Discover Indie Film

Welcome Back! Enrique Mendoza and Ren Olivieri came to record this podcast together in person… we just had to wait for Ren to visit Los Angeles from Toronto.                                                                                                                                                                                                       But this All-American trio you're about to hear – Ren from Canada, Enrique from Guatemala, and yours truly from the USA – represent pretty much every region North of South America! These two came by to discus their award winning film “Rob Roy,” an Official Selection at Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2025 that tookhome three awards; the Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film – Action-Thriller, the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Director – Short Film – Action/Thriller to Enrique A. Mendoza, and the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Screenplay – Short Film – Action/Thriller to Ren Olivieri.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    No wonder they like me! Each had been on the podcast before solo, Enrique on Episode 527. Enrique A. Mendoza “Fervor” and Ren on Episode 559. Ren Olivieri “The Trade” . Besides talking about how these two met at SOFF 2024, hit it off, watched each other's screenings and collaborated in time to submit “Rob Roy” for the next year's festival, they also wanted to talk about their new project, Fifty. Enjoy! Follow Ren on Instagram at @reno91 Follow Enrique on Instagram at @djurban01 Learn more about Enrique at themendozaproject.com _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Monday! Dojin Kim’s animated short film “Where the Rain Stops” was an Official Selection at the Sherman Oaks Film Festival on 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Originality – Short Film – Animation. This is unusual, but I think it is appropriate to share Dojin's post-podcast recording with everyone. He wanted to express himself more clearly after our struggles with live translation. Here are Dojin's own words: Thank you very much for your kindness and patience during the podcast recording. I know the language barrier must have made things less smooth at times, and I truly appreciate how thoughtful and generous you were throughout the conversation. In particular, when I did not fully understand the nuance of a short question and asked again, you kindly took the time to explain it in more detail, which made it much easier for me to understand. I am very grateful for that. It is always a wonderful thing to share something I have made with other people. Because of my full-time job and financial limitations, I was not able to visit Los Angeles in person, but having my film screened at SOFF was still a very meaningful experience for me. It was something truly special, and I would like to thank you again for making that opportunity possible.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                As with the themes in Where the Rain Stops, I feel that our world is living under dark clouds. From the climate crisis to the existential questions about humanity raised by AI, this is a dark and turbulent time.                  And yet, in the middle of that, the fact that human beings can communicate through creative work, and that people across the ocean, from different countries and different backgrounds, can share the emotions of the age with one another, reminds me of the value of art. More than that, it seems to offer us an answer, even if not a perfectly clear one, to the question of what it means to be human.                                                                      I want to express my respect for the work and dedication it takes to run a film festival and create a space where this kind of communication can happen.                                                                                                  Through today's podcast conversation, I was reminded once again of the value of art and communication. Thank you again for making that possible. Link for Dojin's favorite animated feature: The Boy and the World _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles  

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out.’ Zeshaan Younus came on the podcast to speak about his film “I've Seen All I Need To See,” which was a SOFF 2025 Official Selection: Feature Film – Drama and took home an extremely long list of Grand Jury and Audience Awards. I so enjoyed chatting with Zeshaan and did not see all I needed to see but rather wanted to more- hence the 4 Questions follow up! Click here to see where to watch Zeshaan’s feature film I’VE SEEN ALL I NEED TO SEE Click here to watch Zeshaan’s previous feature film THE BUILDOUT on Tubi for free. Click here to watch Zeshaan’s short film PREFIGURED on Youtube/Dust. You can also find out more on IG @isaintsfilm _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Welcome back for another exciting Discovery of Indie Film! Zeshaan Younus came on the podcast to speak about his film “I've Seen All I Need To See,” which was a SOFF 2025 Official Selection: Feature Film – Drama. I’m clearly not the only one who saw what they needed to see to know this was a terrific film because it took home the Grand Jury Award – Best Feature Film –Drama,  Grand Jury Award – Best Director – Feature Film – Zeshaan Younus, Grand Jury Award – Best Score – Feature Film – Benjamin Doherty, Grand Jury Award – Best Sound Design – Feature Film – Aidan Neuner AND the Audience Award – Best Feature Film. You probably want to watch this film right now and you can! Click here to see where to watch Zeshaan’s feature film I’VE SEEN ALL I NEED TO SEE Click here to watch Zeshaan’s previous feature film THE BUILDOUT on Tubi for free. Click here to watch Zeshaan’s short film PREFIGURED on Youtube/Dust. You can also find out more on IG @isaintsfilm _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Welcome Back to the Discover Indie Film Podcast! And welcome back, Tatiana Blackington James. Tatiana returned to the podcast to talk about her film Lawyered Up, which was a SOFF 2025 Official Selection: Short Film –SciFi that impressively took home the Grand Jury Award – Best Short Film – SciFi, the Filmmakers Award – Outstanding Director – Short Film – SciFi – Tatiana Blackington James, AND the Filmmakers Award – Outstanding Cast Performance – Short Film – SciFi. Tatiana was first on in 2024 to chat about her amazing short “Homologies” and if you want to go back and listen that episode you can click HERE. You can find out more about what Tatiana’s up to on Instagram: @tbjscreenwriter @lawyeredupthefilm _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out.’ Jesse Cook III came on the podcast to chat about his SOFF 2025 Official Selection LOOM that took home the Filmmakers Award – Outstanding Film – Short Film – SciFi. Jesse and I hit it off immediately when we met, but can I ever really feel close to someone unless I’ve asked them the 4 Questions? Follow Jesse on Instagram @jc3.mov _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Greetings Listeners! The only thing I love more than chatting with a really talented filmmaker is chatting with a REALLY NICE and lovely person that also happens to be a very talented filmmaker.                                                                  Jesse Cook III is absolutely both and I was thrilled to have him on to chat about his SOFF 2025 Official Selection LOOM that took home the Filmmakers Award – Outstanding Film – Short Film – SciFi Follow Jesse on Instagram @jc3.mov P.S.- I also couldn’t NOT take a photo of these adorable pups that may have been trying to steal the spotlight during the interview. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Lesley Hoyt-Croft wrote an internationally award-winning comedy/drama sports screenplay called Princess Di and the Lesbians (2026) and also known for her documentary films for the Arizona Justice Project called LIFE: The Bill Macumber Story (2010); The Ballad of Louis Taylor (2017); This Damn Town (2019, the latter two about Louis Taylor who was unjustly convicted of the Pioneer Hotel Fire in Tucson, Arizona, that killed 29 people and resulted in Taylor spending 42 years in prison). I was excited to chat with someone with such an eclectic range of interests and was very curious to see what else I’d find out from the 4 Questions! Find more here: X https://x.com/CroftHoyt54589 IG @Lesleyhc IMDB   _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Greetings and Happy Friday! Lesley Hoyt-Croft is known for her documentary films for the Arizona Justice Project called LIFE: The Bill Macumber Story (2010); The Ballad of Louis Taylor (2017); This Damn Town (2019, the latter two about Louis Taylor who was unjustly convicted of the Pioneer Hotel Fire in Tucson, Arizona, that killed 29 people and resulted in Taylor spending 42 years in prison). But just to show how diverse her many talents are, she also wrote an internationally award-winning comedy/drama sports screenplay called Princess Di and the Lesbians (2026) that has garnered more laurels than I can count, and that’s what she come on to chat about! Find more about this lovely and highly achieving person: X https://x.com/CroftHoyt54589 IG @Lesleyhc IMDB _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Vidhya Iyer wrote and directed the short film, “Giving Mom the Talk,” which was a SOFF 2025 Official Selection and earned the Grand Jury Award – Best Short Film – Comedy AND the Filmmakers Award – Outstanding Director – Short Film – Comedy. I hope you enjoyed getting know know Vidhya as much as I did and you’re back for a little more with the 4 Questions! If you want to know even more, please follow her at @heyiyer  or @tingifilms _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Welcome back, Film Friends! Vidhya Iyer wrote and directed the short film, “Giving Mom the Talk,” which was a SOFF 2025 Official Selection and earned the Grand Jury Award – Best Short Film – Comedy AND the Filmmakers Award – Outstanding Director – Short Film – Comedy. Vidya wasn’t able to attend the festival because she was traveling in India so I was very excited to get to know her a little bit with this great chat we had. If you want to know more, please follow her at @heyiyer  or @tingifilms _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Chad Andrews is the writer, director, and lead actor of “The Butchers”,  a fantastic SOFF 2025 Official Selection that took home the Filmmakers Award – Outstanding Cast Performance – Short Film – Action-Thriller. Meeting someone at the festival is never enough so I was so glad Chad could zoom from Toronto so we could have a long chat and this follow up 4 Questions! Follow Chad on IG @thisischadandrews and @heybaphouse  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Welcome back on this fine Wednesday! Chad Andrews is the writer, director, and lead actor of “The Butchers”,  a fantastic SOFF 2025 Official Selection that took home the Filmmakers Award – Outstanding Cast Performance – Short Film – Action-Thriller. Chad lives in Toronto but was able to zoom so we could dive deeper on his life and artistic career. Follow Chad on IG @thisischadandrews and @heybaphouse  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Ahmed Zayani wrote and directed “Hope,” a horror short that was an Official Selection at both Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2025 (where he took home the Programmers Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking) and Film Invasion Lima 2026 (where he snagged the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Short – Horror at FI-Lima 2026)! Ahmed was not able to travel to either festival from his home in Bahrain but that’s one reason to be thankful for modern technology- we were able to have our chat and this follow up 4 Questions over Zoom. Follow Ahmed on Instagram at @theahmedzayani _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Friday, Film Folks! Ahmed Zayani wrote and directed “Hope,” a horror short that was an Official Selection at both Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2025 and Film Invasion Lima 2026! In fact, Ahmed took home the Programmers Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking at SOFF 2025 and the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Short – Horror at FI-Lima 2026!                                                                                                                                                                    As I type this, I realize that even Ahmed's title gives away the depth of his film. Yes, it is a horror film, but the title “Hope” certainly does suggest there is more to to this film than jump scares. Ahmed was not able to travel to either festival from his home in Bahrain.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          I was delighted that the DIF podcast gave me the opportunity to have a quality conversation with this talented filmmaker! Follow Ahmed on Instagram at @theahmedzayani _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Leo Berkeley wrote, directed, produced and is the sole performer in the film “Dark Matter,” a brilliant film that will forever be the first to film to ever win awards at Film Invasion Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks Film Festival, and Film Invasion Lima in succession. I was thrilled to chat with Leo, who was zooming in all the way from Australia, and follow up with the 4 Questions! You can see much of Leo's work by visiting LeoBerkeley.com I highly recommend ALL OF IT! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

May the 4th be with you, Listeners! Leo Berkeley wrote, directed, produced and is the sole performer in the film “Dark Matter,” a brilliant film that will forever be the first to film to ever win awards at Film Invasion Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks Film Festival, and Film Invasion Lima in succession. (I don't get to say, “During a single calendar year,” because SOFF was held in December 2025 and FI-Lima was held in January, 2026.)                                                            Needless to say, Leo's film has won more awards than I have time to list here! Leo is a filmmaker and a retired academic, who has looked at interesting ways to combine these two roles.                                                                                                                                                                               He has had a 40- year career as an independent filmmaker and, before retiring in 2018, he taught and researched in film, television and video production at RMIT University in Melbourne for 20 years. You can see much of Leo's work by visiting LeoBerkeley.com I highly recommend ALL OF IT! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Cassie Keet directed the feature film, “Abigail Before Beatrice,” that was in Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2025 and took home the Best In Fest award, the Grand Jury award for Best Lead Performer – Feature Film (Olivia Taylor Dudley, the Grand Jury award for Best Supporting Performer – Feature Film (Shayn Herndon), AND the Grand Jury award for Best Cinematography – Feature Film (William Tanner Sampson). Clearly this film inspired a lot of people in our festival and I had to know what types of films inspire her! To the 4 Questions! Follow the film on Instagram at @abigailbeforebeatrice _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Wednesday, Listeners! Cassie Keet came onto the podcast to talk about her feature film, “Abigail Before Beatrice,” that took home the Best In Fest award at Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2025!                                                                             Not only that, the film's lead, Olivia Taylor Dudley, took home the Grand Jury award for Best Lead Performer – Feature Film.                                                                                                                                                   Not only that, but Shayn Herndon won the Grand Jury award for Best Supporting Performer – Feature Film.                                                                                                                                                                             Not only that, but William Tanner Sampson won the Grand Jury award for Best Cinematography – Feature Film.                                                                                                                                                                  Needless to say, you need to see this film when you get the opportunity. (Cassie will keep us updated when there's a link to stream it.) In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this conversation half as much as I did. Cassie is the Best! Follow the film on Instagram at @abigailbeforebeatrice _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Welcome to Darren Coyle's third appearance on the DIF Podcast!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Darren has had three films as well as a screenplay be Official Selections at Sherman Oaks Film Festival, starting in 2018 with “Chasing Sunshine” and continuing in 2025 when his short comedy, “Devil's Dilemma” screened at SOFF 2025!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   In fact, “Devil's Dilemma” took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Originality – Short Film – Comedy at last year's festival. At this point having Darren on the podcast feels like a visit from an old friend. I hope you enjoy it! Visit Darren's website at darrencoyle.com Follow Darren on Instagram at @darren_w_coyle _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. R. Scott McHenry wrote and directed the short film, “Sentient,” that had its World Premiere at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025.                                                                                                                                         Scott took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film – Thriller as well as the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Director – Thriller!                                                                                                                                  I've I’ve already seen Scott's follow-up film and it's fantastic! And speaking of fantastic follow-ups, please enjoy Scott’s 4 Questions! Follow Scott on Instagram at @rsmchenry Watch Sentient HERE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Welcome Back, Listeners! R. Scott McHenry wrote and directed the short film, “Sentient,” that had its World Premiere at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025.                                                                                                                                         Scott took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film – Thriller as well as the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Director – Thriller!                                                                                                                             And… spoiler alert… I've already seen Scott's follow-up film and it's fantastic! Follow Scott on Instagram at @rsmchenry Watch Sentient HERE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Nick Zweig created the animated masterpiece “I am Duck,” an official selection at FIlm Invasion Los Angeles 2025 that took home three awards including the Filmmakers Awards for Outstanding Short Film – Animation and Outstanding Originality – Animation, as well as the Grand Jury Award for Best Lead Performer – Animation to Marianna Hersko for her amazing voice performance of Duck. You can watch “I am Duck” right now at this link! As you can tell if you listened to our full chat on Friday, Nick is a truly visionary filmmaker and all around cool guy.  I couldn’t wait to get to the 4 Questions to see what types of films inspired him! Visit & subscribe to Nick's YouTube Channel @nickzweig9248 Follow Nick on Instagram at @nickzweig _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Friday Film Folks! Nick Zweig created the animated masterpiece “I am Duck,” an official selection at FIlm Invasion Los Angeles 2025 that took home three awards! Specifically, the Filmmakers Awards for Outstanding Short Film – Animation and Outstanding Originality – Animation, as well as the Grand Jury Award for Best Lead Performer – Animation to Marianna Hersko for her amazing voice performance of Duck. The great news is that you can watch “I am Duck” right now at this link! I sincerely cannot heap enough praise onto Nick's writing, animation, and vision. And guess what? Nick is a cool a person as his work is great. We had a fantastically memorable Q&A at FI-LA 2025 and the fun resumed on this podcast. Enjoy! Visit & subscribe to Nick's YouTube Channel @nickzweig9248 Follow Nick on Instagram at @nickzweig _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Daniel Padulo wrote, produced, directed, and co-starred in the hilarious short film “A Haunt in Bushwick,” an Official Selection at Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 that won Daniel the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Screenplay, Short Film – Comedy. I had to know what films inspired him to wear so many hats by digging deeper in the 4 Questions! In the meantime, you can follow Daniel on Instagram at @the_padulo _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Monday and welcome back to reality for any Coachella-goers. Daniel Padulo wrote, produced, and directed the hilarious short film “A Haunt in Bushwick,” an Official Selection at Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 that won Daniel the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Screenplay, Short Film – Comedy. Daniel also co-stars along with lead actor Sophia Drapeau, whose character Daniella has what you might call a complicated relationship with Daniel's character Vincent. We held the Los Angeles premiere for “A Haunt in Bushwick” at SOFF 2025 and it remains on the festival circuit, but as soon as Daniel's ready to release it online we'll have a link for you here. In the meantime, you can follow Daniel on Instagram at @the_padulo _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Olivia Haller and Anna Long wrote the feature length screenplay “The Experience” that was an Official Selection at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025.                                                                                                            , Anna Long ALSO brought the short film “Death in The Desert” to FI-LA 2025, taking home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Writing – Drama.                                                                                                             Anna came in for a podcast in December 2025 to talk about “Death in The Desert” and mentioned that it would be great to have Olivia on as well.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Who could say no? And that means a double 4 Questions follow up- do we call it the 8Qs? Follow Olivia on Instagram at @olivia_haller Follow Anna on Instagram at @thisisannalong _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

We have a terrific mid-week episode for you fine folks! Olivia Haller and Anna Long wrote the feature length screenplay “The Experience” that was an Official Selection at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025.                                                                                                            In other words, the screenplay jury placed “The Experience” in the Top 5 out of over one hundred screenplays! Coincidentally, Anna Long also brought the short film “Death in The Desert” to FI-LA 2025, taking home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Writing – Drama. Anna came in for a podcast in December 2025 to talk about “Death in The Desert” and mentioned that it would be great to have Olivia on as well.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Who could say no? Follow Olivia on Instagram at @olivia_haller Follow Anna on Instagram at @thisisannalong _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. JT Doran brought the film “More Dead Than Living” to Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 for its L.A. Premiere and happened to take home the Programmer's Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking AND THEN  went on to be an official selection at Sherman Oaks Film Festival later that year and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Short Film, Comedy and well as Outstanding Screenplay, Comedy. We had a fantastic chat and, in my opinion, a pretty great follow up 4 Questions. You can watch “More Dead Than Living” right now at https://www.youtube.com/@twohander. Follow JT's work on Instagram at @twohanderfilms _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Friday, Listeners! JT Doran brought the film “More Dead Than Living” to Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 for its L.A. Premiere and happened to take home the Programmer's Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking.                                              “More Dead Than Living” went on to also be an official selection at Sherman Oaks Film Festival later that year and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Short Film, Comedy and well as Outstanding Screenplay, Comedy. We met at FI-LA's Opening Night Gala and odds are I thanked him for flying out to L.A. from NYC.                                                                                                                                                                                                  Our only disagreement is who is the cooler person; I say it's JT and since I'm typing this I won't even acknowledge his point of view here. The great news is that you can watch “More Dead Than Living” right now at https://www.youtube.com/@twohander. Follow JT's work on Instagram at @twohanderfilms or their Official Website: www.two-hander.com Enjoy! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

We have a very special THURSDAY episode to gift you this week! Sevan Najarian directed and produced the recently released animated feature film, “The Whitest Kids U’Know's MARS.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Sevan is an experienced animator and FX artist as well as a director; his credits include “Mystery Science Theater,” Adult Swim's “Children's Hospital” and an extensive array of animated projects from Channel 101 fame. “MARS” was conceived during the production of the original “The Whitest Kids U’Know” sketch series.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Thanks to a booming fanbase on Twitch, the troupe was able to crowdfund the animated film's budget and commence production. Guess what that means? Sevan and the troupe – Trevor Moore, Zach Cregger, Sam Brown, Darren Trumeter, and Timmy Williams – got to make the exact film they wanted without interference or censorship. Go to wkukmars.com  to find out where and when you can catch the film as it works its way around theaters. Go to sevannajarian.com to learn more about Sevan and his work or follow him on IG @sevannajarian _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Alyson Croft wrote, produced and starred in “Jesus Loves Me,” a fantastic film that had its World Premiere at Film Invasion Los Angeles 2025, taking home the Programmer's Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking AND THEN returned later that year to the Sherman Oaks Film Festival with “Tweens,” a thrilling dramatic short that she co-wrote and performs in and took home the Programmer's Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking. I obviously had to get deep with such an impressive and ambitious filmmaker and follow up with the 4 Questions. Follow Alyson's Actors Cartel Academy on Instagram at @actors_cartel_academy Follow Alyson on Instagram at @croftalyson Check out Alyson's book “Speaking Actor: A Guide to Speaking The Language of Actors” at Amazon.com _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Monday! When introducing Alyson Croft on this podcast, it sounds like I am joking when I say, “2025 was the year of Alyson Croft.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   It's not a joke! Alyson wrote, produced and starred in “Jesus Loves Me,” a fantastic film that had its World Premiere at Film Invasion Los Angeles 2025, taking home the Programmer's Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking. Alyson returned later that year to the Sherman Oaks Film Festival with “Tweens,” a thrilling dramatic short that she co-wrote and performs in.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   No surprise that “Tweens” also took home the Programmer's Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking. On top of that, we did a little additional screening between the two festivals that included “Jesus Loves Me,” officially the last in-theater Q&A's that I may ever personally moderate.                                                                                                                                                                     Hey, this is a big deal for me! I moderated every Q&A at two festivals for nearly a decade, but now that the festivals have grown to multiple screens I am needed elsewhere. I've still got the podcast to interview filmmakers, but Alyson will always be one of my last in-theater Q&A's. Follow Alyson's Actors Cartel Academy on Instagram at @actors_cartel_academy Follow Alyson on Instagram at @croftalyson Check out Alyson's book “Speaking Actor: A Guide to Speaking The Language of Actors” at Amazon.com _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Sam Gasch’s fantastic screenplay “My Dog Loves Broccoli”  was an Official Selection at the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025. On top of being a very talented writer, he is an all around lovely person so I was thrilled to dig deeper after our chat and get some of his inspos with the 4 Questions. Follow Sam at @samgasch on BlueSky Follow Sam's podcast Ideal Remake at @idealremake on Instagram _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

A have a great interview for you Lovely Listeners today! I first met Sam Gasch at FIlm Invasion Los Angeles in 2023, when his feature length screenplay “The Blanket” was an Official Selection.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Both Film Invasion L.A. and Sherman Oaks Film Festival have categories for unproduced screenplays and they get a LOT of submissions.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         In other words, when a screenplay is an Official Selection that means it is very, very good.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 This makes it all the more impressive that last year Sam returned, this time with the Official Selection screenplay “My Dog Loves Broccoli” at the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025. Smart, humorous and personable, Sam is one the people I end up chatting with the most at a festival event.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           I was delighted to see his name pop up on my calendar for a podcast recording. I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I enjoyed being a part of it! Follow Sam at @samgasch on BlueSky Follow Sam's podcast Ideal Remake at @idealremake on Instagram _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

I hope everyone is having a great start to their week! I know I am because Nickolas Gilbert has returned! Nick was on the Discover Indie Film podcast to discuss his film “Nailed” back in March 2022 on episodes 239. Nick is back to talk about his follow-up project, “La Petite Mortimer,” an Official Selection at Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 where it took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Originality, Short Film – Comedy. We've only had these two conversations, but I can sincerely say that Nick is one my favorites. His films are always a breath of fresh air and he's always been a welcome presence when he comes to a film festival party or screening. You can learn more about Nick's work both at Distortion Field  and on Instagram at @nickolasgilbert Although, like yours truly Nick generally shuns social media! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Robb Padgett brought his feature film “Merry Heistmas” to the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 and brought home the Grand Jury Awards for Best Feature Film- Comedy and Best Performance by a Cast in a Feature Film. I’m a bit of a self-proclaimed Scrooge when it comes to Christmas so I knew I had to chat to anyone who could make me love a Christmas Movie and do the follow up 4 Questions to see what types of film influenced them! Learn more about Merry Heistmas on Instagram at @heistmas Follow Robb at @robbpadgett or at robbpadgett.com _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Welcome back for another great filmmaker chat! Robb Padgett brought his feature film “Merry Heistmas” to the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 and brought home the Grand Jury Awards for Best Feature Film- Comedy and Best Performance by a Cast in a Feature Film. Robb's film is an audience favorite and poor Robb has had to listen to me share not once but twice that, personally, I just do not like Christmas and that for me to thoroughly enjoy a film that features not just a Christmas-time setting but actual Christmas caroling is a gigantic accomplishment. It was a ton of fun to meet Robb at Sherman Oaks Film Festival and even more fun to have him on the podcast.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                You can watch “Merry Heistmas” right now and I recommend using Just Watch to watch it. Enjoy! Or… I'll all-caps this… SUPPORT INDIE FILM AND CATCH ROBB'S FILM AT A FILM FESTIVAL ON April 23. If I knew more I'd give you a link, I swear! Learn more about Merry Heistmas on Instagram at @heistmas Follow Robb at @robbpadgett or at robbpadgett.com _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Kathy Meng wrote and directed the short film “Willow and Wu,” a fantastic drama that had its Los Angeles Premiere at the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025. “Willow and Wu” earned Kathy and her co-writer Harry Bacon the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Screenplay -Drama, as well as the Grand Jury Award for Best Cinematography – Short Film. Kathy lives in Berlin and was not able to attend SOFF 2025, so I extra excited to chat with her and find out what types of films inspire her with the 4 Questions. Follow the film on Instagram at @willowandwu_film Follow Kathy on Instagram at @kathy_meng _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Friday (and Oscars weekend to all who celebrate!) Kathy Meng wrote and directed the short film “Willow and Wu,” a fantastic drama that had its Los Angeles Premiere at the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025. “Willow and Wu” earned Kathy and her co-writer Harry Bacon the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Screenplay -Drama, as well as the Grand Jury Award for Best Cinematography – Short Film. Kathy lives in Berlin and was not able to attend SOFF 2025, which made getting to know her through this interview very welcome. Follow the film on Instagram at @willowandwu_film Follow Kathy on Instagram at @kathy_meng And now for a fun tidbit! Guess what? Part of my job is pulling names out of the credits of a film when an individual who worked on it wins an award. When I looked up the cinematographer for “Willow and Wu” I was delighted to discover that SOFF alumni Sancheev Ravichandran was Kathy's cinematographer! Sancheev's comedic short film “Well-Rounded” took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Creativity in Comedy at SOFF 2024! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Kristina Sullivan wrote, produced, and starred inthe short film “What If … You Had The Perfect Person,” a SciFi short that was an official selection at Sherman Oaks FIlm Festival in 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Awards for Outstanding Cast Performance – Short Film – SciFi and Outstanding Screenplay – Short Film – SciFi for screenwriter Kristina Sullivan! I already knew Kristina was an avid film lover before we chatted because she the way she attended and supported so many screenings at the festival, so I was extra excited to follow up with her 4 Questions! You can follow Kristina on Instagram at @misskristina617 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Monday, Listerners! Kristina Sullivan wrote, produced, and starred inthe short film “What If … You Had The Perfect Person,” a SciFi short that was an official selection at Sherman Oaks FIlm Festival in 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Awards for Outstanding Cast Performance – Short Film – SciFi and Outstanding Screenplay – Short Film – SciFi for screenwriter Kristina Sullivan! Not only did Kristina bring this excellent film to SOFF 2025, but she and her team were a wonderful presence at the festival.                                                                                                                                                  You know I love filmmakers who come to the festival, meet their peers and then hit screenings to see as many films as possible.                                                                                                                                        Kristina was there throughout the festival, as was her co-stars Clifton J. Williams, Don Daniels Jr., Ivonnah Erskine, and director Brandon Fobbs. You can follow Kristina on Instagram at @misskristina617 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Time for another first on the Discover Indie Film podcast! We have a SECOND episode for you today and instead of having a filmmaker whose work was at Sherman Oaks FIlm Festival or Film Invasion Los Angeles on, the guest for this podcast is Halfdan “H” Hussey.             H, as he prefers to be called, is the CEO and CO-Founder of Cinequest (http://www.cinequest.org/). Set in the Silicon Valley, Cinequest is one of the highest regarded film festivals in the USA. Conquest fuses innovation with the filmed arts to empower great creations and to engage audiences, youth, artists, and innovators with these creations and with each other. People should attend Cinequest! The festival launches on March 10 and runs through March 22 in two locations across Silicon Valley. When I was asked to interview H for this podcast I had no doubt that two film festival founders would have lots to talk about, and we did!                                                                                                                                  H is a fantastic guest and someone whom any indie filmmaker, or fan of independent film, should know about. IG- @cinequestorg _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Charlie Paulin wrote and directed the short film “Outed” that came to the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Originality, Short Film – Comedy. I loved chatting with Charlie and was equally impressed with his 4 Questions answers! You can watch “Outed” right now on Shortframe at this link: https://youtu.be/aNmlDXc2cAE Follow Charlie on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@CharliePaulin96 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Wednesday, Folks! Charlie Paulin wrote and directed the short film “Outed” that came to the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Originality, Short Film – Comedy.                          “Outed” is one of those comedies that is hilarious the first time you watch it, but then each time you see it again it becomes even funnier.                                                                                                                           Why? It is mostly Charlie's dialog, as he wrote rapid-fire yet subtle jokes within every single line that were delivered perfectly by his cast Jason Grobstich & Jaymes Mansfield. You can watch “Outed” right now on Shortframe at this link: https://youtu.be/aNmlDXc2cAE Follow Charlie on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@CharliePaulin96 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. We had a fun double interview that was posted Friday with filmmakers Andrew Klaus-Vineyard and Daniel Talbott. In 2025,  Andrew's screenplay “Parking” was a Finalist for Grand Jury Award for Best Screenplay at Film Invasion Los Angeles, and Daniel's short film “My Age Now” took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Cast Performance, Short Film, Arthouse- Experimental in Sherman Oaks Film Festival. I love that these sometimes collaborators wanted to do their chat with me together which made for an extra interesting 4 Questions follow up! Follow Andrew on Instagram at @andrewklausvineyard Follow Daniel on Instagram at @danielcamerontalbott _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

You made it Friday and we have a great chat for you to start you weekend out right with! Andrew Klaus-Vineyard and Daniel Talbott stopped by to record a podcast together. Introducing these two is not simple for me because they both do so much that, really, I want to say this; Andrew and Daniel create. They often collaborate, defintely not always, but the unifying thread is that both are always creating. At Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025, Andrew's screenplay “Parking” was a Finalist for Grand Jury Award for Best Screenplay.                                                                                                                                      Meanwhile, at Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025, Daniel's short film “My Age Now” took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Cast Performance, Short Film, Arthouse- Experimental. Follow Andrew on Instagram at @andrewklausvineyard Follow Daniel on Instagram at @danielcamerontalbott _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Agnès Shinozaki directed and produced, as well as co-wrote, the short film “Lollie,” a beautifully touching film that she made in Brazil that premiered at FIlm Invasion Los Angeles in June 2025 and took home both the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Short Film – Drama and for Outstanding Director – Drama for Agnès! Agnès was not able to travel to the festival, so I was very grateful for our chat and this follow up 4 Questions to get the chance to know more about her and her work. Follow Agnès on Instagram at @mov.agnes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

I hope everyone is having a great start to their week! Agnès Shinozaki directed and produced, as well as co-wrote, the short film “Lollie,” a beautifully touching film that she made in Brazil.                                                                                                                                   The FIlm Invasion Los Angeles Team was proud to host its Los Angeles premiere in June 2025.                                                                                                                                                                                                  In fact, “Lollie” took home both the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Short Film – Drama and for Outstanding Director – Drama for Agnès! Agnès was not able to travel to the festival, understandable considering the distance. That's one of the things that makes this podcast special to me; when a filmmaker cannot make it to the festival the podcast gives me a chance to get to know more about them and their work. I don't believe that you can catch “Lollie” online yet, but when it happens we will throw the link right here! Follow Agnès on Instagram at @mov.agnes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Emma Steiger brought her short film “Wait To Tell Mother” to Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 and took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Screenplay – Short Film, as well as the Filmmakers Awards for Outstanding Short Film – Drama and Outstanding Director- Short Film – Drama. I hope you enjoyed listening to the interview as much as I did participating in it. Now for the follow up 4 Questions! Visit Emma's website at https://www.emmasteiger.com Follow Emma on Instagram at @emma.steiger _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Wednesday! Emma Steiger brought her short film “Wait To Tell Mother” to Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 and took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Screenplay – Short Film, as well as the Filmmakers Awards for Outstanding Short Film – Drama and Outstanding Director- Short Film – Drama. Considering Emma was the director, writer, co-lead actor and one of the producers on the film, and it is no surprise that their name appears on two of those awards! Emma was a delightful presence at the festival and even tolerated my overly paternal response to the film. If you cannot guess, “Wait To Tell Mother,” deals with family dynamics and someone like myself had to personally thank Emma at the festival for making such a wonderful film about a father's role. I do love all the mother-daughter stories at the festivals, but give me a lovingly portrayed father- daughter story and I melt. I hope you enjoy the interview! Visit Emma's website at https://www.emmasteiger.com Follow Emma on Instagram at @emma.steiger _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles