Discover Indie Film

What are the 4Qs? (1) Three favorite films. (2) An underrated film. (3) An overrated film. (4) A lesser-known film people should seek out. Mother and daughter, Melissa Jean Martinez- Areffi and Bella Zoe Martinez brought their unbelievable OSCAR- QUALIFYING short, "Once More, Like Rain Man” to Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025, and took home the Filmmakers Awards for Outstanding Direction, Comedy for director Sue Ann Pien as well as the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Cast Performance, Comedy. I truly hope you listened to this very special conversation posted on Monday and that's why you have returned for their 4Qs! Websites to share! www.omlrmovie.com www.navautism.com Instagram/FB Handles! @omlrmovie @bellazoemartinez @bella_daze! @navautism Bella’s songs on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/5XKVdsr14mppTFfASbMfOp?si=j-0w3-QIQs2KWhOGi0b7qA For trailers, interviews, etc. check out the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@OnceMoreLikeRainMan All trailers by Tal Anderson, who is not only a professional editor and successful actor, but was also our guest on episode 557 of this podcast! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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

Let's get right to business, Listeners. Do this now! Click https://www.omlrmovie.com/screenings and see when and where you can catch “Once More, Like Rain Man”! I first met Bella Zoe Martinez and Melissa Jean Martinez- Areffi at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2022, when their short film “Glory & Injustice” was an Official Selection. Personally, I LOVED that wonderful short where a thirteen year old has to yell at her supervillain father to get his off his butt and go commit some crimes! Imagine my delight when this same team, and when I say “team” I should really say “family,” sent a new film three years later and it is an Oscar-quality short that is amazing in every dimension? No surprise that “Once More, Like Rain Man” came to the 2025 edition of Film Invasion Los Angeles and took home four awards! By the way, I referred to this team as a family and now I should clarify. Melissa and Bella are mother and daughter, and father Andy Areffi is equally involved in every film. Bella and Melissa came over to record the podcast, while Andy deserves this personal shout out for holding down the fort while the others came over to have fun. Fingers crossed that someday we get Andy on the podcast! For the record, “Once More, Like Rain Man” won the Grand Jury Awards for Best Short Film, Comedy and Best Performance by a Cast, Short Film. On top of that, it took home the Filmmakers Awards for Outstanding Direction, Comedy for director Sue Ann Pien as well as the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Cast Performance, Comedy. This conversation was so much fun and we clearly could have talked all night! Enjoy! Websites! www.omlrmovie.com www.navautism.com Instagram/FB Handles! @omlrmovie @bellazoemartinez @bella_daze! @navautism Bella’s songs on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/5XKVdsr14mppTFfASbMfOp?si=j-0w3-QIQs2KWhOGi0b7qA For trailers, interviews, etc. check out the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@OnceMoreLikeRainMan All trailers by Tal Anderson, who is not only a professional editor and successful actor, but was also our guest on episode 557 of this podcast! And, finally... a funny bonus shoutout. If you look at the pic of Melissa & Bella on the DIF website or social media, you might notice someone in the kitchen behind them. That would be our soon-to-be-college-student who, without my asking, baked cookies that evening. That’s right. DIF Podcast guests sometimes get made-from-scratch-fresh- baked-chocolate-chip-cookies! If that became common knowledge... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Podcast Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Links DIF Foundation - 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. Ari Flesch's debut film “It’s Not For Me To Say” took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film, Animation at FI-LA 2025. Ari and I were wearing almost the same outfit, have similar heritage and discovered that neither of us participate in social media, so naturally I was curious if we had any 4 Questions opinions in common as well. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Welcome Back To All You Indie Film Discoverers! I met filmmaker Ari Flesch at the Opening Night Gala of Film Invasion Los Angeles in June 2025. Ari’s animated short “It’s Not For Me To Say” was an official selection and, this might only be funny for Ari and I, but we noticed our similar looks and heritage and then, when he came over to do this podcast, we were both wearing a black shirt and green shorts. Okay, this is all less important than the fact that “It’s Not For Me To Say” took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film, Animation at FI-LA 2025. Ari’s film is beautiful, funny, touching and even a little heartbreaking. We had a great Q&A at the theater but anyone who listens to this podcast knows that a fifteen minute Q&A where people in the audience get to ask questions as well is not enough for me! This is normally where I type that you can follow the guest on social media, but Ari isn’t wasting his time on that nonsense! Yay!!! This is why he manages to be such a productive creative while working full time in animation. Enjoy! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Podcast Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Links DIF Foundation - 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. Annie Girard and Diana Wright co-directed and co-wrote the short film “1 in the Chamber” that took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Short Film - Comedy at FIlm Invasion Los Angeles 2025. I was extra-happy when Diana and Annie scheduled their podcast, because only Diana was able to attend the screening. We had a wonderful chat that we posted Friday but the journey with these amazing ladies isn't complete until you hear their 4 Questions. You cannot watch the film yet, as “1 in the Chamber” is still on the festival circuit, but as soon as you can we will add a link here. In the meantime, you can follow this brilliant creative team at... The Film @1intheChamberfilm Diana @thatswright24 Annie @anniegirardyay _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Website Sherman Oaks Film Festival Film Invasion Los Angeles

Welcome back, Listeners! We have a great episode for you today. Annie Girard and Diana Wright are officially one of my favorite creative teams. They co-directed and co-wrote the short film “1 in the Chamber” that took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Short Film - Comedy at FIlm Invasion Los Angeles 2025. I was extra-happy when Diana and Annie scheduled their podcast, because only Diana was able to attend the screening. We had a wonderful Q&A at the screening that went around 17 minutes, but for a film this good that’s just not enough. Plus... Annie wasn’t there! You cannot watch the film yet, as “1 in the Chamber” is still on the festival circuit, but as soon as you can we will add a link here. In the meantime, you can follow this brilliant creative team at... The Film @1intheChamberfilm Diana @thatswright24 Annie @anniegirardyay _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Podcast Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Links DIF Foundation - 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. A.J. Lising wrote and directed “Papa’s Corner,” a film that was an official selection at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 and took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Supporting Performer in a Short Film, for Val Victa’s performance as Papa. A.J. was not able to stay for the Q&A at FI-LA so I was thrilled for the chance to dive deeper with A.J. about his incredible work and get to the 4Qs to see what type of films helped him cultivate it. Follow A.J. and his work at: Website: http://filmbyaj.com/ Instagram: @ajlising Instagram: @papascornerfilm _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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 Marvelous Monday to You All! A.J. Lising wrote and directed “Papa’s Corner,” a film that was an official selection at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 and took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Supporting Performer in a Short Film, for Val Victa’s performance as Papa. I was in the theater for this screening and even though I had already seen it as a member of the jury, after the film’s beautiful ending I wept for nearly all of the credits. We did hold a Q&A at the theater with Erik Luminarias (producer & lead actor) and Patricia Esguerra (editor & script supervisor), but A.J. was not able to stay for the Q&A. Once again the Discover Indie Film podcasts gives me a chance to more than make up for a missed Q&A opportunity. It was a pleasure to talk to A.J. and I hope to see a lot more work from him in the future. Follow A.J. and his work at: Website: http://filmbyaj.com/ Instagram: @ajlising Instagram: @papascornerfilm _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Podcast Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Links DIF Foundation - Sherman Oaks Film Festival - Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Friday! Time for something different! The guest for this podcast is Jessie Sparrow, Executive Director of RE:IMAGINE ATL, a community-based nonprofit in Atlanta that's reshaping access to film, media, and digital storytelling for the city’s youth. RE:IMAGINE ATL reached out to me about this and even though the main focus of this podcast is indie filmmakers and their work, in this case RE:IMAGINE ATL’s mission struck me as important enough for me to be a little more flexible than usual. Because the closest I’ve come to visiting Atlanta is changing planes at their massive airport, I thought it would be a good idea to pull in frequent Discover Indie Film guest and Atlanta resident Fr3deR1cK Taylor as a co-host. I think you’ll agree that RE:IMAGINE ATL is doing wonderful, necessary work. Visit these links to learn more: RE:IMAGINE Website: https://reimagineatl.comDreamfest Ticket Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1141075771349?aff=oddtdtcreator Liktree: https://linktr.ee/reimagineatl RE:IMAGINE Socials IG -@reimagineatl Facebook -https://m.facebook.com/reimagineatl/? LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/re-imagine-atl/?viewAsMember=true TikTok- https://www.tiktok.com/@reimagine.atl?_t=ZT-8yz6RUvqvLZ&_r=1 Youtube - https://youtube.com/@reimagineatl?si=JTlGpiPxfgvnFQoF _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Podcast Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Links DIF Foundation - 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. Sweden-based Henrik Larsson co-directed, co- wrote and co-produced “Pierre West” with Jakob Arevärn, a drama about hope & darkness spanning 17 years. This remarkable film took home two awards at Film Invasion Los Angeles in June, 2025 (Grand Jury Award – Best Lead Performer – Featurette – Tomas Hartwig and Best Screenplay – Featurette – Henrik Larsson & Jakob Arevärn) Henrik was unable to make it to the festival in person so I was not able to do a Q & A. Which made this interview all follow up 4 Questions that much more exciting. His excellent taste did not disappoint! You can catch “Pierre West” on the big screen at the Silicon Beach Film Festival on Friday, Sept 5 in Block H. https://www.siliconbeachfilmfestival.com/tickets Or you could also follow Henka on Instagram to catch other festival screenings near you! @fotohanke _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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 Labor Day, Listeners! I hope everyone is kicking back today, firing up the bbq and popping on your favorite indie film podcast while you flip burgers for your friends and family. It's a good one too! Sweden-based Henrik Larsson co-directed, co- wrote and co-produced the film “Pierre West” with Jakob Arevärn. A drama about hope & darkness spanning 17 years, this remarkable film took home two awards at Film Invasion Los Angeles in June, 2025 (Grand Jury Award – Best Lead Performer – Featurette – Tomas Hartwig and Best Screenplay – Featurette – Henrik Larsson & Jakob Arevärn) Henrik was not able to travel for the festival, but that’s when doing this podcast allows me a chance to learn more about filmmakers who cannot make it to the festivals. Henke, his preferred name just as I prefer Jeff to Jeffrey, hopped onto Zoom for an extended chat about his career and “Pierre West.” The film is still on the festival circuit, so that you cannot catch it online yet, but as soon as it is we will provide links here. But you CAN catch “Pierre West” on the big screen at the Silicon Beach Film Festival on Friday, Sept 5 in Block H. https://www.siliconbeachfilmfestival.com/tickets You should also follow Henka on Instagram to catch other festival screenings near you! @fotohanke _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Podcast Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Links DIF Foundation - 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. Jesseca Ynez Simmons had her film “Heaven in a Wild Flower” at the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2024 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Cinematography - Arthouse/Experimental. I was thrilled for the chance to finally sit down (virtually) and have a chat with Jesseca since she was not able to attend the festival and, of course, that included the 4 Questions follow up. Website: https://www.jessecaysimmons.com/ Parts Per Million: https://www.jessecaysimmons.com/#/parts-per-million/ Personal Instagram: @jessecaynezsimmons Microscope Instagram: @micro_landscapes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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 everyone listening! Jesseca Ynez Simmons brought her film “Heaven in a Wild Flower” to Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2024 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Cinematography - Arthouse/Experimental. Jesseca wasn’t able to attend the festival, but thanks to this podcast I finally got to “meet” Jesseca on Zoom and confirm that all the amazing cinematography in the film was Jesseca’s own work. In fact, she shot nearly all of it at home with this setup! Microscope Cinematography for The WIN! I could not have enjoyed this conversation more. My only regret is that Jesseca does not live in SoCal and cannot come to all our festival-centric mixers. I hope that you enjoy listening to our chat as much as I enjoyed having it! Become as fascinated by Jesseca’s work as I am at these links: Website: https://www.jessecaysimmons.com/ Parts Per Million: https://www.jessecaysimmons.com/#/parts-per-million/ Personal Instagram: @jessecaynezsimmons Microscope Instagram: @micro_landscapes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Podcast Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Links DIF Foundation - 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. Graham High directed “The Housesitters,” a smart and hilarious film that played at Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2022 and took home Best Lead Actress - Short Film - The Housesitters - Erin Pineda and Best Lead Actor - Short Film - The Housesitters - Matt McConkey. I had such a fantastic time chatting with Graham that I was thankful for the excuse to keep it going with the 4 Questions! Link to Housesitters: https://youtu.be/FmLgR1lXsak @instagrahamhigh https://www.youtube.com/@Grahamihigh http://grahamhigh.me _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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

TGIFF! (Film Friday) Graham High directed a film that will forever live in my heart, “The Housesitters,” because not enough people make wonderfully acerbic comedies. Written by lead actors Erin Pineda & Matt McConkey, who co-produced with Graham and his sister Brittany High, “The Housesitters” is smart and hilarious, and it makes me love its two lead characters even if they show close to zero redeeming qualities. Graham took that wonderful script and directed it perfectly, taking home several awards at Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2022 including Best Lead Actress - Short Film - The Housesitters - Erin Pineda and Best Lead Actor - Short Film - The Housesitters - Matt McConkey. Thankfully Graham kept in touch over the years and thanks to a little prodding from Karina, this podcast’s producer, we managed to finally record this interview. Yay! Link to Housesitters: https://youtu.be/FmLgR1lXsak @instagrahamhigh https://www.youtube.com/@Grahamihigh http://grahamhigh.me Bloody Bites (https://tubitv.com/series/300009135/bloody-bites) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Podcast Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Links DIF Foundation - 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. Filmmaker Lindsay Nyman returns to the podcast to chat about her new film, “They Call Me The Tattoo Witch.” This remarkable documentary, directed and produced by Lindsay, screened at Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2024 and took home the Grand Jury Awards for Best Short Film - Documentary and Best Cinematography - Short Film for Katie Eleneke and the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Direction - Documentary! Lindsay is an outstanding filmmaker and citizen of the world and I was very excited to hear what films she had up her 4 Questions Sleeves! Learn more about Lindsay and Leading Woman Films at https://www.leadingwomanfilms.com/ and on Instagram @ leadingwomanfilms _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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

It's a great day today because Filmmaker Lindsay Nyman returns to the podcast! And she was zooming in from Berlin! Back in April, 2018, Lindsay appeared on Episode 57 to talk about her pilot, “The Blind Center.” That wonderful film played at Film Invasion Los Angeles 2017 and took home the Grand Jury Award for Narrative Short Film. Thanks to Instagram I was able to keep up with Lindsay over the years and then she returned with a new film in 2024, “They Call Me The Tattoo Witch.” This remarkable documentary, directed by Lindsay, screened at Sherman Oaks Film Festival and took home the Grand Jury Awards for Best Short Film - Documentary and Best Cinematography - Short Film for Katie Eleneke. Lindsay’s peers on the Filmmakers Board also awarded her with the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Direction - Documentary! Lindsay directed and produced the film, working side by-side with cinematographer Katie Eleneke and assembling an all-female crew local to Hanoi. Lindsay always credits the heart and authenticity of the film to this extraordinary Vietnamese team, who brought their talent, care, and cultural insight to the process and became like family. Learn more about Lindsay and Leading Woman Films at https://www.leadingwomanfilms.com/ and on Instagram @ leadingwomanfilms _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Podcast Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Links DIF Foundation - 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. Vincent Salvano's film Crosby was at FI-LA 2018 and he has been such a busy young person -- graduating college, working PA jobs at fantastic places like Pixar and such -- that it took us SEVEN years of scheduling and rescheduling this podcast before we managed to record this! That means seven years eagerly anticipating what his 4 Questions might be! Vincent's IG: @vincent_salvano _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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, Friends! Vincent Salvano's film Crosby was at FI-LA 2018 and he has been such a busy young person -- graduating college, working PA jobs at fantastic places like Pixar and such -- that it took us SEVEN years of scheduling and rescheduling this podcast before we managed to record this! I'm so impressed with Vincent's filmmaking journey and it was definitely worth the wait to chat with him. Vincent's IG: @vincent_salvano _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Podcast Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Links DIF Foundation - Sherman Oaks Film Festival - Film Invasion Los Angeles

Happy Monday, Discover Indie Film Folk! Fr3deR1cK has been a staple guest on the podcast and when he recently came to LA for an extended visit, I obviously agreed to pick up our musings on film and the universe. LINKS THAT Fr3deR1cK mentions: tomorrowpictures.com tomorrow pictures.tv Fr3deR1cK.com jonesfoundation.com IG- @fr3der1ck _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Podcast Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Links DIF Foundation - Sherman Oaks Film Festival - Film Invasion Los Angeles