need the support of movie lovers.

Interview: September 2022

Smile of the Mask

Length:

6:30 minutes

Writer/Director

ABBAS GHAZALI was born in 1985 based in Tehran, Iran.
He is one of the most famous Iranian actors who has played in many Iranian series and films.
His most essential films as an actor, featured at international festivals, include the following list: Confessions of my dangerous mind (2015): Nominee Crystal Simorgh "Best supporting actor in Fajr Film Festival
Predestination (2021): Best actor in NORGS International Independent Festival Scissor (2016): Med Film festival (Italy).
Mother, I'm Joseph (2017): Cinequest Film Festival (USA).
Parisa (2021): Las Cruces (USA)
Vaziate-e sefid (2011)
He has also done other jobs as a screenwriter and director: Please wait (2016),
Smile of the mask (2020)
Deep Sleep

Producer

Zahra Karimi

Key cast:

Zahra Karimi

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070339670695

Instagram:

https://instagram.com/abbasghazali?igshid=ODBkMDk1MTU=

Hashtags used:

#smile_of_the_mask

Where can I watch it?

Chelsea Film Festival October 13 - 16, 2022
Reading Film Festival October 27 - 30, 2022

Dark Passage

September 13, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

A part-time driver’s last ride of the night may be the last ride of his life.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Roshni "Rush" Bhatia

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thank you! At the time, we had graduated from New York Film Academy. My classmates, now close friends, and I decided to produce a bunch of short films for fun. I love horror, and they love creating. We combined our passions to create fun little horror shorts. Also, the new iPhone had come out, and we wanted to film via the new wide-angle feature and see how it played as dash cam POV in the dark.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

If you've fallen in love with movies such as Halloween, Conjuring, or Scream, OR if you're under 18 and have a low tolerance for videos more than a minute long, this one is for you! LOL.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Well, I usually like combining real-life issues to create pithy horror movies. And while we left the inner philosophy of this mini-world up to the viewer to decide, for me, it came from creepy Uber rides where there were times I felt seriously unsafe. Using that as a launch point, we tried to reverse roles to see what would happen!

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The script had a short turnaround and was pretty consistent with the overall output. However, the filming decisions evolved every step of the way. Writing a film can be fun when you're not thinking about the logistics of bringing it to the big screen.

Once you get to the drawing board and decide the efficiency with which you will pull it off, it becomes challenging BUT fun... But still challenging. At first, I had the dumb of filming it in a moving car, but it was only when we started breaking things down to their nuts and bolts (no pun intended, haha!) that we figured it out, i.e., all we needed was a driveway, a car and the best crew in the world. I feel fortunate that we got them all!

PS: Big thank you to Kevin and Stephanie Segall for trusting us with not destroying their driveway.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The response to this one-minute film was overwhelming. I never thought that a short of this length would do better than the longer ones we made in the past. For starters, in the first 24 hours, we received an insane number of views with retweets from many people, including Die Hard screenwriter Steve E. De Souza. We won at festivals, including Raindance. We got into Dances With Films, Cinequest, and 50 others. Ever since, it's only been getting better; this morning, we received a selection from a smartphone film festival. So yes, it's been rewarding, and yes, I'm still surprised by it all.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I hope people see the value in constantly creating, even if it means getting out and shooting something for fun with your iPhone for a few hours in a friend's driveway(true story).

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

The more the merrier!

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I hope people are encouraged to try out genres that aren't as popular... We need more horror!!! And, of course, don't be a creepy driver or rider! Haha.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

I hope there's never a serious debate about this film except... Should it be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture or Best Actor? Shout out to Anastasiia Polishchuk and Marcus Eddie!

Interview: September 2022

Dark Passage

Length:

1 minute

Writer/Director

Roshni “Rush” Bhatia is a writer-director living in Los Angeles. Growing up in Mumbai, Rush was inspired by filmmakers and writers including James Cameron, Ridley Scott, Richard Matheson, and Rod Serling.

Rush has several films currently in the festival circuit, with selections at Leeds, Dances With Films, Cinequest, and more. Her one-minute short film, Dark Passage, shot on an iPhone, won the #SixtyScarySeconds competition at Raindance Film Festival and has been singled out for praise by Hollywood heavyweights, including Die Hard screenwriter Steven E. De Souza. Rush has also been nominated for Best Writer by the Horror Writers Association of America for her short film, Plasmid. She recently had her short story featured in an Alien vs Predator anthology called Ultimate Prey.

For more on her and her work, you can follow Rush on Instagram @roshnibhatia and Twitter @rushbhatia.

Producer

Virginia Blatter is a Swiss/American producer and director based in Los Angeles, California. She has worked on numerous award-winning productions for film and is known for directing award-winning short film 'No Longer Perfect' (2020) as well as producing horror/sci-fi films alongside award-winning writer-director Roshni "Rush" Bhatia such as 'Plasmid' (2018), 'Shadow at the door' (2019), Dark Passage (2019)- winner at Raindance Film Festival, Celebrity Stalker (2020) and Insiders (2020). She has directed the pilot episode of 'We are the Mafia' and has recently been involved as a production manager in the feature film Café Americano (2020), produced Imaginary Friend (2020) and Play It By Ear (2022). She had other successes with producing award-winning film Gay, Asian, Immigrant (2021) and You Up? (2019).

Key cast:

Looking for:

film festival directors, journalists, producers

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rushbhatia

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/roshnibhatia/

Hashtags used:

#darkpassage #shortfilm #horror #filmmaking #film #indiefilm #video #oneminute #oneminutehorrorshortfilm #oneminutefilm #trailer #indiefilm #director #rush #today #movie #filmmaker #photography #youtube #vimeo #dreadcentral #deadentertainment #bloodydisgusting #bloodyhorror #sfx #hollywood #ruemorge #losangeles #cinema #movie #shortfilmfestival #iphone #filmproduction #apple #iphonefilmmaking

More info:

www.rushbhatia.com

MY FIRST CHOICE (Mi primera opción)

September 09, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

An emotional conversation about oral sex will change their relationship forever.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Actor Carlota Callén

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

As an actress, I was tired of telling other people's stories and hoping others would hire me. Some notebooks I wrote when I had breast cancer inspired me to write this story. In them I talked about my fears, concerns... anything that came to my mind.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

In addition to laughing and getting excited in equal parts, it makes you want to live, to do what you never dared.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

"Today is the day" is a very important phrase in the short. All we have is this second, this moment. So if there's something you want, go get it now, don't waste your time. It's something I learned when I was sick.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

It is a very short story and I always had it very clear.

There is a lot of talk about oral sex, but it really touches on very deep issues. What I thought about a lot was the end, and I preferred to leave it open so that the viewer has the freedom to imagine what is going to happen.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The public loves it, they laugh and get excited in equal parts, they praise the performance of the actresses and the script. It still surprises me that the public laughs more than I expected.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

In some festivals, very interesting debates about sexism and sexual repression of women have been opened after the screening. It's amazing how women of all ages tell you about their unsatisfactory sexual experiences. As a society, we still have a lot to do in this regard.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I would like it to reach the largest audience possible. And if I could get something back it would be a dream, since I have personally financed it.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Everyone who can make this short reach a wider audience is welcome to join in the project. We have been selected in 45 festivals and have won 3 awards.

I hope it draws the attention of some buyers and sales agents.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I would like people to be moved, to ask themselves questions, to make peace with that loved one, to dare to do what they never did, to live, not to be silent, not to settle and to bet on their happiness.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Do you have a satisfactory sex life?

What is it that you have always wanted and never dared to do?

Would you like to add anything else?

This is my website https://www.carlotacallen.com/
And instagram @carlotacallen

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I am currently working on the script for my first movie. It resolves around how healthcare workers struggle to keep their vocation and passion for their job due to being alienated by a collapsing system that has proven to be inefficient and unfair.

Interview: September 2022

MY FIRST CHOICE (Mi primera opción)

Length:

5:57

Writer/Director/Producer

CARLOTA CALLÉN (Zaragoza, Spain, 07/16/1979). Film director, scriptwriter and actress. Trained at Corazza Acting Studio by renowned teachers and coaches the likes of John Strasberg, her acting career spans film, theatre, and TV. Some of her most prominent and significant works are the Netflix movie “Los Futbolísimos” and the HBO series “El último show” among others. She studied scriptwriting and film and stage direction under the guidance of David Planell and Natalia Mateo. This led her to write, direct, and produce “Mentir está muy feo”, a micro-theatre musical with great success in Madrid’s theatrical scene. After working as an assistant director and acting coach in a number of projects, she puts herself behind the camera to write, produce, and direct her first short film “My first choice”, where she also co-stars and produces.

Key cast:

Carlota Callén (Julia), Violeta Orgaz (Blanca)

Looking for:

sales agents, buyers, film festival directors

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/miprimeraopcion_corto/

Hashtags used:

#drama #comedy #oralsex #actress

More info:

https://distributionwithglasses.com/mi-primera-opcion/

Where can I watch it?

Frame film festival (Castellvell del Camp - Spain) 10th 11th Septembre

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YOUTH v GOV

September 08, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

YOUTH v GOV follows 21 young Americans suing the world’s most powerful government to protect their constitutional rights to a stable climate. If they win, they will change the future.

Interview with Director Christi Cooper

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I came into filmmaking from the lens of a scientist engaged in pre-clinical research, and even though my research was focused on humans, I always felt rather disconnected from making a difference in real lives. When I entered the world of filmmaking, I was immediately drawn to the human stories and our connection to our natural environment (or disconnection).

My passion for climate change issues began in 2010, when I went to Louisiana following the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster and was helping scientists with some of their media. This experience led to meeting the captains of our boats, who were out-of-work shrimpers (due to the oil spill) but happened to be from an indigenous tribe outside of the levy system in SW Louisiana. They graciously and generously invited my colleague and me to stay with them as they told us their story of loss and marginalization. I saw first-hand how the fossil fuel industry had destroyed the marshlands, which used to protect them from hurricanes and storm surges, allowing them to grow their own food on the banks. This experience was pivotal for me and created a deep desire to focus on stories of justice and to help elevate the voice of those who are often on the frontlines of destruction yet have the fewest resources to have their voices heard.

Shortly thereafter (in 2011) I was invited to help create a series of short films (Stories of TRUST: Calling for Climate Recovery) focused on young people suing their state governments, and this was my introduction to working with young people and climate litigation. YOUTH v GOV grew out of that work and my relationship with these youth people and their legal team.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

In a world with a lot of fears about the future, in particular for the youngest generations, I think this story is actually pretty hopeful, despite the topic being about climate change. And we all need that hope right now, right? Yes, the realities of climate change and the erosion of our constitutional rights are dire and depressing, and I knew that there would be pieces of YOUTH v GOV that are hard to watch – the climate devastations, the setbacks in the case, the real losses that the plaintiffs were experiencing.

But, we need these moments to make emotional connections to the characters – and that's why you should watch this film. It's about these young people who are demanding a brighter future, one focused on protecting their constitutional rights. The hope at the end of the film really is inviting the audience (around the world) to join this story and to be a part of the change and solutions that are needed.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

As leaders in the youth climate movement, the twenty-one plaintiffs of Juliana v. The United States of America represent the diversity of American youth impacted by the climate crisis. They hail from 10 states: Florida, Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Louisiana, and New York. These film characters encompass cultural, economic and geographic diversity and many come from marginalized communities, serving as beacons of hope for those who do not have a platform to share their own stories.

They are African-American, Indigenous, white, bi-racial, and LGBTQ, and their diversity speaks not only to the impacts of climate change, but to the inclusion required if we are to build a better and more just future together. These young people are activists, students, artists, musicians, and farmers, and their stories are universal.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

This film took me six years to make, and because the lawsuit was constantly evolving (and continues to do so) over the course of these years, the story also shifted and grew. I think what the span of time most allowed me to do was to follow the young plaintiffs over a course of time throughout their childhood and this change in time is really evident in the film. Additionally, because of the additional time in following the case, I was able to put in 2.5 years of research into the historical aspects of the case and the evidence of government malfeasance.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Since our premiere at DocNYC in 2020, YOUTH v GOV has screened at 54 film festivals around the world and garnered 26 jury and audience awards.

Since its Netflix worldwide premiere in over 30 years this past April, the documentary has received numerous accolades: Glenn Close found the film “humbling, educational and deeply inspiring,” and Francis Ford Coppola praised the documentary’s premise of “youth having a say in decisions affecting their future.” Just a couple of months ago, Popsugar--an entertainment website with over 14.3 million visits--highlighted Youth v Gov. as one of their “New Netflix Documentaries to watch in July 2022.”

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Actually, we have been incredibly humbled by the positive feedback that we have received since our film festival launch and it's been an incredible journey to see this dream that I had six years ago come to fruition and for people of influence to use their voices and their platforms to help get it out into the world.

Of course, there will always be opposition to a story that is focused on a topic that many view as political, even though we tried our hardest to take the politics out of the story and focus on constitutional rights and the systemic changes that are needed, but there will always be folks that will disagree.

And the disagreements have had more to do with the lawsuit or the premise of the case, rather than the story/film, and I would venture to say that most of those disagreeing do not have a sufficient understanding of the case and the issue.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Opportunities like having We Are Moving Stories feature YOUTH v GOV are so important for helping to create buzz around the film and provide venues for young people (and older people too!) around the world to engage in this issue and to feel that they can also be a part of the solution.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Because the film is finished and has had its commercial release, the help that we most need at this point is for folks to help amplify the message through their own platforms, in particular for celebrities and people of influence to share the film and create discussions around it, as well as for journalists to do a deeper dive into the Juliana constitutional lawsuit and to start speaking about it in the mainstream media, law journals, current news platforms, etc.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I really want the audience to understand that our environmental rights are inherently intertwined in our constitutional rights....and that we HAVE rights that need to be continuously protected. I think if the past few months have shown us anything, it's the need for continuous protections, even when we think or assume they might exist. The youth in this film represent the generation that will be MOST impacted by climate catastrophes and they are inheriting a future that looks very different from what many of us have been able to experience into old age.

The time is urgent...we don't have much left to take strong, resilient, and sustainable action on the worst threats that we face...and in order for that systemic change to take place, people need to understand how we got here and the history of our fossil fuel-based energy system. This is the only way we can move forward with viable solutions and a clear path towards understanding that the solutions are there, but we just need the systemic and political systems to shift and get out of the way so that these changes can take place.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Do you believe you have a constitutional right to a safe future, one where you can enjoy the pursuit of happiness, life, liberty, and personal security? How does that look if your own government is taking actions that actively threaten those rights?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

In addition to continuing the educational work around YOUTH v GOV, my producing partner, Olivia Ahnemann, and I are currently working on developing new project ideas.

Interview: September 2022

YOUTH v GOV

Length:

1:50

Director

Christi Cooper is a scientist, filmmaker, and Emmy-award winning cinematographer. Her films have won numerous awards, including JacksonWild's Grand Teton Award. Christi communicates complex issues through storytelling and visual narrative to create impact around the most pressing issues of our time. She is the inaugural SFFILM/Vulcan Productions Environmental Film Fellow, the first Focus on Nature Artist-in-Resident at the Jacob Burns Film Center, and was recently awarded The ReelWomenDirect Award for Excellence in Directing.

Producer

Olivia Ahnemann has produced and directed documentary films for over 20 years. In addition to The Human Element featuring James Balog, which premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival (2018), she produced Under the Gun (Sundance Film Festival 2016 premiere), and Racing Extinction (Sundance Film Festival 2015 premiere), and co-produced The Cove, which garnered over 70 awards globally, including the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary and the Producers Guild of America Documentary Award.

Key cast:

Vic Barrett, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Kelsey Juliana, Julia Olson, Phil Gregory, Jayden Foytlin, Levi Draheim, Jacob Lebel, Gus Speth, Richard Primus, Nicky Sundt

Twitter:

http:/twitter.com/youthvgovfilm

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/youthvgovfilm

Instagram:

http://instagram.com/youthvgovfilm

Hashtags used:

#youthvgovfilm, #youthvgov, #JULIANAvUS, #climatejustice

Where can I watch it now?

The film can be streamed worldwide on Netflix.

Seven Days

September 06, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

Seven Days is an anthology of seven women, a homeless teacher, wealthy housewife, single mother, social activist, polyamorist, sex worker and same-sex partner, a tour-de-force performance all played by one actress.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Corey Kupfer

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Seven Days began in my first meeting Ellyn Jameson, where we found ourselves quickly partitioned off from our friends and mutually spewing our love for acting and directing method, covering everything from Stanislavsky to Cassavetes and beyond. We also shared in mutual frustration with where we were at in our career paths, and with the kinds of projects and roles we were made subject to in order to make money. Ellyn was especially frustrated with the female roles presented to her, almost always bordering on or fully offensive, even in the wake of the Me Too movement. Within two weeks Ellyn and I had begun plans for Seven Days, an exploration of acting and directing methods, and characters that aren't bound by strong or weak, good or bad, but have the kind of depth and complexity that represents any person's story.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Seven Days is independent in the truest sense, made by two artists who love film so much it sits at the surface of our very being. We strung this film together for a mere $40,000 of our own money over two and a half years of filming, and I promise you it does not look like it. The quality of this film stands up against anything in the independent market.

I always say I set out to make work that doesn't reinforce what audiences already know to be true, but challenges expectations. There is a gap within mainstream film, lacking femininity, and that doesn't just mean female artists or female characters but an entirely different way of experiencing story that isn't driven by action or plot as is currently taught, but a receptive experience with emotional and intellectual journeys, among other things. Not having to abide by either the conventions of feature film, or short film, gave us a lot of freedom to start experimenting with new ways of telling stories. It was an honor to work in close collaboration with Ellyn Jameson, whose performances are nothing short of brilliant, capable of the complexity and subtlety necessary to start experimenting with these modes, and whose talents far exceed what you see in front of camera. Seven Days is far from the turnkey answer to any widespread social conflict but we are grateful to have been able to dip our toes in the waters of what we want the future of film to be.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The number one question I get is how someone born male approaches working with not one, but seven female characters. Of course, all films are a collaboration, and there are some things you have to take the artist responsibility of asking for help with, things a biological male can never understand. But in all honestly, I am rarely driven to tell male stories, because I want to tell emotional and intellectual stories, and speaking all too broadly, most men's emotions are bound up so deeply beneath a facade of toxic masculinity, what would there be to watch? While with my next project I am challenging myself to bring a more feminine filmmaking approach to male characters as a way to help my fellow men, at the point of making Seven Days I'd always felt more comfortable with the feminine when it came to the things in life that mattered most.

Every one of these women has a part of me in them, and often times I find myself putting my own flaws into characters and putting them in situations that draw compassion, as a way of forgiving my own imperfection. The universally positive and engaged responses I've seen with every screening audience so far supports that gender is a fluid concept, we all have masculine and feminine within us that manifest in unique ways that make us who we are. Shame, isolation, guilt, sacrifice, overwhelm, loneliness, and fear are things everyone has some connection with.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

In the couple in-person film festivals I've been able to do the response has been overwhelmingly positive. I've had three Q&A sessions cut short to move people out of the cinema, only to unofficially continue in the lobby. I love seeing audiences respond to my work; and there's an extra special validation from filmmakers and film professionals seeking me out at festivals to share their being inspired by the project as well.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Absolutely! I admit the popular discourse that modern audiences have lost their patience, are spoiled by the contrived structure of television and super hero films, young audiences have no attention span because of social media... you hear it enough, and you're so dissatisfied with the film industry, you begin to believe it. But it's NOT TRUE. I never thought anyone would be able to sit through seven portraits without conventional action, plot or structure but instead hinges on emotional journeys, and so far from ages seventeen to seventy, everyone has been deeply engaged, and intellectually responsive. You just have to give people a chance. We all want to be challenged.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I hope to see the kind of conversations that I'm having about this film, and our expectations of films in general, to spread to more audiences and filmmakers.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Seven Days is open to any/all sales agents/buyers/distributors. We will always accept taking it to more festivals for the chance of connecting to more audiences, especially since so many of our festivals were effected by covid. I myself, Corey Kupfer am seeking manager/agent representation for writing and directing. I am also interested in partnering with producers on my next feature projects.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I want to see a shift away from current conventions and see an era of independent film flourish again. I want people to see how much more a couple of truly passionate filmmakers who are masters of their craft can do with a mere $40,000 than some films do with millions.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Corey Kupfer has a finished script seeking development that is a modern homage to Psycho, telling the story of a politician's daughter that is taken down by our predatory and prejudiced systems when she takes the matter of her missing girlfriend and a suspect billionaire into her own hands. Corey is also currently writing another screenplay about a retired father's battles with his own toxic masculinity, taking Corey's affinity for more feminine storytelling to help his fellow men.

Interview: September 2022

Seven Days

Length:

1:40:00

Writer/Director

COREY KUPFER, a Wisconsin native and NYU MFA alumni, began in experimental film and mixed media installation before making his turn to narrative film. He remains committed to work that doesn’t reinforce but calls into question audience’s expectations. His first feature film Seven Days, an anthology of seven women characters, has garnered ten festival laurels to date.

Producer

Corey Kupfer & Ellyn Jameson

Key cast:

Ellyn Jameson (Missy; Amie; Allie; Erin; Alex; Becca/Nadia; Mara)

Looking for:

sales agents, distributors, journalists, film festival directors, producers, buyers

Instagram:

@goldenmilefilm

More info:

www.goldenmilefilm.com

Where can I watch it now?

Hollywood Reel Film Festival/Los Angeles - September 6th; Catalina Film Festival/Long Beach and Catalina - TBD

How Deep Is The Ocean

August 30, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

A lonely drifter and a burnt out former comedian form an unlikely friendship on the mean streets of Melbourne.

Interview with Writer/Director Andrew Walsh

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thank you many reasons!

I'd written and directed five short films and had no urge to make anymore. I did everything I set out to do and wanted to go to the next level.

I spent years working on different feature film scripts and would bring in my actor friends to workshop scenes and I found the stuff we were improvising together was a lot more exciting then what was on the written page so I decided to wanted to make an entire feature film with that approach.

I'm fascinated by women and wanted to tell a story from a female perspective. I haven’t seen many films with a protagonist like Eleanor.

I wanted to make a film about our city of Melbourne. The city is a character within itself and we wanted to show the good the bad the ugly the strange and the beautiful. Like the character of Eleanor I came here 15 years ago with the clothes on my back and very little else.

Melbourne is portrayed as this utopian cosmopolitan city where the streets are paved with gold and there are no problems and that's all a facade. Most of us struggle and live week to week. Day to day. Minute by minute. Second by second. We never hear or see the stories of people like us.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

I'm naturally biased but it’s an entertaining film with beautiful visuals great performances a few laughs and some very profound moments!

The soundtrack is also awesome.

A huge problem with the Australian Film Industry from the audience’s point of view is they recycle the same actors over and over again. Our film does not have that problem.

There's a lot of new faces in How Deep.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The film is very personal. As i mentioned earlier like the main character of Eleanor I moved to Melbourne with no money no job or a place to go but I was determined to start again so I fell into a lot of the same situations she does.

The challenges Eleanor faces are universal and happen in every major city on the planet. I think a lot of people will relate to it.

The biggest theme in the film is an idea of finding a home and a place to belong in the world.

Each character is yearning for something they can’t have. Eleanor (Olivia Fildes) wants to escape the trauma of her past and build a new life but she's thwarted by her own self sabotaging behavior and the harsh realities of life in the city.

Roy (Cris Cochrane) wants to go back to his glory days of being a celebrity and a successful comedian rather than take a hard look at himself and the decisions he's made that have brought him to where he is in the present.

Matt (Will Weatheritt) wants to find love and he's looking for it in all the wrong places.

Charlie (Adam Rowland) facing impending fatherhood is struggling with the expectations of his new role and wonders what life would've been like if he took a different path which is what romantically draws him to Eleanor.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The first couple drafts were terrible. The first couple of drafts of anything are terrible. It was full of lots of cliches.

It wasn’t a traditional script I structured it as an outline and each scene had a beginning middle and end and I let the actors interpret it their own way and add their own things to the story. 90 percent of the dialogue was improvised on the spot.

As a result the script was constantly shifting throughout the whole proccess which could've been a disaster but working out very well.

I had complete trust in my cast and crew and they had complete trust in me.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Since we released our final cinematic trailer it's been overwhelmingly good so far! This is my first feature and were taking our time with it so everything the editing- the sound- the performances is the highest quality.

I want this film to stand on the world stage. Its paying off.

The best so far is from Alex Proyas who directed "The Crow" and "Dark City" among many other classic Hollywood films. He's got a pretty big presence on social media these days and I sent him a link to our official trailer and he said it looked great.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

None yet! A lot of the humor and dialogue is what some people currently believe is "politically incorrect" and "problematic" so I imagine we'll be get a bit of grief when the film is released but I don't really give a shit.

History remembers the work of the artist not the opinion of the critics.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Getting it out there! Were on the look out for a distributor and representation and sites like WAMS is an invaluable for filmmakers like us who are working outside the system.

How Deep Is The Ocean - behind the scenes

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

All of the above! How Deep Is The Ocean was entirely self funded by me. I paid for the production now we need all the help we can get to see the film is out in the world.

Anyone wants to help us hit me up on awpictures86@gmail.com

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I just hope the film will connect with people on an emotional level.

The film 1979 "Quadrophenia" directed by Franc Roddam was a big influence.

I related to Phil Daniels character so much because its a story about a guy who is essentially a complete failure but that's okay because I think people can relate to failure more than success. That the reason Quadrophenia has a huge cult following to this day.

I hope we've created something similar that will endure over time. Endurance is everything.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

That's a great question. I don't know if I made the film with an intention to spark a debate but I'm sure it will provoke a reaction none the less.. The characters say and do some pretty questionable things and as the writer I don't necessarily condone them. We all get lost in life and and the world needs a lot more empathy and kindness. Now more then ever.

Maybe people we see something of themselves in it and realize there's nothing wrong with being vulnerable. It's a thing I've been wrestling with for a long time.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Our producer Dia Taylor is currently working on not one but two feature films "Jett" and "Disconnected" which she wrote directed and produced! Alot of the crew from How Deep are involved in that.

Olivia Fildes has a few things on the go. Adam Rowland is currently living in Sydney fulltime and playing the role of "Remi" on Home And Away.

Me personally I don’t think i'll be doing another project for a very long time.

I've been chasing after films for 19 years now without a break, so I think I've earned the right to have a rest.

I'm Looking forward to spending a lot more time with my 16th month old daughter and catching on all the things I've missed out on making this film.

That and I really want to learn how to play the piano.

Interview: August 2022

Length:

1:16:36

Writer/Director

ANDREW WALSH

Andrew Walsh is an independent film director based in Melbourne Australia who specializes in creating films that mix a fearless uncompromising style with intimate sensitive storytelling.

His controversial and subversive work has screened in venues festivals and events across Australia and overseas.

How Deep Is The Ocean is Andrew’s feature film debut.

Producer

DIA TAYLOR

Dia Taylor is an independent filmmaker and videographer. She has been working behind the camera professionally since 2007, founding her own event videography company “Taymaynari Productions” in 2017. Dia has also built her experience in a number of other roles, including as a Director Of Photography on Nathan Hill’s feature film ‘I, Portrait’, Camera Assistant on Rebecca Ann Bentley’s ‘Kill Me, Heal Me’, and currently, Producer Andrew Walsh’s ‘How Deep Is The Ocean’ (as well as numerous other projects)

DANIELA ERCOLI

Daniela is a producer based in Melbourne, started with roles as production assistant for indie companies, one year later she was Associate Producer of 'Choir Girl" an art-house feature film that starred many well know Australian actors and Neighborhood Watch a comedy web series that was a local success. She studied the Entertainment Industry in Milan and collected experiences in short film, newsroom TV, film festivals and videoclips ( 'Ti Sposero' of Carosello Records was one of the video clips she worked on which attained millions of views). Daniela produced creative works set for a worldwide release as 'Black to White' a short film which featured in local and international film festival and 'Nena' artistry short film released in July 2018 which is now being circuited around many film festivals. Daniela has an educational background in marketing and advertisement and holds a Degree in International Business from Australia Centre Further Education Institute in Melbourne.

Key cast:

Olivia Fildes (Eleanor Grey) Cris Cochrane (Roy) Will Weatheritt (Matt) Adam Rowland (Charlie)

Looking for:

sales agents, distributors, film festival directors, journalists

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/howdeepistheoceanmovie

Instagram:

www.instagram.com/howdeepistheoceanmovie

Hashtags used:
#howdeepistheoceanmovie

More info:
www.howdeepistheocean.com

Celebrity Stalker

August 25, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

A “celebrity stalker” broadcasts herself on social media breaking into homes of the elite, unaware that she may have picked up her own stalker along the way.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Roshni "Rush" Bhatia

Watch Celebrity Stalker here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

The idea for Celebrity Stalker came from my observances of the GenZ era with the rise of TikTok and social media platforms where depending on the type of content you consume; one might find content produced to display a more superficial lifestyle to attain the goal of getting more attention, followers but on a deeper level more security and self-esteem. Celebrity Stalker twists reality by showing more horrifying consequences than one might imagine.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

On a certain level, the short open your mind to an underworld of reality where people go to drastic lengths to get what they want. While this concept is universal, it is disappointing to find that it permeates the minds of teens and adults who might suffer issues that need to be tackled internally. Watch it as a parent, as a teen, as an adult, as a human, so you know that whatever you're going through, you're not alone, and there's someone out there going through worse. It's a short that, more than anything, offers a new perspective regardless of the demographic.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

As aforementioned, a lot of Celebrity Stalker is based on my observances, but of course, being on the cusp of the GenZ era, I grew up around social media. Like others, I was desperate for attention as I watched my friends make a point, whether it's their lifestyle, their skinny figures, hanging around the popular crowd, or simply being that "Influencer." To a certain extent, I, too, am guilty of that. In my preteens, it used to be Facebook; in my teens, it was Instagram and eventually Snapchat. But through all those experiences came my maturity of understanding right from wrong and not letting social media define me. It's about the real world, the interesting people you meet as you strive to become the best version of yourself.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The turnaround for this project was pretty quick, and the filming occurred right before the pandemic. Thankfully we got the footage we needed, even though with the help of my brilliant producer, and her love for LA, I was able to borrow some of her recordings of the city and Hollywood Hills. The screenplay went through a few drafts but didn't take very long. Although, the post-production took the longest. Honestly, this wasn't my best work, as I had planned to make this a fun filming experience for my cast and crew. On the flip side, the edit lacked the pump required to make it as fun as we thought it was during filming. Eventually, it all worked out, and I'm happy with the outcome.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The film has screened around the world, and I wasn't able to attend a majority of them; however, based on the ones I attended in LA and the reviews I received from those who watched it on YouTube, it turned out exactly how I set out to let it be seen -- A fun horror short with a twist.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

It motivated me to continue making more films, and I have! Haha.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I hope to keep the creative flow moving amongst industry professions, to let them know never to stop producing. And enjoy!!!

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Literally anyone and everyone! Haha.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

When do you know that you're taking it too far?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

We're working on a couple of feature films. My husband and I are also excited to be producing a feature film that will go into production in a month in Florida. We're also looking into ideas that will integrate tech and I.

Interview: August 2022

Celebrity Stalker

Length:

4:45

Writer/Director

Producer

Key cast:

Inja Zalta, Grant Morningstar

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rushbhatia

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/roshnibhatia/

Hashtags used:

#foundfootage #pov #horror #shortfilm #thriller #genz #celebritystalker #hollywood #hollywoodhills

More info:

It showed at about 20 film festivals including NoHo Cinefest and Nevada Women's Film Festival.

Goodbye, Petrushka

August 25, 2022 by Carmela Baranowska

Claire moves impulsively from NYC to Paris, where she nannies for the family from hell, battles wacky French bureaucrats, embarrasses herself in front of her Parisian crush and navigates a toxic relationship - among other faux pas.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Nicola Rose

Watch Goodbye, Petrushka on Prime Video

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I wanted to tell a story about a young woman going through a very messy stage of growing up. I've always been attracted to coming-of-age stories, especially about girls and women, but speaking very generally, we don't get to see women being messy and flawed and goofy onscreen. Yet that's exactly how we often are in real life. I wanted to write about a young woman who was a total goofball, whose innocence bumps up against life and culture shock in an uncomfortable way. I wanted to make a comedy of errors and discomfort, and one where love doesn't necessarily tie up with a bow.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

To feel better coming out than you did going in. So many people have told me that the ending gave them a boost they didn't know they needed. Claire, the main character, goes through a lot, so I think it can be a bit rough watching her get to point A to point B. But hopefully, it's worth it.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I have discovered from talking to audience members that it resonates with a surprising range of people just because it has to do with youth and the mistakes we make when we're young. Not everyone has been a young American puppeteer in France in love with a figure skater (thank God; it would be a weird world), but everyone has been young and made all sorts of goofy mistakes. I've heard from people of all stripes that Claire has struck a chord with them, made them emotional, brought back memories, etc. We've all had crushes and acted like idiots; we've all yearned really hard for something and maybe not even been quite sure what it was.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

I originally wrote Goodbye, Petrushka in 2013, when I was not much older than the young character at its center! I made a short film roughly based on it and then put it aside for several years. My producing partner, Tierney Boorboor, and I met in 2020 and unearthed what ended up becoming Goodbye, Petrushka, the feature film. She is an excellent script doctor and found exactly where I needed to tighten and/or rewrite GP to make it produceable.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

People have had an emphatically warm reaction to this film overall. I'm really gratified by it. Again, I think it's because stories about messy growing-up experiences seem to hit a fairly universal nerve.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I've actually been surprised how positive it has been! Not that I was expecting negativity, but rather, I wasn't sure how much people would take it seriously. People by and large have taken it extremely seriously. But it's okay to laugh at it too. (By which I mean I encourage it.) It's a very silly film about deep feelings.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I want people to know this movie is out there waiting for them to watch it.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We need viewers! Thanks to our distributor Indie Rights, you can watch it on Tubi and Prime. And if you like it, I ask that you please review it on Prime, Rotten Tomatoes, and IMDb. Every review means the world!

Tubi (US, Canada, UK, Mexico): https://tubitv.com/movies/680460?utm_source=justwatch-feed&tracking=justwatch-feed

Prime (US): https://amzn.to/3v5tKkS

Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/goodbye_petrushka

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13197812/

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I want people to feel happier because they watched it. That's for this film specifically, although as far as I'm concerned, it's the whole point of making movies anyway.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

What were you longing for as a young person? Are you still?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

A few of the producers and I are working on my second feature, a family comedy called Magnetosphere.

Interview: August 2022

Goodbye, Petrushka

Length:

1:40:00

Writer/Director

Nicola Rose is a New York City-based filmmaker. Her first feature film, Goodbye, Petrushka, premiered at Dances With Films in Los Angeles in summer 2022. Prior to that, Nicola directed four short films: Creative Block (2017), In the Land of Moonstones (2018), Gabrielle (2019), and Biff & Me (2020), all of which won awards and acclaim on the festival circuit. She is a graduate of Columbia University and the Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle in Paris.

Producer

A creative and logistical producer, Tierney Boorboor finds her joy in helping talent realize their potential and assisting projects to fruition. She is a partner at CuffLink Productions, a consultant to the newly minted Baum 18 Media, and makes films independently. After line producing A Place in Hell, she then produced Hideout in 2020 and Goodbye, Petrushka in 2021. As the lead producer, she was responsible for all phases from development and financing through production, post and distribution.

Key cast:

Lizzie Kehoe (Claire), Thomas Vieljeux (Thibaut), Casey Landman (Julia), Bartek Szymanski (Rafał), Cat Grey (Trina), Joëlle Haddad-Champeyroux (The Bureaucrat)

Facebook:

http://facebook.com/goodbyepetrushkafilm

Instagram:

http://instagram.com/goodbyepetrushkafilm

Hashtags used:

#goodbyepetrushkafilm #goodbyepetrushka

Free to stream on:

Tubi (US, Canada, Australia, Mexico, India):
https://tubitv.com/movies/680460?utm_source=justwatch-feed&tracking=justwatch-feed

Amazon Prime (US): https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.ebc25d57-32e5-48f6-a26d-c8bc4c5eb3c6?ref_=imdbref_tt_wbr_pvt_aiv&tag=imdbtag_tt_wbr_pvt_aiv-20

Amazon (UK):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Goodbye-Petrushka-Lizzie-Kehoe/dp/B0B5LFQK6L/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YGSIYJJOCXZG&keywords=goodbye+petrushka&qid=1661377439&s=instant-video&sprefix=goodbye+petrushka%2Cinstant-video%2C112&sr=1-1