Jayson Simba’s Festival of Cinema NYC in Forest Hills/Queens is a reminder of the joy a film festival can be for an independent filmmaker in New York City.
Let’s face it, there are other much more famous…or infamous film festivals in New York that trip off the tongue, but what trips off the tongue is not complimentary if you are truly an independent filmmaker – and we all know what I mean, when I say a “truly” independent filmmaker, right?
Anyway, Jayson Simba ‘s Festival of Cinema NYC is also one of the last hold outs in terms of having a longer run (a full week or more) versus the more optimal four or five day fest. And in that case, it means more opportunities to put the filmmakers front and center and give them their rock star moments on the red carpet. FOC NYC had two red carpets and two photo calls between them.
No filmmaker left behind (well, as few as possible) when it came to the photos and interviews. It’s just one part of the equation for what a film festival really SHOULD do on behalf of their filmmakers, but an incredibly important part when so many of those filmmakers have to do everything for themselves now.
Therefore, the first FOC NYC photo call featured Daniel Merino Villavicencio’s SWEET PEA & GLASS (Important note: Villavicencio has attended every FOC NYC fest, from fan to volunteer to filmmaker. That’s a very cool progression to any of us that love the film festival circuit and believe in it, as I most definitely do.), and Nathan Buck, the director and writer of UNDER SPANISH SKIES was also there, having made the trip from Berlin to attend the film festival. You make that kind of trip to attend a film festival then you best be getting more out of it than your garden variety Q&A.
The photo call also featured short films in a prominent way. Teams from THE DELLA MORTE SISTERS, THE FOUR WALLS OF CHARLOTTE MORELAND, DERRICK & BOYD, SURVIVAL JOB, TRUE CRIME, and more got to strut their stuff in fun and style. Let’s face it, there are escalating degrees of difficulty in shooting and completing a film, making a watchable film, and making a watchable film that gets accepted into a film festival.
So, that should be a legit celebratory event for the filmmaker, their crew, cast, and participants to reward that accomplishment.
A lot of film festivals don’t understand that equation because they assume way too much about the experience and have never actually had it from that side of things. Jayson Simba ‘s Festival of Cinema NYC gets it – and these photos from that first photo call (following an earlier red carpet) really show it.
Sweet Pea & Glass at Jayson Simba Festival of Cinema NYC
SWEET PEA & GLASS’ Daniel Merino Viilavicencio being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
SWEET PEA & GLASS director, writer, and editor Daniel Merino Villavicencio (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Daniel Merino Villavicencio (SWEET PEA & GLASS) gets his close up. (Photo by Wildman)
SWEET PEA & GLASS Co-Producer Katelyn Prieto (Photo by Rehana Khan)
SWEET PEA & GLASS’ Katelyn Prieto enjoying her close up. (Photo by Wildman)
SWEET PEA & GLASS actor Michelle Batista (Photo by Rehana Khan)
SWEET PEA & GLASS’ cast member Michelle Batista gets a close up. (Photo by Wildman)
SWEET PEA & GLASS Art Director Austin Cho (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Austin Cho, SWEET PEA & GLASS’ Art Director, get his close up. (Photo by Wildman)
The SWEET PEA & GLASS team: Katelyn Prieto, Daniel Merino Villavicencio, Michelle Batista, Austin Cho (Photo by Rehana Khan)
The SWEET PEA & GLASS team being photographed with their poster. (Photo by Wildman)
The SWEET PEA & GLASS team show off the film’s poster. (Photo by Rehana Khan)
The Art Director gets a word in: Austin Cho (SWEET PEA & GLASS) being interviewed. (Photo by Wildman)
True Crime at Jayson Simba Festival of Cinema NYC
TRUE CRIME’s Kai Brown being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
Kai Brown, director of TRUE CRIME (Photo by Rehana Khan)
TRUE CRIME’s director Kai Brown (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Kai Brown (TRUE CRIME) gets her close up. (Photo by Wildman)
Kai Brown (TRUE CRIME) being interviewed. (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Survival Job at Jayson Simba ‘s Festival of Cinema NYC
SURVIVAL JOB’s Monica McCarthy being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
SURVIVAL JOB’s Monica McCarthy (DIR/SCR/EXEC PROD/CAST) (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Monica McCarthy (SURVIVAL JOB) (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Monica McCarthy (SURVIVAL JOB) gets the close up treatment. (Photo by Wildman)
Film festival buddies on the carpet: Monica McCarthy (SURVIVAL JOB) and Janelle Tedesco (I’M NOT NICE) (Photo by Rehana Khan)
SURVIVAL JOB’s Monica McCarthy (DIR/SCR/EXEC PROD/CAST) being interviewed. (Photo by Wildman)
Derrick & Boyd at Jayson Simba ‘s Festival of Cinema NYC
DERRICK & BOYD’s Chris Goodwin (DIR) being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
Chris Goodwin, director of DERRICK & BOYD (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Chris Goodwn (DERRICK & BOYD) with the close up (Photo by Wildman)
An actor in the distance: Cody Gillum (DERRICK & BOYD) being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
DERRICK & BOYD actor Cody Gillum (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Cody Gillum (DERRICK & BOYD) gets a close up. (Photo by Wildman)
DERRICK & BOYD’s Cody Gillum (CAST) and Chris Goodwin (DIR) (Photo by Rehana Khan)
DERRICK & BOYD director Chris Goodwin being interviewed. (Photo by Wildman)
I’M NOT NICE’s Janelle Tedesco being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
I’M NOT NICE’s Janele Tedesco (PROD/CAST) (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Jenelle Tedesco (PROD/CAST) of I’M NOT NICE with the close up. (Photo by Wildman)
Monica McCarthy (SURVIVAL JOB) and Janelle Tedesco (I’M NOT NICE) team up for an interview. (Photo by Wildman)
Monica McCarthy (SURVIVAL JOB) and Janelle Tedesco (I’M NOT NICE) smile for Facebook Live. (Photo by Wildman)
Sound Designer Anthony Fuscaldo (TRUE CRIME) being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
TRUE CRIME Sound Designer Anthony Fuscaldo (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Anthony Fuscaldo (TRUE CRIME) gets his close up. (Photo by Wildman)
Maggie Wagner (THE FOUR WALLS OF CHARLOTTE MORELAND) being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
THE FOUR WALLS OF CHARLOTTE MORELAND actor Maggie Wagner (Photo by Rehana Khan)
THE FOUR WALLS OF CHARLOTTE MORELAND’s Maggie Wagner (CAST) gets her close up. (Photo by Wildman)
THE FOUR WALLS OF CHARLOTTE MORELAND actor Rissa Davis (Photo by Rehana Khan)
THE FOUR WALLS OF CHARLOTTE MORELAND’s Rissa Davis does not kid around with her close up. (Photo by Wildman)
Cecilio Davis (CAST) of THE FOUR WALLS OF CHARLOTTE MORELAND being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
Cecilio Davis (THE FOUR WALLS OF CHARLOTTE MORELAND) gets his close up. (Photo by Wildman)
THE FOUR WALLS OF CHARLOTTE MORELAND team: Maggie Wagner (CAST), Cecilio Davis (CAST), Rissa Davis (CAST) (Photo by Rehana Khan)
THE FOUR WALLS OF CHARLOTTE MORELAND trio (Maggie Wagner, Cecilio Davis, Rissa Davis) display the film’s poster. (Photo by Wildman)
The cast members from THE FOUR WALLS OF CHARLOTTE MORELAND with the film’s poster. (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Rissa Davis (THE FOUR WALLS OF CHARLOTTE MORELAND) being interviewed. (Photo by Wildman)
UNDER THE SPANISH SKIES’ director and writer Nathan Buck (Photo by Rehana Khan)
UNDER THE SPANISH SKIES’ Nathan Buck (DIR/SCR) (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Nathan Buck (UNDER SPANISH SKIES) being interviewed. (Photo by Wildman)
SAPO’s Al Tavrarez (CAST) being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
SAPO actor Al Tavarez (Photo by Rehana Khan)
SAPO’s Al Tavarez (CAST) (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Al Tavarez (SAPO) stares down his close up. (Photo by Wildman)
THE DELLA MORTE SISTERS’ Randi Sloane (PROD/CAST) being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
THE DELLA MORTE SISTERS’ Randi Sloane (PROD/CAST) (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Randi Sloane producer and actor of THE DELLA MORTE SISTERS (Photo by Rehana Khan)
THE DELLA MORTE SISTERS’ Judith Anna Di Donato (PROD/CAST) being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
THE DELLA MORTE SISTERS’ Judith Anna Di Donato (PROD/CAST) (Photo by Rehana Khan)
Judith Anna Di Donato (THE DELLA MORTE SISTERS) gets her close up. (Photo by Wildman)
THE DELLA MORTE SISTERS team: Randi Sloane (PROD/CAST), Andrew Marino (SCR), Judith Anna Di Donato (PROD/CAST) (Photo by Rehana Khan)
The DELLA MORTE SISTERS team: Randi Sloane (PROD/CAST), Andrew Marino (SCR), Judith Anna Di Donato (PROD/CAST) with the group close up. (Photo by Wildman)
The DELLA MORTE SISTERS group (Randi Sloane, Andrew Marino, Judith Anna Di Donato) being interviewed. (Photo by Wildman)
Jayson Simba Festival of Cinema NYC kept the red carpet fun going with the first of two mid-week photo calls
