★★★★ Directed by #LisaCortes #LizGarbus Written by #JackYoungelson Starring #StaceyAbrams Film Review by Hope Madden Documentaries can be frustrating, especially political documentaries. They warn you about coming disasters you hadn’t predicted, show you the brutality and ugliness in parts of the world you hadn’t seen, reinforce that ulcerous dread in your gut about humanity on the whole. You can basically only hope they also show you a way out. Mercifully, All In: The Fight for Democracy does that. But first it upbraids your apathy about voting by detailing the harrowing history of Americans who had to take a beating, even die, just to exercise that right. Then it details the meticulously detailed strategy in place and being executed right now to keep you from exercising your right, now that you understand its value. Filmmakers Lisa Cortes and Liz Garbus wisely anchor their facts to Georgia’s gubernatorial race of 2018. The core storyline, narrated by the Democratic candidate in that race, Stacey Abrams, is of that election’s rampant and open-to-pubic-view suppression of Georgia votes. Abrams’s opponent, Brian Kemp, had been an architect of voter suppression as Georgia’s Secretary of State: closing polling places, purging voting rolls and instituting legislation that made voting more difficult. It was incredibly successful for him. Expect to see more of it. If that sounds cynical, it is. It’s also a major point of the film. But Cortes and Garbus (and Abrams) have a more idealistic goal, which is to point out something important to every American citizen regardless of party: Democracies only work when citizens decide what politicians do, not vice versa. When citizens vote, we can make the decisions. We can determine who is in office and what they need to fight for and against. And if they don’t do it? We can vote them out. But we can only do that if we can actually vote, which is why politicians who don’t want to do their jobs enacting the will of the people work tirelessly to make it harder and harder for Americans to cast their ballots. The history is well told between effective speakers and illustrative animations, but it’s the insidious nature of voter suppression and its modern execution that is equal parts enlightening, terrifying and frustrating. So make a plan. Verify your polling location. Double check that you are still on the rolls. (Ohio is especially guilty of stifling the vote.) Vote early. Just vote. And watch this movie. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Directed by #RoddRathjen Written by #RodRathjen Starring #SarmHeng #ThanawugKetsaro #MonyRos Film Review by Hope Madden Hey, it’s been a pretty easy going year. Feel like a movie? Well, first time feature filmmaker Rodd Rathjen has one for you and you’re not going to like it, but you should watch it anyway. Buoyancy shadows a 14-year-old Cambodian boy sold into slave labor on a Thai fishing trawler. I know, but stay with me. In his feature debut behind the camera, Rathjen wisely relies on naturalistic performances from mainly non-professional actors to recreate the circumstances rather than dramatize them. Sarm Heng is Chakra, a put upon adolescent bristling at the limitations of his life. There’s the universal element of adolescent rebellion, here tied to far more than angst. Chakra does manual labor rather than going to school, and as kids in uniform whiz by him on bicycles, and cars on the nearby highway come and go, his stagnancy and the back breaking monotony awaiting him in adulthood press down on him. He follows an opportunity to sneak away from home and get a ride out of the country, where he’ll make real money working in a factory. It’s OK if he doesn’t have the $500 fare to leave the country, he can work that off in his first month. That’s not how it actually works, and we spend the rest of the film watching as Chaka’s realization comes to him in bits and pieces that he will probably never leave this rickety fishing boat. Rathjen’s film ends with sobering facts concerning the modern slave trade in Southeast Asia, with as many as 200,000 boys and men currently missing and believed to be held in bondage on fishing boats. The filmmaker’s verité style helps us understand how this happens. There’s no boisterous villain detailing the scheme, no, “Ha! You belong to me now!” No one tells you you’re never being paid, never going home. You simply adjust to your circumstances or you die. There’s little dialog once Chakra leaves the boys in the village behind, but Heng doesn’t need it. The evolution of this character hangs on his face. It’s a remarkable performance, especially from a kid who’s never acted before. Heng gets an assist from two actors with some experience. An utterly heartbreaking Mony Ros is the middle aged man who falls prey to the scheme in the hopes of providing for his family. The camaraderie between these two characters is powerful, and it’s a theme Rathjen mirrors in Chakra’s relationship with the ship’s captain, played with menacing relish by Thenawut Ketsaro. What they create together is harrowing, but it’s also a brilliant piece of filmmaking that needs to be seen. #HopeMadden

★★★ Directed by #NatalieKrinsky Written by #NatalieKrinsky Starring #GeraldineViswanathan #DacreMontgomery Film Review by George Wolf I have no problem at all with scary movies, I love them. But I gotta be honest, I can’t think of many things more frightening than the prospect of dating in today’s social climate. So kudos to writer/director Natalie Krinsky for squeezing so much feel-goodiness out of the dating tribulations of twenty-something New Yorkers in The Broken Hearts Gallery. Lucy (Geradine Viswanathan), a gallery assistant, is smarting from a painful breakup. Her roommate besties Amanda (Molly Gordon from Booksmart, Good Boys, Life of the Party) and Nadine (Hamilton‘s Phillipa Soo) are helping her cope. First lesson in letting go: get rid of all that junk you’ve saved as souvenirs from past relationships! But a chance meeting with Nick (Dacre Montgomery from Stranger Things), a budding hotel owner, spawns an idea. If Lucy will help get the hotel ready for opening day, Nick will give her space to open a gallery showcasing trinkets donated by lovers left behind. Krinsky, a TV vet helming her first feature, leans on plenty of familiar rom-com tropes, but gives them all just the right amount of unabashed enthusiasm to feel more comfortable than cheesy. The dance montages are numerous, the dialog less like real conversations and more like people waiting for their next turn to quip, and the ladies’ Big Apple cynicism as biting as a sugar-coated fantasy. But Viswanathan (Blockers, Bad Education) is bursting with bubbly charm, Montgomery brings a welcome, dialed-down authenticity, and Krinsky is able to mine some contemporary laughs from recycled ideas (the actual Museum of Broken Relationships, When Harry Met Sally-styled interviews with the trinket owners). The Broken Hearts Gallery is often as awkward and messy as it is breezy and spirited. You know where it’s going and it goes there, pushed buttons blazing. And for 108 minutes, dating in this world seems like it isn’t that scary at all, and could maybe even be fun. Maybe. #GeorgeWolf

Film Feature by Chris Olson David Lynch’s 1984 Dune (based on the novel by Frank Herbert) feels a million miles away in this new trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s take on the classic sci-fi story. Starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård and Javier Bardem to name but a few heavy-hitters, the Dune trailer is packed with gripping visuals and a foreboding atmosphere - but will it excite film fans who will unlikely remember the 80s take (and those that do remember are rarely raving fans - the film is rocking a tepid 6.5 average score on IMDb). Dune 2020 is currently in post-production and looks likely set for a December release. Check out the trailer for Dune below and let us know what you think. In particular, the special guests that turn up near the end. David Lynch himself had something to say about those on Twitter. Lols. #ChrisOlson

★★★★ Directed by: Lauren McLaughlin Written by: Lauren McLaughlin Starring: Katherine Kanter, Tom Price, Greta Bellamacina, Michael Simkins Film Review by: Jason Knight Infidelity can lead to rather unfortunate consequences. What will the person who got cheated on do? Will they forgive or will they choose to get even? Hannah (Kanter) is planning to adopt a child with her husband Will (Price). She returns home one day only to discover that Will is having an affair with Felicity (Bellamacina), who is the wife of Will's boss Gerry (Simkins), a CEO. Unaware of Felicity's cheating, Gerry asks Will and Hannah to invite them over for dinner. Wanting to keep things peaceful, they agree and try to act normal for the day, pretending that everything is fine. But it then becomes apparent that Hannah has plans of her own. McLaughlin's comedy drama is a story that will have the audience intrigued. They will want to know more about the characters and how things are going to unfold, as they realize that Hannah is an intelligent, determined woman who is not willing to let Will's betrayal go unpunished. And she gets her revenge in a rather original and entertaining way. The script is very well structured, consisting of well-written characters, clever dialogue and an interesting and entertaining plot that focuses on an awkward situation: two couples are having dinner at a house, one husband is unaware that his other half is having an affair with the husband of the other couple and the unfaithful husband's wife is setting her payback in motion. Kanter is terrific as the cheated wife. He is a person who has been hurt, but has the strength to bring herself back up and move on. Price delivers an amusing performance as a naive, ungrateful individual who shows no remorse for his actions. And Bellamacina and Simkins are also great in their roles. It is worth mentioning that viewers will be seeing a lot of rabbits. Not rabbits running around inside the house, but rabbit furniture such as the image of a rabbit on a pillow, a small statue of a rabbit, a lamp shaped like a rabbit, a portrait of a rabbit and so on. There are real rabbits to be seen, but only as hallucinations. Viewers will also get the pleasure of listening to wonderful piano music throughout the film. The Long Game provides an experience filled with drama and humor. The performances are strong and the plot will keep the audience guessing until the end. #JasonKnight

★★★★★ Written & Directed by: #MercedElizondo Starring: #JulioCésarCedillo, #JeroMedina, #RichardJackson Short Film Review by Taryll Baker Sergio, a former mechanic, is in the middle of a crippling battle with arthritis. When the opportunity to fix an old family-friend's truck arises, Sergio begins a downward spiral towards denial and self-destructive behaviour in an attempt to regain his identity as a working man with purpose. As a result, his struggling relationship with his son is put to the ultimate test. Manos De Oro is a character-focused story, told from the perspective of Sergio (Julio César Cedillo). From the opening shot — a close zoom in on his hands — to the beautiful attention to detail throughout, this felt like I was watching an episode of Breaking Bad. Elizondo’s eye is as sharp as Vince Gilligan’s, with a keen exploration of a subject. In around thirty minutes, Sergio goes through a wonderfully textured arc. We see his struggle, his motivation to push through even with his arthritis. The acting from the small cast is phenomenal. They feel like full characters, not just hollow shells. It seems like there’s some history here, and we’ve been thrown into their lives for a short moment. Julio César Cedillo and Jero Medina are a fantastic duo; The writing is superb and their performances support it. There’s a huge feeling of realism embedded in the stitches of this story, and what a well-executed story it is. Capturing the drama is cinematographer Mark Ragunton, who shoots with crisp black and white, only adding to that rustic and beaten feel. I refer to Breaking Bad once again for the similarities in visual storytelling. Where Gilligan’s TV series would let scenes play out in their own time, with focused imagery singling out performances, Ragunton does the very same and with great results. He pays attention to the hands of Sergio, showing us just a few of the struggles he runs into during his day. The simple things count, and I’m a sucker for them. Supporting the visual is a subtle, poignant score by Matthew C. Thomas. It doesn’t come in often during the film’s runtime but when it does, it’s splendid. Especially during the final closing minutes, by which point I was smiling. Manos De Oro is brilliant all-round. If you like character-driven storytelling with stunning visuals and small but affective casts, then this is an absolute must watch. There’s an eye for detail and a wonderful beating heart at its core, so please, don’t miss out on this one. #TaryllBaker

★★★★ Directed by #SamJones #AndreiBowdenSchwartz Film Review by George Wolf The most effective documentaries often serve as windows to a new world. The world framed by Red, White & Wasted may be covered in Florida mud, but its view – in both foreground and background – is remarkably clear. Up front, we’re immersed in the culture of “mudders,” who live for monster trucks and mud holes, beer and babes. The undercurrent, though, carries the type of bare bones political insight authors and filmmakers have been trying to articulate for years. Directors Sam Jones and Andrei Bowden Schwartz introduce us to Matthew Burns, a mudding disciple who years back gained some local Orlando fame as “Video Pat,” ringleader of the “Swamp Ghost” mud hole. The monster truckers would come to barrel through the mud, and Pat would eventually fill “1,000 +” videotapes with all the filthy glory. But Orlando, as you may have heard, is famous for some other attractions, and eventually the mudders’ favorite piece of land is sold, forcing them all to give up the Ghost. The introduction of Video Pat’s family and friends expands the fascination the film finds in uncovering this backwoods life. While Jones and Schwartz – in their feature debut – never condescend to the mudders opening up to them, they’re also smart enough to follow where the simple country folks are only too happy too lead. These proud “rednecks” are openly racist but don’t think it’s really a problem, keep tuned to conservative media, have “a lot of respect for Vladimir Putin” and protest that the Confederate flag really represents “home grown cookin’.” And they are bigly fans of Donald Trump. For anyone still wondering why so many of these rural Americans continue to vote against their own interests, this film and these people make it clear as mud. Their way of life is disappearing, and blaming the immigrants, city slickers, job-stealing foreign countries and libtards makes them feel better. And whichever way you react to that, Pat’s reflections on his years of mudding, his failures as a father, and his status as a brand new grandfather arrive with a conflicted poignancy. As he smiles and gently cradles his new grandson, Pat wonders about all the boy might soon be taught. He’s not the only one wondering. #GeorgeWolf

★★★★ Directed by #JonStevenson Written by #JonStevenson Starring #BrianLandisFolkins #WilWheaton #AmyRutledge Film Review by Hope Madden What did we do before Tinder? Back in 1990 there weren’t even online dating sites, let alone handy apps for lonely singles, and David (Brian Landis Folkins) is lonely. He cares for his mother by day and spends evenings in his basement, viewing new VHS tapes from a dating service—a service he’s belonged to for six months without a single match. When he goes back in to record a new video of his own, David stumbles across a different kind of tape: Rent-A-Pal. This video doesn’t tempt David with first person accounts of women who won’t be interested in him. No, Andy (Wil Wheaton) is a real friend, even if he is just a recording. It’s like Blue’s Clues, except it’s aimed at desperately lonely men, which is maybe the creepiest premise I can remember. From the top loading VCR to the woody wagon, writer/director Jon Stevenson has David clearly defined. Even for 1990, he is behind the times. He’s a loser. But Stevenson doesn’t dismiss David, and he definitely doesn’t mock him. Which is not to say Rent-A-Pal is entirely sympathetic. Stevenson and Folkins work together to make David a believable, heartbreaking, damaged human being. Were he a caricature of that loser who lives in his mom’s basement, Rent-A-Pal would not pack nearly the wallop it does. Folkins’s layered, vulnerable performance and his character’s evolution are powerful, awful, and awfully relevant. It’s a pre-internet story of a lonely white guy, easily convinced of his entitlement to everything he wants by another, similar white guy. Thanks to this other voice, so very similar to his own and so very supportive, David’s self-pity turns bitter. Rent-A-Pal is a cautionary, pre-incel tale of the insidious dangers of blame and entitlement. Driven by a smart script, excellent supporting work (both Amy Rutledge and Kathleen Brady are wonderful), and an unerring lead turn, Rent-A-Pal delivers an alarming kind of origin story. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Directed by: #ColinHickey Written by: #ColinHickey Starring: #ShaneCorcoran, #LiamCotter, #OrlaGleeson Film Review by Lucy Clarke Stills from this film would not look out of place next to Rembrandt’s The Night Watch in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. Nor would it look out of place in the Louvre, sharing a room with the Mona Lisa. Colin Hickey’s film stretches the limitations presented by narrative films and every pixel of The Evening Redness in the South shines with artistic quality. A cement mixer churns and dominates the lives of the men working on the building site in modern-day Ireland. These men are like the cathedral builders of old, doomed to construct forever, but they will never see the final product. These men would not look out of place in a highly detailed landscape piece by John Constable. But, the tones of 19th-century realism are calmed down by the abstract sky, which shares hints of Turner and O’Keefe. This artistic treasure is a tone-poem. It’s genuinely experimental and is not restricted by dialogue. Each shot seems to be conjured out of oil paints and charcoal, and the sounds that we hear – from the scraping of cement to a baby’s cry - come together to create the noise of life. This film is the illustrated story of the workers on the building site, and their lives, hopes and dreams. While the visuals are beautiful, from a hand moving slowly across the flat blue expanse of sky, or blue curls of smoke fanning out in a black room, the visuals are not the only important aspect of Hickey’s work. The wordless sound design creates a living orchestra. From the noises associated with the building site, to music only found in cathedrals, what you hear is just about as important as what you see. Whether it’s water lapping, breathing or simply walking, it is exciting to notice how vital the little sounds are, and how intentionally these sounds are brought to the foreground. This is a story which – welcomely - forgoes the restraints of a three-act structure. There aren’t any rules and regulations here. This film could make its home on a big screen, but it could also find a life illuminated on the walls of an art gallery. However, in this poetic mish-mash of hopes, dreams and experiences, this certainly is a case where style over substance dominates. While it is undoubtedly breathtakingly beautiful, it is a few steps away from a masterpiece. Unlike a similarly experimental film, like Tarkovsky’s Mirror, The Evening Redness in the South occasionally lacks that emotional heart and depth to really propel it to greatness. This is a film which truly elevates the art of filmmaking. Each still could easily be hung from a wall, and no one would guess it came from a moving picture rather than the end of an artist’s brush. It is clear that filmmaker, Colin Hickey, is a true artist. Although prone to dip into moments of pretension, watching this film is like seeing cinema rise anew.

★★★★ Directed by: #AdelinGasana Written by: Adelin Gasana and #LolaKayode Documentary Film Review by: Corey Bulloch “I mean, seriously, how often do you really look at a man's shoes?” I think about that quote from Shawshank Redemption every once in a while, its a great moment that reveals the hidden details right in front of us but also how it reflects on how little I care about the quality of my footwear. I usually wear my worn-out sneakers or my worn-out boots, they’re both scuffed and I won’t replace them until the soles have worn off cause the duct tape just ain’t cutting it no more. For me, it doesn’t matter how my shoes look cause who’s really looking? No one, cause usually we’re looking at a different pair of shoes. High on Heels, this jam-packed and informative documentary short from Adelin Gasana and Lola Kayode asks this question from the female perspective, and the answer, of course, is - a lot. Gasana and Kayode cast a wide net in their research and examination of modern culture’s relationship with high heel footwear and how it has branched into many facets of our society. Dozens of interviews with fashion designers, dancers, models, doctors, and academics, combined with a variety of access has the audience tuned in to the conscious and subconscious influence of the high heel. You definitely leave the film having learned a lot, my favourite section was historian Lisa Small’s lecture on how high heels transformed from a practical accessory for Persian cavalrymen to a symbol of aristocracy in 17th century France and evolving into a contemporary sex symbol for women. No stone feels unturned but the film maintains a positive outlook throughout mainly focusing on the empowerment heels can provide for women. It’s about how the heel can be an expression of one’s self and how these different environments can all be seen through a positive outlook. High on Heels doesn’t condemn certain viewpoints or try and shame, it does highlight gender differences in how heels are seen as a “sacrifice for beauty”, doctors speak of pain and injuries that come with wearing heels but it all feels educational. The impact on the youth is also explored with insights into modelling classes, toy lines, and how efforts are being made to change the perception of the high heel stereotype. Its no longer about the sexualisation of women for a man’s world but rather an instrument for their own identity in whatever way that woman wishes to be seen, sexual or otherwise. That initial impression you have on this topic going in is quickly shattered by how the film engrosses the audience with its variety of information, despite the lack of debate within the film it’s successful it creating an interest in the topic beyond the viewing. The documentary doesn’t have a specific narrative, more of a sporadic structure moving from tangent to tangent, giving the audience a broad understanding of all these perspectives. It can be a little distracting in how the topics change and Gasana and Kayode don’t find a way to tie all of their threads together for a thematic resolution but the entertainment and educational factor doesn’t fade. There are some minor technical issues with presentation and audio but High on Heels remains constantly engaging and well-paced, a terrific forum of opinions no matter your knowledge on women’s shoes. Trailer: #CoreyBulloch #documentaryfillm #indiefilm #shortfilm

Filmmaker Interview by Chris Olson You're a writer and producer from Austin Texas. Why did you pursue these aspects of filmmaking? Actually, I started out acting. I was in college at Texas Tech University and was cast in a commercial for The New York Bagel Cafe. That was the first time I worked in front of the camera. It was fun. We filmed at the restaurant and our second location was at a house in the suburbs. The second time, I was cast in The Alamo with Billy Bob Thornton and Dennis Quad. That movie was shot in Austin, Dripping Springs area, and Bastrop. I was an extra and played a rich politician. On that film, I really saw the process and learning about big-budget filmmaking. Growing up in Houston I would go to the cinema a lot during the weekends with my friends and family and always asked myself; How are these made? I knew there were actors and directors, but I wasn't thinking about me having a chance to write them. I was always good in English class and could write well. When I got to college, the professors taught us that there were different forms of writing. So, I began to write a screenplay. It wasn't the best, but I was learning how to craft a film script. When I moved to Austin, I crafted a #shortfilm that got produced, people liked it and it was inspiring enough for me to continue writing. Producing was something I learned during the making of my first short film. I love the idea of overseeing a project. From the pre-production; funding, hiring actors and crew, making the shooting schedule and call times, marketing and post-production for a film. I found it all to be fun and it's all a learning process. Having sold three short films and had movies sell internationally too, what's your process when trying to find an audience for a film? This process can be a little tricky. Whenever I speak with other #filmmakers about their projects, they always say to me that they want to go to Sundance or Cannes. I'm always encouraging, but really I'm thinking good luck. If you break it down, those festivals are the two biggest festivals in the world. Every filmmaker wants to take their projects there. So, for my films, you think of a strategy. Why go to the biggest film festivals when you can go to the smaller ones and get in? Possibly even win an award? That's where my thinking was. So, I made a list and we took our film to Worldfest - Houston, and a few other festivals. We got in and won awards for them. My first two short films, Crisis, and The Last Catch, both very different movies, won a lot of accolades. I told myself If we have two awards, we're in the driver's seat. So, I ended up sending one of the films to a distribution company in Germany, and after two days, they told us no. I was fine with it. I knew there's a lot of distribution companies around. I finally took Crisis to Shorts International. I didn't hear from them for months, so I kind of thought, okay this one is done. Before I knew it, Jenny Hayden, who was the acquisitions executive at the time, saw the film and really liked it. She made us a distribution offer on those two films, Crisis and The Last Catch. It was great to see your work get out there and the deal was to have it play on television on the Shorts HD network. I would advise any producer to come up with a strategy to sell your film, but really know what type of genre your film is in. The moment the film wraps and marketing and post-production start. I would sit down alone and watch the first cut of the movie. Don't watch it with anyone else because people usually like to pass judgement on it. Watch it, know what you have, and come up with a selling plan. Given the rise of streaming platforms, access to filmmaking equipment, and globalisation in general, where do you see the filmmaking business going in the next few years? In the early days, it was harder to make a film. You would need access to equipment and most likely have to save up money from a job or raise it in some sort of fashion in order to have everything work. Now, in these times, cameras are everywhere. You can film an ad or a movie on your phone. If you still want the film to look slick with great actors in your movie, you would still need a budget. The great thing is there's so many distribution outlets out there, right now, like airlines, streaming services, websites, television. We are in the information superhighway. They say the highest percentage of audiences right now are streaming services and that makes sense. A lot of people love to stay home relax, have a bottle of wine, and put on a great movie. Will it destroy the movie theatre experience? Time will tell. There's still a lot to be said for going out with your partner and seeing the movie on the big screen, with surround sound and laughing or crying with strangers there. Movie theatres make most of their income by concessions. In the next ten years, we'll see... There might not be as many movie theatres around because people are staying home to watch great content. For the filmmakers, it's good for us because there are many different avenues to sell our movies and have them be seen. What advice would you give to someone just starting out as a writer and/or producer? For anyone who wants to be a writer or producer, is that you have to learn the process. There are many different forms of writing. If you want to write features, read scripts on features. My personal favourite to read and get a good sense of dialogue and structure is Good Will Hunting by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and Pulp Fiction by Quinton Tarantino. Both are amazing to learn from. For TV scripts read pilots for one hour and sitcoms. Both are very different, sitcoms are broken down into a three-act structure and one-hour scripts for an episodic series is broken into a five-act structure. Also, always keep writing, your first script will not sell, most likely, but the idea is your reading and writing scripts. It's working the muscle and practising. The more you practice the more you'll be better at it. For producing, take a class for it, intern on a set, or become an assistant for a producer. Understand how a project gets off the ground and how to oversee it. You'll have to learn about managing actors' times and budgets, scheduling the shooting, lockdown locations, make sure the director gets his or her shots, and make sure to wrap the film on time and on budget. Producing is all planning and it's a race to the finish line, but if you learn to love it then it's not work, but really fun to do. Why do you make movies? Adrian Lyne once said I prefer movies that scar. If they leave the theatre and are still talking about the movie, he has done his job. That's how I feel. I had a conversation with a filmmaker at a party and told him that if that audience leaves the film and they forget about it within seconds, I think I failed as a filmmaker, but if I can get them to have a conversation as to what the film was really trying to say, then I've done my job. There are many different genres, if you make a horror or thriller film, then the idea is to present them with what's bad in the world...make them feel scared, but they know their safe. If you're making a comedy, the idea is to make them get away from the pressures of life and get them to laugh and relax. You're selling an emotion a feeling that hopefully the audience won't forget and could learn from. What's next for you? I'm writing my next script called; The Place That Bonds Us. It very much has to do with today's time. It's about a man and a woman who have been great friends since childhood, but one of them posts something political on social media and the two get into an argument. The next day, she invites him over and they talk through their problems. She takes him to a very special place. The place where they first met. We have a director and we're talking with actors. It's my tear-jerker of a film. Where can people see your films? Crisis and The Last Catch are playing on the Shorts HD network on DirecTv and AT&T U-Verse. Those films are playing in Europe, Middle East, United States, and Africa. The Eyes On Me is playing at streaming services for Xerb TV. What would you say if you were a dolphin? If I was a dolphin, I would say welcome to the sea, come watch a movie with us. Lol. #ChrisOlson

★★★★ Directed by: Asad Panjwani Written by: Asad Panjwani Starring: Abby Mcleod, Asad Panjwani and Nathan Joseph Short Film Review by: Rachel Pullen Cheater Film Review Ah affairs, a fun way to pass the time, cause damage and ruin a collection of people’s lives, for god’s sake just go to a swingers club at least then your significant other can have some fun to. Either way, falling victim to the sexual needs of your genitals can lead to some tragic, as well as comedic events, oh and if you hadn't of clocked on yet, the theme of today’s movie is cheating...yay. Short film Cheater, written and directed by Asad Panjwani, gets right to the point, and that point is drama. Drama is abounding, as our disgruntled lover holds a gun to the head of his sleeping girlfriend in bed with another man, he is brimming with rage, sadness, and confusion, I mean who is this guy? Why is he snoring so loud? Maybe get him one of those nose strips. The girlfriend, after waking to a gun in her face (a relaxing way to great the day for sure) tries to calm him down, we feel her frantic energy as she throws excuse after excuse out, we can see her trying to desperately relieve a tense moment...one that is about to get worse. Once the lover awakes he uses his power brain and convinces the boyfriend that they are adopted brother and sister...yeah, but to everyone’s surprise, including myself, the character falls for it and it’s not long before the pair are able to devise a plan to escape the hostage situation. The story is obviously familiar, we have all seen the classic cheating scandal play out on soap operas, so we know what to expect, but director Asad Panjwani makes a smart choice to enable his short film to stand out from the drama crowd: the use of comedy. This short is described as an action-comedy, and while the “action” may be a bit of a descriptive stretch, the comedy is not; this short has some genuine laughs in it, and with excellent timing and execution, Panjwani manages to turn a tense and dramatic moment into an approachable and enjoyable watch. Despite clearly operating on a small budget, the filmmakers have managed to produce a film that ticks the boxes of quality. Lighting and sound are consistent, acting it a little hammy, but that's kind of the point considering all the action and comedy flying around, and the flow and direction of the story is strong, all making for a fun and enjoyable watch. Now if you will excuse me, I’m off to my swingers club night. #RachelPullen