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. 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

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. John Schlag brought his film “Panes Taking” to Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 and took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film - Dance. If you listened to our chat on Monday you learned John has had a long, distinguished career in visual effects that began with Terminator 2: Judgment Day and continued through films like Forrest Gump, The Matrix Reloaded and Watchmen AND has a deep love and study of dance under his belt.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          I had even more respect and admiration for the unique perspective John has cultivated after our conversation and couldn't wait to hear what types of film he was going to mention in the 4 Questions. Infinovation Film Instagram @infinovationFilm Infinovation Film Website John Schlag on IMDB John Schlag on Instagram @johnschlag Panes Taking on IMDB Panes Taking Trailer _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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 all you Listeners! John Schlag brought his film “Panes Taking” to Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2025 and took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film - Dance.                                                                                                      Little did I know that this beautifully artistic piece brings together the diverse interests of a throughly creative and technically proficient person.                                                                                                                    John has a long, distinguished career in visual effect that began with Terminator 2: Judgment Day and continued through films like Forrest Gump, The Matrix Reloaded and Watchmen.                                                  John also learned a love for dance while studying at Carnegie Mellon University that continues to this day, and that love inspires him to sit on the board of the Smuin Contemporary Ballet in San Francisco (https://www.smuinballet.org/) and to combine his artistic pursuits by making dance films. I do not have words for how much I respect a person such as John, who has accomplished much in his careers and yet never stops seeking to create new and original works.                                                                  Even the name of his production company, Infinovation Film, clearly states his personal desire to be infinitely innovative. Many do not know this, but I adore dance and dance films and even sit on the jury of a EDIFF, the Exeter Dance International Film Festival in the UK.                                                                                                    Between us, I am always envious of the beautiful dance films that EDIFF receives and John Schlag’s “Panes Taking” is the rare Official Selection at SOFF or FI-LA that eases my jealousy of EDIFF. There are many ways to follow John and his work and I highly recommend that you do so! Infinovation Film Instagram @infinovationFilm Infinovation Film Website John Schlag on IMDB John Schlag on Instagram @johnschlag Panes Taking on IMDB Panes Taking Trailer _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. UK based filmmaker Derry Shillitto wrote and directed the indie feature “The Correction Unit,” a sci-fi thriller that you can watch right now on most streaming services!                                                                                (Visit https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the- correction-unit to see where.) This is almost never the case, but Derry's film did not play at either Sherman Oaks Film Festival or Film Invasion Los Angeles which means there was never a Q & A which means I was extra excited to fast track my discovery of his cinematic taste with the 4 Questions! Follow Derry on Instagram - @DerryShillitto Follow his production company Instagram - @FoyleRiverFilms _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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! I'm finally accepting the holidays are over and slowly crawling back to "the real world." Luckily, my real world is largely talking about movies. UK based filmmaker Derry Shillitto wrote and directed the indie feature “The Correction Unit,” a sci-fi thriller that you can watch right now on most streaming services!                                                                                (Visit https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the- correction-unit to see where.)                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Derry is the rare filmmaker on this podcast whose film did not play at either Sherman Oaks Film Festival or Film Invasion Los Angeles.                                                                                                                                 The film looks great and we had a tiny gap in the schedule, and rules were meant to be broken, no? Derry rewarded us with a fantastic interview. He’s a super nice person and it was a great conversation! Follow Derry on Instagram - @DerryShillitto Follow his production company Instagram - @FoyleRiverFilms _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. Filmmaker Kevin O’Brien brought his outstandingly creative short film “Hey HeLP-O! Let’s Go!” to both Sherman Oaks Film Festival  and FIlm Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Originality, SciFi at each festival! Follow the film on Instagram and make sure to catch a screening if you can! @heyhelpoletsgo _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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 New Year, Listeners! Filmmaker Kevin O’Brien brought his outstandingly creative short film “Hey HeLP-O! Let’s Go!” to Sherman Oaks Film Festival in December 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Originality, SciFi. But there’s more... in June the film was an Official Selection at FIlm Invasion Los Angeles.                                                                                                                                                                 We were unable to screen it due to scheduling conflicts, but it took home the same award! “Hey HeLP-O! Let’s Go!” is a two-time winner of the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Originality, SciFi! Follow the film on Instagram and make sure to catch a screening if you can! @heyhelpoletsgo _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. Ryan McCoy wrote and produced the feature film The Party that releases next year which happens to be in just a few days (January 2, 2026.) Sorry, had to go for the NYE joke.                                                                                                                                                                     Ryan and I had a terrific chat (which I hope you already listened to) and that always gets me excited for the follow up 4 Questions. Ryan is a super productive filmmaker and you can follow him at his production company’s website https://rynoryder.com/                                                                                                                                            or on Instagram at @rynoryder                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          or on his YouTube where Ryan been posting videos about his journey as an indie filmmaker in LA for the past 6-7 years. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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

Wow, our last Filmmaker Interview of 2025! Ryan McCoy wrote and produced the feature film The Party that releases later this week on January 2, 2026.                                                                                                                                                                    Ryan reached out to us about appearing on the podcast and I did a wee bit of research, discovering that The Party had been submitted to Film Invasion Los Angeles (FI-LA) and, as a juror, I had given it a good rating. Honestly, I see films all the time that I like but that do not become official selections as FI-LA and Sherman Oaks Film Festival.                                                                                                                                  Ryan gave me the chance to finally have one of them represented on the podcast. Ryan is a super productive filmmaker and you can follow him at his production company’s website https://rynoryder.com/                                                                                                                                            or on Instagram at @rynoryder                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          or on his YouTube where Ryan been posting videos about his journey as an indie filmmaker in LA for the past 6-7 years. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. Filmmaker Power Couple Elizabeth Schneider and Michael Covello brought the animated short film “Becoming an Oyster” to Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 and won the Programmer’s Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking. It's an incredible accomplish when a couple can work together but can they survive THE FOUR QUESTIONS? Check out their website at https://candleflyfilms.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

Merry Xmas Eve to all who celebrate! Speaking of things to celebrate, the animated short film “Becoming an Oyster” was an official selection at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 and from the first time I saw this remarkable work of art I was hooked. Made by the team of Elizabeth Schneider and Michael Covello, every detail of this film blows my mind. Coincidentally, it deserves the same description that I gave to the film that came before this in the podcast, Kai Brown’s “The Anatomy of Jane Doesn’t Exist,” as both strike me as “moving paintings.”                 Not all animation is a moving painting, but those two films fit the description. No wonder “Becoming an Oyster” won the Programmer’s Prize for Exceptional Filmmaking. Liz and Mike happen to be delightful people, married and raising children together while teaching and making films.                                                                                                                                                 Talk about a cool couple! Check out their website at https://candleflyfilms.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. Kai Brown wrote and directed the wonderful animated short, “The Anatomy of Jane Doesn’t Exist,” that screened at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Writing in Animation. I was not at all surprised to find how thoughtful and smart Kai was in our interview (posted Friday) due to the intelligence of her film. I couldn't wait to see what other films she was going to bring to the table in the follow up 4 Questions. Learn more about Kai at kaimedia24.com and you should also probably follow the Instagram @kaimedia24 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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, Everyone! Kai Brown wrote and directed the wonderful animated short, “The Anatomy of Jane Doesn’t Exist,” a film that screened at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Writing in Animation. Every aspect of the film is made with intelligence, both emotional and intellectual intelligence, and it was nearly overwhelming to see this painting in motion on the big screen.                                                            It is a powerful, beautiful film.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  In fact, you should follow Kai’s website and social media for opportunities to see it! Learn more about Kai at kaimedia24.com and you should also probably follow the Instagram @kaimedia24 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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. Xander Copp brought his short film “Carter” to Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Short Film, Horror. If you listened to Monday's episode, you can hear I'm obviously impressed with Xander as an artist and person and I couldn't wait to get to his 4 Questions to see what types of films inspired him. You can learn more about Xander and his film by following @carter_shortfilm 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

Happy Monday, Listeners! Xander Copp brought his short film “Carter” to Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2025 and took home the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Short Film, Horror.                                                                                        It was only through this podcast that I learned all that I wanted to know about this faithfully creative Lovecraft adaptation.                                                                                                                                          The more I learned the more impressed I am with the work that Xander put into it. You can learn more about Xander and his film by following @carter_shortfilm 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

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. Brett Willis wrote and directed the film “When The Clocks Stop” that came to Film Invasion Los Angeles in June 2025 and took home The Poppy for Best In Fest - Featurette! Brett and I had a truly fantastic talk. In fact, we talked so long that Brett had to rush off for work and then return a week later to record his four questions answers! Follow Brett on Instagram at @sirbrettt and make sure that you see his incredible film someday! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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