Discover Indie Film

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. David Ambrose directed and co-wrote “Tomorrow's Bandits” which was a FI-LA 2025 Official Selection: Short Film – Comedy and deservedly earned the Programmer's Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking. David and I had a terrific chat (posted Wednesday) and the only way I know to wrap a good chat is to ask the Four Burning Questions. Instagram: @films.dxa _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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! David Ambrose directed and co-wrote “Tomorrow's Bandits” which was a FI-LA 2025 Official Selection: Short Film – Comedy and deservedly earned the Programmer's Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking. I was honored David joined me on the podcast so I could pick his talented brain. Instagram: @films.dxa _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. Anastasia Kuplinova’s film “Talented” was a Film Invasion-LA 2026 Official Selection and took home FOUR GRAND JURY AWARDS including Best Featurette – Drama, Best Cinematography –Featurette, Best Score – Featurette and Best Song. I so enjoyed our conversation and follow up four questions! Anastasia’s Instagram @kuplinova.dp _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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, Indie Film Discoverers! Anastasia Kuplinova is quite the talented filmmaker so it’s only fitting that that is also the title of her film. “Talented” was a Film Invasion-LA 2026 Official Selection and took home FOUR GRAND JURY AWARDS! That’s right!

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. Jasmine Hurt’s comedy short MANEATER was a Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2025 Official Selection and won the Programmers Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking. I had such a lovely time getting to know Jasmine and was very excited to find out what types of films inspired her by following up with the 4 Questions! IG: @jasminehurt https://jasminehurt.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, Listeners! We took a rare week off from posting because we had SUCH A FABULOUS time at this year’s Film Invasion- LA Film Festival! But it’s a great episode to return to because we have Jasmine Hurt on. Jasmine’s comedy short MANEATER was a Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2025 Official Selection and won the Programmers Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking. I don’t normally put the loglines for the films here but Maneater’s is too good! Jasmine, a young college girl, grapples with her situationships manifesting as floating dick hallucinations that haunt her every move. IG: @jasminehurt https://jasminehurt.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. Beck Williams’s short film “Pace,” was a Film Invasion -LA 2025 Official Selection and earned TWO prestigious Grand Jury Awards for Best Short Film – Drama and Best Director – Short Film – Beck Williams. I had a fantastic time chatting with this talented guy and excited to follow up with the 4 Questions! Beck’s IG @beckwillz_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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 Film Invasion 2026 week! I hope you can all join us for the festival this weekend and tomorrow night’s Gala, both at Look Cinemas in Glendale. Speaking of Film Invasion, Beck Williams made the fantastic short film “Pace,” that was a Film Invasion -LA 2025 Official Selection and earned TWO prestigious Grand Jury Awards for Best Short Film – Drama and Best Director – Short Film – Beck Williams. I obviously needed to get Beck on the pod to chat about the making of “Pace” and his life and art in general. So glad he agreed! Beck’s IG @beckwillz_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. James Boyd’s comedy short film “404” was a Film Invasion-LA 2026 Official Selection and he was kind enough to come on the podcast to chat about him art, life and answer the 4 Big Questions! IG: @jamesboydai https://jamesboyd.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! James Boyd is a super interesting guy and filmmaker and his comedy short film “404” was a Film Invasion-LA 2026 Official Selection. IG: @jamesboydai https://jamesboyd.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. Devin Boss directed and produced “Where We Goin?: The Power of Place”, that was a 2025 Film Invasion- Los Angeles Official Selection and earned the Grand Jury Award for Best Featurette Documentary AND Best Editing for Featurette by Devin Boss. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Devin and was quite interested in what would discover when I put him to the 4 Questions! @devindeeboss https://northeastprod.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, Listeners! Devin Boss directed and produced “Where We Goin?: The Power of Place”, that was a 2025 Film Invasion- Los Angeles Official Selection and earned the Grand Jury Award for Best Featurette Documentary AND Best Editing for Featurette by Devin Boss. You can dig a little deeper with these links! @devindeeboss https://northeastprod.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. Michael Peter Bolus wrote the feature screenplay “Lines in the Sand” that was both a 2025 Sherman Oaks Film Festival AND Film-Invasion Official Selection. He also has a feature film, entitled A SENSE OF DREAD that was just released by Indie Rights in July, and his latest book, ENTANGLEMENT, a Sci-Fi Novella has just been published and is available on AMAZON. Find out more about this impressive guy here: https://www.michaelpeterbolus.com/ Michael’s IMDB                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Michael’s IG @mpbolus _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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 staying cool this summer. Speaking of cool- Michael Peter Bolus wrote the feature screenplay “Lines in the Sand” that was both a 2025 Sherman Oaks Film Festival AND Film-Invasion Official Selection and he was kind enough to come chat about it. He also has a feature film, entitled A SENSE OF DREAD that was just released by Indie Rights in July, and his latest book, ENTANGLEMENT, a Sci-Fi Novella has just been published and is available on AMAZON. Find out more about this impressive guy here: https://www.michaelpeterbolus.com/ Michael’s IMDB                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Michael’s IG @mpbolus   _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. Lauren & George Bott joined me to talk about their fantastic film “The Nine,” which was a 2025 Sherman Oaks Film Festival Official Selection and took home the Filmmakers Awards for Outstanding Director – Short Film – Comedy – Lauren W. Bott ANDOutstanding Film – Short Film – Comedy You can watch “The Nine” on YouTube After you watch you’ll prob need to hear what types of films inspired Lauren and George. Lucky for you we have the 4 Questions follow up to do just that! And all the Instagram Links You’ll Need: @geobott @Picky_Eater_Productions @LizzyBott _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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 beautiful last day of July! Lauren & George Bott joined me to talk about their fantastic film “The Nine,” which was a 2025 Sherman Oaks Film Festival Official Selection and took home the Filmmakers Awards for Outstanding Director – Short Film – Comedy – Lauren W. Bott ANDOutstanding Film – Short Film – Comedy You can watch “The Nine” on YouTube And you can find more about it and these lovely humans on Instagram: @geobott @Picky_Eater_Productions @LizzyBott _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. Indie filmmakers Jeff Moore (director) and Nicole Madar (producer) joined me to chat about their feature “Timings” and of course had to each sit in the hot seat and answer the 4 Questions! Timings IMDB IG: @timings_film _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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, Friends! Indie filmmakers Jeff Moore (director) and Nicole Maydar (producer) joined me to chat about their feature “Timings,” which has been making its way through some festivals in NYC. We talked over Zoom which meant their adorable pup could join in the fun! Timings IMDB IG: @timings_film _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. Rani Namani the SOFF 2025 Official Selection: Music Video & Short Film – Animation “Born Ready” and earned the Grand Jury Award for Best Music Video. I’m guessing you already listened to our chat posted on Wednesday and you just had to return to hear Rani’s 4 Questions! Rani’s Instagram: @rani.naamani _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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! Born Ready, directed by Rani Namani, is an exploration of the miracle of birth shown through the lens of a Synthwave music video. It’s also a SOFF 2025 Official Selection: Music Video & Short Film – Animation that took Grand Jury Award – Best Music Video. I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did and then dig in deeper by following Rani’s Instagram: @rani.naamani _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. Naosheen Ahmed wrote, produced and starred in the SOFF 2025 Official Selection: Short Film – Drama “Pandaal” that took home the Filmmakers Award – Outstanding Originality– Short Film – Drama. I learned so much about Naosheen during our interview, but as I say, you can never truly know anyone until you’ve grilled them with the Four Questions! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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 Indie Filmmaker Chat! Naosheen Ahmed wrote, produced and starred in the SOFF 2025 Official Selection: Short Film – Drama “Pandaal” that took home the Filmmakers Award – Outstanding Originality– Short Film – Drama. “Pandaal” is a fantastic film I was thrilled to hear the story of how Nosheen and her team made it and overall just learn about her as a person and artist. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. Writer/Director Olivia Lige Wuri came on the podcast to chat about her film Cut All Trees that was a 2025 Official Selection: Short Film – Drama and left with the Grand Jury Award – Best Cinematography – Short Film – Red Jitar. As we talked about in our interview posted Monday, Olivia does hold back from challenging her audience and I was very eager to see what types of films may have challenged or inspired her with the 4 Questions! Follow more of Olivia’s life and work on IG: @urlig_olivia _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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! Writer/Director Olivia Lige Wuri came on the podcast to chat about her film Cut All Trees that was a 2025 Official Selection: Short Film – Drama and left with the Grand Jury Award – Best Cinematography – Short Film – Red Jitar. I loved Cut All Trees- it was bold and challenging and I was so excited to have Olivia on to hear about her process of making it it and her experience sharing it with audiences. Follow more of Olivia’s life and work on IG: @urlig_olivia _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. The Mail Gaze made its LA Premiere as a Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2025 Official Selection: Short Film – Comedy and took home the Grand Jury Award – Best Performance by a Duo – Kelly Hooper & Kathryn Ross. We had a thrilling triple interview with the director, Jonny Diaz, and the producers and stars Kelly Hooper, Kathryn Ross (also the writer) that was posted Wednesday. The only thing more exciting than a triple interview is a triple 4 Questions. Maybe we call is the 12 Questions? Here’s all the Social Media Handles on Instagram so watch out for what these talented folks do next: @themailgazefilm @kelly.hooper                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              @kathrynaross @jonny305diaz _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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! We have an exciting episode for you today! The Mail Gaze made its LA Premiere as a Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2025 Official Selection: Short Film – Comedy and took home the Grand Jury Award – Best Performance by a Duo – Kelly Hooper & Kathryn Ross. I loved this film and I was thrilled to see I got three of its major players of it to sign up for a joint interview- Kelly Hooper, Kathryn Ross, Jonny Diaz. Johnny directed, Kathryn wrote, Kathryn and Kelly produced as well as obviously acted so well in it they won an award. Here’s all the Social Media Handles on Instagram so watch out for what these talented folks do next: @themailgazefilm @kelly.hooper                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              @kathrynaross @jonny305diaz _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. “Don't Watch This,” written and directed by Danny Pineros, was a Sherman Oaks Film Festival  2025 Official Selection: Short Film – Horror and earned the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Originality – Short Film – Horror AND Outstanding Screenplay – Short Film – Horror – Daniel Pineros. Danny and I had a fantastic talk (that was posted Friday) and that always gets me excited to follow up with essential my 4 Questions! Here’s the link for Don’t Watch This on Youtube (DO watch it!) And a link to his WEBSITE with all the short films he’s done. Danny’s IG @danny.pineros _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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 Indie Film Friday! “Don't Watch This,” written and directed by Danny Pineros, was a Sherman Oaks Film Festival  2025 Official Selection: Short Film – Horror and earned the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Originality – Short Film – Horror AND Outstanding Screenplay – Short Film – Horror – Daniel Pineros. Here’s the link for Don’t Watch This on Youtube (DO watch it!) And a link to his WEBSITE with all the short films he’s done. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. Benjamin Carlucci’s came to chat about life, art and his two films, “Burying Baby,” that was a 2024 Sherman Oaks Film Festival Official Selection: Short Film – Drama and took home Programmer's Prize – Exceptional Filmmaking and “Lorica” that was a 2025 Film Invasion-LA Official Selection: Short Film – Drama that earned the Programmer's Prize – Exceptional Filmmaking. I’m clearly a fan of his work and needed to know what films he was a fan of. That’s where the follow up 4 Questions comes in handy! To follow Benjamin’s impressive career, you can check out his website https://bennty.com/about Or follow him on the gram: @benjamintothet _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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

Hi Friends! I was very excited to have today’s guest, Benjamin Carlucci, come chat. He has directed two fantastic films that hit out festival circuit. “Burying Baby” was 2024 Sherman Oaks Film Festival Official Selection: Short Film – Drama and took home Programmer's Prize – Exceptional Filmmaking and then in 2025 “Lorica” was an Film Invasion-LA Official Selection: Short Film – Drama that earned the Programmer's Prize – Exceptional Filmmaking. Both films he also co-wrote with friend of the pod Jess Paul. To follow Benjamin’s impressive career, you can check out his website https://bennty.com/about Or follow him on the gram: @benjamintothet _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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

How do I introduce Angelo Moore to the uninitiated?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Here is what Angelo has on his YouTube Page (www.youtube.com/@DrMaddVibeOfficial): Hello Ladies and Gental mentals and welcome to the AngeloShow. This Maddvibe Vision Channel is an intimate look inside the world of Dr.Maddvibe. This is Where you can view the latest inventions that have germinated from within the laboratories of Dr.Maddvibe. AKA Angelo Moore, Front Man of Fishbone. There you have it, Angelo Moore is the Front Man of Fishbone And if you never listened to Fishbone then your musical exposure in life has been sadly limited.                                                                                                                                                                                                Their music crossed so many genres and styles that radio rarely embraced them; my recommendations that you go back to the beginning and give their catalog a listen. Angelo has also done his fair share of acting (IMDB) and he has also made a fantastic short film Optimistic Yes, directed by Jeff Pliskin and featuring Angelo with HR of Bad Brains, another band that you should know. Finally, a huge thank you to Alyson Croft (https://discoverindiefilm.com/670-alyson-croft-jesus-loves-me-tweens/) for making this interview happen! IG: @drmaddvibe @fishbonesoldier _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. Bryan Uvaldo’s film Playin' Around was a Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2025 Official Selection and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Film – Short Film – Action-Thriller AND Outstanding Originality – Short Film – Action- Thriller I really enjoyed talking to such a lovely, passionate guy and couldn’t wait to see what kinda films lit him up with the follow up 4 Questions! You can watch Playin' Around here on YouTube! You can also find out more about Bryan with these links: https://www.bryanuvaldo.com/ @buvaldo218 @playinaround_film _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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! Bryan Uvaldo’s flashy action film Playin' Around was a Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2025 Official Selection and snagged the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Film – Short Film – Action-Thriller AND Outstanding Originality – Short Film – Action- Thriller Great news! You can watch Playin' Around here on YouTube! You can also find out more about Bryan with these links: https://www.bryanuvaldo.com/ @buvaldo218 @playinaround_film _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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.’ Nevada Grey came onto the podcast to talk about her wonderful web series “ROOMIES”, that was a Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2024 Official Selection and took home the Grand Jury Award – Best Series Episode/Pilot. Nothing wraps up a great conversion for me like a pressing 4 Questions! If you’d like to find out even more, here are Nevada's Links! Instagram @nevgrey Facebook @nevada.grey Nevada on IMDB YouTube @nevgrey   _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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! The wonderfully talented and interesting filmmaker Nevada Grey joined me to discuss “ROOMIES”, her Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2024 Official Selection: Web Series / TV Pilot that earned her the Grand Jury Award – Best Series Episode/Pilot. If you’d like to find out even more, here are Nevada's Links! Instagram @nevgrey Facebook @nevada.grey Nevada on IMDB YouTube @nevgrey _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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.’ Josiah Polhemus joined me to discuss his film The Falling, which was a SOFF 2025 Official Selection: Short Film – Horror and took home the Filmmakers Award – Outstanding Originality – Short Film – Horror. And if you’ve listened to the show before, you know I’m never satisfied unit I’ve done the follow up 4 Questions with my guests! Instagram: @JosiahPolhemus Josiah's YouTube Superpowerless on YouTube _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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’ve made it to another Discover Indie Film Friday! Josiah Polhemus came on the pod to chat about his film The Falling, which was a SOFF 2025 Official Selection: Short Film – Horror and took home the Filmmakers Award – Outstanding Originality – Short Film – Horror I loved getting to know Josiah better and you can continue to dig deeper with these links! Instagram: @JosiahPolhemus Josiah's YouTube Superpowerless on YouTube _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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! 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