We have campaigns from Los Angeles to Philadelphia this time around. There’s even a feature from South Korea on the list! As indie filmmakers figure out how to shoot their films in a safe fashion, let’s give them an extra boost this month.
Distance
Seri DeYoung (American Horror Story, S.W.A.T.) directs Distance from a script by Daphne Fischer (This Just In, Triangles) about a bond between two estranged sisters. A road trip filled with dark humor and drama, Distance is bound to go the distance.
Black Enough S2
Season 2 of the web series Black Enough is continuing its mission of putting voices of color both behind and in front of the camera. Its story focuses on Amaya, a dancer searching for her own identity through her art at the mostly white Weston College. Micah Ariel Watson (40th & State) writes and directs.
Earthshine & Night Glow
Written and directed by Theresa Eschbacher (Libertad), Earthshine and Night Glow are a pair of shorts about a refugee and a romance, respectively. Eschbacher feels that filmmaking fulfills a need to “look for understanding, ask for understanding, and provide understanding.”
Wilmington on Fire: Chapter II
A sequel to the acclaimed documentary Wilmington on Fire from director/producer Christopher Everett, Wilmington on Fire: Chapter II looks at individuals in the community who are working to restore their city to its former glory prior to the Wilmington Massacre of 1898. White supremacy has lasting effects that can be reversed through activism, art, education, and reparation. Wilmington on Fire: Chapter II shows us how.
Rebuilding Butte: Tiny Homes for Camp Fire Survivors
The Camp Fire was California’s deadliest, destroying several communities in Butte County. Hundreds of volunteers with no construction experience banded together to build tiny homes to give victims of the fire a new place to live. Director Amanda Lipp, who has made over 50 documentary shorts on mental health and social impact since she was a teenager, was inspired to shoot Tiny Homes for Camp Fire Survivors after volunteering as a builder.
Lessons with Martha
Matthew C. Johnson (Beerfest: Thirst for Victory) writes, directs, and produces this personal film inspired by his changing relationship with his grandmother after he got older and she got dementia. Starring Gwen Hillier (Transparent) and Blake Cooper Griffin (Super Shark, Preacher), Lessons with Martha is a moving drama with a lot of warmth.
‘MOLKA’ (몰카)
‘MOLKA’ (몰카) is a documentary that exposes how digital sex crime and rape culture in South Korea are intertwined. Director Anissa Rockefeller (Help Animals Please!, Nuestro Muro) aims to draw mainstream awareness to how modern digital technologies can perpetuate abuse.
PONY
Halo Rossetti, a nonbinary writer/director, brings us PONY, a short film about Zoe, an at-risk trans youth. Set in the late-90s, PONY details the challenges of uncovering one’s gender at a time when trans representation in the media was barely visible and often harmful. Rossetti aims to make this an LGBTQ story that’s both accurate and enlivening.
MOTHMAN: An Anti-Hate Superhero Comedy
Kemari Bryan (Brina, Sad Clown) directs Mothman: An Anti-Hate Superhero Comedy from a script co-written with Michael Newman (Libations). A hopeful and humorous take on the superhero genre, Mothman has a student don a secret identity as Mothman to rid his campus of political injustice.
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