Podcasts about Film festival

Born and raised in Great Falls Montana, Liz Lauver is an event coordinator, freelance photographer, and actress who is currently getting ready to launch the first year of The Great Beyond Film Festival as part of her work at Great Falls Montana Tourism.The website for The Great Beyond Film Festival: https://visitgreatfallsmontana.org/the-great-beyond-film-festival/The Great Falls community has a deep history with UFO sightings, paranormal activity, and is known globally for their mermaids, which is what inspired the theme for The Great Beyond. The Great Beyond is a film festival for storytellers, seekers, and the seriously curious—right here, in person, at the Mansfield Center for the Performing Arts.Step into The Great Beyond Festival, a celebration of cinema that dares to explore the unexplained. This festival dives deep into the worlds of extraterrestrials, cryptids, and the paranormal—shining a spotlight on the strange, the mysterious, and the stories that live just beyond the edge of what we know. Join us in Great Falls, Montana for an unforgettable in-person experience featuring: Incredible short and feature films that explore the unknown. Filmmaking workshops for creatives ready to tell their own otherworldly tales. Meet-and-greets with filmmakers, screenwriters, and fellow fans of the weird and wonderful.Whether you're a believer, a skeptic, or just love a good mystery, you'll find inspiration, insight, and community among the shadows at The Great Beyond Festival!No streaming. No shortcuts. Just the magic of cinema—and maybe a few things that go bump in the night. The Great Beyond is calling. Are you ready to explore it?Follow The Great Beyond Film Festival on Facebook here:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580270370519Visit Great Falls, Montana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VisitGreatFallsMontana/Liz, the festival director of The Great Beyond, visits with Talking Weird to chat about some of the incredible films screening at the inaugural festival, and some of the other amazing events audiences can expect. She'll also be talking about weird phenomena in the Great Falls area.This is a fun and fascinating episode! Don't miss it!

Hometown Radio 01/27/26 3p: A what's what preview of the upcoming Cambria Film Festival

Hometown Radio 01/27/26 3p: A what what preview of the upcoming Cambria Film Festival

Preston & EZ BlueZ: EZ interviewing creatives at the 2024 Bridgeport Film Festival by WNHH Community Radio

Super sweet talk with Anders Beck! Say it with an 'ah-nders' not 'and-ers'. Anders tells us jis whole musical/drug/alcohol story! Nothing left out - including the crazy intervention and playing with phil lesh! May he rest in peace! PLUS sick email from Montana in prison! (thanks Nicole!) An amazing dildo filled voicemail from Daniel G! A nice mention from Steve from New Hampshire and so much more more more!PLUS Ander's beautiful song 'Born Again' performed by Greensky Bluegrass, Anders' bonus dobro playing, Damon's 'Dopey World' and Jake from West Virginia's classic version of 'Good So Bad'ALL THAT and more, more, more on this brand new episode of that good old Dopey Show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today Griffey, Heath, Sam and Sophia cower in fear at how much they laughed trying to find what makes the perfect Horror Comedy. The group discusses how to strike the right blend between terror and laughs, how the two genres help each other, and how hard it can be to get the balance correct. From British Pubs, New York Ghost, Vampire Dancers to Leprachauns in Da Hood we draft a wide array of movies so funny, it's scary.  Let us know whose list you think wins this heated battle. Which festival would win your money? Let us know in the comments wherever you find the Podcast. Youtube:  https://youtu.be/9USu0qY2S-E Help us make our first feature length Messed Up Movie: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mr-creamjean-s-hidey-hole-horror-comedy-movie#/ Support the show on the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/messedupmoviespod Watch our newest short film Sugar Tits Now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz7leFqqo4g

The Banff Film Festival has become a local tradition in Idaho Falls for 25 years. The Festival makes another stop in Idaho Falls as part of its World Tour.

Documentary filmmaker and editor J.M. Harper discusses Soul Patrol, his six-year journey telling the story of the first Black special operations unit in Vietnam. What began with reading Eddie Manuel's book grew into years of weekly conversations, slow trust-building, and eventual access to never-before-seen Super 8 footage and photographs shot by the soldiers themselves. Harper also reflects on how his work editing Jeen‑Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy sharpened his instincts around character, structure, and letting footage reveal meaning over time.We talk about point of view and theme as the engine of a film, not ideas layered on afterward. Harper frames Soul Patrol around a central question: whether speaking openly about acts committed in war, long buried and rarely acknowledged, can offer any form of healing. Drawing on Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, he discusses how cinema can confront violence without glamorizing it, and the ethical tension of rendering horrific experiences with clarity, restraint, and intention.He reflects on editing as discovery, assembling a team of editors with different strengths, and shaping a film that moves between memory, present-day reckoning, and historical record.What Movies Are You Watching?This episode is brought to you by BeastGrip. When you're filming on your phone and need something solid, modular, and built for real productions - including 28 Years Later and Left Handed Girl - BeastGrip's rigs, lenses, and accessories are designed to hold up without slowing you down. If you're ready to level up your mobile workflow, visit BeastGrip.com and use coupon code PASTPRESENTFEATURE for 10 % off.  Acclaimed documentary ROADS OF FIRE is now available on Amazon, iTunes, and Fandango at home. Directed by Nathaniel Lezra, the film won best documentary at the 2025 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The film examines the migrant crisis here in the States all the way down to Venezuela, and Academy Award nominee Diane Lane calls it "a must-see journey of human dignity." Roads of Fire - now on Amazon, iTunes, Fandango. Introducing the Past Present Feature Film Festival, a new showcase celebrating cinematic storytelling across time. From bold proof of concept shorts to stand out new films lighting up the circuit, to overlooked features that deserve another look. Sponsored by the Past Present Feature podcast and Leica Camera. Submit now at filmfreeway.com/PastPresentFeatureSupport the show Listen to all episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more, as well as at www.pastpresentfeature.com. Like, subscribe, and follow us on our socials @pastpresentfeature The Past Present Feature Film Festival - Nov. 20-22, 2026 in Hollywood, CA - Submit at filmfreeway.com/PastPresentFeature

Today Griffey, Heath, Sam and Sophia destroy cities and each other as they draft the Most Messed Up Creature Feature Film Festival. We discuss what makes a great monster, and why they leave such a lasting impact on us after the ramage is over. From the King of Monsters, alien shape shifters, gelatinous nightmares, big game hunters, to lost to evolution hillybilly cave dwellers we cover a lot of monstrous ground.   Let us know whose list you think wins this heated battle. Which festival would win your money? Let us know in the comments wherever you find the Podcast. Help us make our first feature length Messed Up Movie: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mr-creamjean-s-hidey-hole-horror-comedy-movie#/ Support the show on the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/messedupmoviespod Watch our newest short film Sugar Tits Now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz7leFqqo4g

Send us a textIn this powerful episode of Living the Dream with Curveball, we are joined by Edward Miskie, a remarkable author and 13-year survivor of a rare cancer. Edward shares his incredible journey, from his initial diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to his triumph over adversity. He discusses how his experiences reshaped his identity and fueled his passion for creativity, leading to the creation of the Remission Film Festival, set to launch in April 2026. This unique festival aims to spotlight the stories of creatives impacted by cancer while raising funds for Blood Cancer United. Edward also delves into his book, *Cancer Musical Theater and Other Chronic Illnesses*, blending humor and honesty to address the often overlooked challenges faced by cancer survivors. Listeners will be inspired by Edward's resilience, the importance of vulnerability in the arts, and the message that it's okay to redefine oneself after illness. Don't miss this enlightening discussion that encourages everyone to embrace their journey and support one another. For more information about Edward and his work, visit www.remissionfilmfest.comSupport the show

Today Griffey, Heath, Sam and Sophia heap praise on our favorite Messed Up Movies of 2025 in this Film Festival Draft. We discuss what stood out in our mind in 2025 horror films, our favorite insane performances, and our award our Most Messed Up Moment of the year. From Child Abducting Witches, Singing Vampires, Alien Conspiracies, Zombie franchises and Golf... we send 2025 off in grand fashion.  Let us know whose list you think wins this heated battle. Which festival would win your money? Let us know in the comments wherever you find the Podcast. Youtube: https://youtu.be/f8kUGhVcoxo Help us make our first feature length Messed Up Movie: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mr-creamjean-s-hidey-hole-horror-comedy-movie#/ Support the show on the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/messedupmoviespod Watch our newest short film Sugar Tits Now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz7leFqqo4g

Today Griffey, Heath, Sophia and Sam offer each other some of the most Messed Up Gifts from the history of cinema. The idea is to give a gift that given would melt the recipients mind or even their face. From Middle Earth jewelry to ancient video cassette technology, we cover pleasure boxes, good killer dolls and everything in between. If it's Messed Up we slap a bow on it and nestle it under the tree to create new nightmares for all! Let us know whose list you think wins this heated battle. Which festival would win your money? Let us know in the comments wherever you find the Podcast. Youtube: https://youtu.be/LepFNQ-lYzg Help us make our first feature length Messed Up Movie: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mr-creamjean-s-hidey-hole-horror-comedy-movie#/ Support the show on the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/messedupmoviespod Watch our newest short film Sugar Tits Now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz7leFqqo4g  

Screen overload isn't the enemy — mindless watching is. So instead of "how do we limit screen time," let's ask, "how do we teach kids to think and not just scroll?" As co-founder of KIDS FIRST!, Ranny Levy has spent decades helping families navigate a fast-changing media landscape. In this episode, she shares a more realistic approach to media literacy that helps kids make better choices. Hear how the organization's kid-driven media keeps them engaged in a smarter, more confident way and develops lifelong skills that go beyond media! Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) The mission of KIDS FIRST! (03:30) How the organization has evolved with media (04:57) Why limiting screen time alone doesn't work anymore (07:17) How KIDS FIRST! teaches children to engage in media (08:10) Finding talent and developing real-life skills (10:50) Success stories beyond media and entertainment (13:31) KIDS FIRST! Coming Attractions podcast (16:48) KIDS FIRST! Film Festival and global reach (18:00) Their stance on gambling and sensitive content (22:48) What brought you JOY today? (27:19) For support, resources, and education around suicide prevention, visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at www.afsp.org. Resources: Sending your child to college will always be emotional but are you financially ready? Take the College Readiness Quiz for Parents: https://www.mitlinfinancial.com/college-readiness-quiz/ Doing your taxes might not be enJOYable but being more organized can make the process less painful. Get Your Gathering Your Tax Documents Checklist: https://www.mitlinfinancial.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mitlin_ChecklistForGatheringYourTaxDocuments_Form_062424_v2.pdf Will you be able to enJOY the Retirement you envision? Take the Retirement Ready Quiz: https://www.mitlinfinancial.com/retirement-planning-quiz/ Connect with Larry Sprung: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencesprung/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larry_sprung/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LawrenceDSprung/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/Lawrence_Sprung Connect with Ranny Levy: Podcast: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-kids-first-coming-attractio-277638809/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KIDSFIRSTFilmCritics Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KidsFirstMedia X (Twitter): https://x.com/KidsFirstMedia2 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidsfirstcoming_attractions TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kidsfirstmedia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coalition-for-quality-childrens-media-kids-first/ Newsletter: https://www.kidsfirst.org/nl/ Film Festival: https://www.kidsfirst.org/filmfestival/ Join the Team: https://www.kidsfirst.org/become-a-juror/ About Our Guest: In 1991, concerned about the harmful effects of violent and biased media on children, educator and media producer Ranny Levy co-founded the Coalition for Quality Children's Media (CQCM) and its flagship program, KIDS FIRST! The CQCM is dedicated to promoting and nurturing quality children's media as a vehicle for social change.  In addition KIDS FIRST! produces a bi-weekly podcast and the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival. The CQCM's work has been recognized by all the major entertainment studios and in July 2023 Ms. Levy was awarded the Golden Globes Honors Foundation's Noble Philanthropist Award. Ms. Levy is a children's media expert and author of three books, including The New York Times / KIDS FIRST Guide to The Best Children's Videos, A Parent's Guide to the Best Children's Videos, DVDs and CD-ROMs, and The Field Guide for Young Women: Finding Your Life Partner. She is a frequent speaker at conferences on children's media. Ms. Levy is a mother of two grown children, grandmother of two, and has one surrogate son and one surrogate daughter-in-law. She enjoys watching and reviewing films, writing screenplays, staying active, organic gardening, traveling, opera, music, theater, and entertaining friends and family. She is committed to life-long learning and loving. Disclosure: Guests on the Mitlin Money Mindset are not affiliated with CWM, LLC, and opinions expressed herein may not be representative of CWM, LLC. CWM, LLC is not responsible for the guest's content linked on this site. This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

Do film festival laurels actually help sell a movie? In this episode, filmmaker and distributor Tom Malloy breaks down how official selections impact audiences versus sales agents, why major festivals like Sundance, Cannes, and Toronto still matter, and when lesser-known festival laurels carry little industry weight. A practical, real-world look at festival strategy for independent filmmakers.

Barke, Jenny www.deutschlandfunk.de, Kultur heute

Barke, Jenny www.deutschlandfunk.de, Eine Welt

Barke, Jenny www.deutschlandfunk.de, Eine Welt

It's that most wonderful time of the year: MMFF Season! And to celebrate, we have four of the Film Festival's esteemed directors: Jeffrey Jeturian (UnMArry), Raymond Red (Manila's Finest), Sigrid Bernardo (I'mPerfect) and Jade Castro (Rekonek) to discuss their films, what the MMFF means to them, their indie pasts, the challenges of going mainstream and their misadventures during the Float Parade. Please make sure to watch this year's MMFF films in the theater, and of course follow us on @endslatepod on X as well as our personal social media (IG, Threads, Youtube, Letterboxd etc etc): @mel_loz_, @quarkhenares and @ramondeveyra

The 5th International Red Sea Film Festival offered an exclusive look into the evolving global film landscape through its CEO & Directors Roundtable, a high-level discussion that brought together influential voices from across the industry. Set against the backdrop of Jeddah's growing cultural scene, the roundtable explored the festival's role in championing diverse storytelling, supporting emerging filmmakers, and strengthening connections between regional cinema and the international market. Industry leaders shared insights on strategic collaboration, sustainable growth, and the creative responsibilities of festivals in shaping the future of film, highlighting the Red Sea Film Festival's rising significance as a dynamic hub for dialogue, innovation, and cross-cultural exchange.

Send us a textWe've got Erin on the red carpet at the 2025 SFFilm Awards Night at Fort Mason in San Francisco! From SFFilm, we've got return guests Executive Director Anne Lai and Director of Programming Jessie Fairbanks. We've also got SFFilm award nominees actress Wunmi Mosaku (from Sinners!!) and director Scott Cooper (from Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere) plus actress Odessa Young and designer Zac Posen.  Support your local film festival! Support independent film! Go and watch a movie in a theater!Follow SFFilm HEREFollow Wunmi Mosaku HEREFollow Scot Cooper HEREFollow Odessa Young HEREFollow Zac Posen HERE Support the showThanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 , 2023 , and 2024 without you! -- Fight fascism. Shop small. Use cash. -- Support Bitch Talk here! Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Substack Listen every Monday at 7 am on BFF.FM

Join AlzAuthors Film Fest 2025 – Celebrating 10 Years of Dementia & Alzheimer's Awareness Experience powerful films on dementia, Alzheimer's, and caregiving—stories of hope, love, and resilience. Register now at AlzAuthors.com to receive streaming links and watch from the comfort of your home, anytime. Each month, meet a featured filmmaker in a live Q&A event at 2 PM ET, and explore their journey as storytellers and dementia care advocates. Don't miss this unique opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired in the fight against Alzheimer's. Sept 8: Mary Crescenzo, “Planet A” Find out more about Mary Crescenzo https://alzauthors.com/alzheimers/mary-crescenzo-planet-alzheimers-guide/ Sept 22: Susie Singer Carter, “No Country For Old People” Find out more about Susie Singer Carter https://alzauthors.com/alzheimers/behind-the-scenes-of-nursing-homes-one-filmmakers-crusade-for-change-with-susie-singer-carter/ Oct. 6: Frank Silverstein, “Lousy: Love in the Time of Dementia” Find out more about Frank Silverstein https://alzauthors.com/dementia/frank-silverstein-lousy-love-in-the-time-of-dementia/ Nov 10: Kitty Norton., “Wine, Women and Dementia” Find out more about Kitty Norton https://alzauthors.com/alzheimers/please-join-us-next-month-at-the-2024-dementia-arts-festival-in-new-york-city/ Dec 8: C. Nathaniel Brown and his film, “The Present” Find out more about C. Nathan Brown  www.ExposeDementia.org Join the Newsletter:  https://sendfox.com/alzauthors Learn about the Moderators Marianne Sciucco https://alzauthors.com/alzheimers/meet-marianne-sciucco-alzauthors-admin-and-author-of-blue-hydrangeas-an-alzheimers-love-story/ Christy Byrne Yates https://alzauthors.com/books-chit-chat/christy-byrne-yates-on-raising-kids-while-caring-for-parents-with-dementia/ About the Podcast AlzAuthors is the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Our podcast introduces you to our authors who share their stories and insights to provide knowledge, comfort, and support. Please subscribe so you don't miss a word. If our authors' stories move you, please leave a review. And don't forget to share our podcast with family and friends on their own dementia journeys.We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization totally reliant on donations to do what we do. Your generosity will help cover our many operating costs, which include website hosting and maintenance fees, service charges to keep things running smoothly, and marketing expenses to promote our authors, expand our content, improve our reach, and more. Our ongoing work supports our mission to lift the silence and stigma of Alzheimer's and other dementias.To sustain our efforts please donate here: https://alzauthors.com/donate Ideas and opinions expressed in this podcast belong to the speakers and not AlzAuthors. Always consult your healthcare provider and legal and financial consultants for advice on any of the topics covered here.Thanks for listening. We are a Whole Care Network Featured Podcast Proud to be on The Health Podcast Network Find us on The World Podcast Network Want to be on the podcast? Here's what you need to know:    We've got merch! Shop our Store 

Welcome to a special episode of the AlzAuthors podcast, part of our first-ever Film Festival! Celebrating our 10th anniversary, host Marianne Sciucco sits down with acclaimed arts educator, author, and filmmaker Mary Crescenzo to explore the transformative role of the arts in dementia care. In this heartfelt conversation, Mary shares her journey from early experiences in nursing homes to the creation of her poetic play-turned-film, "Planet A." We discuss her innovative, age-blind casting, the real-life stories inspiring her work, and practical strategies caregivers can use to bring arts engagement into dementia care—at home or in care facilities. Whether you're navigating Alzheimer's in your family, working in dementia care, or seeking creative approaches to foster dignity and connection, this episode is filled with inspiring insights and actionable tips. Key Topics Covered: Dementia Care & the Arts: Mary describes how music, visual art, dance, storytelling, and poetry can spark joy, communication, and connection for people living with dementia.How the Arts Can Reduce Isolation: Real examples showing that engaging in the arts can counteract boredom, boost mood, and foster community in care settings.Art Activities for Caregivers: Practical advice and encouragement for caregivers to use arts engagement at home—even if you don't see yourself as an artist!Readings from the Film: Moving excerpts from Mary's poetry, capturing the emotional landscape of people living with dementia and their caregivers. Quotes: “Everyone should be engaged in the arts to whatever level, because it's so beneficial to heart and mind and life.” – Mary Crescenzo“Boredom is huge. People decline when they're bored. But you give them something creative, they light up.” – Marianne Sciucco“You don't have to be an artist to make a difference – just pick up a pencil, sing together, or sway to music.” - Mary Crescenzo Takeaways: Try simple creative activities—drawing, music, singing, storytelling—regularly, not just once.Don't let fear or “not being an artist” stop you. The benefits are in doing, not perfection.Engaging in the arts brings meaning, dignity, and even joy to those living with dementia.The arts can transform not only the person with dementia but also relieve and uplift caregivers.Seek out support, community, and inspiration—you are not alone!   Resources and Links: Watch "Planet A" – available until year-end on YouTube. Register at AlzAuthors.com to receive linkBuy Mary Crescenzo's Book: "The Planet Alzheimer's Guide – 8 Ways the Arts Can Transform the Life of Your Loved One and Your Own" on AmazonVisit AlzAuthors Website for a wealth of caregiver resourcesLearn about Creative Writing Workshops for Caregivers: Contact Mary CrescenzoSubscribe to our Podcast: Available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio and more.Follow AlzAuthors on Social: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter/X and Blue Sky for daily support, book recommendations, and community stories. Don't miss our continuing film festival—visit our website for upcoming screenings, panel discussions, and more creative resources for the dementia journey. If you found this episode helpful, subscribe, share, and leave us a review! For more stories and support, visit alzauthors.com. Meet the Moderators Marianne Sciucco Christy Byrne Yates About the Podcast AlzAuthors is the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Our podcast introduces you to our authors who share their stories and insights to provide knowledge, comfort, and support. Please subscribe so you don't miss a word. If our authors' stories move you, please leave a review. And don't forget to share our podcast with family and friends on their own dementia journeys. Proud to be a Whole Care Network Featured Podcast Want to be on the podcast? Here's what you need to know Shop our Store

Learn more at TheCityLife.org

On this edition, Prominent Producer, former lecturer, and mentor Don Daniel joins the show as he and Cobbina get caught up on today's rapid trades & reflecting back their grad school adventures. Want to learn more on how to get involved for ‘Just a Minute' Film Festival, submit your film at JustaMinute.tv in consideration to win short grant prize. Check out a Preview of the films here: https://tinyurl.com/JAM-PreviewThe Reelers' Social Club launching soon exclusively on Substack.Follow Cobbina on these socials here:Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/cobbinaappiah/⁠BlueSky:⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/cobbinaappiah.bsky.social⁠LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/cobbinaappiah/⁠Letterboxd: ⁠https://letterboxd.com/cappiah13/⁠SUBSCRIBE to YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@keepingthingsreelpod⁠Follow us on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/keepingthingsreelpod/⁠The Keeping Things Reel Podcast is a SPINMASTER MEDIA production created, hosted, and produced by Cobbina Appiah. Based in the NYC & New England (CT/MA) area.

 When it just touches on these really profound themes and it's moving in a way that catches you off guard. Matt Nothelfer is a Committee Member of the Borrego Springs Film Festival and working documentary filmmaker.In this conversation, Matt talks:* Why small, community-driven festivals like Borrego Springs offer some of the best experiences for indie filmmakers.* How the festival creates a filmmaker-friendly environment: lounge, home-baked food, networking, and long Q&As.* The “secret weapon” of Borrego Springs: a local audience that fills a 180-seat theater from morning to night.* Why early-bird submissions matter—and when they don't.* How to spot scammy or low-value festivals on FilmFreeway through community presence, transparency, and online footprint.* Why filmmakers should focus more on storytelling and theme than technical perfection.* The blind-submission, five-category review process Borrego uses to evaluate films fairly.* Why small festivals often have the highest acceptance chances—300 submissions, 70–80 selections.* How writing a thoughtful, festival-specific cover letter can move a film from “maybe” to “yes.”* Advice to emerging filmmakers: avoid chasing 100 meaningless laurels and instead pursue festivals aligned with your goals.Thanks for reading The Creativity, Education, and Leadership Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Here is an AI-generated transcript of our conversation. Don't come for me.BEN: Hi everyone. This is Ben Guest and this is The Creativity Education and Leadership Podcast. Today my guest is Matt Telfer, who is a committee member for the Borrego Springs Film Festival. In this interview, we talk all things film festival, how to run a filmmaker friendly festival, and tips and tricks for submitting to film festivals.Enjoy.Matt, thanks so much for joining the podcast today.MATT: My pleasure. Happy to be here.BEN: So, I always like to start with a fun question, senior year of high school, what music were you listening toMATT: right off the bat with a curve ball? Alright, let's lay it out. I got the Talking Heads,BEN: the Cure,MATT: Like, let's see, what else?BEN: New Wave.MATT: Yeah, a little bit of the punk stuff. I mean, we got Pixies were, was I listening to the Pixies then? I can't remember. Yeah, so, uh, the Dead Milkman, stuff like that. The pubs, um, yeah, I had some of their records. You know, it's really frustrating ‘cause I had those records up until like five years ago and I left them at a colleague's house and they scattered to the wind.All that good stuff. Yeah. Anyway, I'm still a little bitter about that, but That's okay. My colleagues, my colleague was a friend and he, he deserved them.BEN: So you are a committee member at the Borrego Springs Film Festival. What? Yes, sir. And, and you've, you've held a variety of roles there and, and off air, you're saying sort of lately you've been focused on.You know, the pre-production of the festival, the website, getting the materials together. Correct? Correct. Reaching out to filmmakers, et cetera. Talk to me, talk to us about what are the fundamentals of running a good festival?MATT: Well, our context is that we're super small and modest. Uh, like we were saying before the interview, uh, officially started, we are literally a, a tiny little village in the middle of a giant state park.Actually the biggest state park in the lower 48 states desert community. We're actually just south of Palm Springs and, uh, there's like 3000 full-time residents here and, uh. So running a film festival in a place where there's literally. Not really a commercial market, it's a different type of animal.And um, so we kind of do everything on a very tight budget and we try to personalize stuff as much as we possibly can. We, since we can't really throw a lot of money at stuff, we just do everything we can in other dimensions.BEN: What's an example of that?MATT: Just trying to be considerate about stuff, uh, being friendly to filmmakers that are willing to submit and to get, and that also get accepted. So when they come here, it's a personalized experience. We work pretty hard on creating a filmmaker's lounge where folks can gather and network with each other throughout the entire uh.Five days of our film festival and while they're at the film festival and they're talking to each other, we also have food available for ‘em. One of our great committee members, her name's Pam, she literally will bake stuff in the evening and bring it in in the morning. So you have fresh pastries, cookies, coffee, like fruit vegetables, just everything laid out.And you know, there's really not a huge expense to do that, but you need like the right people to do that, so that's the thing that kind of makes our festival a little bit. Different, I guess in a way is like there's a personalized aspect to it and we spread that type of attitude across all our stuff.So we're gonna have like four parties during the entire festival, and all those parties have similar type of vibe.BEN: The reviews that I read online, um, on film freeway filmmakers were saying that it is, it's a film, it's a filmmaker friendly. Festival.MATT: Yeah. Because, you know, that's what we can do. Mm-hmm. Like, you're not gonna travel to a remote place in the desert and, you know, run into a bunch of industry folks.Usually there are exceptions to that. And, uh, as our. Film festival has gotten a little more solid, and we occasionally have some industry people coming in. Most of the time it's indie filmmakers. You know, we might have some elbow rubbing that this kind of neat. But for the most part, you know, these are just small independent filmmakers trying to do their thing and.Wanting to share their films with an appreciative audience. And aside from, being very personable, uh, with the committee and with the staff that run the film festival, one of the great things about our particular film festival is that the community is a huge part of what we do. The event they show up, we have 180 seat theater and it's full from 10:00 AM in the morning until eight o'clock at night.Oh wow. Every block and wow. It's been that way since the beginning, and it's not because of anything that we do on the committee, it's simply because the community wants to be a part of it. And so that's kind of our secret weapon, is like you show up as a filmmaker and like, oh man, I got, I got scheduled for the 10:00 AM block.They, and then they, they show up and like, what's going on here? This is look back. And then at the end of it, you know, there's an extended q and a. We don't. Push our blocks back to back really tight and there's plenty of time just to like relax and having interaction with folks and some q and as will go on for like a half an hour, if not more.And it's just, you know, so that's a unique thing that just kind of emerged without effort. And we take credit for it and we're excited that we can offer that. But you know, it wasn't any, it wasn't by design, it was just kind of like, cool. This is working.BEN: As far as festivals go, it sounds like filmmaker heaven.MATT: Well, you try to, we definitely try to be. And the dude that got this whole thing rolling, his name's Fred G and he has lived in this little community for a really long time, and he's a great guy and he's one of the reasons why a lot of people show up because, you know, he's just one of those kind of like community, uh, he's, he'll be really upset if I use this phrase, but he's like a town elder. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So just having that type of guidance and having that type of person that can kind of unify the entire event, I. Is really great. And again, like I said before, it's kind of our secret weapon is that we have like this great community that's willing to be a part of a filmmaker's storytelling in so much as like they'll sit there, they'll react to it, they'll ask questions about it afterwards.So yeah, if you're. A filmmaker that wants your film to be seen by actual eyeballs and actual people that are engaged. Mm-hmm. Then film festivals like ours, which there are many around, around the world. You gotta search ‘em out. As a filmmaker, you've gotta. Start getting discriminating. You've gotta really pay attention to what films are film festivals are offering and try to be a part of those kinds of environments, if that's what you want.BEN: So this is great because you're, um, you are part of the Bgo Springs Film Festival, you're also a working filmmaker. What are some other festivals that you've attended or know about that have a similar sort of filmmaker friendly vibe?MATT: Full Bloom film festival in North Carolina for sure. The WYO Film Festival in Wyoming, we enjoyed that a lot.My wife and I who are documentary filmmakers, we've taken our film films there. And again, you know, it's the exact same recipe basically, you have a core group of citizens that are willing and able to show up and be a part of an event. So when you sh, when you arrive as a filmmaker and you sit in the audience, you're not alone with, or if you're in the audience and you're only with other filmmakers there to screen their movie, you know?Yeah. You know that, you know that feeling. We've been there, right? We've been, we've all been there and, and we don't. Film festival is like what we're talking about right now. They don't wanna offer that. They want it to be something, even if they sometimes fall short, which has happened with us, we've had blocks where, maybe there's only 50 people in the audience and, you know, half of the audience might be filmmakers.But that is such a rare thing anymore. You just wanna be offering something to filmmakers. Make them feel appreciated because we know how hard it is to make these things and even and to be willing to share that in front of other people and, ask and answer questions it's a special thing and we wanna nurture that as much as possible and sort of those other film festivals.Love it. Yeah.BEN: Yeah. So we, I, I first came across you on Reddit on the film festival subreddit, and you were offering good advice and thoughts on, for filmmakers applying to festivals, how to think through strategy. So I guess for all, yeah. I mean, did you hear Yeah, help us out.MATT: Yeah. Did you, when you were reading that stuff, I mean, what kind of hit you as like the most relevant?BEN: I think it's two things and since I, I just have a documentary. I finished and am submitted a film festivals. I've read a bunch of stuff. Seen a bunch of stuff, so I may conflate some of the things that you said versus something I saw elsewhere. But two things. That's all right. I'llMATT: take credit for it.BEN: One is know what your goal is ahead of time, right? Oh, yeah, absolutely. To, be it the, be it a filmmaker friendly festival with good parties and events and networking. Is your goal to get exposure? Is your goal to meet people in the industry? Is your goal mm-hmm. To get laurels? Those are all different worthy goals, but they all will change your strategy and your approach for film festivals.And the second is, you know, submit to, don't submit to 50 festivals. Submit to 5, 6, 7, see what the results are and then adjust from there.MATT: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. So yeah, when we're talking strategy, that's so important and, and we can speak about it from the perspective of the Borrego Springs Film Festival because, you know, knowing the context of the type of festival we are now, if you were a filmmaker that was searching out, let's say.A bunch of like publicity for, you know, some type of, media push. It's like, would you necessarily want to come to Bgo Springs? Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends on how you played it, but. The main reason you would be coming to Borrego Springs, we feel is because you want that personal interaction and you want feel special as a filmmaker and you want to share your stuff with us, and we want you to share your stuff with us, right?So you're absolutely right when you're initial initiating your kind of film festival search as a filmmaker, you really gotta narrow down what your expectations are. And figure that out. I can speak as a filmmaker as well. It's like if you're gonna go someplace and spend money to do so, I mean, at the very minimum you squeak by on a budget of 500 bucks, then that's kind of like dirt cheap to go someplace and then return home.You know? That's still a lot of money. Mm-hmm. And that's, that's probably like. The least amount that you would ever be able to spend and you would need help, like getting lodging, which we try to offer to our filmmakers. Um, you know, how are you gonna, what are you gonna do? What are you going to eat when you get there, which we try to offer to our filmmakers.And, you know, all those things become part of the calculus, right? Mm-hmm. Especially when you're independent, mm-hmm. I would ask you is like when you're trying to submit, what are you aiming for right now?BEN: So great question. So I'm aiming for trying to get multiple laurels and I'm in, in a little bit of a different situation, I think, than most filmmakers.So I, I have an academic background, I have a PhD, and ideally I'd like to I've worked at various universities. In the ideal world, I'd like to go back overseas and teach film at a university. And so in the world, in the world of academia, you know, there's this phrase, publish or perish, right? You have to publish academic journal articles, publish.Mm-hmm. In film, in the world of filmmaking, academia, a film festival run. A film festival. Acceptance is like a journal article, right? Um, maybe if you do a feature film that's like publishing a book, this is sort of, uh, roughly equivalent to getting a, a journal article published. So I want to sort of garner a number of laurels so that I can indicate, you know, this, this short plate at these 10 different film festivals.MATT: Okay, so the credentials matter, right? Correct. It's kind of like that kind of that'sBEN: exactly right. LittleMATT: trophy on the mantle, as it were. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, um, I'm gonna ask you another question if that's okay.BEN: Yes. I feel like I'm getting a All right. Free film festival, um, consulting.MATT: Perhaps, I don't know about that, but when you are pursuing the laurels and, you know, everything's kind of like filtering through film freeway these days. Mm-hmm. So what's your strategy as far as like finding those types of film festivals that you think are going to, allow you to get those laurels on your poster or whatever?BEN: Yeah. Another great question. So couple things. One is it's a doc. My latest is a documentary short, and it's, it takes place in the world of improv comedy. And the two subjects are two black women. So looking at festivals that either are geared towards comedy, towards documentary shorts or towards black themes and African American themes. One of those three or, or, um. Themes of uh, women in, in general. Sure. Well, if I couldMATT: interrupt real quick, please. Yeah. So it seems like you're trying to basically still maintain some integrity as far as that goes. It's like, yeah, I'm not relevantBEN: all like the fly by night, if you submit, we'll give you the, you know, the UP award.Yeah, exactly. Well, that, that's why I'mMATT: asking because. Okay. Because that's why I'm asking because, there are plenty of, you know, weird little festivals that are floating around the mill fly by night, that,BEN: thatMATT: come, that come and go. And if you want to get a hundred laurels on your poster, if that's, you know, what makes you feel good, then you could definitely do that.But at least what you're saying is like, okay, let's make sure that what's happening with my film has integrity, has, has a shape, and has, something that means something after, you get accepted.BEN: Yes. Oh, a hundred percent.MATT: And the reason I bring that up is because, you know, as a small film festival we struggle with getting we just struggle competing with what's out there on film Freeway, let's put it that way.BEN: You know, because Talk about that. Break itMATT: down. Yeah. You know, it's just, as anyone knows that's trying to do this thing, it's like you hit film freeway and they're a great platform. I'm not, complaining about them at all, but there's just a lot of stuff on there that is more or less as a filmmaker or relevant.I mean, would you agree with that?BEN: Oh, a hundred percent.MATT: Unless all you're wanting to do is just get one laurel to put on your, on your poster, so you know. Maybe they offer a little bit of something. But as a filmmaker, I've been to the ones that don't offer much anything aside from a screening and even, and it's like I'm lucky enough to even go to ones that have physical screenings.A lot these days are just like, oh, we'll slap it online and call it good. So, you know, uh, let's be honest, there's a lot that are just out there and they're just trying to churn. Make some money. So as a small film festival, we're competing with that stuff and we've seen our, uh, submission rate decline, not necessarily a bad thing for us.Mm-hmm. But for other film festivals, I imagine they might be getting frustrated with it. We are actually perfectly comfortable with where we've kind of landed and the groove we've been in since the pandemic. Even a little few years before then, and we haven't tried to kind of like change our recipe much.So we're just happy with the amount that we're getting. We're happy with the amount that we're accepting and we're pleased with how we're screening stuff and the opportunities we're giving people. But I do feel, from what I've seen, it's becoming. Uh, it's just, it's a bit, it's a bit difficult to navigate the slop.Let's just break it down like that. Yeah. And I don't know if you're feeling if you're experiencing the same thing or not. I'd be curious to, to see what you, what you say.BEN: For a hundred percent, so I, I made a few documentaries in the late 20, 2011, 2012, and that was right when Without a box, which was filmed free, right withoutMATT: a box.BEN: Started and it was great because instead of having to burn a bunch of DVDs and physically mail them, you could just upload your film and then submit it to a bunch of festivals. Research a bunch of festivals. Great. Coming back to it now in 2025, it's Scam Central and I think unfortunately one of the things you, you have to spend a bunch of time doing is trying to figure out which of these festivals.First of all, which of these festivals are just legit in that they're not trying to just mm-hmm. Get money from you. They're gonna do a virtual screening and that's it. And then once you even get that breakdown, kinda like you said, which are festivals that are legit, that, that have good people working hard, good intentions, you're proud to show your film there versus they're just churning through submissions and fees.And chart, have a bunch of deadlines and a bunch of different slots you can apply for. They're not the exact opposite of how you describe Borrego Springs.MATT: Yeah. And you have to, as a film festival, at least in our opinion over here, it's like you have to bring that value to the table or else why?Why are you really doing it? And if that answer is like, you're just some guy sitting in an apartment somewhere trying to make a lot of money or a living, I don't know if you can make a lot of money doing this.BEN: Mm-hmm.MATT: Um, but. If you're just doing a film festival that is literally fly by night because you want to cash in, it's like, that's really unfortunate.Now the other side of that coin is like we see a lot of very earnest filmmakers submitting and, uh, they might not be the most technically adept. And they're fresh out of the gate as far as like trying to be a filmmaker. So they're very eager and you know, they just want to tackle everything all at once, and they end up you know, they're not really exercising any discrimination about where their films are going and they end up, you know mm-hmm.Kind of wasting a lot of money in that regard. Submitting, the, submitting, submitting without much, kind of emotional reward from it. And I think,BEN: yeah.MATT: Having some type of like positive feedback about what you're doing is great, even if it's whatever.But. It really helps to have a place to land where you feel like super special and cared for and considered and not just like, oh, I showed up and, it cost me $10 to get into my own movie and it's costing me $20 to, buy a cocktail over here and, you know, those kinds of things.If you're even lucky enough to get that, honestly.BEN: Right. What's your advice on spotting scams when you're applying to festivals?MATT: How to be discriminating as far as like submitting?BEN: Yeah,MATT: I mean I can only approach that from our, my wife and i's own experience trying to get our films into festivals. And with the insight like working on a film festival, I think that helps.But trying to spot ‘em is really, you got to. Try to get a sense if there's any type of community involvement going on mm-hmm. With the festival. And you can usually track that online if you're, you know, if you're a bit sleuthy, and you can find out if it's being supported by the community in some sort of way.Mm-hmm. And it shouldn't take you too long to figure that out with a couple of decent, online searches and follow in a few threads of information. Another thing is, is like if they're kind of nurturing their online presence, you know, it doesn't have to be super sophisticated. You just have to get a vibe that they're trying.And if, if you get that kind of sense, then it's worth the effort. Typically the other thing is you gotta really know what type of film festival that you're submitting to, right? If you're making documentaries, you're not submitting to, you know, a feature film, festival Right. In every festival.So yeah. Core effects. So I, yeah. You know, it's just being, making those obvious decisions. But when you dig beneath that superficial stuff and you get past like the obvious. Really try to get a sense about what you want yourself as a filmmaker when you go to a film festival. And for us it's like getting appreciative eyeballs on the film and giving us fun feedback and having a good time and interacting and, and doing some networking, uh, basically having a party and celebrating your film.Mm-hmm. And I think that weBEN: think about, yeah, sorry, go ahead.MATT: I think that this, that's important for us, so I imagine, and I, I would think that it's important for other people that are making movies as well. Yeah. If we, about, especially independently.BEN: Yeah. Yeah. You know, there's you were alluding to very little money in it, but, um, there are, there are rewards.Yes. One of the biggest of which is seeing your film in a packed house with an engaged audience. What from a screener perspective, from a film festival perspective, what are some tips you would give up and coming filmmakers, young filmmakers on their short films in particular mistakes that you see et cetera, et cetera.MATT: I would say the biggest mistake, especially as a, a young filmmaker, is concentrating so much on the technicalities of the craft and ignoring the storytelling. Um, you know, we, you mentioned, and we mentioned before about like when we started, uh. Kind of submitting to film festivals. This was basically what, like 15 years ago for both of us now, right?2010s, 2012, whatever. Mm-hmm. The technical back then could elevate you above everything else back then. Like today. You know, look, anyone that has a, has a mobile telephone, essentially has the skillset it takes, or not the skillset, but the technical wherewithal.AnBEN: outstanding camera.MATT: Yeah. Yeah. And the point being is like you can go out and you can create something compelling without the gate of the technical getting in the way. Uh, you can capture it. And it doesn't have to look like a million bucks. It's nice if it looks like, you did a big budget thing on a small budget.I'm not knocking the craft of anything. I'm just saying don't be so intent. Or maybe even don't even worry if like, it falls short technically a little bit. ‘cause I will. Guarantee you that a film is gonna get into a film festival based on if it's a compelling story with a good theme or not. And theme is another thing that a lot of folks don't necessarily appreciate, I don't believe.Just to give you a little bit of insight, our film festival. Is the selection committee are not industry professionals. They are regular citizens. They're just watching movies to help out our film festival. Now, try to imagine what that means. It's like folks don't focus on the technical unless it's an absolute train wreck.They will literally sit down and say, is this something I'm interested in and am, am I engaged with the story? Full stop. So that's where, that's the thing you have to focus on. And if you're not doing that as a filmmaker, okay, maybe you're just, you know, maybe your thing is gonna be, you're just a cinematographer, you're just a sound guy.You know, you're more crafty than you are. You know, a storytellers you gotta find that. You gotta find that place. That would be the main thing, because I know we, we. This, I think this is a good thing about our particular film festival is that we have taken in some films that probably weren't like technically as good as they should have been, but because they are just so.Compelling. We don't ignore it like we do pay attention to the craft, but if a story elevates beyond the craft, we're more than happy to bring those folks in. And when those folks come in, they're like, oh my gosh. You know, it was like we're having a hard time getting accepted to film festivals and we're so grateful that you took our film and we can't believe the response that we're getting.Um, they tend to be the best. Most enthusiastic filmmakers and attendance of anybody. Mm-hmm. They're not cynical, you know, they're not burnt out, they're just like over the moon.BEN: They're happy to be there.MATT: Yeah. And it, and they should be. And they're gonna spread the word ‘cause they, they've created something.Yeah. Wonderful. Now, you know, maybe it's underexposed, maybe it's overexposed. Maybe the audio's not great here and maybe the audio's okay there, whatever. It's compelling. That's the main thing. And you and you as a filmmaker really need to start analyzing. My wife and I do this all the time. It's like, what the heck are we making here?Are we making something that is compelling to us personally? Mm-hmm. Are we making something that's compelling to other people? Mm-hmm. It's two different things.BEN: Mm-hmm.MATT: I mean, that's right. So storytelling is hard.BEN: Yeah. That's the craft. It's storytelling.MATT: Yeah.BEN: Yeah, yeah. What does your, so you've got screeners, not industry folks, people just who appreciate films and filmmaking.What does your judging sheet or criteria sheet look like with your screeners, and what's the process that a film goes through?MATT: Here's another thing about our particular film festival. We're completely blind. Submissions. You know, we do not solicit anything. It's like early days we were kind of like poking around and asking for some folks to kind of consider us, but we've kind of let that fall by the wayside.Maybe that's one of the reasons our submissions have declined a little bit over the years. One of the factors, but regardless completely blind submission. So. Stuff comes in. We have a bunch of people that are at the ready and they start watching it, and we basically have a five step process.It's like, consider this, consider this, consider this, consider this. And they do that. And they mark it from scale of one to 10. And, uh, from that we kind of start our, fundamentallyBEN: what are, what are the different, consider this. Like what are the categories?MATT: Let's see. I gotta look it up, but it, it basically breaks down to, okay.Are you sentimentally engaged with this? Meaning, is it, is it a subject matter? I love that questionBEN: that,MATT: yeah, it is a subject matter that you. Like just offhand, like, okay. It's a, it's a nature movie. See, I love nature movies. Oh, I see. Are you, you see what I'm saying?BEN: Predispose, I thought, I thought you meant was the film engagement.MATT: No, no. It, no, it's, it's, it becomes both. It becomes both, right? Yeah. Because your sentimental attraction to something is going to create an engagement. So we kind of wanna know if, uh, our regular folks are like just locking into something because they just love the subject matter.BEN: They make the topic.Yeah.MATT: Yeah. Um. Then from there we do actually talk about craft, even though I was saying before, like, uh, don't worry so much filmmakers about the craft anymore, but we wanna make sure that you can hear it. Okay. It's not a total disaster with the audio and you can see everything. Okay. So we ask them to rate it on that scale.And then, um, other, you know, just more nuancey things is like, okay, is the pacing cool? In other words. Did you find it like it was dragging a lot or it was, too fast? How's the editing style? Those kinds of metrics. And there's actually a few other ones in there as well. So all that is just kind of thrown into the pile.Mm-hmm. And then from there we start to weed that out as we come to after like all the submissions come in and from. Once all the submissions come in and our, our deadline has passed, then the committee jumps in and starts doing a more nuanced type of an analytical thing to the films that have been submitted.But I will say that regardless of how we kind of shuffle things, once the deadline is closed, the people that watch our films and the committee members are usually. Copacetic. There's hardly anything that that changes. And, um. The nice thing about our particular film festival too, is like if you're a filmmaker submitting, you know, I'll just, I'll give you the numbers.We essentially get like 300 submissions, so it's not a lot. Mm-hmm. Um, and out of that 300 we are running a sub, we're running a screening rate anywhere between like 70 to 80 movies a season. Mm-hmm. So that's a really good. That's a really good, uh, opportunity to get accepted at a film festival, and that's why small film festivals might be the best bet for a lot of independent filmmakers, I think.Mm-hmm. You know, because you have that opportunity to get noticed. So I think I might have tangent, I went off tangentially a little bit there, so if you wanna pull me back in.BEN: Yeah. You went off tangentially, but in a great way. I mean that I want to appreciate the transparency with the numbers. I interviewed, um, the director of the Wyoming International Film Festival, a guy named Rudy Womack, and he was the same.He was like, here's our numbers, we publish ‘em. He's like, most festivals don't, but it just demystifies the process. So it's very helpful.MATT: Yeah. And I'll give film pre credit because they allow film festivals like ours to put those numbers online. Mm-hmm. And, and we've done that. If you hit our page on film Freeway, you can start to figure out what we're about without too much trouble.BEN: What are the, what are the different blocks you run?MATT: As far as like thematically?BEN: Yeah. Yeah. Like at a festival. What are the different categories and blocks.MATT: Aha. See now you touched on something that's kind of unique to us. Okay. So, you know, you go to a film festival and it's like, oh, this is the, this is our dog block.Every movie's about dogs.BEN: Right, right.MATT: Or something like that. We don't do that. At all. So we kind of grab bag, the whole thing. It becomes a very eclectic mix of stuff. Mm-hmm. And one of the reasons we've ended up doing that is because our community has kind of demanded it. Whoa.Interestingly enough. Yeah, so they drove the decision to kind of like stop doing thematic blocks and they wanted a better mix of things because they, again, our folks here, they show up for every single block place is packed.BEN: I just, and sorry to interrupt before you finish, like everything you're saying, it just sounds like there's an iter iterative feedback loop.Between the community in the festival, the film? Absolutely in the festival. The volunteers in the festival. So I just wanna highlight that ‘cause I'm loving everything you're saying.MATT: Well, again, like I said, it's the secret sauce. It's our, it's our weapon that we have our secret weapon that allows us to kind of like elevate beyond our like humble budget.Right.BEN: The community is, but community is letting you know, we don't want thematic blocks.MATT: Yeah. The community came in and said, we, we want mix. So when we sit down and we're sitting through movies, it's like. If we're watching something that we're not in tune with thematically, then you know, you would have to sit there for like an hour and a half and just kind of tolerate it.Whereas now, if like a movie comes on about dogs and for some reason you're just a weirdo and you don't like dogs, that movie will come and go and now you're onto something else, right? Mm-hmm. So. Yeah like you just mentioned, it, it really becomes a cooperative effort between the community, the film festival itself and, and even the filmmakers.And we're kind of proud that it is a little bit ramshackle in that way ‘cause it creates a very organic vibe and weirdly enough. Like at the end of it all because it, it's a little bit random. It is like how folks get scheduled.BEN: Mm-hmm.MATT: Themes are emergent anyway.BEN: Mm-hmm. It's, peopleMATT: start creating patterns that didn't exist and then it sometimes that becomes really profound.It's like, didn't even think of that. It's brilliant. However oh, the other thing about programming too, that we do specifically for our film festival is that we. We ask our filmmakers, say like, Hey, are you planning on coming here? And if they, if they are planning on coming here, we try our, our level hardest to make sure that we program their films to match their schedule, right?So we don't lay out our program and say, okay, you were scheduled for, you know, Wednesday at 2:00 PM. It's like, well, I'm only free on the weekend. You know, and you wouldn't, you would never be able to attend. We ask first to say, do you think you're gonna be able to be here? And if they say yes, then we try to accommodate as best we can.So again, it's, it's collaboration across the board from filmmakers down to the, to the citizens of our small town.BEN: One of the things I read somewhere, or heard somewhere, is that it's much more advantageous to apply for the early bird deadline. What's your take on that?MATT: For our film festival, not so much, but I, I definitely adhere to that strategy as a filmmaker.If nothing else, it's budget conscious, you know? Yeah, yeah. It's cheaper usually under the initial deadlines you know, you have to take advantage of that. The other thing I guess is like, I will say from our experience, uh, with our particular film festival, if you get it in under the early bird deadline, at least it's there.And you know, you've basically got like four or five, six months for the submission. Crew for that particular film festival to kind of think about it. Whereas if it comes in a last minute, you're not really gonna get as much consideration. It's just gonna have to be more like, uh, an initial one-off type of decision.SoBEN: are there other, and I mean the, the most important advice right, is always make a good movie outside of the movie. Yeah. Are there other ancillary things that. Can move the needle at all. Cover letters, director statement, press kit, stuff like that, or it's not, uh, it's negligible.MATT: Hmm. It's neg negligible to an extent in so much, it depends on how you frame it as the filmmaker.Mm. And let me, I'll try to explain. So every year as a film festival, you just basically get cover letters. It's like, oh, take my film please. It's about this, it's about that. But it's a cover lever, co cover letter. It's, uh, copy and pasted. You can tell. You can just, you just know. It's like, okay, they're making an overture to us, but they're also making an overture to like a hundred other film festivals.It's like if you're gonna write to a film festival and say you want in, just make sure that you actually acknowledge who you are sending your film to. Don't just say, Hey, Borrego Springs, I wanna be in your film. I like Borrego Springs, mm-hmm. My parents went there once and I've always been com I've always been interested in the desert and how awesome would it be?See, that tells us that you're paying attention. Right?BEN: Mm-hmm.MATT: That you're trying. We're trying. We just want the filmmakers to try as well, as far as like trying to make any requests to get preferential treatment, and it's totally cool to ask for preferential treatment. By the way. You can say, I see that you're a small community.I just made a film that's, that takes place in a small community. We might be a really good fit. That kind of thing matters, right? An email overture works. Yes. An email overture doesn't work. No. It's both things at once, depending on, it really depends on how you write that letter. So if you wanna invest the time and effort to try to impress a film festival, just make sure that.You understand what that film festival is and really think about if what you're offering, the film festival is something that they might want. And if you can, if you see a, a common thread there, write about it in a letter. And even if it's just one sentence, it's like, then we know on our side that this person's paying attention and that that kind of matters.It does matter. So at the end of the day, when you're take, when you're kind of like really trying to figure out your cutoff, if your little film happens to be on the bubble, guess what? It might get into film festival, right? Mm-hmm. Because you said that you have a connection to this place, and I think that's fair.I mean, what, does that make sense?BEN: Yeah, for sure. So the festival is coming up in January, is that correct?MATT: Yeah, we're in the middle of gearing up for it right now, as a matter of fact. Nice. I gotta run out to the, to town here in like a, like 15 minutes actually to do some stuff for the film festival.So yeah, it's, it's, well, today we're shooting, um, a little promo, uh, thing that we're gonna run, run during. At the beginning of the blocks, and I'll be doing that with Fred G the chairman of the board. Yeah, that's nice, fun stuff. We try to have fun with things, so. Yeah.BEN: We do littleMATT: skits and whatnot during the award ceremony.It's, it's goofy. I love it. Cheesy as hell, but we like doing it, soBEN: I love it. Oh, that's actually something that I sort of, in, in, in my cover letters, which I try to. You know, write tailored to the festival. Especially the ones in California say, well, the film's about this improv duo and mm-hmm. We accepted, we'll come and we would love to do a little improv performance for the festival attendees.Um,MATT: I will say this too, because we're such what you just mentioned. I just want to piggyback on that for a second. So you said in my cover letter I'll say, we're willing to attend. It's like if you say that in a cover letter and you mean it, you, and you're willing to do that. Yeah. That's good. Especially for a festival like ours.We want filmmakers to come here. We wanna treat ‘em to a good time. We want them to be part of something that's. Big in the community and the community wants that as well. So if you're here and you're willing to be here, then that matters.BEN: I love it. Well, I mean, everything I'm hearing about Borrego, like literally I just reached out ‘cause I wanted to just talk film festival submissions, but now I'm like, Ooh, next year I'm definitely gonna submit to, uh, to Borrego.MATT: Yeah, I know this was supposed to be like a strategy session and here I am bragging about the film festival. That'sBEN: No, no. It's exactly what I, what I want. It's great. Last question. What's a, what's a. Documentary that blew you away recently?MATT: So, okay, so last year at our film festival, there was this really cool documentary called Dale. Have you seen it?BEN: No. Tell me about it.MATT: So Dale is like this older woman and she's the first basic Asian American that was in the, um, uh, Los Angeles orchestra, the Los Angeles Phil Harmonic. Okay. And essentially all it is is.I say all it is like, it's a very profound kind of retrospective of what she did to get to that point and you know, her views on things and it's just, and the music that was involved, just very beautiful, very poignant and simple. And. So when, when you have like movies like this and it's, it's not even a 10 minute long movie, it's under 10 minutes.Mm-hmm. When it just touches on these really profound themes and it's moving in a way that catches you off guard. Those are the things that you can't ignore, right? Mm-hmm. And this is actually, Dale's a good example because, you know, it's not always shot pristinely, it doesn't have to look, perfect. But the story reaches kind of a transcendent level that is really, really nice. So if I would throw in Dale and let me see, uh, the the director of that, his name was Justin Strike. So if anyone, I think it's still on the film festival circuit, so you have that opportunity. Go check it out.BEN: Love it. Love it. Love it. Matt, thank you so much for taking the time. For people who are interested in Borrego Springs Film Festival, either to attend, to submit, et cetera, what where should they go and where can they find you?MATT: Oh, online search, just, you know, Borrego Springs Film Festival. It'll lead you to all the places you need to be.And, uh, yeah, just track us down that way. Pretty straightforward. Take a peek at what we're offering. We keep mm-hmm uh, we keep an archive of the stuff we've done online so you can pull back the curtain and look and say, okay, is this kind of something I'd be interested in?Um, you can get a vibe for it that way. And, uh, that's, yeah, that's kind of it. That's kind of it. I think we've tried hard to make sure that what we offered is pretty transparent, and if you take a look at it and you think it's a good fit, and by all means, send us your stuff. Including you, by the way, so, you know.Yeah, no, you have to submit as well now would definitelyBEN: be submitting early bird deadline next year. Perfect. I wish I, if I was still in LA I'd come down, uh, next month and, and just go to this upcoming festival. It sounds wonderful.MATT: Well, I know. Why don't you just do it anyway?BEN: Yeah, I'll give you aMATT: VIP pass.I that,BEN: listen, I might take you up on it. I still all, well, if you do, it'sMATT: we'll be waiting for you.BEN: You, you know, we're, we're documentary filmmakers. We always have a couple irons in the fire. So I do have one kind of idea of, uh, another doc I'd like to shoot out on la maybe I'll combine it. I'll let you know.MATT: Perfect excuse.BEN: Hey, this was fantastic. Thank you so much for taking the time. I'm so glad um, we connected and uh, just listen. Our pleasure be fantastic.MATT: Yeah, we're, we're happy as a film festival to be asked to do this kind of thing, so thank you. And um, best of luck to your film too. I'm gonna check it out, so be sure to submit it straight away.BEN: I will. Thank you so much, Matt. Alright man. Thanks.BEN: That was my interview with Matt of the Borrego Springs Film Festival. Hope you enjoyed, please forward to at least one person. Have a great week. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit benbo.substack.com

Jackson Hole Film Festival 2025 with Nikki Sixx by KHOL

On this episode we have on Allan Shedlin from Daddying Film Festival.How I found Allan was kind cool. An account called Daddying Film Festival start following us on instagram and I noticed it was a film festival about fatherhood and encouraging people to make videos about fatherhood so I thought I'd reach out to them to see if they wanted to talk about it on the podcast!Then I was introduced to Allan and found out he's been an advocate for film and fatherhood his entire career, his articles have been featured in the New York Times, he's sat on presidential forums to talk about fatherhood, and coined the term Daddying to make being a dad a verb.For this conversation we talked about his journey with fatherhood, from being a teacher, to leading schools, conducting interviews with dads to learn about their lives, writing a book, being a dad, being a grandpa, and a lot of the life lessons he's learned about fatherhood along the way. Make sure to go to daddyingfilmfestival.com the learn about the rules for submission for films and all the organization does!Send us a textSupport the showFollow us on Facebook and Instagram @theimperfectdadspodcast . Look for new episodes of The Imperfect Dads Podcast every Monday.

Loads of Hollywood news and an in-depth interview with outspoken filmmaker Justine Bateman with her thoughts on the Netflix/Warner Bros deal, her anti-AI event the Credo 23 Film Festival and she answers listener questions. Hilarity ensues!

Much like the interstellar phenomenon that inspired it, the 3I/ATLAS Film Festival is coming your way!Sujewa recently launched a mixed streaming/in-person showcase of independent films--some new, some vintage, all waiting to be discovered (or re-discovered)! There's also a brand-new compilation of Ian and Sujewa's ongoing debate about the merits of Hong Sang-soo's filmography! In this preview episode, the guys talk about what movie lovers can expect from the festival, whose "At Home" offerings are available now, and whose theatrical events kick off this Friday (12/12) at Film Noir Cinema in Brooklyn.Filmmaker and past IndieSeen guest Steve Martini will be on hand to present his semi-autobiographical farce, Bittersweet, and participate in a Q&A.Next spring will see screenings or Amir Motlagh's Young Ali, Sujewa's upcoming 53 Spaceships, and others. For complete festival details as they drop, including lineup and venue info, click here.And for tickets to Friday night's Bittersweet event, you can order directly from EventBrite here.Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, subscribe to us on YouTube, and follow us at:XLetterboxdInstagramFacebookShow LinksAs mentioned in the show, Sujewa recently interviewed Steve Martini and Casey Makes a Mixtape writer/director Blake Calhoun. Check out that conversation here.Support Sujewa's new film project, 53 Spaceships, the latest adventure of Cosmic Disco Detective Rene!Watch Sujewa's latest film, Cosmic Disco Detective Rene for free on YouTube! Rent The Secret Society for Slow Romance (the predecessor to Cosmic Disco Detective Rene).Follow Sujewa on X.Check out all the episodes in our “IndieSeen” Playlist!

Italian documentarian Parsifal Reparato discusses She, his five-year journey inside Vietnam's electronics manufacturing world, where young migrant women work 12-hour shifts producing devices for the global market. What began as labor-rights research grew into a portrait of fear, capitalism, and survival, earned through slow trust-building with workers afraid to speak openly.We unpack creative influences like Lars Von Trier's Dogville, Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing, and the observational approach he absorbed from working with Roberto Minervini. Parsifal explains how the film's black-box reenactment set became a space where workers could rebel, speak freely, or even destroy it. Instead, they rest together, revealing exhaustion itself as resistance.We talk filmmaking as labor, the emotional toll of activist storytelling, parting with his first editor and later rebuilding the film with Alice Roffinengo, whose perspective shaped its final form. Parsifal reflects on his Locarno premiere, the weight of representing real people on screen, and the responsibility of carrying stories born from hardship.Advice to filmmakers: trust your voice early, accept risk, and if you're going to struggle, struggle for something that matters.What Movies Are You Watching? Listen to all episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more, as well as at www.pastpresentfeature.com. Like, subscribe, and follow us on our socials @pastpresentfeature The Past Present Feature Film Festival - Nov. 20-22, 2026 in Hollywood, CA - Submit at filmfreeway.com/PastPresentFeature

durée : 00:52:48 - Certains l'aiment Fip - À l'occasion de la sortie de son nouveau film "Dossier 137", le réalisateur évoque son travail avec les musiciens David Whitaker, Adrian Johnston, Alberto Iglesias, Benedikt Schiefer... sur les B.O de ses films "La nuit du 12", "Seules les bêtes" ou "Harry un ami qui vous veut du bien". Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

Back in October, Michael Phillips joined Adam at Iowa City's Refocus Film Festival for a live recording of the Top 5 Movies Adapted From Iowa Writers. The town is home to the University of Iowa's famed Writers' Workshop, so picks were not confined to "Field of Dreams" and "The Music Man" (but those get shout-outs, too). This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. (Timecodes and chapter starts may not be precise with ads.) Intro (00:00:00-00:03:59) Top 5 Iowa Writer Adaptations (04:00-00:35:37) Next Week / Notes (00:35:38-00:38:45) Top 5, continued (00:38:46-01:02:46) Credits / New Releases (01:02:47-01:05:34) Links: -Poll: ‘25 Scene Stealers https://poll.fm/16310945 -London Meetup w/Josh on Dec. 11 https://forms.gle/rUcgUKicTddzwFBs5 Feedback: -Email us at ⁠⁠⁠feedback@filmspotting.net⁠⁠⁠. -⁠⁠⁠Ask Us Anything⁠⁠⁠ and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and archive access. ⁠⁠⁠http://filmspottingfamily.com⁠⁠⁠ -T-shirts and more available at the Filmspotting Shop. ⁠⁠https://www.filmspotting.net/shop⁠⁠ Follow: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/filmspotting⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.com/filmspotting⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/filmspotting⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm⁠⁠  https://www.instagram.com/larsenonfilm  ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/larsenonfilm.bsky.social⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back again at the 2025 HBCU First Look Film Festival where we sat down with actor J. ALPHONSE NICHOLSON (P-Valley, Luke Cage, Madam C.J. Walker). www.instinctent.com/ontheway www.mochapodcastsnetwork.com/ontheway www.hbcufirstlook.com @onthewayweekly @kahlilxdaniel @sweatbyvee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Waikulu will be home to Maui's newest film festival; The Honolulu Zoo has a new exhibit featuring rare endemic snails

Guest: George Stroumboulopoulos, award winning television and radio host Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want more exclusive content?! http://prometheuslens.supercast.com to sign up for the "All Access Pass" and get early access to episodes, private community, members only episodes, private Q & A's, and coming documentaries. We also have a $4 dollar a month package that gets you early access and an ad free listening experience!==================== Join me as we hear the opening prayer, and two interviews from the film festival. Here we have myself and my friend Kyle from The Word At War. Hope you guys enjoy. These are in video format on the Youtube channel if you'd like to watch.====================

Welcome to an At The Flicks short pod.  Back in October the prestigious Bath Film Festival took place.  Tessa, someone closely associated with the festival, joins us to talk through some of this year's highlights. Included in those highlights were: - A surprise guest talking about his long career.  We'll give you a clue, a couple of his films, including The Invisible Woman were shown over the 10 days. - Some wonderful retrospectives, including the original Godzilla feature - Some highly acclaimed features which should reach your local screens over the next few months, including Rose Byrne's electric performance in If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You. All in all, another winner from Film Team Bath. Why not check out their website for yourselves and follow our recommendation of signing up for their regular and impressive newsletter. See you at the flicks where we might join you to watch some of the new recommendations in our upcoming Movie Advent Calendar

Without Your Head Horror Podcast: Nasty Neal Jones interviews Buried Alive Film Festival Director Shannon Thompson!

Today on Too Opinionated, we sit down with the director of the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, Ivan Hughes and his special guests.  Ivan Hughes is an independent filmmaker with more than 20 years of experience producing documentary films across Canada and around the world. His award-winning work has screened nationally and internationally in festivals, broadcast and online. He brings technical knowledge of workflows and equipment to projects, whether he is directing, shooting, or editing. Ivan has worked on outreach programs across the province, bringing filmmaking workshops to remote indigenous communities. He has mentored new filmmakers, founded the Squamish Mountain Festival in 2006, and served as a board member and programming manager for the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival for 5 years. Ivan has previously worked at the Winnipeg Film Group as the Production Centre Director from 2012 to 2014.    Claudia Bastien is a Squamish-based Indigenous endurance athlete, adventure storyteller, and digital creator. She is known for taking on ambitious solo expeditions, including leaving directly from her front door in Squamish to begin a 5,000 km unsupported bikepacking journey from Canada to Mexico, and a 1,350 km ride along Australia's Coral Coast. In November 2025, she will return to Mexico to bikepack the length of the Baja Divide route, continuing her pursuit of long-distance endurance challenges. Vince LaPointe is a Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Swimmer, Vince's job was to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft to help distressed mariners on the worst day of their life. Today, Vince implements the high-pressure skills learned in the military on time-sensitive film sets. As a dedicated outdoorsman and rock climber, his passion is for capturing emotion, drama and humour in adventure films.   Want to watch: YouTube Meisterkhan Pod (Please Subscribe)  

Nasty Neal with the cast and crew of the new horror feature Creature Fear from Buried Alive Film Festival!

We're back to talk night 2 of what we watched at the Lhatsik Harutkshi "Moving Stories" Wiyot Tribe Film Festival 2025. Plus talk about the very first public screening of Mike J. Marin's new short documentary Blacktop Poets: The Story of Without Rezervation. Hit up E Society on Facebook.⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/ESocietyPodcast/⁠⁠⁠Sk8er Nez Podcast Network -https://macnezpodcast.podbean.comE Society YouTube:⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliC6x_a7p3kTV_0LC4S10A⁠⁠⁠E Society and Mac-Nez t-shirts Tee Public:⁠⁠⁠http://tee.pub/lic/9ko9r4p5uvE⁠⁠⁠X:E Society Podcast -⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/esocietypod⁠⁠⁠Mac Nez Podcast -⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/macnezpod⁠⁠⁠The Zissiou -⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/TheoZissou⁠⁠⁠Instagram -E Society -⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/esocietypod/⁠⁠⁠Mac Nez Podcast -⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/macnez/⁠⁠⁠The Zissiou -⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thezissou/⁠⁠⁠TikTok -⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@esocietypod⁠⁠⁠ Taylor and Nez new podcast:Old Dawg New Trickz⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/319KRWiJfGpMbFBLTp6E8P⁠⁠⁠YouTube page for Resting Easy with Chris and Breezy⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@RECB

We talk about day one of Lhatsik Harutkshi “Moving Stories” Wiyot Film Festival 2025 at the historic Eureka Theater in Eureka California. Hit up E Society on Facebook.https://www.facebook.com/ESocietyPodcast/Sk8er Nez Podcast Network -https://macnezpodcast.podbean.comE Society YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCliC6x_a7p3kTV_OLC4S10AE Society and Mac-Nez t-shirts Tee Public:http://tee.pub/lic/9ko9r4p5uvEX:E Society Podcast -https://x.com/esocietypodМас Nez Podcast -https://x.com/macnezpodThe Zissiou -https://x.com/TheoZissouInstagram -E Society -https://www.instagram.com/esocietypod/Mac Nez Podcast -https://www.instagram.com/macnez/The Zissiou -https://www.instagram.com/thezissou/TikTok -https://www.tiktok.com/@esocietypodTaylor and Nez new podcast:Old Dawg New Trickzhttps://open.spotify.com/show/319KRWiJfGpMbFBLTp6E8PYouTube page for Resting Easy with Chris and Breezyhttps://www.youtube.com/@RECB

The Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum is partnering with Lakeland PBS and Pioneer PBS to bring the Veterans Day Film Festival 2025 across the state Tuesday. Audiences in Mankato, Stillwater and Little Falls can see three films about three different Minnesota veteran experiences.Randal Dietrich is the executive director of the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum in Little Falls. He called MPR News host Nina Moini from the official State of Minnesota Veterans Day Ceremony in Mankato to talk about the film festival.

November 12 kicks off the start of DOC NYC, a film festival dedicated to exclusively featuring documentary films. All month All Of It will spotlight documentaries featured in the festival. The festival's artistic director Jaie Leplante provides a preview of the exciting slate of films featured at this year's DOC NYC. The festival runs through November 30.

Wanda Sykes is most known for her stand-up prowess, comedic roles and activism on and off the stage. Sykes steps into a new kind of spotlight as a dramatic actor in “Undercard,” portraying Cheryl “No Mercy” Stewart: a former boxing champ and trainer trying to reconnect with the 21-year-old son she gave up when he was a child because of alcoholism. She joined “St. Louis on the Air” to discuss the role, her life and career, and what the Trailblazer Achievement Award from St. Louis International Film Festival means to her.

Professional film curator and educator KJ Mohr returns to The Truth In This Art to talk about the Maryland Film Festival (MdFF) and Baltimore's indie film scene at the SNF Parkway!In the conversation we explore the 2025 Maryland Film Festival (MdFF)—what's new, including the amazing new website and Festival Journeys—what still matters, and how a festival can truly feel like home. As director of the Festival and year-round programming, KJ shares how listening to instinct and inviting many voices into the process shape a lineup that feels authentically Baltimore and true to independent film. A large, local screening committee helps build the program from the ground up, and the Parkway's communal vibe keeps people talking long after the credits roll. From indie film discoveries to community-centered conversations, MdFF 2025 champions Baltimore's film scene at the SNF Parkway.Festival Journeys: Four clear entry points—MdFF Pride (like I Was Born This Way), Black Voices (like Sun Ra: Do the Impossible and Kouté vwa), She/They (like Bay to Baltimore featuring ultramarathon open‑water swimmer and painter—and Truth in This Art alum—Katie Pumphrey), and WTF (like Fuck Toys)—to help audiences navigate with ease.CineTech: Free-with-registration demos and conversations highlighting gaming and interactive, choose‑your‑own‑adventure storytelling, expanding how audiences experience moving images and connect across creative communities.Student Films: Expanded to five days to make more room for student work, with student and local films threaded through most programs—spotlighting the next wave of filmmakers.Mission and SNF Parkway's future: A welcoming home base where films, filmmakers, and audiences connect—an inclusive, community‑rooted space that reflects Baltimore while linking to the wider film world.Join us at the SNF Parkway for a robust week of programming—screenings, shorts, conversations, and in‑the‑room moments—and, most of all, a chance to be in community with Baltimore's arts, film, and culture, and the independent film community that calls the SNF Parkway home. Explore the new website, pick a Journey, and come be part of it. Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis. Production:Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos:Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

A woman's lefty friend berated her for enjoying drag, saying it's like blackface for trans women. The caller loves drag and had never thought about this before. Is it true? A straight man loves the idea of seeing a naked woman walking around her house. He wonders if others would love to see him naked, you know, just kickin' it at home. On the Magnum, let the swooning begin! Actor Ben Palacios from Palm Royale is charming, talented and easy on the eyes. He relays his tales of kissing Ricky Martin, and making a fool of himself in front of Carol Burnett. Dan and Ben share their first boyfriend experiences, and advise a straight couple who are arguing over the man's ball scratching habit. Also, should a straight man take poppers before his proctology exam? And dating new divorcees: Bad idea, or not a problem? Q@Savage.Love 206-302-2064 This episode is brought to you by Hims, providing affordable access to ED treatment, online. Start your free online visit today at ⁠Hims.com/Savage⁠. This episode is brought to you by Feeld, a dating app where the open-minded can meet the like-minded. Download Feeld on the⁠ App Store⁠ or ⁠Google Play⁠. This episode is brought to you by Erika Lust.com -the world's leading platform for ethical, cinematic adult films. Right now, my listeners get 45% off your subscription when you enter the code SAVAGE45 at ⁠erikalust.com⁠. That's Erika Lust with a k! Dan Savage is a sex-advice columnist, podcaster, author, and creator of the It Gets Better Project as well as the ⁠Hump! Film Festival⁠. From bondage to bisexuality, cuckolding to crossdressing and with a dose of progressive politics, Dan Savage is a cultural force for sex positivity, when we most need it.

Del celebrates the successful premiere of “An Inconvenient Study” at the Malibu Film Festival. Get a glimpse of the star-studded red carpet, the powerful Q&A, and the award ceremony where ICAN proudly took home Best of Festival. The film's findings have sparked intense online debate—drawing both criticism and praise, including from respected voices like Dr. Drew.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-highwire-with-del-bigtree--3620606/support.

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 163 - Iris Prize LGTBQ+ Film Festival - with Lewis Bayley In this special episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with Lewis Bayley, Industry Coordinator for the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Lewis invited us to speak with him about filmmaking earlier this year, and what you'll hear is that recorded conversation. We had the pleasure of discussing many topics with Lewis, such as the overall importance of film festivals and our longtime efforts giving back to younger generations of filmmakers. Additionally, we share a few work stories from our long careers, Roger gives a preview of what to expect in his upcoming memoir, Reflections, and James reveals the game she played with director Martin Scorsese while we were shooting KUNDUN in the Moroccan desert. The Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival is hosted annually in Cardiff, Wales with talks, panels, and screenings of shorts and features highlighting the myriad of experiences within the global LGBTQ+ community, and we were happy to be a small part of their 19th edition.  - This episode is sponsored by Aputure & Sandstorm

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor welcome special guest Matt Kazantzik, Program Director for the Animation Is Film Festival, to talk about what fans can expect at this year's event at the TCL Chinese Theatre. From exclusive screenings and panels to the state of the animation industry, this episode dives deep into the heart of Hollywood's celebration of animated storytelling. Jim and Drew also cover the latest box-office chatter, streaming updates, and big animation headlines. • Why Tron: Ares may still have a chance to rebound despite a soft opening• The premiere lineup and behind-the-scenes planning of the Animation Is Film Festival• Drew's firsthand look at Sony's new Animation campus and Infinity Festival highlights• Updates on Primal Season 3, Bat-Fam, and The Bad Guys: Breaking In• Guillermo del Toro's new stop-motion school and what it means for future filmmakers Whether you're a longtime animation fan or just curious about what's next on the big screen, this episode of Fine Tooning packs plenty of insight, stories, and laughter from Hollywood's animation insiders. Unlocked Magic Unlocked Magic, powered by DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market, offers exclusive Disney & Universal ticket savings with TRUSTED service and authenticity. With over $10 MILLION in ticket sales, use Unlocked Magic to get the BIGGEST SAVINGS. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn More⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices