Slamdance 2022 Film Festival - Saturated, glossy, sparkly, and high contrast -- A Few Things I'm Beginning To Understand is a journey into the mind and life of the filmmaker, Xenia Matthews. Feeling just a little bit like a fever dream, this film takes from the highest of concept art, talk shows, drag, and the [...]

Slamdance 2022 Film Festival - In a sumptuous retelling of the Edgar Allen Poe classic The Masque of the Red Death, Scarlet Red is a remarkably unique visual feast, operating in a beautiful world between live action and animation, delivered with almost no dialogue. Entertainment abounds in the seven rooms of King Prospero's castle, where a [...]

Slamdance 2022 Film Festival - Writer/director Kenichi Ugana's short film, Visitors, was everything that I love about horror! It was all at once original but referential to so many beloved horror classics, expertly setting up atmosphere, likable characters, and memorably gory kills. Screening as one of the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival's short film selections, Visitors [...]

Slamdance 2022 Film Festival - Writer/director Christina Kallas' Paris is in Harlem is a stunning piece of independent filmmaking, a multi-layered narrative that's a love letter to jazz and New York City. Somehow, the multitude of storylines and characters all connect like a jazz ensemble, each note creating a singular piece of music. The dramatic [...]

Slamdance 2022 Film Festival - A genderqueer teen explores the possibilities of their identity through a series of attempts of anonymity - partially in the back of rideshares, and partially on the social media app TikTok. Sonny Golden stars as Jake... or Riley... or Blake... depending on which of their drivers you ask. Shy, uncomfortable [...]

Slamdance 2022 Film Festival - Hannah Saidiner directed and animated My Parent, Neal, a remarkable, moving short about what happens when Mama becomes Papa - when the mother you've loved your whole life changes their name, their appearance, and their whole known identity, to live their true identity as a man. Delicate, childlike crayon illustrations highlight [...]

Slamdance 2022 Film Festival Premiere - "Why haven't you watched my short film?" Even just hearing those seven words sends shivers down my spine. The chilling terror of having to find an adequate excuse, not hurting your friend's feelings, and hopefully NOT have to watch the short - it's a terrifying tightrope walk for only [...]