Film Festival Friends

In this episode of Film Festival Friends, Brandon Nick sits down with actor, filmmaker, and co-founder of Queer Voices NYC Film Festival, Ronald Hinton, for a conversation that is equal parts masterclass and therapy session. Ronald is the creator behind Natives, the digital series set in New York City public housing that audiences are convinced is already on season three. (It isn't. There are two episodes. The production value is just that good.)

They get into all of it: the $38K budget breakdown for episodes one and two, the “failure” of his 2025 crowdfunding campaign, why shamelessness is a transferable skill, and what he’s learned as a filmmaker who cofounded a film festival.

Finally, Ronald pitches a rom-com starring Keke Palmer as an unlucky-in-love woman who gets a lucky bath from a street vendor played by Mike Epps — and yes, the cursed lace front is central to the plot.

Film Festival Friends is a podcast about queer cinema, craft, and culture. Hosted by Brandon Nick. Full show notes and transcript available on our website: www.brandonnick.com/filmfestivalfriends

FOLLOW + CONNECT

• Podcast IG: @filmfestivalfriends
• Host IG (Brandon R. Nicholas): @brand0nnick
  
  
  

WATCH / LISTEN

• Watch the full episodes (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-N87lnMjPV2yRkXz5uO9eIdJSZfzRh83
• Listen on Spotify (video): https://open.spotify.com/show/4QXQgQGdDoE627BJmW82l0?si=a1f3bb9c437645dc
• Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/film-festival-friends/id1875343325
  
  
  

SUPPORT THE SHOW
 If you want to help keep the cameras rolling and the conversations flowing:

• Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/brand0nnick or make a one-time donation via CashApp/Venmo @brand0nnick
• Share Film Festival Friends with your friends!
• Take the conversation to social media using #FilmFestivalFriends

CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Introduction & Describing Natives in Three Emojis 
00:02:11 Breaking Down the $38K Budget 
00:05:28 What Kept Ronald Committed to Natives for 10 Years 
00:09:08 Why They Skipped the Festival Circuit & Premiered on YouTube 
00:10:48 Support Film Festival Friends on Patreon 
00:11:25 The 2025 Crowdfunding Campaign: What Went Wrong 
00:16:28 Why Seed & Spark Is Ronald's Platform of Choice 
00:19:38 How Queer Voices NYC Was Born 
00:22:45 How Being a Filmmaker Shapes His Curation Process 
00:30:32 Advice for Filmmakers & Programmers
00:33:42 The Vision for Queer Voices Year 8 
00:35:05 Black Queer Film Is... 
00:36:32 60-Second Pitch: Keke Palmer, Mike Epps & a Cursed Lace Front

In this episode of Film Festival Friends, Brandon Nick sits down with writer-director-actress and all-around creative force Nyala Moon for a wide-ranging conversation about her journey as an artist. Unlike most episodes, this one isn't about a single project — it's about the full picture: how Nyala developed her signature style at the intersection of comedy and education, why she refuses to separate her identity from her craft, and what it actually feels like to be a festival darling while still calling yourself a struggling filmmaker. Both things can be true.

They get into the making of her breakout shorts How Not to Date While Trans and Dilating for Maximum Results, the pressure of following up a beloved project, and the very real emotional experience of hiding in the back of your own screening. Nyala also opens up about taking the leap into her first feature film — a comedy mockumentary made on a $12K budget — and why she decided it was time to poop or get off the pot.

Then, Nyala pitches an animated spy caper starring Vivica A. Fox and Scarlett Johansson are fighting over a Telfar bag full of money in her 60-Second Pitch — because Vivica needs her lick back and nobody is doing anything about it.

Film Festival Friends is a podcast about queer cinema, craft, and culture. Hosted by Brandon Nick. Full show notes and transcript available on our website: www.brandonnick.com/filmfestivalfriends

FOLLOW + CONNECT
Podcast IG: @filmfestivalfriends
Host IG (Brandon R. Nicholas): @brand0nnick


WATCH / LISTEN
Watch the full episodes (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-N87lnMjPV2yRkXz5uO9eIdJSZfzRh83
Listen on Spotify (video): https://open.spotify.com/show/4QXQgQGdDoE627BJmW82l0?si=a1f3bb9c437645dc
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/film-festival-friends/id1875343325


SUPPORT THE SHOW
 If you want to help keep the cameras rolling and the conversations flowing:
Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/brand0nnick or make a one-time donation via CashApp/Venmo @brand0nnick
Share Film Festival Friends with your friends!
Take the conversation to social media using #FilmFestivalFriends

CHAPTERS
00:00:00 — Cold open: "Am I lit? Wait, I'm a struggling filmmaker. Both things can be true."
00:00:20 — Introducing Nyala Moon & what makes this episode different
00:01:17 — How Brandon and Nyala met through GLAAD's EMEI filmmakers cohort
00:02:59 — And Then There Was Her: how a kiki became a film after a surprise pitch competition
00:09:40 — How Nyala developed her voice at the intersection of comedy and education
00:13:18 — Easter eggs for the Dolls: the multilayer cultural language inside her work
00:14:34 — "Of course I'm a Black trans filmmaker. That doesn't dilute the work."
00:26:59 — Film school, building a crew, and doing it all yourself
00:32:24 — Hating your own screenings & never sitting in the reserved seat
00:37:55 — The pressure of following up a beloved project & navigating doubt
00:41:57 — Keep making work. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
00:42:27 — Being a festival darling: what the recognition actually means and how she got there
00:46:54 — The leap into features: a $12K comedy mockumentary and why it was time
00:53:14 — 60-second pitch: Vivica A. Fox vs. Scarlett Johansson in an animated spy caper over a Telfar bag
00:55:31 — Closing words: "We need more Black, queer, trans art on this raggedy floating rock."

In this episode of Film Festival Friends, Brandon Nick sits down with writer-director Iris Dukatt to talk about her short film Long Pork — a $90K reproductive rights revenge thriller starring Lena Headey, aka Cersei Lannister. Iris breaks down every channel they used to raise that budget, the popular story about the necklace that led to Lena saying yes, creating an intentionally disruptive film where the audience roots for a murderous woman and the very real political urgency that shaped the story from the jump.

Then, Iris steps up to the 60-second pitch — spinning Teyana Taylor (again) as the last human on Earth fighting against Hugh Jackman as an AI overlord who falls in love with her. It is exactly as unhinged as it sounds.

Film Festival Friends is a podcast about queer cinema, craft, and culture. Hosted by Brandon Nick. Full show notes and transcript available on our website: www.brandonnick.com/filmfestivalfriends

FOLLOW + CONNECT

• Podcast IG: @filmfestivalfriends
• Host IG (Brandon R. Nicholas): @brand0nnick
  
  
  

WATCH / LISTEN

• Watch the full episodes (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-N87lnMjPV2yRkXz5uO9eIdJSZfzRh83
• Listen on Spotify (video): https://open.spotify.com/show/4QXQgQGdDoE627BJmW82l0?si=a1f3bb9c437645dc
• Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/film-festival-friends/id1875343325
  
  
  

SUPPORT THE SHOW
 If you want to help keep the cameras rolling and the conversations flowing:

• Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/brand0nnick or make a one-time donation via CashApp/Venmo @brand0nnick
• Share Film Festival Friends with your friends!
• Take the conversation to social media using #FilmFestivalFriends

CHAPTERS

0:00 - Intro and about Long Pork

2:45 - 90K Budget Transparency

9:42 - How Do You Get Cersei Lannister in Your Film? 

13:05 - Writing Long Pork: Roe v. Wade, Revenge & The Janes 

17:23 - Who Is Bubby? The Grandmother Who Sparked a Filmmaker 

20:08 - First Big Swing: Leading a $90K Production 

22:33 - One Take Only: The Climactic Shot 

27:23 - Who Did You Have to Become to Make This Film? 

30:27 - The Last Supper: Her Favorite Scene to Shoot 

33:00 - Eating the Patriarchy & The Boar Taint Research Rabbit Hole 

37:01 - NewFest: From Audience Member to Programmed Filmmaker 

41:27 - Festival Circuit Strategy, Rejections & Going Where You're Wanted 

51:21 - 60-Second Pitch: Teyana Taylor vs. Evil AI Hugh Jackman 

54:46 - Final Words & Just Go Make the Film

Description
In this episode of Film Festival Friends, Brandon Nick sits down with filmmaker Imani Celeste to talk about her short film City of Dreamz and how community, resourcefulness, and a little weed helped bring her debut short to life. Imani shares how she made the film for $8,750 — casting friends, family, and a stranger off the sidewalk — and shot it in her parents' apartment while figuring out filmmaking on the fly. The conversation also digs into the collaborative magic behind the film's trippy visual and sound design, the ebbs and flows of the festival circuit from quiet stretches to Palm Springs and NewFest, and what it means to tell unapologetically Black queer stories on screen.
Then, Imani brings her full creative energy to the 60-second pitch — sucking Mekhi Phifer and Wanda Sykes into a TikTok-induced animated world where they have to fight their way back to reality.

ABOUT FFF:
Film Festival Friends is a podcast about queer cinema, craft, and culture. Hosted by Brandon Nick. FULL SHOWNOTES AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE: www.brandonnick.com/filmfestivalfriends

FOLLOW + CONNECT
Podcast IG: @filmfestivalfriends
Host IG (Brandon R. Nicholas): www.instagram.com/brand0nnick
Guest IG: https://www.instagram.com/imani_celeste/

WATCH / LISTEN
Watch the full episodes (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-N87lnMjPV2yRkXz5uO9eIdJSZfzRh83
Listen on Spotify (video): https://open.spotify.com/show/4QXQgQGdDoE627BJmW82l0?si=a1f3bb9c437645dc
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/film-festival-friends/id1875343325


SUPPORT THE SHOW
If you want to help keep the cameras rolling and the conversations flowing:
Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/brand0nnick or make a one-time donation via CashApp/Venmo @brand0nnick
Share Film Festival Friends with your friends!
Take the conversation to social media using #FilmFestivalFriends

CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Cold Open & Intro
00:00:58 Meet Imani Celeste & City of Dreamz
00:02:43 Funding the Film: $8,750 & the NYU Grant
00:03:17 Cast & Crew: Directing the People You Love
00:13:01 Building a Crew from Scratch
00:16:29 Post-Production: Making the Audience Feel High
00:28:00 Music Licensing Problems & Making Your Own Song
00:31:14 Life on the Festival Circuit
00:46:00 The Shot That Almost Went Wrong
00:47:31 "Black Queer Film Is Freedom"
00:48:59 60-Second Pitch: The Adventures of Kiki & Max

Description
In this episode of Film Festival Friends, Brandon Nick sits down with filmmaker Mekhai Lee to talk about his short film Them That’s Not and the leap from DIY web series to studio-supported filmmaking. Mekhai shares how grief and spiritual guidance shaped the film’s origin about a grieving queer woman, which he made for $20k film after winning NewFest x Concord Sound and Scene grant. The conversation also explores the differences between making "popular" work vs "reputable" work and what it means to grow as a Black queer filmmaker in the festival circuit.
And of course, Mekhai's take on 60-second pitch where Teyana Taylor uses a magic timepiece to save Tom Holland's life.

ABOUT THEM THAT'S NOT: 
A prison furlough brings an estranged father and his distant daughter together at their mother's repass.

ABOUT FFF:
Film Festival Friends is a podcast about queer cinema, craft, and culture. Hosted by Brandon Nick. Full show notes and transcript available on our website: www.brandonnick.com/filmfestivalfriends

FOLLOW + CONNECT
Podcast IG: www.instagram.com/filmfestivalfriends
Host IG (Brandon R. Nicholas): www.instagram.com/brand0nnick
Guest (Mekhai Lee): www.instagram.com/lifeofkhaiii__/


WATCH / LISTEN
Watch the full episodes (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-N87lnMjPV2yRkXz5uO9eIdJSZfzRh83
Listen on Spotify (video): https://open.spotify.com/show/4QXQgQGdDoE627BJmW82l0
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/film-festival-friends/id1875343325


SUPPORT THE SHOW
 If you want to help keep the cameras rolling and the conversations flowing:
Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/brand0nnick or make a one-time donation via CashApp/Venmo @brand0nnick
Share Film Festival Friends with your friends!
Take the conversation to social media using #FilmFestivalFriends

CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome
01:56 Turning Grief Into Story
05:26 Winning the NewFest x Concord Grant
09:01 Casting a Deaf-Led Queer Short
14:02 From DIY Series to Studio-Supported Cinema
24:39 What the Festival Circuit Has Taught Him
35:42 Editing, Collaboration, and Cutting Scenes
52:50 “Black Queer Film Is Explorative”
55:55 Teyana Taylor, Tom Holland, and a Magical Wristwatch

Brandon Nick sits down with first-time filmmaker Trey Sherman to chat about how his film Make Some Room, about the kiki house of Marciano, made some room for him both as a member of Ballroom and as a filmmaker. Trey relives the trauma of losing his hard drive (in the most chaotic way, mind you) as they discuss that moment’s beautiful aftermath, including winning an award! Trey opens up about the responsibilities of documenting a culture you love while still earning your place in it, and the responsibility of keeping Ballroom’s magic and sacredness intact even as the film finds a wider audience. And of course, a 60-second Horror pitch so bizarre, you can’t even name it.

Film Festival Friends is a podcast about queer cinema, craft, and culture. Hosted by Brandon Nick. Full show notes and transcript available on our website: www.brandonnick.com/filmfestivalfriends

FOLLOW + CONNECT

• Podcast IG: @filmfestivalfriends
• Host IG (Brandon R. Nicholas): @brand0nnick
  
  
  

WATCH / LISTEN

• Watch the full episodes (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-N87lnMjPV2yRkXz5uO9eIdJSZfzRh83
• Listen on Spotify (video): https://open.spotify.com/show/4QXQgQGdDoE627BJmW82l0?si=a1f3bb9c437645dc
• Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/film-festival-friends/id1875343325
  
  
  

SUPPORT THE SHOW
 If you want to help keep the cameras rolling and the conversations flowing:

• Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/brand0nnick or make a one-time donation via CashApp/Venmo @brand0nnick
• Share Film Festival Friends with your friends!
• Take the conversation to social media using #FilmFestivalFriends

CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold Open + The 25-Word Logline Challenge
01:49 What Is Make Some Room? The House, the Drama, the Return
05:50 Filming as a Newcomer: Cameras, Comfort, and “Sacredness”
08:08 No Budget, Big Vision: Making the Doc With What You’ve Got
14:33 The Hard Drive Disaster + Rebuilding the Edit From Scratch
21:20 Ballroom Onscreen: Technical Rhythm + Emotional Beats
29:01 Community Support, Survival, and the Ask
35:33 Responsibility at the Intersection of Ballroom + Filmmaking
41:37 First Festival, First Year, First Win: Best Documentary Short
43:44 “Black Queer Film Is…” & 60-Second Pitch: Grandma’s Bra Horror
48:43 Final Blessings + Sign-Off

Filmmaker and drag artist Kyle Casey Chu joins host Brandon Nick to pull back the curtain on After What Happened at the Library, his autofictional short about surviving a viral hate crime and the raw, disorienting aftermath of public trauma. Kyle shares how he grant-funded the film, why he reluctantly stepped in as the lead, and what it means to reclaim your own story when the internet tries to write it for you. Plus, Kyle pitches a horror film about a broken vibrator, starring Hiroyuki Sanada and John Cho. Yes, really.

Film Festival Friends is a podcast about queer cinema, craft, and culture. Hosted by Brandon Nick. Full show notes and transcript available on our website: www.brandonnick.com/filmfestivalfriends

FOLLOW + CONNECT
Podcast IG: @filmfestivalfriends
Host IG (Brandon R. Nicholas): @brand0nnick


WATCH / LISTEN
Watch the full episodes (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-N87lnMjPV2yRkXz5uO9eIdJSZfzRh83
Listen on Spotify (video): https://open.spotify.com/show/4QXQgQGdDoE627BJmW82l0?si=a1f3bb9c437645dc
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/film-festival-friends/id1875343325


SUPPORT THE SHOW
 If you want to help keep the cameras rolling and the conversations flowing:
Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/brand0nnick or make a one-time donation via CashApp/Venmo @brand0nnick
Share Film Festival Friends with your friends!
Take the conversation to social media using #FilmFestivalFriends

CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Kyle Casey Chu + the 25-Word Logline Challenge
01:41 From Incident to Production: Funding, Grants & the 3-Year Timeline
06:05 Recreating Trauma Onscreen: Why Kyle Ended Up Starring in His Own Story
16:35 Festival Experience, Feature Plans & What Got Left Out (The Sheriff Call)
21:54 What Got Left Out: The Sheriff’s Call & Misreading Drag Satire
27:04 Social Media Whiplash and Parasocial Overload
34:57 Gut Instincts & Creative Integrity: The Script Notes They Didn’t Shoot
40:11 Queer Film is… and 60 Second Pitch
44:54 Final Blessings & Sign-Off: Supporting Queer and BIPOC Filmmakers

Brandon Nick sits down with Tedra Wilson aka TT the Artist to talk DENIM, her genre-bending, SXSW award-winning doc celebrating LGBTQIA+ creativity. TT lifts the curtain behind the films’ journey, which includes a thieving, sabotaging producer. Then it’s DIY grit vs. mainstream polish, a riveting kiki on the intersection AI and art, festival stories, and a lesbian love-story starring Queen Latifah and Vivica A. Fox.

DENIM is available to watch on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/1076532222

Festival Mentions: SXSW, Best Director at SeriesFest, NewFest 37, Bushwick Film Festival

Film Festival Friends is a podcast celebrating queer cinema, craft, and culture. Hosted by Brandon Nick.

Full show notes and transcript available on our website: https://www.brandonnick.com/post/fff-02-denim

FOLLOW + CONNECT
Podcast IG: @filmfestivalfriends
Host IG (Brandon R. Nicholas): @brand0nnick


WATCH / LISTEN
Watch the full episode (video): https://youtu.be/Iswyxfw0cJM
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4QXQgQGdDoE627BJmW82l0?si=DY7FRQ7-T02cCNP_6RWghg
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-festival-friends/id1875343325


SUPPORT THE SHOW
 If you want to help keep the cameras rolling and the conversations flowing:
Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/brand0nnick or make a one-time donation via CashApp/Venmo @brand0nnick
Share Film Festival Friends with your friends!
Take the conversation to social media using #FilmFestivalFriends

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction
01:53 Funding and Development of DENIM
08:14 Challenges and Successes in Filmmaking
27:23 AI in Art and Filmmaking
37:52 Corporate Giants and the American Pie
38:16 AI in Film Production: Process and Tools
46:49 Festival Experiences and Representation
01:05:43 60-Second Pitch

In this episode of Film Festival Friends, host Brandon Nick connects with Dean Atta and Baz Sells to talk about their BAFTA-nominated animated short, Two Black Boys in Paradise. They reflect on the five-year journey to bring the evocative stop-motion film to life, and the trust and grace that made their collaboration possible. The conversation digs into Black queer representation, the impact of Moonlight, and the film’s glowing festival reception, before Dean and Baz “announce” their next collab starring Teyana Taylor and Morgan Freeman.

Film Festival Friends is a podcast celebrating queer cinema, craft, and culture. Hosted by Brandon Nick. Full show notes and transcript available on our website: https://www.brandonnick.com/post/fff-01-two-black-boys-in-paradise

FOLLOW + CONNECT
Podcast IG: @filmfestivalfriends
Host IG (Brandon R. Nicholas): @brand0nnick


WATCH / LISTEN
Watch the full episode (video): https://youtu.be/Iswyxfw0cJM
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4QXQgQGdDoE627BJmW82l0?si=DY7FRQ7-T02cCNP_6RWghg
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-festival-friends/id1875343325

SUPPORT THE SHOW
If you want to help keep the cameras rolling and the conversations flowing:
Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/brand0nnick or make a one-time donation via CashApp/Venmo @brand0nnick
Share Film Festival Friends with your friends!
Take the conversation to social media using #FilmFestivalFriends

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction and Icebreaker
02:09 The Journey of 'Two Black Boys in Paradise'
05:11 Challenges and Triumphs in Production
13:58 Themes and Impact of the Film
33:40 Reflecting on the Film's Impact
35:12 Awards and Recognition
38:59 Festival Experiences and Future Prospects
50:54 60-Second Pitch

FILM FESTIVAL FRIENDS 🎙️
A podcast rooted in queer cinema, community, and craft. Not press. Just real conversations with indie LGBTQ+ filmmakers I’ve met on the festival circuit. Launching soon. Follow for the first drop.

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