• By Mabel Pais

DYLAN K NARANG’s ‘Tapawingo’ Opens Fest      

Co-Director VINUSHU SUNDARESAN’s ‘The Blind Zone’                                                                            

Co-Director DANIEL RASHID’s ‘Chauncey’

 RAVI STEVE KHAJURIA’s ‘The Pros And Cons Of Killing Yourself’

MICAH KHAN’s ‘The Zombie Wedding’     

MOHAMMAD ANWERZADA’s ‘Itch’

 NAZRIN CHOUDHURY’s Red, White And Blue

Dances With Films (DWF – danceswithfilms.com), Los Angeles’ largest purely indie film-focused film festival over the past 26 years, heads to New York City for the 2nd year (November 30-December 3) featuring a film lineup nearly three times the size of last year’s NYC debut.

Among DWF NYC’s lineup of 136 films, including 20 narrative features, 9 documentary features, 19 television and streaming pilots, and 88 short films (73 narrative and 15 documentaries), are an impressive number of world premieres. All screenings will take place, November 30-December 3, at the Regal Union Square at 850 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

After becoming the leading beacon for true indie films and filmmakers in Los Angeles over the past 26 years, this will mark Dances With Films’ return to New York City for the second year. Dances With Films’ Founders and Directors Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent, said, “This year’s theme is “the color of imagination” and that imagination, by its various definitions, exemplifies what ‘Dances With Films’ will be highlighting this December. We could not be more excited to return to NYC and debut so many wonderful films and help provide a platform for all our indie filmmakers and their projects under the spotlight of this great city.”

DWF NYC also present a series of filmmaker panels focused on current real world issues faced by today’s indie filmmakers at The Stand (116 E. 16th Street) Panels will include “Distribution: Navigating the Marketplace as Well as Forecasting the Future”, which will be moderated by Scott Macauley (Filmmaker Magazine), and is slated to include executives from Magnolia Pictures, IFC, and STX Entertainment, “Making the Sale: The Producer/Sales Agent Dynamic” moderated by Kate Erbland (Indiewire), and includes Carylanna Taylor (Head of Sales Film Sales Corp), Josh Braun (Founder & President, Submarine), and Jason Ishikawa (Sr. Exec. & Co-head of Sales, Cinetic Media), and “The Casting Director/Producer Dynamic” moderated by Michael Sladik (SAGindie New York), and includes casting directors Shayna Markowitz, Bernie Telsey, and Paul Schnee.

‘DANCES WITH FILMS’ 2023 NYC EVENT LINEUP

OPENING NIGHT

‘Tapawingo’

Dir: Dylan K. Narang; USA; 1h 49m

An oddball becomes the bodyguard for a misfit teenager and finds himself in the crosshairs of the town’s family of bullies.

CLOSING NIGHT

‘The Activated Man’ – World Premiere

Dir: Nicholas Gyeney; USA; 1h 55m

As Ors Gabriel struggles with the grief from losing his best friend and beloved dog to cancer, the trauma brings on strange visions only Ors can see.

ADDITIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURES

‘Advanced Chemistry’ – World Premiere

Dir: Etana Jacobson; USA; 1h 36m

The Bastard Sons – World Premiere

Dir: Kevin Interdonato; USA; 1h 30m

‘Between The Lights’ – World Premiere

Dir: Michael Groom; UK; 1h 44m

‘Bound’ – World Premiere

Dir: Isaac Hirotsu Woofter; USA; 1h 41m

Can’t Seem to Make You Mine – World Premiere

Dirs: Sara Katarina Burke, Aaron Andrew Keene; USA; 1h 42m

Daruma

Director: Alexander Yellen; USA; 1h 44m

Grounded

Dir: Justin Chan; USA; 1h 24m

Home Free

Dir: Aaron Brown; USA; 1h 38m

Influence – World Premiere

Dir: Ryan Moore; USA; 1h 23m

Katie’s Mom

Dir: Tyrrell Shaffner; USA; 1h 51m

M – North American Premiere

Dir: Vardan Tozija; Macedonia/Croatia/Kosovo/France/Luxembourg; 1h 39m

Nobody’s Home – World Premiere

Dir: Michelle Bossy; USA; 1h 23m

Palimpsest – North American Premiere

Dir: Hanna Vastinsalo; Finland; 1h 49m

Space Baby

Dir: Rex Dean; USA; 1h 39m

Tallywacker – World Premiere

Dir: Brendan Boogie; USA; 1h 30m

The Zombie Wedding – World Premiere

Dir: Micah Khan; USA; 1h 39m

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

44 Lights: Music from Ground Zero

Dir: Barbara Blackburn Tuttle; USA; 1h 8m

American Pot Story: Oaksterdam

Dirs: Dan Katzir and Ravit Markus; USA; 1h 37m

Brothers Broken

Dirs: Geoff Levin, Lily Richards; USA; 1h 26m

Denim Hunter – U.S. Premiere

Dir: Emilio Di Stefano; Sweden; 1h 27m

The Depths of My Despair

Dir: Elizabeth Lawrence; USA; 1h 8m

District Of Second Chances – World Premiere

Dir: Wynette Yao; USA; 1h 16m

Meet Me Where I Am

Dir: Grant Garry; USA; 1h 26m

Studio One Forever

Dir: Marc Saltarelli; USA; 1h 26m

Torched – The Story of Austin Torch

Dir: Hoag Kepner; USA; 1h 6m 

There are two MIDNIGHT FEATURES, nineteen TELEVISION AND WEB SERIES PILOTS, sixty NARRATIVE SHORTS, fifteen DOCUMENTARY SHORTS, and thirteen MIDNIGHT SHORTS.

DANCES WITH FILMS

Now in its 26th year, ‘Dances With Films’ champions the unflinching spirit at the very core of the independent film scene. With most film festivals relying heavily on celebrity, it has relied on innovation, talent, creativity, and sweat equity that revolutionized the entertainment industry. And that reliance continues to prove successful with alumni moving on to write, direct, and produce celebrity-studded vehicles, star in blockbuster movies, and television series, produce multi-million-dollar films and create hot TV shows.

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, Education, Cuisine, Health & Wellness, and Business)