This podcast represents the second DIF interview for The Wind Phone, a beautiful short film that pulled in 6 awards at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2019.  Linda Christina Riedmann produced this amazing film and I have to say that she and writer/director Kristen Gerweck represent one of the healthiest, most productive filmmaking partnerships I’ve seen on the festival circuit.

You cannot watch The Wind Phone online yet.  It came this close to making the shortlist for the Oscar for Best Live Action Short.  Yes, this film is that good.  I cannot tell you how disappointed I was when I didn’t make the list.  I know the Oscar process is more about publicity than quality, but there’s a little spot in my heart and my head that hopes for the day quality triumphs.

Instead of complaining all day, I will just let you know that whenever Linda & Kristen decide to release The Wind Phone online, I will be sure to include a link here for you to see it.  Then you can be as angry as I am about the Oscar snub.

There’s no major spoilers in this interview.  Just the fascinating story how a talented, hard-working young woman from Austria ended up in Los Angeles producing Oscar worthy short films.

Yep.

Enjoy hearing from Linda!

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What are the 4Q’s?

Kristen Gerweck’s short film The Wind Phone won six awards at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2019 and there’s a chance, I’m hoping a good one, that it will be on the shortlist for the best Live Action Short Oscar.  Whenever someone makes a work of art like The Wind Phone I’m always very interested to hear their favorites and explore the films that I’m missing from my vocabulary.

Here are Kristen’s answers:

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The first time that I saw The Wind Phone, I was simply blown away.  It is a masterful work of art in every way.  Set in Japan and subtitled in English, I assumed that this incredible film had been submitted to Film Invasion Los Angeles from a brilliant filmmaking team based in Tokyo that would not be able attend the festival and whom I would never meet.

The film was submitted by an agency based in Berlin, so you can imagine my surprise when I found out that the film was made by a Los Angeles based team!  Not only that, but when we screened the film in June 2019 the entire Japanese American cast joined writer/director Kristen Gerweck onstage for a wonderful Q&A.  The Wind Phone, by the way, went on to receive SIX AWARDS from FILA 2019.  Not too shabby.

I had Kristen over for a podcast interview in August and we put it in the vault.  Kristen had high hopes for the film’s chances to compete for an Oscar and my hopes were nearly equal to hers.  Every year I go watch the Live Action Short category of Oscar Nominees and every year I think of films that screened at Film Invasion L.A. and the Sherman Oaks Film Festival that deserved that honor.  The Wind Phone is on that list in my head.  And you know what?  It might happen!  Cross your fingers and your toes, because Kristen and her producer Linda Christina Riedmann (whose interview will get posted in week or so) let me know that The Wind Phone cleared the first hurdle and is eligible to make the Oscar’s short list of ten live action short films that compete for the Best Live Action Short Oscar!

So look… SPREAD THE WORD!  Got friends in the Academy?  Got friends who have friends in the Academy?  Tell them to watch The Wind Phone.  They will know how.  It is really about the right people actually seeing the film, because if they see it then I have no doubt they will support it.  But they have to take the time to see it.  They have to now that this one is special.

Ok.  That was a lot of rambling.

Maybe you should just listen to my interview with Kristen which is about how she became a filmmaker via law school, the film that she made before The Wind Phone, and more.

What are the 4Q’s?

Ed McCarthy wrote and directed the award winning short film They Fall Fast.  When I see a film as wonderfully written and thoughtfully directed as They Fall Fast, I get a little greedy and start thinking about interviewing them on this podcast and at that point I start wondering what their answers to the Four Questions will be.  Now we get to know!

You can watch They Fall Fast right now on Amazon Prime Video.  It starts off Season 2, Episode three and is paired with the equally wonderful Shark Week.  Click here to be taken to the Amazon page. or you can go to Prime Video on your TV and search for “Discover Indie Film.”

Here are Ed’s answers:

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Ed McCarthy’s short film They Fall Fast took home the Programmer’s Prize at the 2018 Sherman Oaks Film Festival and it is easy to see why.  A long-time writer, the best decision Ed made was to direct it himself.  Under his thoughtful eye the film is one that people remember for years.

You can watch They Fall Fast right now on Amazon Prime Video.  It starts off Season 2, Episode three and is paired with the equally wonderful Shark Week.  Click here to be taken to the Amazon page. or you can go to Prime Video on your TV and search for “Discover Indie Film.”

In the meantime, you can actually listen to this podcast before you see the film.  In this case, I’m pretty certain that there are no spoilers.  Just a great talk with a great filmmaker about how he reached the point that he can make a wonderful film like They Fall Fast.

Enjoy!

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You can listen to the podcast using the media player below or on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, or Stitcher.

What are the 4Q’s?

JJ Anderson & Tito Molina named their partnership “Hrdwrker” and  among their many collaborations is the documentary short Jonah which won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2018.

Jonah is a beautifully made documentary and you can watch it right now as part of the Discover Indie Film TV series on Amazon Prime Video. If you want to see Jonah and a bunch of other great films, please click that link and enjoy!

Here are JJ’s answers:

Here are Tito’s answers:

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You can listen to the podcast using the media player below or on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, or Stitcher.

JJ Anderson & Tito Molina form the partnership Hrdwrker and  among their many collaborations is the documentary short “Jonah” which won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2018.

Jonah is a beautifully made documentary.  When you watch it you can see the respect and thoughtfulness that the filmmakers have for Jonah, his work, and the medium of filmmaking.  It really should have surprised no one that the Q&A for Jonah at SOFF was delightful and that the filmmakers are delightful people.

JJ and Tito are those people who come over for their interview and I find myself talking with them about all sorts of interesting things in the kitchen until realize that if we don’t hurry up and sit down at the microphones we might forget to actually record an interview.  Fortunately we DID record and interview and you can listen to it below.

Oh yeah!  I’m forgetting to mention that Jonah is part of the Discover Indie Film TV series on Amazon Prime Video. If you want to see Jonah and a bunch of other great films, please click that link and enjoy!

Or you can watch Jonah right below these words.

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You can listen to the podcast using the media player below or on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, or Stitcher.

What are the 4Q’s?

Jeffrey Thompson is, in no particular order, an actor, a writer, a director, a producer, a comedian, a magician, a professor and an accountant.  Top that!  He’s out hyphenated all of you.  Jeffrey gives some great answers to the DIF4Qs, including the best answer yet for overrated.

Hopefully you will get a chance to see his work.  I should add that his production company Great Hair Productions is one to keep your eye on.

Here are Jeffrey’s answers:

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Some people are consider a jack of all trades.  But I’m not afraid to say that Jeffrey Thompson is far more than a jack of all trades.  This man has vision and the ability to make things happen.  That includes acting, writing, producing and directing in addition to organizing a creative collective named Great Hair Productions. (Look at the picture to the right if you’re wondering why.)

Jeffrey and his Great Hair Productions collaborators Elaine Chu, Jeanene Beauregard, Brigid Marshall, Thomas Nolle, and Joe Willand brought their great short film Because We Can to the Sherman Oaks Film Festival in 2018 and it won both the Audience Award for Best Short Film and the Outstanding Acting, Individual award for lead actress Jillian Ferry.

I think Jeffrey Thompson and his team are great and even though we couldn’t add their great short to the Discover Indie Film TV series on Amazon Prime Video (nudge nudge) due to SAG rules I wanted to invite Jeffrey onto the podcast.

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You can listen to the podcast using the media player below or on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, or Stitcher.

What are the 4Q’s?

Leo Chor’s film How To Get A Boyfriend is in Season 2 Episode 2 of the Discover Indie Film TV series.  This extremely well made dark comedy won the Programmers Prize at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2019.  Leo has progressed into his chosen career in production sound, but everyone who loved his senior thesis film at Woodbury University is hoping he sits down and writes another script soon.

Here are Leo’s answers:

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You can listen to the podcast using the media player below or on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, or Stitcher.