- 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)