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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. MK wrote, directed and co-produced the short film “The Re- Education of Jane Brown” to Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 and took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film- Horror!                                            Every correspondence with MK has been so lovely and positive that it was no surprise to me that we had a had fantastic Four Questions follow up! Follow MK on Instagram at @mk.mcg Follow The Re-Education of Jane Brown on Instagram at @treojbfilm _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Friday. I hope everyone is celebrating love this Valentine’s weekend, whether that be romantic love, love for a pet, or love for your favorite independent film podcast! MK McGee brought the short film “The Re- Education of Jane Brown” to Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 and took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film- Horror!                                                                  MK wrote, directed and co-produced this engaging, genre twisting film that subtly makes a brilliant statement about bodily autonomy. MK hopped onto Zoom for our chat and we had a wonderful conversation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                This was no surprise to me, as MK was once of my favorite people to exchange emails with leading up to the festival. Enjoy! Follow MK on Instagram at @mk.mcg Follow The Re-Education of Jane Brown on Instagram at @treojbfilm _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Benjamin Deutscher and Lauren Taggart premiered their incredible film animated “The Storm”  at the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 and  took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Feature Film – Animation and the Audience Award for Best Featurette,  the Grand Jury Award for Best Sound Design (Richard Larimore ) AND the Grand Jury Award for Best Score (Sylvain Kauffman). I truly hope you already enjoyed the interview with these lovely and amazing folks and are back for more with these 4 Questions! Follow The Storm at: Instagram: @the_storm_movie Website: https://www.thestormmovie.com/ Follow Lauren on Instagram at @thetaggartshow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

I have a great new chat to start your week off right! Benjamin Deutscher and Lauren Taggart jumped onto Zoom to record this podcast just one month after their film “The Storm” had its World Premiere at Sherman Oaks Film Festival!                                                                 I could go on and on and on about how amazing The Storm is, but instead I will just share this.                                                                                                                                                                                               This animated film took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Feature Film – Animation and the Audience Award for Best Featurette. But we do’t stop there. Individually The Storm also won Richard Larimore the Grand Jury Award for Best Sound Design and Sylvain Kauffman the Grand Jury Award for Best Score. In other words, this 60 minute animated film is amazing in every way; visually, sonically, and narratively.                                                                                                                                                                                   You cannot watch it yet, but when it becomes available we will do our best to give you a link here. In the meantime, I should also mention that Ben and Lauren were delightful attendees at Sherman Oaks Film Festival. I enjoyed every opportunity to talk with either of them at the festival. Please enjoy the interview and… Follow The Storm at: Instagram: @the_storm_movie Website: https://www.thestormmovie.com/ Follow Lauren on Instagram at @thetaggartshow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Michael May brought his feature horror film “Where Darkness Dwells” to the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in December 2025 and took home two Grand Jury Awards! Michael and his co-writer Alexandra Grunberg took home the award for Best Screenplay – Feature Film while Jordan Wayne Long took home the award for Best Production Design – Feature Film. I was extremely inspired by our chat (posted Wednesday) and couldn’t wait to see what inspired Michael when we moved on to the 4 Questions. You can learn more about Michael at @Michael_May_official And, finally… check out Michael’s Podcasts! A Study of Strange Fuel for the Future – Americas Automotive Trust _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Welcome Back, Indie Film Friends! Michael May brought his feature film “Where Darkness Dwells” to the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in December 2025 and took home two Grand Jury Awards! Michael and his co-writer Alexandra Grunberg took home the award for Best Screenplay – Feature Film while Jordan Wayne Long took home the award for Best Production Design – Feature Film. “Where Darkness Dwells” is an innovative and entertaining horror feature, made with attention to detail and care for story.                                                                                                                                                          It also features a superb cast!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        This interview will be very eye opening for many, as Michael and his team prove that a dedicated group of collaborators, and it doesn’t hurt if they’re all friends, can outperform far more expensive productions with creativity and grit! You can learn more about Michael at @Michael_May_official And, finally… check out Michael’s Podcasts! A Study of Strange Fuel for the Future – Americas Automotive Trust _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Renée Veronica Freeman is the actor, writer and producer behind the film “Chromatography” that held its World Premiere at Film Invasion Los Angeles in June, 2025!  You can watch “Chromatography” by clicking here! We had a fantastic chat and I knew her 4 Questions would be a good one. RENÉE’S IG: @reneevfreeman _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

HAPPY FILM FRIDAY! Renée Veronica Freeman is the actor, writer and producer behind the film “Chromatography” that held its World Premiere at Film Invasion Los Angeles in June, 2025!  I was fortunate to moderate the in-theater Q&A for Renée’s film and was delighted to see her appear on the podcast schedule. You can watch “Chromatography” by clicking here! In the meantime, use these helpful links to learn even more about Renée! RENÉE’S IG: @reneevfreeman RENÉE VERONICA FREEMAN IMDB See Renée in Disney+ & Hulu’s #1 crime drama “Murdaugh: Death in the Family”, starring Patricia Arquette + Jason Clarke, now streaming. @murdaughonhulu Hear Renée narrate the upcoming “Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All” (Scholastic Audio Books). A children’s picture book by American Activist icon Gloria Steinem and Liberian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee, releasing everywhere on Feb 3, 2026. ~UPCOMING: Official Selection in the 51st Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival – Shorts Program – Feb 12, 2026 – “America’s Longest Running Genre Fest” ~Official Selection in the Brooklyn Sci-Fi Film Festival 2025 – People’s Choice Voted Top 5 Film of 180! ~Semi-Finalist from the Academy Award qualifying 2025 Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival – Vortex. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Hao Yan & Mandy Chen collaborated to make the short film “Winter Psalm,” a wonderfully touching film that they brought to Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Writing, Drama. They make a great team and I was so delighted to have them on together for a chat (posted Monday) and this follow up 4 Questions! When the film releases online we will add a link here, but in the meantime you can follow both of these filmmakers at: @hao_yan3  and @mmandy.cc _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

A case of the Mondays? This chat will surely shake that off. Hao Yan & Mandy Chen collaborated to make the short film “Winter Psalm,” a wonderfully touching film that they brought to Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Writing, Drama. Hao wrote and directed the film while Mandy produced, collaborating from beginning to end.                                                                                                                                                                          This wonderful film always strikes at my heart with its very original story and wonderful filmmaking. When the film releases online we will add a link here, but in the meantime you can follow both of these filmmakers at: @hao_yan3  and @mmandy.cc _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

A wonderful Wednesday to Everybody tuning in! Filmmaker Cate Fogarty brought her short comedy “Baby Husband” to Film Invasion Los Angeles 2025 and went home with the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Originality – Comedy.                                                       I am personally a huge fan of Cate’s inventive, hilariously truthful short film and it was a joy to see her on the podcast schedule. The truth is that “Baby Husband” is not just a smart comedy, it is a courageous filmmaking leap.                                                                                                                                                                                              This film required things that many a filmmaker would look at on the page and think, “that is going to be tough to pull off. I think I’ll try something easier.”                                                                                                    Cate stepped up to the challenge! You cannot watch “Baby Husband” online yet, but when you can we will update the show notes with a link.                                                                                                                                                                                 In the meantime, you can follow Cate on Instagram at @catefogarty to see if you can catch it at a festival sometime! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Aaron Bennett brought his film “Jokers Wild” to the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in December, 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Director of a Horror Short as well as the Grand Jury Award for Best Sound Design, Short Film for his sound designer Matt Broadfoot. Aaron and I had a fantastic chat and I had a strong feeling I was going to really enjoy the follow up 4 Questions. Follow Aaron on Instagram at @aaronwritesstuff Follow Jokers Wild on Instagram at @jokerswildmovie Follow Jokers Wild on TikTok at @jokerswildmovie _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Friday, Friends! Aaron Bennett brought his film “Jokers Wild” to the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in December, 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Director of a Horror Short as well as the Grand Jury Award for Best Sound Design, Short Film for his sound designer Matt Broadfoot. I’m happy to say that this is Aaron’s second appearance on the Discover Indie Film podcast, though this time he flew solo. Back in 2023 Aaron was part of the podcast for “Good Counsel,” a short film that he wrote for producer & actor Chandra Bond that was directed by David J. Levine and starred Chandra along with Janelle Jones and Matthew Keefe.                                                                                                                        Amusingly I had no idea that Aaron had been on before!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               I’m going to guess that my poor memory is not just due to my advancing age but also that it was a five person Zoom.                                                                                                                                                                 If Aaron had been on the mic in person back in 2023 as he did for this podcast, I swear that I would have remembered. Follow Aaron on Instagram at @aaronwritesstuff Follow Jokers Wild on Instagram at @jokerswildmovie Follow Jokers Wild on TikTok at @jokerswildmovie _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website – DIF Instagram – DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles