For My Sister from writer/director Gabriel Rhenals is an india drama that focuses on a young woman desperate to save her sister from the grips of a serious and worsening depression. The movie stars Stephanie Maltez, Cristina De Fatima, Natalie Ramirez, William Guevara and Mireya Kilmon. It was distributed by Indie Rights Movies.
You can learn more about For My Sister here (The 5Ws and How: For My Sister) and you can watch the indie drama for free on Tubi TV.
Wow, October and November flew by in what seemed like the blink of an eye. We’re going to try to get new interviews and movie spotlights up as we head into the new year.
A couple months ago we had the pleasure of connecting with Mara Lesemann, the writer and producer of the independent film Detours. She shares with us details on how the film came together, the awesome cast, and the real road trip that they needed to take to bring the movie together.
Who?
I wrote and produced the road trip comedy Detours, which is my 2nd feature. Robert McCaskill directed, and Christopher Eadicicco was our director of photography. I knew from the beginning that I wanted Tara Westwood (The Grudge, Triggered) to play the daughter who’s moving to Florida and convinces her depressed, widowed dad (Carlo Fiorletta, Available) to drive south from NJ with her. Tara had a major supporting role in my first feature, Surviving Family, and I loved working with her. She traveled with me on several festival road trips for that movie, and after brainstorming with her for days, I asked her to also come on board as a producer. That turned out to be the smartest thing I could have done. Tara and our casting director, Caroline Sinclair, put together an amazing cast for a low-budget indie movie. It includes the amazing Richard Kind; the late great Paul Sorvino; multiple TONY award winner Michael Cerveris; Deirdre O’Connell, who won the 2022 TONY for Best Actress; NY stage and indie film standout Debargo Sanyal; and Vanessa Aspilla (Only Murders in the Building). We worked with indie musicians to create a fantastic soundtrack, including the closing credits song “Down the Road” by country music singer/songwriter Lane Turner.
What?
Detours travels from New York City to Saint Petersburg, Florida with Jennifer Giraldi, a NY-based actress whose marriage has just ended and who has vowed to build a new life and a new career in Florida. It’s been two years since her mom- a successful writer- died suddenly and her dad is struggling with depression. Dan still has his late wife’s ashes in a coffee can in his kitchen because he can’t decide what to do with them. The father and daughter re-discover their shared joys while they examine their very different perspectives on the late mom (played in flashbacks by Kim Director). They both also dip their toes back into the dating pool, with humorous but sometimes contentious results.
Where?
We shot all the indoor scenes in New York City and New Jersey. Then we hit the road with a skeleton crew and shot the actual drive that Jennifer and Dan take in the movie. We went south on Route 95, cut east over to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, then continued south to Saint Petersburg, Florida. Our camera team did an amazing job. Most of the movie was shot on an Arri Alexa, but the road trip incorporates some scenes shot with a Go Pro from a moving car.
When?
Detours takes place in the present, except for a few flashbacks to Jennifer’s childhood. We shot the movie in late summer and early fall of 2014, and it premiered at the 2016 Sunscreen Film Festival in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Introducing our movie in the city where the action hits a climax- a scene shot on a boat on Tampa Bay with help from Eckerd College’s student Search & Rescue Team- was great. I’ve worked with FilmHub to get the movie out to a range of streaming services, and that’s been a very good experience.
Why?
I love telling stories about families- the good, the bad, and the lies. My first feature was about alcoholism, mental illness, and suicide, so I wanted to look at the lighter but still very imperfect things that we all go through. Having full control of my projects is a joy, even though that comes with a (very!) tight budget.
How?
Detours is currently streaming on Tubi, The Roku Channel, Plex, and Freevee.
Watch Online for Free:
Learn more about the movie on its official website!
Every year we celebrate Halloween by watching non stop horror movies! It is the perfect time of the year to give indie horror flicks & thrillers a chance! Here are 8 indie flicks to check out this season!
The Lost
Director: Alex Klaus
Starring: Hollie Lewis, Rorie Stockton, and Rob Carr.
Description: In this urban ghost story, a young mother meets an insecure man and a struggling artist, searching for answers after the accidental death of her son. (Source: Tubi)
Click here to watch on Tubi TV
M.O.M. (Mothers Of Monsters)
Director: Tucia Lyman
Starring: Melinda Page Hamilton, Bailey Edwards, and Ed Asner.
Description: A distraught mother suspects her teenage son is a psychopath who may shoot up his high school, but when he outsmarts the system, she is forced to take matters into her own hands. (Source: Amazon)
Click here to watch on Amazon Prime
As The Village Sleeps
Director: Terry Spears
Starring: Shiah Luna, Victoria Strange, and Eleonora Saravalle.
Description: A young woman hosts a birthday weekend at her family home, but an unusual card game quickly escalates into a vicious battle for survival. (Source: Tubi)
Click here to watch on Tubi TV
Bugs: A Trilogy
Director: Simone Kisiel
Starring: Alexandra Grunberg, Marissa Carpio, and Kobi Frumer.
Description: Three women, three stories; endless real-life reasons to scream. These bugs, while mostly metaphorical things of nightmares, are sometimes under the bed… and already inside you. (Source: Tubi)
Click here to watch on Tubi TV
Chicago Rot
Director: Dorian Weinzimmer
Starring: Shira Barber, David Cartwright, and Brant McCrea.
Description: After a wrongfully imprisoned man is released, he madly searches Chicago’s back alleys for the man who murdered his mother and robbed him of his soul. (Source: Tubi)
Click here to watch on The Roku Channel
Introspectum Motel
Director: Marcel Dorian
Starring: Laura Wilson, Michelle Jane Wright, and Joseph Steyne.
Description: Two strangers head down a dark and twisted path inside themselves and confront their choices as they begin to uncover the connection between them. (Source: Tubi)
Click here to watch on Tubi TV
Guilt
Director: William Chaffin
Starring: Anna Hoots, Jared Noble, and Liz Fletcher.
Description: A struggling schizophrenic must figure out how her loved ones are dying. Is it her battle with mental illness or is she haunted by something more? (Source: Tubi)
Click here to watch on Tubi TV
Extramundane
Director: Joshua Sowden
Starring: Brant Rotnem, Craig Gells, and Brock Jones.
Description: Trevor, a new property manager, tries to find his way when he takes over an apartment building with a dark past during a pandemic. (Source: Tubi)
Click here to watch on Tubi TV
What indie films are on your Halloween watch list? Let us know in the comments!
The Stay is an independent thriller directed by Scott Hamm. The movie focuses on two couples that “rent a secluded house for a weekend getaway, and encounter an odd caretaker while facing a dangerous secret.” We talked to producer/star Kipp Tribble about the film, you can check out our spotlight post here and you can watch for free on Tubi TV.
The Stay stars Kipp Tribble, Nija Okoro, Rob Mayes, Scott Hamm, and Michele Martin. It was produced by Tribble, Hamm, and Charles Huddleston.
What is The Killing Death about?
The Killing Death is about detective Frank Malone and his partner Jimmy as they investigate a serial killer making a pizza out of body parts. The monster is following an ancient Egyptian ritual that threatens more than just his victims. It could destroy the city itself! This is a 80’s infused pulp horror/comedy novel with loads of gore, action, and schlocky laughs. It’s an expanded novelization of my film of the same name (learn more about the film here).
What inspired The Killing Death?
As I was developing my universe of books and movies, I realized that The Killing Death film, being no-budget, didn’t meet half of the expectations that I had hoped it would, so I decided to fix it by writing the novelization. I expanded the story, explained what needed explaining, and took it to a whole new level. It fits in between the first two books of the High School Hell series, but you don’t have to have read those to know what’s going on. Nor do you have to have seen the movie. This is designed to work as a stand alone story. The vibe was intended to be a throwback to the 80’s horror novels you used to see everywhere, the ones with skeletons, holograms, or fold outs on the cover. Think Night of the Creeps or The Monster Squad.
Frank Malone is a character that can be placed in almost any situation and The Killing Death kicked everything off back in 2006, but I knew that I could do so much more on paper than I could on screen (without money) so I’ve been expanding his universe over the years to over 25 books and 10 screenplays. This particular book is set during his old age, but there are other stories that feature him in earlier eras. Stay tuned!
We’ve spotlighted 2 of I.D. Russell’s novels in the past (Heart of Stone & The Revengist), but here is a little recap about him…
I’ve got lots of different things on the go; movies, books, YouTube videos, all of which intersect in different ways. I’m also a Dad, a gamer, a voracious reader, a collector, and a martial artist. I unfortunately (?) know way too much about retro pro-wrestling. Keep watching my channels and platforms for some crazy stuff in the future!
I’ve still got a foot in the 80’s. I love that era of action movies, horror movies, and comedies. Everything I’m doing mashes up pieces of what I grew up with, like The Monster Squad, Police Academy, G.I. Joe, The Naked Gun, Hong Kong movies, video games, and schlocky pulp books. At some point, people have to notice, right?
How can we read The Killing Death?
You can find The Killing Death on Amazon and the Ringo Jones website.
Hello everyone! We are back from our summer break with a look at a fantastic indie drama, Six Years Gone, by writer/director Warren Dudley. Dudley previously directed the indie sports comedy Prankz, and horror flicks Cage and The Cutting Room.
Who?
I am a filmmaker and screenwriter from Brighton in the UK. Six Years Gone is the fourth low budget movie I have written and directed. Another project, The Bromley Boys (with a more sensible budget!), I was very proud to have written the screenplay for. I have produced this movie with my wonderful executive producer David Fearn.
The cast and crew, led by the amazing Veronica Jean Trickettt, were largely found within a few miles of my home town. Six Years Gone has a truly low budget ethos. It’s been amazing to see the film, and Vee in particular, garnering some very kind reviews and continued festival success. The cast and crew worked so hard and I hope seeing all the love makes it feel worth it.
The film is being distributed by Indie Rights.
What?
Six Years Gone follows single mum Carrie Dawson who is living a very comfortable life with her eleven-year-old daughter Lolly… until the worst happens and Lolly does not return from school.
We then join Carrie six years later to find that her life has fallen apart. She has been left to look after her mum and now works as a cleaner at a local social club – her past life a distant memory. However as some clues come to light about the abduction, a desperate search for answers, and eventually her daughter, begins.
We aimed for Six Years Gone to be a gritty and powerful look at tragedy, love, and desperation, that will touch a nerve with all parents. Now it’s up to audiences to decide if we succeeded!
Where?
We made the film in and around Brighton, on the UK’s south coast. The film is set in the same area. We were very fortunate to find four or five amazing (and importantly, free!) locations.
We shot the movie in eleven days – not something I would recommend! This was largely made possible by the fact we used long single takes on many scenes. This means we only had to do one camera, sound and lighting set up on location for what could often end up being 4 minutes of screen time.
Saying all that, my amazing DOP Richard Osborne would, I’m sure, have liked a few more days.
When?
The film was written, produced, cast, crewed, shot and edited during 2021. I started with a blank word doc on January 1st and we’d finished by Christmas.
We then set about submitting the film to festivals, and have done better than we could have imagined. We have had wins in London (where we World Premiered), New York, Paris and many more. It’s been an incredible ride. After the festival run ended we released the film in May 2022.
Why?
I’ve spent the last ten years flitting between football-based comedy and the horror/thriller genres. It’s been a privilege to work on these projects with some brilliant, talented people. However, it’s been gnawing away at me that I have yet to make anything ‘real’. Something gritty and heartfelt that packs an emotional punch.
The idea for Six Years Gone had been floating around my head for a while. As the parent of a now thirteen-year-old daughter, news reports about missing children have always left me with chills, and I felt those feelings could be mined for a script. About two years ago I saw a Belgian film called The Unknown Girl, and it immediately made me think that a similar way of shooting could bring my new idea to life. I loved the ultra-real performances and greyness of the film. I aimed to get close to this with Six Years Gone.
How?
Six Years Gone can be seen on the streaming platforms Tubi TV, Amazon Prime, YouTube Movies and Google Play.
Watch Online for Free:
Purchase Online:
Stay up to date with all of the ways to watch on the official website.
We love following the work of indie authors on Twitter’s writing community and have been spotlighting indie books for the past year. There is such a wide variety of work across genres, there really is something for everyone! Here is another look at 3 of the books/authors that we have spotlighted.
Shadow Game
by A.M. Adair
“Shadow Game focuses on the world of covert operations. It centers on a CIA field operative named Elle Anderson, who along with her small but elite team, deal with missions and targets that prove impossible for everyone else. In this debut, Elle and her team have been tasked to destroy the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization. Starting in Iraq, they start a chain of events that will go well beyond anything they could have anticipated. For Elle, the end justifies the means. And this is just the beginning.” -A.M Adair
• Purchase on Amazon | Learn more about Shadow Game
The Curse of Odin
by Jo Kutya
The Curse of Odin is “a steampunk adventure, set in an alternative version of Victorian London, and revolves around a teenage pickpocket named Blink, an inventist (not inventor) named Thaddeus Q Abernathy, and a 2,000 year old woman by the name of Lady Talány. An anarchist called Legren plans to attack the city as part of a nefarious plot. Blink, while attempting to steal from Abernathy one night, but gets caught up in the hunt for the terrorist, and in doing so, uncovers a secret world of myth and monster hidden beneath the London of man and machine.” -Jo Kutya
• Purchase on Amazon | Learn more about The Curse of Odin
Heart of Stone
by I. D. Russell
“Heart of Stone is about teenager Samantha Abraham, a picked on outcast at school who falls in love with a strange new foreign exchange student named Joshua. He’s great at hockey, gorgeous, and might just be a golem. Together with her equally unpopular best friend Duckie, they navigate the social hierarchy, dodge the mean girls, and try to uncover the truth about Joshua’s origins.” -I.D. Russell
• Purchase on Amazon | Learn more about Heart of Stone
And don’t forget, you can follow all of our Indie Book Spotlights here!
