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My guest, Chelsea Christer, is being modest but you can't be just dream adjacent while turning out brilliant, touching, and culturally relevant films like OUT FOR DELIVERY (2025).

By premiering the film both at Sundance and SXSW Film Festival this year, it's clear Chelsea is at the top of her game...and closer to dream actualized than ever before.

In this episode, we discuss:

• how she got involved in filmmaking and the rise of female filmmakers, particularly directors;
• how she chose her path of narrative, docs, corporate work -- "in order to live in San Francisco, you have to make a bit of money to pay the bills";
• how she found herself "dream adjacent" -- making films and getting opportunities in documentary filmmaking that were not her passion;
• what did she learn from having her films at premiere film festivals (Sundance, SXSW, Slamdance, and more)?;
• the story behind her brilliant film, OUT FOR DELIVERY;
• how she made such a fully encapsulated short film and whether that was the intention;
• has she moved from dream adjacent to dream actualized?;
• what is she working on now?

Chelsea's Indie Film/Filmmaker Highlights: TOUCH ME (2025) dir. by Addison Heimann; DEATH OF A UNICORN (2025) dir. by Alex Scharfman; Sebastian Silva

Links:

Follow Chelsea On Instagram

Chelsea Christer's Website

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Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: FIVE YEARS APART (2019).

Director: Joe Angelo Menconi

Written By: Joe Angelo Menconi; Zac Krause

Cast: Chloe Bennet; Scott Michael Foster; Ally Maki

SYNOPSIS

Two estranged brothers born on the same day five years apart run into each other at their family vacation home with wildly different expectations for how their birthday weekend will play out.

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There's not a person alive who won't be moved by STANDOUT: THE BEN KJAR STORY (2025) -- it's a story of overcoming expectations and spreading kindness into the world. It's also an extraordinary achievement of documentary filmmaking. We get into that and more with director Tanner Christensen.

In this episode, Tanner and I discuss:

• the uplifting qualities of STANDOUT: THE BEN KJAR STORY (2025);
• what to expect when you watch the film (laughing, crying, feeling better about the state of humanity);
• the crazy scope of the film, with archival footage from over 25 years ago;
• the decision-making process of utilizing re-enactments and whether he'd use AI in future documentaries;
• how he developed the chronology of the film and why he made it the way he did;
• what did the process of making this film teach him about documentaries?;
• is it a particular Utahan story?;
• what's next for him?

Tanner's Indie Film Highlight: DISPOSABLE HUMANITY (2025) dir. by Cameron S. Mitchell; COMPLICATED (2025) dir. by Andrew Abrahams; STOLEN KINGDOM (2025) dir. by Joshua Bailey

Links:

Follow STANDOUT On Instagram

STANDOUT Website

I don't say this lightly: you've never seen a film like PROJECT DAD. It's a Slamdance original from an artist that is making waves throughout Europe and now looking forward to a North American run: Camilla Jämting.

What a film. What a story. PROJECT DAD is a film you have to see to believe, and keep up with Camilla so you can see it just as soon as it screening near you.

In this episode, Camilla and I talk about:

• the courage and bravery to create PROJECT DAD;
• what should people expect to see when they watch PROJECT DAD;
• the little moments in the film that touch upon gender stereotypes and social commentary;
• does she see it as a Swedish film?;
• does she identify herself as a feminist and how does it influence her filmmaking?
• why Slamdance?;
• when people can watch the film -- who knows, maybe partner with Tinder!;
• what's next for her? PROJECT DAD might be turned into a reality TV series!

Camilla's Indie Film Highlight: MY OMAHA (2025) dir. by Nick Beaulieu; TONI ERDMANN (2016) dir. by Maren Ade

Links:

Follow Camilla On Instagram

PROJECT DAD Website

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Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: HANK AND ASHA (2013).

Director: James E. Duff

Written By: Julia Morrison; James E. Duff

Cast: Mahira Kakkar; Andrew Pastides; Bianca Butti; Brian Sloan

SYNOPSIS

An Indian woman studying in Prague corresponds with a young filmmaker in New York. As their relationship intensifies, they must choose whether to meet.

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One of one. One of one. One of one. It kept coming back to me that every significant avenue filmmaker Alex Dvorak went into, she was the only one with that path.

And that kind of trailblazing requires bravery, vulnerability, and as you see in her film BAD SURVIVOR, a fair bit of snark.

Special Slamdance coverage continues with Alex Dvorak.

In this episode, we discuss:

• her completely unique entry into filmmaking...as a cancer survivor;
• are there more survivor stories out there? "Hard yes" - Alex Dvorak;
• the range and brilliance of her short film, BAD SURVIVOR;
• what's it like to have survivors approach her after the film?;
• how she is going into a different direction with this short by turning it into a YA graphic novel and a series;
• "writer, director, model" -- Alex is one of one of so many categories; how does she keep finding herself pursuing these unique goals?
• how does she view Gen Z filmmakers and what kind of films we are going to see from them? "the most interesting and unique stories" - Alex Dvorak
• what's next for her?

Alex's Indie Film Highlight: NOGGIN (2024) dir. by Case Jernigan

Links:

Follow Alex On Instagram

Follow Alex On Her Website

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Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: BROKEN ENGLISH (2007).

Director: Zoe Cassavetes

Written By: Zoe Cassavetes

Cast: Parker Posey; Melvil Poupaud; Drea de Matteo; Justin Theroux; Peter Bogdanovich; Gena Rowlands

SYNOPSIS

Nora Wilder (Parker Posey), a single woman, is heading deep into the doldrums as a result of disappointments in her professional and personal lives. A series of disastrous dates convinces her that love will always elude her. At a co-worker's party, she meets Julien (Melvil Poupaud), a young man from Paris, who sweeps her off her feet and invites her to France with him. Nora refuses, then wonders if she has made the biggest mistake of her life.

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I never met or even heard of Bill Bartell before watching this documentary, but darn if filmmaker Dave Markey doesn't bring him to life in his brilliant film, THE SECRET LIVES OF BILL BARTELL. The film is a kaleidoscope of events and people; you'll think it's a mockumentary before realizing that...it's all true.

It is a testament to the craft of Dave that he creates such a stunning documentary about a unique subject, and we get into how he's sustained a career in music, punk rock, and documentary. The film had its world premiere at Slamdance 2025.

In this episode, we discuss:

the story behind THE SECRET LIVES OF BILL BARTELL;

how he got involved in filmmaking and got the skillset to make such a genre-breaking film;

creating the intentional rush the viewer gets from watching the film -- "I wanted to make the experience I had with him in real life";

how the film came together over 30 years and his use of a mockumentary structure;

his thoughts on funding and distributing his own films over the years;

the future of documentary filmmaking and the possibility of AI;

why Slamdance and why the Breakout Features category;

will LGBTQ films be harder to make in the future?

Dave's Indie Film/Filmmaker Highlights: HARLEY FLANAGAN: WIRED FOR CHAOS (2024) dir. by Rex Miller; 40 WATTS FROM NOWHERE (2025) dir. by Sue Carpenter; DEBARGE (2025) dir. by Matthew Siretta; Sean Baker

Links:

Follow THE SECRET LIVES OF BILL BARTELL On Instagram

We Got Power Films

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: SAY YOU WILL (2017)

Director: Nick Naveda

Written By: Nick Naveda

Cast: Travis Tope; Katherine Hughes; Israel Broussard; Sam Trammell

SYNOPSIS

After his father's suicide, a promising young musician tries to help his mother survive her grief while he tries to find solace in a troubled childhood crush.

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Case Jernigan wins at so many things -- animation, gamemaking, filmmaking, and having without a doubt the best setting for recording a podcast episode. Normally, I edit out all background noise but with the birds chirping, I just could. not. do. it. His sound is such a mood.

And I created special podcast animation art to celebrate such a fantastic artist.

Case is a true Renaissance man who, not surprisingly, has found himself in Italy, and our discussion demonstrates the sheer breadth of talents that he brings to his art.

His film, NOGGIN, now available to watch as a Vimeo Staff Pick, offers the same extraordinarily uplifting experience as this conversation with Case.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• how the Slamdance screenings went;
• does he see himself as a filmmaker, in light of so many other artistic talents? "to me, they are all linked";
• on his website, Case talks about making art about "masculinity and illness." We talk about the rise of performative masculinity and how he views it relative to the art he creates.
• what we should know before watching NOGGIN and the thought process behind making the film;
• was it a way for him to work through his MS diagnosis, through his art? and how did he get from his diagnosis to where he is now?
• why Slamdance?; it must take a special film festival to get on a plane from Florence, Italy;
• what's next for him?

Case's Indie Film Highlights: STOLEN KINGDOM (2025) dir. by Joshua Bailey; FISHMONGER (2023) dir. by Neil Ferron

Links:

Watch NOGGIN As A Vimeo Staff Pick

Follow Case On Instagram

Visit Case Jernigan's Website