*Year 8 was meant to begin in June 2020 but we’re currently on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more about where we stand in 2021 and our future plans, see this blog post: http://www.congestedcat.com/blog/5h6rucbl9vaigdhzthy7xlhi9ycqzx.
IndieWorks is run by CongestedCat Productions, an NYC-based independent film production company. Through IndieWorks, we screen short films produced by emerging New York based filmmakers one Tuesday out of every month. It provides a platform for those filmmakers to showcase their work in front of an audience, network with other creators in the local community, and engage in thoughtful discussions about their creative intentions behind the work. We aim to create an inclusive and inspiring environment that will spark collaboration and support. *We only consider submissions from current NY Tristate Area filmmakers.*
We host a screening one Tuesday out of every month of approximately 5 short films, followed by thoughtful & personalized Q&A sessions with all the featured filmmakers. There's never an entry fee, so bring all your friends and film enthusiasts for watching and mingling over drinks and food.
Testimonial Reel: https://vimeo.com/336487267
Our annual season is June - March. April is our annual Best of Fest, which wraps up the year by re-screening the winning films of the season and creating an overall celebratory atmosphere. Year 7 began in June 2019.
Year 7 Screening Dates (2019-2020):
June 25th (Pride Month)
July 30th
August 20th
September 17th
October 29th (Halloween Special!)
November 19th
December 10th
January 14th
February 11th
March 10th
April 21st (7th Annual Best of Fest)
We judge films for acceptance by rating them from 1-10 in terms of 8 categories. The scored categories are: Story, Dialogue/Writing, Direction, Acting, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, and Production Value (with budget constraints considered- more in terms of art direction and those little touches that show pre-production efforts). That scoring system determines whether or not a film gets put in a definite yes, maybe, or definite no list. We try to notify the filmmakers asap, as we know what it's like to wait months and months just to hear disappointing news. The maybe's get held and discussed to see how they fit in with the thematic patterns we're finding for each month as we program the definite yes films. Originality, inclusion and representation play a large role in these discussions, as we are a series devoted to highlighting story and mission over flashy names and budgets. Each month, one film wins the Silver Whiskers Award, our version of the 'Best of Fest' award, and another wins the Audience Choice Award. The Silver Whiskers winner is selected by CongestedCat Productions team members through a combination of our scoring system and extensively nuanced discussion.
Audience Choice is voted upon by the audience in attendance at each series. If the planned Silver Whiskers winner also wins Audience Choice, the Audience Choice award will be given to the film that had the second highest audience votes. Both the Silver Whiskers & Audience Choice winning filmmakers will be interviewed and featured on the CongestedCat Productions site and through social media in our Insider Series. We want to help YOU reach an audience!
Each Silver Whiskers winner will go on to screen at our Best of Fest annual screening and be eligible for the Golden Whiskers Award & other Category Awards, which come along with monetary prizes from our sponsors.