Official Selections: 23rd LA Indie Film Festivals
Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Complete Line-Up Below
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Use Index to learn more about each film.
Soul Proprietor
Los Angeles Premiere
Short
Soul Proprietor - He's in the business...... A priest gets more than he bargains for when he encounters multiple demons during an exorcism.
Director: Scott Riopelle
Producer: Scott Riopelle / Becca Donohoe
Writer: Scott Riopelle
Cast: Blair Williams, Tehya Silbermann
Cinematographer: Mark Peachey
Editor: Scott Riopelle
- Best Supernatural Short Winner (Chicago Horror Film Fest 2023)
- Best Director, Best Actor, Best Monster, Best Poster Nominee (Chicago Horror Film Fest 2023)
- Best Foreign Short Winner (Atlanta Horror Film Fest 2023)
- Best SFX Makeup Nominee (Horrorfest International 2023)
- Best Editing, Best SFX Makeup, Best Poster Nominee (Terror In the Bay Film Festival 2023)
- Selected for the opening gala at Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2023
Instagram: @soul_proprietor_short
Facebook: fb.com/pages/Soul-Proprietor-Short-Film/109099735438779/?locale=hi_IN
The Session Man: Nicky Hopkins
North America Premiere
Biopic Documentary Feature Film
“The Session Man”, a 90-minute documentary feature film, tells the story of Nicky Hopkins, the highly gifted and prolific session pianist. Over a stellar career that spanned 30 years he contributed to over 250 albums and a vast number of single releases. Over that period, he played with some of the greatest bands in the world.
It was Nicky’s legendary piano riffs and wonderful musical motifs helped ordinary tracks become extraordinary and iconic. So many of them still remain popular today. Tracks such as, “Revolution” by The Beatles; “Sympathy For The Devil” by The Rolling Stones; and “Jealous Guy” by John Lennon from his “Imagine” album.
In the Golden Era of Rock and Roll, Nicky Hopkins achieved two Grand Slams. He played on albums with The Kinks, The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. His second Grand Slam was playing on solo albums of all four members of the Beatles.
Nicky’s musical career spanned just over thirty years and during that time The Session Man’s narrator, Bob Harris, former presenter of the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test, had no hesitation at the end of the film in confirming that, “Nicky Hopkins’ contributions made him Rock and Roll’s greatest Session Man.”
Director: Michael Treen
Producers: Michael Treen, John Wood and Mike Sherman
Writer: Michael Treen
Narrator: Bob Harris (Ex BBC The Old Grey Whistle Test)
Cast: Albert Lee, Antonia Cipollina, Arthur Rochester, Benmont Tench, Bill Wyman, Billy Nicholls, Bro Paul Brown, Chris Kimsey, Chris Welch, Chuck Leavell, Dave Davies, Glyn Johns, Graham Parker, Gray Levett, Greg Phillinganes, Harry Shearer, Helen O’Hara, Jack Casady, Jim Keltner, Joe Tansin, John Goddard, Jorma Kaukonen, Julian Dawson (Nicky’s biographer – author of And on Piano... Nicky Hopkins), Keith Richards, Merrell Fankhauser, Mick Jagger, Mike Hurst, Mike McCartney, Moira Hopkins (Nicky’s widow), Morgan Fisher, Nils Lofgren, Paddy Milner, Pete Edmonds, Pete Sears, Pete Townshend, Peter Frampton, PP Arnold, Rory Kaplan, Sarah Sleet (CEO of Crohn’s & Colitis UK), Shel Talmy, Slim Jim Phantom, Terry Reid and Tom Speight.
Cinematographer: Luke Palmer
Editor: Ashley Scott
Music Consultant: Chris Kimsey
Story Consultants: Moira Hopkins and Julian Dawson
- Doc’n Roll Film Festival, London (Oct 23) – Shortlisted Best Film
- Berlin Independent Film Festival (Feb 24) – Best Low Budget Film
Website: thesessionmanfilm.com
Instagram: @sessionmanfilm
Twitter: @SessionManFilm
Facebook: fb.com/SessionManFilm
Still Life
US Premiere
Short
Natalie re-enacts a childhood memory in an attempt to come to terms with her mother's death.
Director: Konstantinos Doxiadis
Producer: Isabella Barkett, Konstantinos Doxiadis
Writer: Konstantinos Doxiadis
Cast: Tor Leijten, Annabel Leventon
Cinematographer: Louise Gholam
Editor: Natalia Gozdzik
Website: konstantinosdoxiadis.com
The Lift
World Premiere
Short
A reluctant retiree and a young woman escaping an abusive relationship find connection as they grapple with loss.
Director: Laura Maccabee
Producer: Laura Maccabee, Albie Selznick, Sal Bardo
Writer: Laura Maccabee
Cast: Sam Anderson, Christine Liao
Cinematographer: Jay Lee
Editor: Jay Lee
Instagram: thirteenthstory_
Facebook: fb.com/profile.php?id=61556952655323
TO DIE ALONE
Los Angeles Premiere
Feature
After suffering a terrible injury while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, Irving must find a way to escape the woods alive and confront her inner demons with the help of a stranger.
Director: Austin Smagalski
Producer: Connie Jo Sechrist & Austin Smagalski
Writer: Austin Smagalski
Cast: Lisa Jacqueline Starrett, James Tang
Cinematographer: Shelby Lee
Editors: Noah "Rose" Diamond & Isabel Yanes
- Premiered at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival and won the Audience award for Best Feature Film.
Website: odiealonefilm.com
Instagram: @todiealonefilm
Facebook: fb.com/todiealonefilm
Una Carta a Mis Hijas
West Coast Premiere
Short
An undocumented mother, living in NYC, struggles with her pursuit of the American dream, as she writes a letter to the children she left back home.
Director: JT Doran
Producer: Alain Martin
Writer: JT Doran & Alain Martin
Cast: Antigona Gonzalez, Cindy Brown, Steven Blum
Cinematographer: The Illmatic Ninjas
Editor: The Illmatic Ninjas
Website: two-hander.com
Instagram: @twohanderfilms