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. 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

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