Bond on Cinema

Actor John Michael Finley, who made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of Les Miserables and as the understudy for Jean Valjean in 2015.

He starred in his first movie as the lead actor in I Can Only Imagine in 2018. After the production of I Can Only Imagine was completed, he returned to Broadway as the Standby for Elder Cunningham in Book of Mormon.

He is back with the sequel of I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2, which has become a blockbuster hit with many critics saying it is even better than the original. And I agree, it’s fantastic!

Ladies and gentlemen, every time I watch the original I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, tears fill my eyes as it’s a very moving film and the sequel actually surpasses the first one. A very rare feat in Hollywood.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2 is changing lives and saving families and that’s the power of cinema and in this case the power of God moves in the hearts of those who surrender.

#trending #film #actor #acting #independentfilm #lionsgatefilm #filmsequel #filmmaker #filmmaking #mercyme #inspiration #faith 

My guests today are award-winning film director Mark David and Emmy award-winning director and writer Daniel Blake Smith, here to discuss their feature film "Mr. Wonderful." The last feature film of the late Michael Madsen. This video is a discussion of the film, working with Michael Madsen and the other actors in the film. #michaelmadsen #film #independentfilm #filmmaker #interview #filmmaking #bondoncinema #cinema #filmdirector #cinematography

Specia guests James Dean, Max Marlow, Scottie Fotre, the producers of the Oscar nominated short film, A FRIEND OF DOROTHY. 

Ladies and gentlemen, Lee Knight’s A FRIEND OF DOROTHY is one of the most beautiful films I’ve seen this past year. So many of us knew in our hearts that this film was going to be Oscar nominated. Now we wait for Oscar night to see if it captures the epitome of film, an Academy Award.

You can feel the love coming off the screen when you see the wonderful Miriam Margolyes. A veteran of theater and the silver screen, her portrayal of Dorothy is so natural you want to adopt her right on the spot. She brings the element of love, acceptance, and a mentoring spirit. Attributes we need to receive and start giving to others. We all need to be Dorothys.

Alistair Nwachukwu plays JJ, a somewhat footballer, but who’s hidden desire to act comes forward when Dorothy starts to feed the little seed inside him. She fertilizes it and sees the potential and I am not going to spoil the ending, so you’ have to see for yourself how one person can make a difference.

A FRIEND OF DOROTHY is the type of short film that the the Academy loves. It’s heartwarming, endearing and most of all, leaves a lasting impression on the audience to be better people.

#oscars #academyawards #shortfilm #film #cinema #bondoncinema #filmmaker #filmmaking #filmdirector #filmproducer #friendship #mentorship 

The animated short IN THE BEGINNING directed by Ala Nunu is about a space probe called Beresheet, legless birds of paradise, hamster cull and humanity trying to make the world make sense.

This film I wonderfully tonally absurd and colorful, ‘In the Beginning’ features three true stories about humans shaping narratives on animals in their attempt to make sense of the absurdities of the world.

One features the doomed space probe Beresheet that aimed to deposit a backup of human civilization on the moon but ended up releasing microscopic tardigrades; another explores how legless specimens of birds of paradise exported to Europe in the 16th Century were widely believed to be otherworldly beings that lived forever aloft; and the last depicts Covid-era Hong Kong, where many hamsters were abandoned after authorities announced a cull as a precaution against animal-to-human transmission.   

For a brief two seconds, the film depicts public domain imagery of Jesus flying on a cross with multiple wings, bestowing stigmata upon a kneeling St. Francis.

I loved this animated film and will be watching its journey this year on the film festival circuit.

#animatedshort #shortfilm #sxsw #film #cinema #bondoncinema #filmmaking #filmmaker #filmdirector #poland #portugal #filmfestival #filmfestivalcircuit 

Yu-Han Tsai newest short film, DUA JI will screen at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival. The film is set in a rural Taiwan town during her mother’s funeral, DUA JI follows the eldest daughter, as she is forced to confront the patriarchal rituals and quiet weight of duty that has long defined her life.

As the ceremonies unfold and tensions quietly surface, the story positions itself as both an intimate personal journey and a reflection of gender, cultural inheritance, and intergenerational tension.

The inspiration of the story stems from Tsai’s family history in rural Taiwan, where grandmother gave birth to six daughters before finally having a son. Years later, witnessing her grandmother’s Taoist funeral where the rituals centered on the male figure, revealed to Tsai the challenges women face within traditional family structures.

Yu-Han Tsai takes us inside a family’s grief while they prepare for their mother’s funeral and will life just move on after it’s over or does one hold onto the past?

This is a very emotional film as we live it through the heart of A-Hsien, the eldest daughter. We feel her grief, her quiet resentment to her only brother and her struggle to truly say goodbye to her mother. This film will resonate with many people around the world as grief is universal, but how we handle grief is not. Again, grief is just love looking for a place to go. #SXSW #shortfilm #austin #filmmaker #interview #filmmaking #bondoncinema #cinema #film #filmdirector

Oscar nominated short film, BUTCHER’S STAIN is about an Arab Israeli working in a supermarket in Tel Aviv and is accused of tearing down hostage posters in the break room. He sets out to prove his innocence to keep this job that he desperately needs.

BUTCHER’S STAIN should help you open your eyes and stop assuming that someone’s is guilty without knowing the truth. And this film shows what happens if we fall into judging stereotypes.

I found this film to be very powerful in its messaging and has found its rightful place among the other Oscar nominated short films.

#oscars #academyawards #shortfilm #film #cinema #bondoncinema #filmmaker #filmmaking #filmdirector #screenwriter

THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS is simply a stunning story and with its own unique animation, making it stand out among the other Oscar contenders. 

The story is told from two locations. In Montreal, at the dawn of the 20th century, a poor boy falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls. He sells them to a ruthless pawnbroker, who hungers for more. Tempted by greed, the boy must choose between love and fortune. The choice could damn his soul.

In modern-day Paris, an elegant grandfather recounts the story of a poor boy in turn-of-the-20th-century Montreal.

Desperate for food and shelter, a ragged street urchin finds an abandoned apartment to sleep. But life is full of surprises.

Unaware that an extraordinary person lives behind the wooden kitchen wall, the young squatter soon discovers the marvelous gift of a sad girl, and profound feelings of first love begin to fill his soul.

However, pure intentions go hand-in-hand with choice and regret. As a shady pawnbroker ruins everything with this greed, the burden of consequence demands an answer. What happened to the girl who cried pearls?

#animation #animatedshort #shortfilm #film #cinema #filmmaking #filmmaker #filmdirector #storytelling #fable #oscars #academyawards 

Two Black Boys in Paradise, a lovingly-crafted stop motion animation made by Manchester-based film-makers One6th who have been on an extraordinary journey from a chance poetry reading in Berlin, via a freezing warehouse in Manchester to a BAFTA British Short Animation nomination.

Based on a poem by award-winning writer Dean Atta and narrated by Rizzle Kicks star Jordan Stephens, Two Black Boys in Paradise follows Edan and Dula - two young Black men on a journey toward self-acceptance.

Their love for each other, and their refusal to conceal it, transports them to a paradise free from shame and judgement.

Inspired by Dean Atta’s poem from his acclaimed collection There is (still) Love Here, the film takes audiences on a poetic journey that echoes the emotional highs and lows of coming into oneself and out to the world.

This animated short film has such poetic emotion, thanks to both actor Jordan Stephens wonderful narration and the music score by composers Jasper Dent and Adam Grigg. 

#animation #animatedshort #shortfilm #bafta #film #cinema #gender #LGBTQ #filmmaker #filmmaking #filmdirector #screenwriter 

Ladies and gentleman, Kyle Kauwika Harris’ THE HUNTSMANS centers on a repressed ICU nurse played by actor Shawn Ashmore who volunteers as a reader for a recovering coma patient played by Garret Dillahunt as Lincoln, the prime suspect in the savage murders of six young women in a small southwestern town. The suspect's wife played by the amazing Elizabeth Mitchell, refuses to believe that her husband is the killer, struggles with the mounting complexities of the investigation. With a dedicated detective trying to solve the mystery before more bodies turn up, numerous other suspects take the case on a spiraling journey.

THE HUNTSMAN gives all of us armchair detectives an amazing film to watch, dissect and choose who the killer is. Will you be right or will you be wrong? There are clues, so pay close attention. Forget about Knives Out, you want to see THE HUNTSMAN.

Kyle Kauwika Harris is of Hawaiian heritage and an enrolled Choctaw Nation citizen of Oklahoma. Kyle previously served in the United States Navy and is best known for his Emmy-award winning feature documentary, I Stand: The Guardians of the Water and crime thriller narrative, Out of Exile.

He is here today to talk about his new suspense thriller THE HUNTSMAN.

Actor Shawn Ashmore has done many made-for-television movies and series,, but it was his brief appearance in X-Men in 2000 that landed him a role in X2: X-Men United in 20030) and got him on the road to stardom. As an added bonus, he even got his own personal action figure modeled after him.

Currently, Shawn plays Wesley Evers the assistant DA on the hit series THE ROOKIE and today it’s all about their new feature film THE HUNTSMAN.

#indiefilm #independentfilm #suspensethriller #thriller #serialkiller #film #cinema #bondoncinema #filmmaker #filmmaking #filmdirector #filmproduction #actor #acting #whodunit