Ladies and gentlemen, LUKI AND THE LIGHTS is an animated short film with a message. A teaching tool to explain to children who’s parent or friend has ALS and what does it mean if someone has ALS. LUKI & THE LIGHTS shares a charming and touching story of a robot named LUKi who is slowly starting to malfunction. But even with the struggles ahead, LUKi demonstrates unwavering resilience, painting a vivid portrait of what it means to truly live and the power to find light even in the darkest...

The main character in STOMACH IT, Joel (Jon Lee Richardson), fixates on objects left behind by the deceased such as a toy horse at an accidental shooting or a colorful toy at an overdose. Joel tries to detach by turning photos around, disposing of final meals, covering photos on mirrors, and covering personal objects like stuffed animals, but it doesn’t work. Joel has an incredibly difficult time trying to digest his trauma. STOMACH IT explores what happens when a sensitive soul struggles to...

Ladies and gentlemen, Jamie O’Rourke’s Oscar-qualifying and IFTA winning short CALF, is about a sinister farm accident and eaves Cáit, the daughter with a terrible decision to make. CALF touches on its central theme of domestic abuse in a sensitive and considered manner and is a poignant exploration of shock, grief and trauma that delivers much-deserved catharsis. It poses tough questions for the audience. But there are never easy answers when a family is in the grip of abuse. CALF has it all...

Ladies and gentlemen, the short film ENDLING is told in a fictional documentary style, this charming film follows a documentary crew as they interview Richard (Dennis Dun), the man responsible for taking care of Pao Pao, the last surviving goldfish on earth. I love short films like ENDLING. They don’t follow any rules and the level of creativity is off the charts fun and endearing. This film is so enjoyable to watch, because we all know it’s fiction without having to be dramatic, sad,...

Ladies and gentlemen, HAMDARDI is a thrilling masterpiece of a short film. It’s longer than most at 25 minutes, but every minute mattered. Ashley Tabatabai tells the story of Ethan, a bereaved immigration officer struggling with his role in the system after meeting a young Iranian brother and sister detained during the travel ban. This short film has the feel of a high quality feature film. This film has the story, the acting, perfect casting and the cinematography is so good, nothing was...

Pitof (Comar) started his career in 1976 as photographer, assistant director and editor for films and commercials. He then branched out into musical scoring, software design and graphic design for television, music videos and commercials. He is a pioneer of digital imaging in France, Pitof made his debut in visual effects in 1986. And a co-founder of Duran Duboi the digital post production company leader in France. Pitof then achieved the first French software for digital visual effects used...

Ladies and gentlemen, UNSER KIND is an Oscar-qualifying short film about a Swiss couple who are expecting a child through surrogacy in The Republic of Georgia when questions about their baby's health arise. There are many couples around the world who can’t have children. If you desire to know about surrogacy and if it’s right for you. You need to do your homework and learn everything about it. The legalities as well as the emotional toll it could be on both the parents and the...

My guests today are Irish filmmakers Luke and Jake Morgan. Their films have screened at festivals all over the world - from South Africa and Japan, the USA to Ireland's premiere festivals. Luke was the winner of the "Best Director" award at Worcester Film Festival for 2021 and 2022, nominated for the Discovery Award at the Dublin International Film Festival in 2020. He is also an award-winning published poet. Jake Morgan is a composer, conductor and producer from Ireland who specializes in...

Multi Award Winning Producer/Director and Series Producer Francis Whately, who has over 30 years’ experience in high-end & award-winning documentaries for major TV broadcasters on both sides of the Atlantic, including the BBC, HBO, Netflix, A&E, Showtime, Discovery and PBS.   His hugely diverse range of films cover Music, Arts, History, Current Affairs, Sports, Science and Business.  Highlights include the award winning and highly acclaimed feature trilogy ‘David Bowie – Five Years’,...

We discuss his Oscar-qualified, Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winning short film THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT. Ladies and gentlemen, Nebosha Slijepčević’s Oscar-qualified, Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winning short film THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT is based on a true story that happened in 1993 of a passenger train traveling from Belgrade to Bar when it is stopped by paramilitary forces in an ethnic cleansing operation. There we meet the man who quite literally could...

Award-winning creator of some of the most popular animated TV series of our time, including Babar, Little Bear, The Adventures of Tintin, Berenstain Bears, Franklin, The Magic School Bus, Beetlejuice, Inspector Gadget, and Arthur to name a few. Michael Hirsh has written a tell-all book Animation Nation: How We Built A Cartoon Empire, featuring untold stories of the making of some of the most cherished cartoons of all time. All in all, Michael Hirsh produced and created over 6,000 episodes of...

My guests today are Ally Condrath and Jake Mann. They are part of Dinner for One, a comedy collective and writing team along with Ian Wexler and Kyle Miller.  The team writes and produces all projects in-house ranging from indie television to short films, digital content and live sketch comedy. They've performed at the TBS New York Comedy Festival, Upright Citizen's Brigade and headlined sketch festivals across the US.  Dinner for One has been praised as "the funniest, most inventive sketch...

Founder and former Chairman/CEO of Abrams Artists Agency, Harry Abrams, who always knew that he wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry as a talent agent. In 1958, he joined MCA Artists, which was then a talent agency. Started in the mailroom for forty dollars a week and quickly rose through the ranks. He remained at MCA until 1962, it was at this time that Mr. Abrams and an MCA co-worker decided to start their own specialized talent agency named Abrams-Rubaloff &...

Wwriter/director and actor Dan Abramovici began his career as an actor, most recently on projects such as Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, HBO’s  Jane, FX’s What We Do In The Shadows, and CBS’s Star Trek Discovery.  Dan sold his first feature film, the comedy BEN’S AT HOME to Netflix and then jumped behind the camera, writing and directing a series of short films, including the Academy-Qualifying PLAY IT AGAIN, as well as LIMINAL, STUCK, and his newest short, SPACEMAN.  SPACEMAN is sci-fi fantasy...

Karen Bryson's newest short film, Monochromatic is her directorial debut. Monochromatic is a very powerful film in which we are taken on a journey to walk in the shoes of a little girl and her mother during the late 1970s. Watching innocence fade as racism takes its toll. Actress/director Karen Bryson multi-award winning career spans over 25 years, across various multi-media platforms, both in front of the camera and more recently behind it. Karen was awarded an MBE in 2017 for her Services...

Ladies and gentlemen, KOUPEPIA is a short film where the main character Petros, a widowed Cypriot Man, attends his son’s engagement party although tolerant of his son’s homosexuality he is yet to be truly accepting of him. Over a bite of Koupepia, a traditional Cypriot delicacy, he meets Eleni - a British Cypriot Transgender Woman. The two appear to have nothing in common but bond over the food of their heritage reframing Petros’ relationship to his son, queer people and the Cypriot...

Ladies and gentlemen, Nazi occupied Norway is the setting of this heart-stopping short film ELSA, based on true events that happened to many Norwegian women during this time. Set in Oslo in 1945, this gripping tale explores a tense love triangle between a Norwegian civilian woman, her adoring neighbor and a German soldier. This compelling short is currently being developed into a feature film, which I can’t wait to see. As a filmmaker, director Rebecca King was selected as 'Ten Female...

My guest today is actress Jane Kaczmarek who stars in the short film AND NOW I LAY ME DOWN is on the festival circuit after premiering at Santa Barbara International Film Festival to rave reviews. And now appearing at this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival.   Best known for her role as Lois on television’s award winning MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, for which she received 7 consecutive Emmy nominations as well as several nominations for Golden Globe and SAG Awards, she also received the Television...

My guest today is multi-award winning writer/director Georgie Cowan-Turner. She was selected as a BAFTA Connect Member “in recognition of her contribution to the film industry and her promising career ahead”. She has been commissioned by the BBC, Northern Ireland Screen and BFI with her films screening in competition at BAFTA/BIFA qualifying film festivals. Her films were described as "the breath of a fresh, bold new voice” by the South London Film Festival and her writing as “original,...

Writer/Director/Producer Matthew Hazandras who specializes in narrative filmmaking. His directorial debut 'The Two Gambits' highlights his aptitude for intricate and deep storylines, giving time to build the audience, in a world worth remembering. The Two Gambits is a story of family, redemption and consequences. It’s about how sometimes a dark fate can lead people astray, and also, back together again. #matthewhazandras #filmmaking #filmmaker #thetwogambits #storylines #family #cinema...

My guest today is actor and author Van Quattro. Known for his roles in Fight Club, The Object, End of Days, The Big Thing, and, most recently, Out of Exile and Agnes. He has done many theater productions, along with several TV guest star appearances on shows like Picket Fences, Millennium, L.A. Doctors, ChicagoHope, and many more. In Dallas, he has been in the stage production of Superior Donuts at Theater Three, for which he shared the honor of "Actor of the Year" award with his co-star...

My guest today is filmmaker and actress Maia Scalia. Inspired by a true story, Maia Scalia’s directorial debut HIS MOTHER takes the viewer through a gripping and terrifying journey as a mother races to stop her son from doing the unthinkable. This riveting short highlights the complexities of being a mother of a child who commits a violent crime and broadens the ongoing dialogue around mental health and gun violence by offering a perspective that is so often silenced in social dialogue. As a...

My guests today are director/actor Derek Magyar, actress Marceline Hugot and actor Dylan McTee, and the very powerful short film RIVER OF GRASS. The short film, RIVER OF GRASS set in the 1970’s Florida Everglades that shares the story of a young veteran suffering from PTSD, who returns home to his drug smuggling family. His efforts to prove himself collide with his brothers’ criminal affairs, triggering his erratic behavior. The acting is exactly what you expect from its stellar cast, and...

My guests today are Writer/Director Emily Dhue and Writer/Producer/Actress Deana Taheri and their new short film BILL. Emily is one-third of the Space Fish Productions team and focuses her filmmaking on subjects that feel both urgent and honest. Her work has been recognized and screened by Virginia Film Festival, Atlanta Women's Film Festival and Chelsea Film Festival. Deana Taheri is known for her roles in "TRANSPLANT", "Blitz", "Piss Party", and for her audiobook work featured on major...

The legendary award-winning producer, director, Emmy winner and Golden Globe nominee, Steve Binder. Steve has written, produced, and directed dozens of television shows and TV specials. It was his creative and visionary talents that ushered in new ways to entertain television audiences across the globe. Steve Binder was a hidden talent working in the mailroom, until one man placed him in the director’s chair. And at the time with no experience. But that soon changed, and with each year he was...