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Have Motivation, Tell Your Story, Be True
When I first started out as a filmmaker, I wasn’t anticipating on making a career out of it. In fact, if I’m honest, I only took a film course in high school to fill my time because I was only a...
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The Making of "How Do You Like It"
I like a lot the title of a modest Spanish film: “Miles de cámaras velan por tu seguridad” (Thousands of cameras look for your safety). I think we tend to consider that people in charge to look for us...
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The Making of "Blonde"
Years ago, in grad school, I was part of an incredible arts class run by the esteemed performance artist, Karen Finley. In it, I met one of my most treasured colleagues (stay with me! This preamble...
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“KIDICIDE” examines the nature in how we nurture
Did “KIDICIDE” arrive as a thought or an act? Was it by nature or how I was nurtured?Nature verses nurture dilemma has always been of interest to me. What exactly do parents have control over in the...
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Tapping the “Brew Master” story
Where did “Brew Master” come from?After winning for my short horror “STAY OUT OF MY ROOM” in South Carolina, my girlfriend PATTY and me celebrated at some very cool breweries. Patty owns her own...
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Gilded: behind the scenes
The Second World War is a very popular subject for filmmakers because of the nostalgia, intrigue and scope for story making that it holds. For me, as the screenwriter for Gilded, I was also inspired by...
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Inspiration for The Road to Nickelsville
When watching the news one morning I saw a story about a homeless encampment in Seattle called Nickelsville. The controversy was over the location moving from one neighborhood to another, and the...
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The Ladies Next Door: behind the scenes
I was in post-production on the first season of my web series Clever Girl when my producing partner Myra Zimmerman-Grubbs brought my attention to a short play written by Sheila Mudd Baker when she was...
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"Most of all, I enjoy getting on set and bringing my character to life"
Making a low budget periodic film sounds like an oxymoron. Cheryl Neve, a London based writer and actress, knew that the lack of a 'Hollywood budget' would be challenging, yet decided to follow her...
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Something Finally Happens: behind the scenes
Like almost all of my other films, the idea for the film started with a situation that interested me. In this case a confrontation between an elderly person and a teenager. The inspiration for this...
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"The bear finally committing to the relationship mirrored my willingness to...
Catching The L Train is probably the most adorable, heart-warming animation you've seen in a while. That's why our lead judge, Jackie Moore, described it as a "perfect short film".In the following...
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At the grace of tones
I would like to begin by extending my gratitude to the Festigious team for recognition of my short music video “Godsend Rondo”. There are many generous opportunities in the U.S., and I think that a lot...
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Juror in the Spotlight: Linda Palmer
Award-winning filmmaker Linda Palmer is one of the most established women filmmakers in the indie-world. Founder of Runaway Productions, a commercial and feature film production company in Los Angeles,...
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"As long as you keep moving forward, your talent and resilience will win out"
Some films that win Best Picture take us on a journey and we can't help but feel inspired. One of these memorable films is Letters From Alcatraz - an absolutely terrific period drama that won Best...
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Juror in the Spotlight: Lisa Roumain
Lisa Roumain is a professional actress based in Los Angeles. After landing her first role on "Jersey Girl", Lisa went on to appear in independent films like "Go For It!" and in 2007, she began an...
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Juror in the Spotlight: Anup Kulkarni
Anup Kulkarni is a multiple award-winning Cinematographer and Visual Effects Supervisor, who has worked all around the world, and in a variety of genres, ranging from feature films, TV-shows,...
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"For me, writing a script is basically using words to record the images in...
Catharine Lin is a Los Angeles based filmmaker, originally from China. Her latest short film, Twenty Years After, recently won BIG at Festigious, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor...
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"I've directed about 20 features and this has been one of my toughest projects"
Being a filmmaker is and never will be easy. But then, talented filmmakers Israel Rios and Luis Antonio Rodriguez prove that when you're up for the challenge, dreams do come true. Read the following...
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"When I was wondering if I still wanted to do this, my wife was there to push...
Based in France, Loran Perrin is a creative filmmaker whose recent film, The Red Case, was on of Festigious' highest rates films in 2017. It won Best Picture in October, Best Score (Composer Stephane...
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"Even after 30 years, I always learn something new"
Jon Conway is a UK based writer, producer and director who has been working in theatre for 30 years. After his 20 year old son Jordan completed a course at London Met Film School, Jon decided to invest...
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"After 15 years in Hollywood, I don't feel intimidated by any project"
Marco Checa Garcia is a Montreal based Visual Effects Artist who started his career 15 years ago working in some of the most prestigious VFX studios around the world, working in more than 40 feature...
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"Making this film made me sell my car and my house, but I don't regret it"
Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini is an Iranian filmmaker with a unique approach to storytelling. His first feature film, PANJ 5, is a heart breaking, compassionate docu-drama that was originally written as a...
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"Even helping one person is so worthwhile in the larger scheme of things"
Tom Nazario is the founder and president of The Forgotten International, a nonprofit organization that does poverty alleviation work in several parts of the world, as well as an attorney, child...
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"I want my audience to get lost in the stories I create"
The year was 1986 when Sean Rosa experienced his first science fiction film. After sneaking in to a theater, Sean found himself watching Aliens. Intrigued by the terror that consumed his young mind, it...
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"Create your own opportunities by doing what you want to do"
Willy Lukwago moved to Sweden when he was sixteen years old. One day, he witnessed a group of teenage girls attacking a girl with epilepsy. No one else reacted, and Willy decided to break in an stop...
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"The answer is in finding one’s own identity"
Ann Huang is a unique artist with an exceptional voice. After having lived in China, Mexico, and the US, she got to Newport Beach, and knew that Southern California is the place for her. She has...
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"People thought I was crazy to want to shoot and edit my film on iPhone"
Amr Al-Hariri is a talented artist who makes his films in his own way. He produces, shoots and edits his films with an iPhone and an iPad ("People thought I was crazy"). His first film, Silent Love...
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"I thought, hmm, it sounds kind of crazy, but I have to make this film!"
Sky Wang is a Chinese-American writer/director. Born in China and having lived in the UK, Canada, and the USA, Sky grew up appreciating people and stories of all types and origins. Graduated from...
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"It was the most tragic production ever. Luckily our fighting spirit was...
Owl Mountain is a historical drama about the challenges of young generation in post-war Lithuania. After a brief recovery from the war front line between the Soviets and Nazis, the story takes us to...
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30 female directors to follow
Equal representation onscreen and offscreen has been a hot topic in Hollywood for a while. While numbers are gradually growing, it's up to everyone to make that change. Do you need some help,...
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"We plan to break the Guinness World Record for wins by a short film"
Derek Quick is an award winning Native American Film Director and U.S. Navy/U.S. Coast Guard Veteran, having served ten years before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in filmmaking. Quick is a...
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"Making a film is very hard and stressful, but that's what makes it so special"
Lu Betanzos and Rodrigo Ferrat are two friends-producers who also happen to be opposites. One is very upfront, while the other is more responsible and organized ("The pieces started to match really...
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"We grew up watching these actors on our favorite shows. Working with them...
Although David Storch and Abby Walla knew each other for a few years through acting class, their writing partnership began when they randomly bumped into each other at Sundance. After sneaking into...
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"This movie has allowed me to grow up with my daughter"
Kate Bohan is an Chinese-American writer and director. After writing and directing “Kayla’s World", an award-winning short film based on her daughter's life, she decided to turn the story into a...
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"My childhood? I can’t give all the details because it will scare the readers"
Festigious' First Time Screenwriter winner Rakesh Dasgupta ("Shiva") is a magnificent actor who has found writing to be more than just telling a story ("To me, writing is a therapy"). In the following...
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"It was very hard for my actors to meet my requirements. I suddenly asked...
Born in Zhengzhou, China, Xiang Shi was interested in filmmaking since childhood, and especially the Taiwanese New Wave. His passion for storytelling led to write his own screenplays. After studying...
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Film Review: Delaware Shore
Delaware Shore is an independent feature film, written and directed by Raghav Peri. In this drama, holocaust survivor Agnes escapes the concentration camps and finds refuge at a Delaware Beach. Haunted...
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Film Review: Hello, Goodbye
“Hello, Goodbye” is a Chinese feature film, written and directed by Shi Xiang. The film tells the story of three strangers who walk into each other’s life by coincidence. Using very little dialogue,...
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"Explain your actors the nuances of the characters, then let them do what...
Ronn Kilby has more than 3 decades experience in TV, working for 6 stations around the country as art director, writer/producer, and senior creative director -- ending up at the NBC owned station in...
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"We wanted to bring a different, ungraspable character that differs from all...
Festigious' Best Picture winner Anacronte started as a dream, or a fantasy. Raul Koler (co-writer & co-director) was walking on a beach in the south of Bahia, Brazil, when he began to feel some...
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"Giving a platform to artists is the most gratifying thing for me as a producer"
Rodrigo Ferrat is a producer who started his journey in the industry as a production assistant in different production companies that made shows for E! Entertainment, Netflix & HBO Latin America....
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"Writing the story is only one step in the journey. Visualizing it is a whole...
Christina Christie is a 3D artist and animator based in Orlando, Florida. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Character Animation and...
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"Nothing could stop me from making this film happen"
Qianzi (Sophie) Gao is an award winning director based in LA. Qianzi's work is known for capturing the intimate emotional changes of the characters in her story. As an Asian female filmmaker based in...
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"I wasn't able to make a feature film until 25 years after my first projects"
Lalith Rathnayake is a well-established Sri Lankan director and writer of TV programming. He has been awarded with a Diploma in TV Production form the National Youth Service Council of Sri Lanka, in...
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"Cast the actors who deeply understand the meaning of the lines"
Hiroshi Akabane believes that “movies have the power to make a difference in people’s lives”. Based in Japan, Hiroshi has already produced many hit TV series including “Kyoshi BinBin Monogatari" and...
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Film Review: Elena's War Dance
Divided from their family, 5-year-old Elena and her mother go 'on the run' escaping bombings, rape and shellfire during the invasion of Lithuania by Soviet armies in WW2.Caught between Soviet and...
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"It's hard to explain the certainty you feel, when an actor understands the...
Justin Ward began his career working in film development for Mick Jagger at Jagged Films, then went on to work under such talented directors as Robert Redford, Terrence Malick, Norman Jewison, James L....
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"I was always one of those kids who were glued to the screen"
Today we'd like to introduce Adva Reichman, an LA-based writer, and director, originally from Israel. A graduate of the TV & Film MFA program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Adva's most recent...
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Film Review: Inkling
Inkling is a British independent short film, written and directed by Wayne Kelly. In this dramatic thriller, shy loner, Joanne (Rachel Nottingham) takes kind stranger, Declan (Joe Hughes) back to her...
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Spotlight: An interview with Peter Falls ("Roadside")
Festigious' Best Picture (December 2019), Roadside, tells the story of a young woman who is confronted with a decision when she meets the brother of her deceased friend at his roadside memorial. Our...
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