The Weekend
A lonely man takes in a beautiful drifter for a weekend after discovering her dark secret.
The Weekend, a quiet and stunning debut by director Dennis Cahlo, has gone on to 47 film festivals and won 30 film awards. Packed with brilliant performances and subtle storytelling, The Weekend is a touching piece of short cinema that truly reveals the human condition.
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Dennis CahloDirector
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Dennis CahloWriter
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Danielle GuldinWriter
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Taso MikroulisWriter
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Dennis CahloProducer
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Danielle GuldinProducer
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Taso MikroulisProducer
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Danielle GuldinKey CastAlmost Mercy
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Taso MikroulisKey Cast
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:20 minutes
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Completion Date:January 1, 2016
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Hang On To Your ShortsAsbury Park, NJ
United States
May 21, 2017
Best Director Long Short -
New York City International Film FestivalNew York, NY
United States
April 28, 2016
New York Premiere
Best Actress In A Short Film -
Chain NYC Film FestivalNew York
United States
August 14th, 2016
Best Actress In A Short Film -
New Filmmakers New YorkNew York
United States
August 17, 2016 -
LAIFFLos Angeles
United States
First Time Filmmaker -
Ouchy Film AwardsLausanne
Switzerland
Best Director -
Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film FestivalHollywood, CA
United States
Award Of Recognition -
Best Shorts CompetitionLa Jolla, CA
United States
Award Of Excellence -
The Accolade Global Film CompetitionLa Jolla, CA
Award Of Excellence Film Short -
Direct Online Monthly Film FestivalOnline Only
Romania
June 1, 2016
Best Director Of A Short Film June 2016 -
Cannes Film Festival Marche Du FilmCannes
France
May 12, 2016 -
The Set NYCNew York
United States
June 20, 2016 -
Roma CinedocRome
Italy
Best International Short Film -
Honolulu Film AwardsOahu, Hawaii
United States
May 5, 2017
Best First Time Director -
Atlas & AerisBoston, MA
United States
Best Drama Film -
Brightside Tavern Short Film FestivalJersey City, NJ
United States
March 5, 2017
Best Director Short Film -
Largo Film Awards
August 1, 2016
Best Film -
Auckland International Film FestivalAuckland
New Zealand
Best Actress -
Grove Film FestivalJersey City
United States
Best Actor -
IMFF
Best Drama Short -
International New York Film FestivalNew York
United States
Merit Award -
Festigious Film Festival
Honorable Mention First Time Director -
NYC Indie Film AwardsNew York
United States
Best Director Platinum Award -
Canada Shorts
Award Of Excellence -
INYFF
Award Of Merit -
Global Shorts
Special Mention Award -
Hollywood Film CompetitionHollywood
United States
Award Of Excellence Best Short Film, Award Of Excellence Best Director -
HIMPFFHollywood
United States
Award Of Recognition -
Northeast Film FestivalNew Jersey
United States -
Hope Film Awards
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American Filmmatic Arts Awards
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Woodengate IFF
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Garden City International Film Festival
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New York Sun FestNew York
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Bucharest Film AwardsBucharest
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Phenicien International Film FestivalParis, France
Camera D'Or Honorable Mention -
Top Shorts
Best Actress -
Atlas Awards International Film Festival
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The Short Film Awards
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Bucharest Shortcut Cinefest
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Neu World International Film Festival
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Reel Recovery Film FestivalNew Jersey
Best Hope Film -
Paris Play Film FestivalParis, France
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Los Angeles CinefestLos Angeles, CA
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Best Film Awards
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Amarcord Chicago Arthouse & Television AwardsChicago, IL
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TMFF
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The Set NYC Monthly ScreeningsNew York, NY
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Endless Mountains Film Festival
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The Monkey Bread Tree Awards
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OIFF
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Move Me Productions Online Film Festival
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Global Shorts
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New York State International Film Festival
Semi Finalist -
Hollywood Screenings Film Festival
Semi-Finalist -
Winchester Short Film Festival
Semi-Finalist
Distribution Information
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Amazon PrimeCountry: WorldwideRights: Internet, Video on Demand
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Shorts TVCountry: WorldwideRights: Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Paid TV
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Sofy TVCountry: WorldwideRights: Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Paid TV
Dennis Cahlo began his life on Staten Island, or what most New Yorkers call "The Armpit Of New York". Quickly realizing after 20 years of living there that he didn't fit in, Dennis moved to Manhattan in late 1999 and toured the world with his band The Realistics. They fought too much, never made it in the biz, and eventually broke up but not before leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
Dennis then meandered for many years until he picked up photography which eventually became his main vocation and inevitably led to the moving image. In late 2015 Dennis made a quiet, low budget short film called "The Weekend" based on actual events that happened to him and it went on to win 35 awards and was accepted into 45 film festivals.
Seeing that this might be something he should continue to do, he followed up "The Weekend" with "Death (And Disco Fries)" a light hearted and touching romantic comedy that he wrote, directed, produced, and stars in. It is currently making the rounds on the festival circuit.
What's in store next for Dennis? Who knows. But it's bound to be good.
The Weekend is really special to me. Not because I made it, but what it represents.
I set out on a seemingly impossible mission. I had no budget, no crew, one camera, and a lot of heart. I was determined. We found Taso our lead actor who loved the story so much he worked for free. We filmed it in three days. I edited it in two. We started entering it into festivals and got a lot of rejections. I started feeling really beat up. But Danielle, bless her enthusiasm, kept telling me "KEEP GOING. I know it's a great film. So do you. No doesn't mean anything." So we kept submitting.
And finally we got a yes.
The New York City International Film Festival gave us Official Selection. Danielle won a best actress award. And then we took the movie to the Cannes Film Festival for Marche Du Film where a small but wonderful audience nearly gave our little movie a standing ovation. Since then we have earned 9 official selections in total and are waiting to hear back for more. And just recently we won the Accolade Global Competition's Award Of Excellence for a Film Short.
I'm not telling you this to brag, boast, or give myself a high five. Nor am I justifying that any amount of awards or selections makes my movie a brilliant work of staggering genius. I'm telling you this because The Weekend and it's small successes did more than what I thought it would do. It's inspiring our friends to make art by any means necessary. It's helping to promote true independent spirit. It's turning NO into YES. And I cherish every moment it does.
Whether you accept us into your prestigious festival or not, I thank you. I thank you for yet another opportunity to showcase our film and for watching it