Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man delivers plenty of blood, practical gore, and wildly campy horror imagery, but can great effects save a weak script?

In this IFP Review, we break down Ice Cream Man from a filmmaker’s perspective, including the practical effects and makeup that impressed us, the story and dialogue that didn’t, some very dated creative choices, and a villain motivation that arrives almost entirely through exposition in the third act.

We also discuss the performances, the movie’s 86-minute runtime, who this gore-filled horror comedy is actually for, and the biggest filmmaking lesson we took away from watching it.

So should you see Ice Cream Man now…or wait ‘til later?

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What does it actually cost to shoot a low-budget indie feature film? Writer/director Jack Judson joins us after wrapping Pineapple Promise to break down our real $31K indie film budget. From the cast, crew, gear, craft services, locations, all the way to the unexpected $3,000 expense we definitely didn’t see coming.

We also get into how we shot a 95-page feature film in just 14 production days with a five-person crew, what went right (and very wrong), and the production planning, compromises, sound problems, free locations, long days, and occasional uncooperative llama that made this independent film possible.

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Show Links: 

Learn more about Pineapple Promise: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BuildingAnArc 

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Has the internet finally found a zero-budget horror film capable of replacing The Room?

In this Indie Film Podcast Review, Victoria and Chuck discuss Pretty (2026), an ambitious Turkish fantasy-horror feature written, directed, shot, edited, and scored by 19-year-old filmmaker Metecan Duren.

After encountering the ghost of a murdered young woman, Pretty becomes obsessed with uncovering what happened. But strange occurrences soon pull her into a supernatural mystery filled with love, jealousy, family secrets, murder, and one deeply unsettling rabbit.

Made in Istanbul by a group of university students, Pretty combines experimental slow cinema, supernatural horror, home invasion, and wonderfully chaotic B-movie slasher energy. Victoria and Chuck examine the film’s striking cinematography, original soundtrack, creepy mythology, ambitious story, DIY production challenges, and wildly entertaining final act.

Could Pretty become the internet’s next cult-horror obsession? And should you buy it, rent it, or wait until it’s free?

Disclosure: This review was commissioned by the filmmaker. Payment guarantees an honest review, not positive coverage, a predetermined rating, or editorial approval.

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Show Links:

Watch Pretty for Free: https://youtu.be/z7sxtBMfCqM?si=unGuFG0LEQyn3cdv 

Learn More About Pretty: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt43378732/ 

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Is film crowdfunding dead, or can it still work if you approach it the right way?

In this episode, writer-director Jack Judson joins us to break down how we funded a $40K indie feature film, what actually worked during our Seed&Spark campaign, and what we would do differently next time.

We get honest about the real numbers behind Pineapple Promise, including how much came from crowdfunding, why personal outreach mattered more than passive discovery, how professional branding increased donor confidence, and why we built contingency into the budget from the beginning.

Then we move beyond fundraising and into the realities of preparing a micro-budget feature: Keeping the crew lean, paying cast and crew fairly, writing around expensive production challenges, saving money on locations and travel, and deciding when it makes more sense to rewrite a scene than throw money at it.

Crowdfunding an indie film isn’t as simple as launching a campaign and waiting for strangers to find it. This is a transparent look at film funding, budgeting, marketing, and pre-production from a team about to put those plans to the test.

And after the shoot, we’ll be back to share what worked, what failed, and whether any of our carefully made plans survived production.

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Show Links: 

Learn more about Pineapple Promise: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BuildingAnArc 

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What happens when online dating gets deadly?

In this Indie Film Podcast Review, Victoria and Chuck take on The Lonely Crowd (2026), a romantic thriller produced by Jim St. Clair and co-produced, written, and directed by David St. Clair.

Jaded by online dating, Peter and Ashley agree to give romance one final chance. But when their blind date leads them into a dangerous world of murderous ex-boyfriends, corrupt cops, and stolen drug money, they must decide whether they can trust each other long enough to survive.

We discuss the film’s ambitious blend of romance, comedy, action, and crime thriller; its impressive production value; and the memorable performers who steal some of its best scenes. We also examine its sprawling story, relationship dynamics, pacing, and the delightfully chaotic moments when logic leaves the building.

Does this unusual independent film pull off its romantic-thriller premise? And should you buy it, rent it, or wait until it’s free? Check out the full review to find out!

Disclosure: This review was commissioned by the filmmakers. Payment guarantees an honest review, not positive coverage, a predetermined rating, or editorial approval.

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Show Links:

Rent on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Crowd-David-St-Clair/dp/B0GFSDYSF1

Stream on Tubi: https://tubitv.com/movies/100059546/the-lonely-crowd 

Learn More About The Lonely Crowd: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35508372/ 

Get an Indie Film Review: https://www.indiefilmpodcast.com/submit

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In this IFP Review, we’re talking about the first annual Spark of Madness Film Festival in Pocatello, Idaho.

This festival is built around three themes: Madness, inspiration, and the Rocky Mountains. In practice, that means Spark of Madness is looking for films that are unconventional, weird, absurd, freaky, creative, and a little hard to categorize. So, of course we had to attend.

For a first-year film festival, Spark of Madness was surprisingly polished. The communication was strong, the screenings were well organized, the films felt distinct, the Q&As were thoughtful, and the festival team clearly put real care into making filmmakers feel welcome.

We talk about what stood out, what indie filmmakers should know before submitting, why Pocatello may be more affordable and charming than expected, and why this new Idaho film festival feels like one with a lot of room to grow.

If your film is strange, heartfelt, regional, experimental, or just has a little spark of madness, this festival needs to be on your “Must Submit” list.

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In this IFP Review, we’re talking about Filmfort, the film festival that takes place in Boise, Idaho as part of Treefort Music Fest.

Filmfort is a little different from a standard film festival because it exists inside a much larger citywide arts festival. While films are screening, downtown Boise is also full of bands, comedians, podcasters, drag performers, artists, tech events, beer events, yoga events, and festivalgoers moving between venues.

That changes the whole experience.

Instead of only screening for other filmmakers, Filmfort gives indie films a chance to play for a wider arts-focused audience. That means stronger audience energy, more varied feedback, and a networking environment that extends beyond the usual film festival crowd.

In this review, we talk about the filmmaker experience at Filmfort, including communication, screenings, audience turnout, venues, tech, networking, travel, downtown Boise, and who we think should submit. We also get into one important caveat: Filmfort does not give out awards, so it may not be the right fit if your main goal is building laurels.

But if you have something weird, experimental, offbeat, or a little hard to categorize (and you want it in front of a lively arts audience) Filmfort may be a very strong festival to consider.

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In this IFP Review, we’re talking about our experience attending the 22nd annual Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City, Nevada.

We reviewed the festival from the perspective of indie filmmakers who submitted a short film, attended in person, and screened alongside filmmakers from around the world. In 2026, Dam Short Film Festival featured more than 150 short films across 32 blocks over six days, making it a packed and energetic festival experience.

Dam Short Film Festival stood out for its strong films, full audiences, excellent networking opportunities, and a genuinely celebratory atmosphere for filmmakers. The awards ceremony especially went above and beyond, with classic cars, red carpet energy, cheering crowds, and a clear effort to make filmmakers feel seen and appreciated.

We gave the festival a 9/10 overall, with especially high marks for the films, audience, networking and events, awards, and overall value. The only major caveat was theater and tech, since the festival was in a different venue the year we attended, which led to a few sound and playback issues.

In this review, we break down what worked, what indie filmmakers should know before submitting, and why Dam Short Film Festival may be especially worth considering if you have a short film (especially those tricky longer shorts that can be hard to program elsewhere!)

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In this IFP Review, we’re talking about our experience attending the 13th annual Sun Valley Film Festival in Sun Valley and Ketchum, Idaho.

We reviewed the festival from the perspective of indie filmmakers who submitted a film and attended in person, looking at everything from communication and organization to the films, audiences, networking events, theater and tech, awards, location, and overall value.

And yes, the Sun Valley Film Festival delivered.

With excellent communication, polished films, strong audience turnout, great venues, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere, this festival stood out as one of the most filmmaker-friendly experiences we’ve had. It also offered something unique: a small-town Idaho setting with surprisingly serious industry access, including conversations with seasoned producers, directors, filmmakers, and entertainment professionals.

In this review, we break down what worked, what indie filmmakers should know before submitting, and why Sun Valley Film Festival may be worth the trip.

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Is filmmaker burnout just part of the indie film grind, or is hustle culture quietly making us worse at the thing we love?

In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, Victoria and Chuck talk about filmmaker hustle culture, creative burnout, and whether the pressure to constantly work, post, volunteer, network, and “keep grinding” is actually worth the cost.

Using Curry Barker’s breakout success with Obsession as a jumping-off point, we look at what years of audience-building and creative output can do for an indie filmmaker’s career. But we also dig into the other side of the hustle: Working for free, setting boundaries on indie film sets, the business and marketing realities behind film success, and why creativity is not the same thing as productivity.

If you’re an indie filmmaker, film student, creative freelancer, or recovering workaholic trying to build a sustainable career without losing your love of filmmaking, this one’s for you.

Show Links: 

Featured Filmmaker of the Week, Christian Schoeman: https://youtube.com/@frequentcollaborators?si=VxyyTYx5AOfhcTj3 

Be Our Next Featured Filmmaker: https://www.indiefilmpodcast.com/submit

Are you a workaholic? - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/tests/career/workaholic-test 

Misleading article - https://leaders.com/articles/company-culture/hustle-culture/

Long Working Hours and Cognitive Function: The Whitehall II Study - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2727184/ 

Working less doesn’t affect productivity? - https://interwork.sdsu.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/nrli-2024-Group2.pdf 

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