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We are super excited to present our latest indie film spotlight for the crime drama Solid Rock Trust, from director, writer, producer, and editor Rick Ives (IMDb). Last month we took a look at the movie’s trailer and we are so happy to take a deeper dive into the indie.

Who?
This film is written and directed by me, Rick Ives. My directorial debut comes on the heels of working alongside top editorial staff, bringing household stories to life such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3(2023), Ms. Marvel (2022), and Loki (2021). I’ve also been editing low budget features for about 6 years, but it’s my experience on large productions is really what paved the way to the creation of Solid Rock Trust. The stars are Koko Marshall (A Perfect Host, The One You’re With) and Alexander Hearth, along with a deep supporting cast of voice actors. Koko really steals the show as a hacker with a library of languages and accents she uses to misdirect everyone she’s interacting with. The film is worth a watch just for the performance alone. Seeing her switch in and out of accents, characters, and emotions right before your eyes is a magic trick.

What?
Armed with only a laptop, a collection of cell phones and her own wits, hacker Maddie orchestrates a bank heist from an abandoned building. Guiding a team of strangers, she uses her repertoire of accents and personas to conceal her true identity. Inevitably, as things begin to spin out of her control, Maddie must fight to overcome an avalanche of double crossings and obstacles that escalate in complexity as time runs out! Set in an old condemned warehouse, audiences remain on Maddie’s end of the phone call, leaving them asking who they can trust, if not themselves? Part of the game I wanted to play with the audience was to meet every expectation someone will have for a bank heist film and show it to them in a way they’ve never seen before. We have everything in here, but in a way that feels fresh and plays with the tropes.

Where?
I’m in love with abandoned buildings and urban photography, so this film was set right in the middle of one. I also wanted something visually interesting enough to hold our attention for the length of the film but still represented the type of background our main character came from as well as how she felt inside. We searched all over the Atlanta area for properties that were film friendly and matched the tone we wanted, but ultimately found a location only 2 miles away from home. Many people have commented that it must have been a custom built set for the film, but the abandoned auto shop is completely authentic. The desk and computer monitor props were the only things that were not already there.

When?
This film was shot in 2021 and is rolling out now to various platforms. The time period it’s set in is another story. I wanted to keep it purposefully ambiguous, although based on the technology, it would be set some time between 2005 and 2023. I was tired of seeing so many hackers in movies with top of the line, futuristic technology and software. What would it be like to watch someone work who had to patch something together with second hand materials and low tech items that would be harder to trace?

Why?
This film was made as proof that a low budget independent feature can look and feel just as intense and professional as a studio release if the filmmakers have an exciting character driven script, and are smart about what to show and how to film it. We have an amazing lead performance that shows a talented, smart, confident woman who is also deeply flawed and pushed to her limits. Sit back and watch a plot unfold as it begs you to try and keep up with a twist and turn every 10-15 minutes from start to finish.

How?
Solid Rock Trust is available wherever Tubi plays for free as well as Amazon, Youtube Movies, and Google Play for rental. As of June 2023 it will be available worldwide on youtube with more platforms becoming available all the time.

Watch Online:

Detours was written and produced by Mara Lesemann and directed by Robert McCaskill. The movie is a drama about a recently single woman and her widowed father as they drive from New York City to Saint Petersburg, Florida. You can check out our full spotlight on Detours here and you can watch the movie for free on Tubi.

Detours stars Tara Westwood, Carlo Fiorletta, Paul Sorvino, Michael Cerveris, Deirdre O’Connell, Debargo Sanyal, Vanessa Aspilla, and Richard Kind.

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!

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.

Fathom podcast is back with their third season! The podcast is an anthology of short audio dramas that is a cross between The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Official podcast description: “An anthology series of short adventures that explore the fantastical, the mundane and everything in between. Humans are complicated creatures. In these episodes we explore what makes them tick. Morality tales that become something else. Supernatural thrillers that are more realistic than they first appear. This is a strange time in a strange world. What can you fathom?

The series is back with a new episode titled “Honesty is the Best Policy”, written and directed by our very own Ritchie Filippi, edited by Adrian Carey, and featuring the voice talents of Kirk Gostkowski, Adam Hamway, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Aimee Keates.

“Honesty is the Best Policy”
Episode Description: A brutal ode to a 90s slasher film, this Fathom tale concerns “Stu Who Knew,” a conflicted husband looking for advice. And maybe a bit more…

You can listen by clicking the below preview for Spotify or click here to listen on Apple Podcasts. New episodes of Fathom are released monthly.
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What are your favorite Podcasts? Let us know in the comments!

Posted on January 31st, 2022 by MHD | Leave a Comment (5)
Filed Under Entertainment, Featured

YouTube has increasingly become an awesome go to spot to watch independent films for free (AVOD, so the filmmakers get paid!). There are a lot of different channels to choose from that offer a variety of content. One channel is from Indie Rights movies, a film distributor and production company that has a vast library of films of all genres. Today we are going to focus on three indie dramas that they have on YouTube to watch tonight!

First Love
Director: Michael Masarof
Starring: Annie Heise, Aaron Costa Ganis, Arye Gross, Adam Huber, Mia Barron, Amin El Gamal and Malin Barr.
Description: When a notorious Hollywood actress suffers a nervous breakdown and hides in a seaside hotel, her slacker twin brother must make a choice: save his troubled sister from herself, or sell his explosive tell-all book and sacrifice their twin bond for good. (Source: YouTube Page)
Click here to watch on YouTube

Four Walls
Director: Darcy Touhey
Starring: Maddie Phillips, Debs Howard, Reece Thompson, Ryan Beil, Glynis Davies, Brenda Matthews, Caitlin Howden, Doralynn Mui, and Naika Toussaint.
Description: A glimpse into various people’s ever-changing relationships over the course of a day. (Source: YouTube)
Click here to watch on YouTube

3:13
Director: David Jaure Rosenbaum
Starring: Paul Alexandro, Marina Vidal, Julio Lourido, Giselle Torres, Bob Cady, Sheryl Carbonell, and Tatum Freeman.
Description: From living a normal life to surviving homelessness in the city of Miami, Peter is a victim of the turbulent US recession during late 2000’s. (Source: YouTube)
Click here to watch on YouTube

We would love to hear what you are watching online! Leave a comment on this post or send us a DM on Twitter @MyHWoodDream!