Sunny Days Ahead
Shorts, Sales and Dark Matter
“Don't let anyone keep you down for silly reasons such as who you are. And don't worry about prizes and fame. The real prize is finding something new out there.”
- Vera C. Rubin, a pioneering astronomer
Happy Friday! We made it…another week closer to the future.
I'm writing to you from Palm Springs where I’m serving on the Best of the Fest jury for the Palm Springs International ShortFest which runs from June 24-30, 2025. For those that don’t know, this festival is one of the largest showcases of short-form cinema in North America and it's Academy Award, BAFTA and Goya-qualifying.
It screens over 300 shorts from approximately 60 countries and gives $25,000 in cash prizes, including five Academy Award-qualifying awards.
Alongside filmmakers Cooper Raiff (Cha Cha Real Smooth) and Caroline Lindy (Your Monster), I'll be helping select the winner from what promises to be an incredible lineup.
Shorts are notoriously hard and a necessary calling card for filmmakers. They all pour so much into their films, so it’s an honor and a responsibility I don’t take lightly. This business can be brutal sometimes, but getting to champion filmmakers who are betting on themselves renews my faith in storytelling.
Big Day For California
Lawmakers approved the expansion of the California Film & TV Tax Credit Program, increasing funding from $330M to $750M. There is a vote in the Senate today that will finalize the bill. It should pass and create more local jobs by keeping film production in the state.
I’ll be keeping a close eye on Sacramento and eager for the outcome.
Meanwhile, here is the list of 48 projects receiving the tax incentive.
“These projects, which include 43 independent films, are collectively expected to hire 6,515 cast and crew members, as well 32,000 background performers (measured in days worked), across 1,346 total California filming days.”
Highlights from this round of awards
Five major studio features, including Sony Pictures’ “One of Them Days Sequel” — the latest film produced by Issa Rae — which alone is projected to spend more than $39 million in qualified expenditures.
Six independently produced features with budgets over $10 million, such as “Gold Mountain,” “The Teller,” and “They Follow,” all of which plan to film primarily outside of the Los Angeles area.
37 independent projects with budgets of $10 million or less, contributing to the state’s goal of expanding access to underrepresented filmmakers and promoting more inclusive storytelling.
Throwing it back to my chat live from SXSW with two producers who have exciting news to share!
Elle Roth-Brunet’s romantic comedy ‘I Really Love My Husband’ was acquired by Entertainment Squad for U.S. Release. Writer-director G.G. Hawkins’ film deals with the complexities of modern love over the course of a catastrophic honeymoon.
We all know the road to indie films is filled with rejection, false starts, and dead ends. It’s no easy feat, and even more impressive that this Elle’s first feature as a capital P producer out the gate. The film premiered to rave reviews at one of the top North American festivals and then sold worldwide rights to the boutique firm founded by Shaked Berenson. Not. Too. Shabby.
Elle has exceptional taste, a discerning eye, and I’m genuinely proud to call her a friend (and future collaborator!) Anyone who gets to work with her is one lucky duck.
Mark Ankner is a “hetero cis male who identifies as a he/him and thinks women should rule the world.” His words, not mine. He also produced PONYBOI, which world premiered at Sundance 2024 to rave reviews and is coming to select theaters this weekend.
Written by River Gallo and directed by Esteban Arango, this thriller film is a cinematic breakthrough which explores the cost of living authentically.
The feature is based on the 2019 short film of the same name. It stars Gallo, Dylan O'Brien, Victoria Pedretti, Murray Bartlett and Indya Moore.
Unfolding over the course of Valentine's Day in New Jersey, a young intersex sex worker must run from the mob after a drug deal goes sideways, forcing him to confront his past.
Catch it in select theaters and stream it July 4–22 on Gathr TVOD.
Keep creating, keep hustling.
And as always, thanks for doing this life thing with me!
🎞️ YouTube / 🎧 Spotify / 🍏 Apple Podcasts
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