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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.

  • Dennis Cahlo
    Director
  • Dennis Cahlo
    Writer
  • Danielle Guldin
    Writer
  • Taso Mikroulis
    Writer
  • Dennis Cahlo
    Producer
  • Danielle Guldin
    Producer
  • Taso Mikroulis
    Producer
  • Danielle Guldin
    Key Cast
    Almost Mercy
  • Taso Mikroulis
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2016
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Hang On To Your Shorts
    Asbury Park, NJ
    United States
    May 21, 2017
    Best Director Long Short
  • New York City International Film Festival
    New York, NY
    United States
    April 28, 2016
    New York Premiere
    Best Actress In A Short Film
  • Chain NYC Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    August 14th, 2016
    Best Actress In A Short Film
  • New Filmmakers New York
    New York
    United States
    August 17, 2016
  • LAIFF
    Los Angeles
    United States
    First Time Filmmaker
  • Ouchy Film Awards
    Lausanne
    Switzerland
    Best Director
  • Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival
    Hollywood, CA
    United States
    Award Of Recognition
  • Best Shorts Competition
    La Jolla, CA
    United States
    Award Of Excellence
  • The Accolade Global Film Competition
    La Jolla, CA
    Award Of Excellence Film Short
  • Direct Online Monthly Film Festival
    Online Only
    Romania
    June 1, 2016
    Best Director Of A Short Film June 2016
  • Cannes Film Festival Marche Du Film
    Cannes
    France
    May 12, 2016
  • The Set NYC
    New York
    United States
    June 20, 2016
  • Roma Cinedoc
    Rome
    Italy
    Best International Short Film
  • Honolulu Film Awards
    Oahu, Hawaii
    United States
    May 5, 2017
    Best First Time Director
  • Atlas & Aeris
    Boston, MA
    United States
    Best Drama Film
  • Brightside Tavern Short Film Festival
    Jersey City, NJ
    United States
    March 5, 2017
    Best Director Short Film
  • Largo Film Awards

    August 1, 2016
    Best Film
  • Auckland International Film Festival
    Auckland
    New Zealand
    Best Actress
  • Grove Film Festival
    Jersey City
    United States
    Best Actor
  • IMFF

    Best Drama Short
  • International New York Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    Merit Award
  • Festigious Film Festival

    Honorable Mention First Time Director
  • NYC Indie Film Awards
    New York
    United States
    Best Director Platinum Award
  • Canada Shorts

    Award Of Excellence
  • INYFF

    Award Of Merit
  • Global Shorts

    Special Mention Award
  • Hollywood Film Competition
    Hollywood
    United States
    Award Of Excellence Best Short Film, Award Of Excellence Best Director
  • HIMPFF
    Hollywood
    United States
    Award Of Recognition
  • Northeast Film Festival
    New Jersey
    United States
  • Hope Film Awards
  • American Filmmatic Arts Awards
  • Woodengate IFF
  • Garden City International Film Festival
  • New York Sun Fest
    New York
  • Bucharest Film Awards
    Bucharest
  • Phenicien International Film Festival
    Paris, France
    Camera D'Or Honorable Mention
  • Top Shorts

    Best Actress
  • Atlas Awards International Film Festival
  • The Short Film Awards
  • Bucharest Shortcut Cinefest
  • Neu World International Film Festival
  • Reel Recovery Film Festival
    New Jersey
    Best Hope Film
  • Paris Play Film Festival
    Paris, France
  • Los Angeles Cinefest
    Los Angeles, CA
  • Best Film Awards
  • Amarcord Chicago Arthouse & Television Awards
    Chicago, IL
  • TMFF
  • The Set NYC Monthly Screenings
    New York, NY
  • Endless Mountains Film Festival
  • The Monkey Bread Tree Awards
  • OIFF
  • Move Me Productions Online Film Festival
  • Global Shorts
  • New York State International Film Festival

    Semi Finalist
  • Hollywood Screenings Film Festival

    Semi-Finalist
  • Winchester Short Film Festival

    Semi-Finalist
Distribution Information
  • Amazon Prime
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet, Video on Demand
  • Shorts TV
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Paid TV
  • Sofy TV
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Paid TV
Director Biography - Dennis Cahlo

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.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

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