#indie-film

#indie-film

Paper Bag Plan: Oakland native Anthony Lucero's exceptional follow-up to his indie sweetheart East Side Sushi will likewise melt hearts and sooth aching souls. Lucero's beautiful film is filled with empathy, insight and compassion as functioning alcoholic dad Oscar (Lance Kinsey, giving one of the most graceful performances of the year) seeks ways to make his quick-witted 25-year-old disabled son Billy (Cole Massie, in a phenomenal performance) more self-sufficient due to his own dire health diagnosis.

Writer/director James Sweeney's "Twinless" took the 2025 Sundance Film Festival by storm. This mordant delight - about two young men who befriend one another in a support group for people who've lost a twin - whipped the Eccles theater into a frenzy with its cuttingly dark laughs and unexpected plot twists. Sweeney's second feature, in which he stars opposite Dylan O'Brien who plays twins Rocky and Roman, also made headlines when sex scenes involving the two actors were leaked online by social media users

In just its second year in existence, The Popcorn List - a survey of acclaimed ( but still undistributed) feature films that debuted at major or regional film festivals over the past year and come highly recommended by festival programmers - is already taking a big step forward. Next month, the creators of the list will host various pop up screening events, both at theaters and virtually, to show off the very same films they've been championing. The Pop Up Series includes eight films from the 2025 list - seven from first-time feature directors, six directed by women, three documentaries, and five fiction features - and will not only provide a space for eager audiences to see this stellar films, but will also offer a unique model for both promotion and profit.

Sydney Sweeney portrays Penny Jo Poplin in Americana, a waitress dreaming of Nashville, against the backdrop of her ascent from HBO star to movie icon.

Kayci Lacob’s debut feature, 'Everything to Me,' is a self-distributed film reflecting on the complexity of growing up in Silicon Valley during the tech boom.

In the fictional world of a vertical drama, a romantic breakup can be your entire life. "There's nothing else for you to move on from. There's no future for you anymore. Everything's ruined," Mattox explains.

"A lot of these states are getting these credit programs. Some people call it a race to the bottom, and I get that. But I'm from here and I'm telling you we have a chance to make really something cool."

Hollywood's upcoming summer lineup showcases a mixture of sequels and original works, emphasizing the ease of franchising when the content feels fresh, amidst a sea of remakes.

Lily McInerny reveals her reserved childhood led her to storytelling through acting, which evolved from a love of fantasy and influences from her family.