DAVID TELLES - FREYR Short Film

My guest today is David Telles, a Chicano filmmaker from Oakland, California, began his career in documentary film and music videos, mediums that continue to inform his narrative work. He believes stories can serve as medicine, offering audiences new ways of seeing the world. With Freyr, David delivers a daring and emotionally charged debut that underscores the transformative power of storytelling.

As an Oscar-qualified film, Freyr stands as both a celebration of artistic vision and a testament to the opportunities fostered by Indeed Rising Voices, now in its fifth season of amplifying bold, underrepresented voices in cinema.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Oscar-qualifying short film Freyr, directed by David Telles and based on an original story by Pulitzer Prize finalist Tommy Orange, has premiered at the Academy-recognized HollyShorts Film Festival. 

Produced as part of Indeed Rising Voices Season 5, the acclaimed initiative from Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions and Ventureland in partnership with Indeed, Freyr announces Telles as a bold new voice in contemporary cinema.

A haunting and poetic story, Freyr follows Frank, born with a third hand growing out of his chest, and Tom, the only person who ever truly saw him. At Frank’s funeral, Tom recounts the unlikely bond they shared, revealing a meditation on otherness, belonging, and the human need for connection.

Starring Benairen Kane (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation of North Dakota; descendant of the Hochunk Nation of Wisconsin and Prairie Band Potawatomi), the film resonates as both tender and provocative, exploring how difference can fracture and bind us in equal measure.

#film #cinema #filmmaking #filmmaker #filmdirector #disabilit #chicano #bondoncinema 

My guest today is Daniel Persitz, the writer/director of the inspiring Oscar-qualified short film Key of Genius, based on the extraordinary true story of a blind, autistic musical savant and the Queen of England's nephew, Derek Paravicini. 

The film was also co-written by the Academy Award-winning screenwriter David Seidler (The King’s Speech), the short film explores themes of resilience, brilliance, and human connection. By dramatizing the unlikely but life-changing relationship between Derek and his teacher, the film sheds light on the power of inclusion and the boundless possibilities of neurodiverse individuals.

The film’s growing acclaim positions it not only as a powerful cinematic work, but also as an important cultural story about the transformative impact of mentorship and the extraordinary brilliance that can emerge in unexpected ways.

Ladies and gentlemen, the inspiring short film Key of Genius, based on the extraordinary true story of a blind, autistic musical savant and the Queen of England's nephew, Derek Paravicini, has officially entered the Oscar-qualifying circuit. 

Key of Genius is adapted from In the Key of Genius, the acclaimed biography written by professor and piano teacher Adam Ockelford, which chronicles his life as Derek’s mentor. The film captures the remarkable journey of a young man who, though born blind and autistic, discovered an extraordinary gift for music. It also celebrates the transformative role of mentorship, as Ockelford recognized Derek’s genius and devoted his life to nurturing his talent.

This short film is extraordinarily beautiful in so many ways. These are the types of films I live for. Human stories that help us to become better human beings. 

KEY OF GENIUS encourages us to become mentors, to look past a disability or even social status and see the gifts, talents and abilities that live in of us and those around us. 

The message of this film is simple. We may well hold the key to help someone unlock their genius. Let’s be that someone. 

I am going to keep my eye on this film as it makes its run to the Oscars and I want to see this one Shortlisted. 

#genius #savant #neurodivergenct #autism #blind #piano #film #cinema #filmmaking #filmmaker #queenofengland #filmdirector #musicteacher #musicschool #cinematography #bondoncinema 

My guest today is acclaimed filmmaker Simon Panay as he unveils The Boy with White Skin, an evocative and haunting short film that weaves a powerful narrative exploring the collision between ancient tradition and modernity deep within the gold mines of West Africa. 

This OSCAR-qualified live action short offers a rare and intimate glimpse into a little-known world where myth, sacrifice, and hope are deeply intertwined.

With breathtaking cinematography and haunting performances, The Boy with White Skin invites audiences on a mesmerizing journey thro

Ladies and gentlemen, The Boy with White Skin follows the story of a young albino boy entrusted by his father to a group of miners. The boy’s voice becomes a sacred tool in a mystical ritual believed to protect those who risk everything beneath the earth’s surface in pursuit of gold.

In these gold mines, where myth bleeds into reality, albino children are regarded as possessing otherworldly powers. Their haunting songs, echoing through the darkness, are thought to invoke protection, fortune, and ward off unseen dangers. Through unflinching realism and lyrical storytelling, the film sheds light on a culture often misunderstood, revealing the resilience and spirit of communities shaped by the relentless quest for wealth.

The Boy with White Skin is the result of over a decade of research, observation, and artistic evolution. While inspired by a real ritual that Panay was not allowed to film, the story remains firmly rooted in firsthand experience and a deeply personal vision.

#albino #senegal #westafrica #goldmining #goldmines #myth #tradition #filmmaking #filmmaker #filmdirector #filmproduction #cinema #film #cinematography #bondoncinema

My guests today are writer/director Erik Jasaň and first AD, Patrik Krivanek and their Oscar-Qualified Short Film THE PROFESSONAL PARENT. 

Erik is a Slovak director, screenwriter, and producer whose work addresses sensitive social issues. His debut The Professional Parent received an Honorable Mention at the 44th Thomas Edison Film Festival and was selected by multiple festivals.

As a non-film-school student, he directed several short films and supported fellow filmmakers, creating student films under his direction that were included in official selections qualifying for the OSCARS. 

Patrik Krivanek is a London- and Prague-based film and TV director, producer, and screenwriter. He explores diverse genres and creates visually and character-driven stories that are entertaining, socially relevant, and thought-provoking.

Patrik is a member of BAFTA, BFI, ISA, and RTS. He has worked in assistant and executive roles on projects ranging from shorts to major features and high-end TV, collaborating with Academy Award, BAFTA, and Emmy winners including Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman.

Ladies and gentlemen, THE PROFESSIONAL PARENT is not only about professional care but also about moral choices within a system that offers few alternatives. 

It is a story that reveals how society actually works, showing that people who think they are not racist often expose their prejudices in everyday life. The film also reflects on how inflation and poverty push families into situations where morality becomes a luxury. It is a sad and cruel reality, not only in Slovakia.

The main character, Ingrid, at first appears to be a loving mother willing to cross moral boundaries—working in a grocery store during the day and prostituting herself at night to give her biological child a better life. Her intentions seem sincere, but gradually, as the story unfolds, her hidden racism comes to light, and Ingrid transforms into an anti-heroine.

This is film is powerful and emotional. It shows us that in life, we have choices to make, both for ourselves and for others. 

Those choices can test us and can reveal our true selves. THE PROFESSIONAL PARENT is lesson to all of us. We can all be better people, by simply treating those around us equally. 

#slovakia #professionalparent #fostercare #fosterparents #film #cinema #filmmaking #filmmaker #filmproduction #filmdirector #cinematographer #cinematography #filmcomposer #parenting #bondoncinema

My guest today is BAFTA-winning actor and producer Letitia Wright, making a powerful directing debut with her short film, Highway to the Moon. This emotional drama confronts the devastating impact of knives crime, aiming to raise crucial awareness about real-life issues. The conversation explores her inspiration, the film's message, and its significance in addressing societal challenges. #filmmaker #shortfilm #interview #movie #bondoncinema #film #filmmaking #cinematography #oscars #academyawards #youthv #youthvoices #treanding

My guest today is Jessica Rowlands, a two-time UCLA Screenwriting Award winner, spent much of her childhood between London and Zimbabwe, a place that remains a source of deep connection and inspiration. 

Her newest short film RISE, is the culmination of her three-year collaboration with Zimbabwean artists and communities, a film with Zimbabwe in its very DNA - from the landscapes of Victoria Falls to the creative team who brought it to life. It is both a celebration of overlooked voices and a call to protect the youngest and most vulnerable among us, reminding us that a little belief in a little person can go a long way.

With its celebration of found family, its insistence that no child be left unseen, and its message that belief and community can transform lives, RISE is more than a film -it is a call to courage, protection, and connection carried onto the world’s most prestigious stage.

Ladies and gentlemen, RISE was written and directed by Jessica Rowlands and filmed entirely in Zimbabwe with an all-African cast and crew, RISE is inspired by the extraordinary true story of Tobias Mupfuti, a boxing coach who transformed his own difficult childhood into a lifelong mission: to see and uplift children often overlooked. 

Through his academy and orphanage in Victoria Falls, Mupfuti has built a community where no child is unseen, creating a found family bound together by belief, support, and joy in the face of adversity. His close involvement in the filmmaking process brings authenticity and emotional truth to every frame.

At the heart of the story is breakout child actor Sikhanyiso Ngwenya, discovered through street casting at just eight years old, whose performance radiates vulnerability, strength, and hope. His work earned him Zimbabwe’s National Arts Merit Award (NAMA) for Outstanding Actor, making him the youngest winner in the award’s history. 

Everything about this film is fantastic, the story, the cinematography, the music score and sound mixing and yes, the award winning performances of both Sikhanyiso Ngwenya and Tongayi Chirisa bring this true story of boxing coach Tobias Mupfuti to life. 

#zimbabwe #actors #filmmaking #filmmaker #filmdirector #boxing #inspiration #encouragement #facingfear #motivation #discipline #film #cinema #bondoncinema #oscars #academyawards 

My guest today is Scottish-Norwegian filmmaker Iain Forbes and his Oscar-qualified short film AFTER DARK. 

The film was Oscar-qualified after winning Best International Short Film at the Foyle Film Festival in 2024, cementing Forbes’ reputation as one of Scandinavia’s most exciting emerging directors.

Iain graduated from the Norwegian Film School, his short Revisited won a Student Academy Award in 2023. His latest film After Dark continues his run of acclaimed shorts, following Snowman and Semper Fi. 

Iain also brings extensive experience as a first assistant director on Norwegian feature films including Disco, Knerten og Sjøormen, and Dancing Queen in Hollywood.

The award-winning short film After Dark, confronts the unsettling questions that arise when empathy collides with fear, prejudice, and survival instinct.

Ladies and gentlemen, the award-winning short film After Dark, confronts the unsettling questions that arise when empathy collides with fear, prejudice, and survival instinct.

On his way home one night, Kristian encounters a young woman in desperate need of help. He agrees to accompany her to the train station, but as the night unfolds, he begins questioning both her story and himself.

Through this tense and intimate encounter, After Dark explores the contradictions of human behavior, where compassion clashes with fear, and kindness is tested by preconceptions. 

This film will get you thinking and actually shows us signs that we could be overlooking when someone reaches out to us for help. It all comes down to discernment and using wisdom. Even a good hearted person can be taken advantage of in these circumstances. 

#stranger #film #cinema #shortfilm #filmmaker #filmmaking #trending #humanbehavior #filmdirector #oscars #academyawards #scotland #norway #preconceptions #prejudice #fear

Hannah Kathryn Kelso, a BAFTA and BIFA nominated writer from the small, rural community of Alloa in the east of Scotland.

They graduated from NFTS in 2021, and their pilot script ‘The Velvet Teddies’ which was nominated for the All3Media New Drama Script Award.

Kelso co-wrote the standout short film ‘Night of the Living Dread’ which received the nomination for BAFTA Best British Short Animation in 2022, and British Independent Film Awards Best Short in 2022, and there is interest in it as a feature.

They were also shortlisted for BAFTAs prestigious Rocliffe TV comedy writing competition for their comedy pilot ‘Mooncats’ , and Kelso is a Warner Bros Creative Scholar and a Donald Dewar Arts Awardee.

Kelso’s newest short, FIRST TIMER, is about a caregiver named Meghan and her first week on the job as a home carer. She's left alone to visit the elderly Bonnie who has a refreshing, yet challenging approach to her personal care.

Ladies and gentlemen, Kelso’s newest short, FIRST TIMER, is about a caregiver named Meghan and her first week on the job as a home carer. She's left alone to visit the elderly Bonnie who has a refreshing, yet challenging approach to her personal care.

This film is endearing on so many levels. It was such a joy to watch even though it ends on a bit of a sad note, we aren’t left with a feeling of sadness. We’re left with the feeling that we should all pay more attention to the older generation. Learn to interact with them, learn from them and even gain some wisdom from them. 

Bonnie, even left Meghan with a few words of that wisdom, by saying, “You just keep going.” And many of you need to hear that, regardless of what happens in life, just keep going. 

Kelso went bold by filming in 16mm, something I’m lucky enough to see once or twice a year. Real film adds a different feel to the story and in this case, it’s used to compliment the time period in which Bonnie has also lived. And she filmed life in full Technicolor. 

The cinematography is bright, joyful and refreshing and complements the life of Bonnie, as well as again the words of wisdom she gave to Meghan.

#caregiver #homecare #friendship #generational #film #cinema #scotland #bondoncinema #filmmaker #filmmaking #filmdirector #filmproduction #16mmfilm #16mm #kodak #cinephile 

Liz Rao - THE TRUCK Short Film

My guest today is filmmaker Liz Rao and her debut Oscar-qualified live action short film “The Truck”. Academy Award®-winner Spike Lee and acclaimed actor-director Joan Chen have boarded the coming-of-age thriller as executive producers, lending high-profile support as the film entered post-production.

Set against the simmering anxieties of post-Roe America, “The Truck” follows a Chinese American teenager and her boyfriend as they attempt to buy the morning-after pill in a small town where reproductive rights are contested and quietly policed.

Liz Rao is a Brooklyn-based Screenwriter and Director. “The Truck” World-Premiered at Telluride, screened at MoMA, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Oscar-qualifying Florida Film Festival, won Best Screenplay at Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, screening in more than 50 festivals and counting, worldwide. 

With Lee and Chen now championing her debut, “The Truck” is positioned as one of the year’s most anticipated indie breakouts, poised to ignite conversations around autonomy, identity, and the quiet horrors of coming of age in a country where choice is no longer a given.

Ladies and gentlemen, Liz Rao’s THE TRUCK is tense, emotional and can be somewhat polarizing in a landscape that is constantly changing in America. Regardless, of what side of the aisle you are on in America, we are still dishing out judgement, even racism across our country. 

The simple act of looking for the morning after pill can make some people feel they are wearing a scarlet letter and this topic isn’t going away anytime soon. 

#morningafterpill #teenlove #americana #shortfilm #film #cinema #spikelee #filmmaker #filmmaking #filmdirector #filmproducer #oscars #academyawards 

Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting is a Depression Era coming-of-age fable, set in an alternate 1930s where there exists a long-standing cultural paradigm that mothers take their adolescent daughters on a sacred rite-of-passage hunt to slay a mythical beast under maternal supervision. 

From start of pre-production to the film’s premiere at Sundance 2025 (as one of just 21 US Narrative Shorts Films) was a painstaking four-plus year journey that enlisted a hand-picked team of international VFX artists whose collective filmographies span Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, LOTR and Avatar universes. 

These talented artists worked on weekends and after-hours to slowly bring a big vision to the screen on a very small indie-film budget, where the biggest currency was time and patience.  

Ladies and gentlemen, Alex Thompson’s Oscar-qualifying short film EM & SELMA GO GRIFFIN HUNTING is a Depression Era coming-of-age fable, set in an alternate 1930s where there exists a long-standing cultural paradigm that mothers take their adolescent daughters on a sacred rite-of-passage hunt to slay a mythical beast under maternal supervision.

On this hunt, daughter Em (Hereditary breakout & Tony-winner Milly Shapiro) doesn’t see eye-to-eye with mother Selma’s (Pollyanna McIntosh, AMC's Walking Dead) dogmatic adherence to darker aspects of this ritual, and tensions soon boil over.

The team behind Em & Selma set out to craft a dark, poetic fairy tale with an underlying transgressive streak and arthouse filmmaking sensibilities to balance out its broader fantastic elements. 

When I first saw this film, it blew me away because it was black and white, more of a noir-look which adds so much depth to the characters, the landscape, but also the story. The story is dark too. 

The visual effects and cinematography are stunning and they should be when you have visual effects artist who have worked on Superman, The Marvels and even Avatar. 

The story itself as I said is dark. The interactions between Em and Selma tell a much deeper story and one I was not expecting. It’s like watching three short films in one. You have the Griffin creature and the tiny flying ones, you a mother taking her daughter on a hunt as a right of passage, but Selma’s backstory starts to come into view in a very dark metaphorical way.

Everything about this film was brilliant. Add actresses Pollyanna McIntosh from The Walking Dead and new actress Milly Shapiro, and you have a stunning film. 

I could go on and on about this film and only one of two absolute original short films this year that dared to go all out with the storytelling and cinematography. 

Took four years to make this film and it was worth the wait. 

#fairytale #blackandwhitefilm #filmmaker #filmmaking #filmdirector #filmproducer #cinema #cinematography #vfx #thewalkingdead #animation #drama #oscars #academyawards