A location scout spends six years navigating New York’s apartments, rooftops, and pet stores. Then she makes a movie about it.

Paula González-Nasser’s debut feature THE SCOUT follows Sofía, a young location scout hunting down perfect interiors for a TV pilot. Over the course of one day, she slips in and out of strangers’ homes, adjusting her personality to connect while juggling mounting parking tickets and impatient crew commentary. It’s a quiet portrait of invisible labor, the kind that makes television possible but rarely gets acknowledged.

González-Nasser knows this world intimately. She scouted locations for High Maintenance, Russian Doll, Search Party, and Kelly Reichardt’s NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS before stepping behind the camera. That experience shows. Critics are calling THE SCOUT “deeply, witheringly funny” (The Playlist) and comparing it to Wim Wenders’ PERFECT DAYS for its contemplative style.

The film premiered at Tribeca 2025 and earned González-Nasser a spot on Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces in Independent Film” list. She’s also produced work that landed at Sundance and picked up Slamdance nominations.

THE SCOUT opens September 25 at Film Forum in New York. For indie filmmakers grinding through unglamorous production roles, it’s a rare chance to see their reality reflected on screen.

Warren Ellis is getting weird again. The writer behind Transmetropolitan and Netflix’s Castlevania has a new graphic novella dropping this November from Image Comics, and it sounds delightfully unsettling.

Ghost Drive Station teams Ellis with Grammy-nominated artist Lordess Foudre, who’s done album art for Soccer Mommy and Kasablanca. The story follows a cynical investigator sent to figure out why a research station in the desert has gone dark. What he discovers is an immortality experiment that’s gone catastrophically wrong.

Ellis describes the protagonist as a “haunted investigator with no time for the modern world,” which tracks. The press release name-drops True Detective, Event Horizon, and the Backrooms, so expect noir grit mixed with cosmic dread.

It’s also deeply personal for the main character. The whole thing kicks off on the anniversary of “the worst thing that ever happened to him,” which suggests the investigation will cut deeper than a typical mystery.

Ellis has been relatively quiet in comics lately, so this marks a solid return. Foudre’s music design background should bring some visual texture to the desert horror vibes.

Ghost Drive Station hits shops November 18 and will be available digitally across all major platforms. For fans of Ellis’s darker, weirder work, this one’s worth watching.

Image Comics had a strong showing at last night’s Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards in San Diego, taking home wins across multiple categories.

Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadzki’s Assorted Crisis Events won Best New Series, continuing the breakout hit’s momentum. Martin Simmonds picked up Best Painter/Multimedia Artist for his work on The Department of Truth.

Jordie Bellaire won Best Coloring for her work across multiple Image titles, including Assorted Crisis Events, The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33, and G.I. Joe. Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou took home Best Lettering for the Author Immortal series and other projects.

The awards are voted on by comics industry members and presented annually at San Diego Comic-Con. For creators working in indie comics, the Eisners remain one of the most respected honors in the medium.

Copies of the winning titles are available at Image’s SDCC booth #1915 for fans attending the convention.

The wins underscore Image’s continued influence as a major publisher of creator-owned work, where artists and writers maintain ownership of their properties, a model that’s become increasingly important to independent creators looking for alternatives to work-for-hire arrangements.

Francesco Cavalieri is swapping power metal for neon-soaked synthwave tonight in San Diego.

The WIND ROSE frontman’s new project V.B.O. will DJ the Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary Concert at House of Blues. He’s spinning 80s classics mixed with tracks from Vice Business Only, the debut album dropping tomorrow on Reigning Phoenix Music.

Cavalieri founded V.B.O. in 2023 with electronic producer Simone Giusti. The project ditches fantasy metal for retro-futuristic vibes inspired by Depeche Mode, Daft Punk, and Justice. Think analog synths, driving rhythms, and the neon-drenched excess of Miami nightlife.

The full band includes Claudio Falconcini on guitar, Federico Meranda on keys, and Angelo Carmignani on drums. They made their live debut in January at 70000 Tons of Metal.

Tonight Cavalieri performs from 6pm for VIP ticket holders and curates playlists between sets throughout the evening. General admission doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm. Tickets run $50 for GA, $100 for VIP packages.

For metal musicians looking to break out of genre boxes, this is what reinvention looks like.

A grandson chasing money finds something else entirely in “Dear You,” the Chinese drama that’s crossing the Pacific for a September 4 theatrical release.

Well Go USA Entertainment is bringing director Lan Hongchun’s breakout film to US and Canadian theaters after it scored big with critics and audiences back home. The story follows a debt-ridden grandson who tracks down his grandfather in Thailand, hoping the old man can bail him out. What he discovers instead is a lifetime of sacrifice hidden behind years of letters and money sent home.

The film taps into qiaopi, the traditional practice of overseas Chinese sending remittances to family, and spins it into something deeply personal. It’s the kind of quiet family drama that sneaks up on you.

Stars Li Sitong, Wang Yantong, Wu Shaoqing, Zheng Runqi, and Wang Xiaohui are all early in their careers, giving the film fresh energy. After its North American premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival, it’s getting a proper theatrical run through Well Go USA, a distributor known for bringing international films to North America.

For indie filmmakers, this is how crossover happens. A strong story, cultural authenticity, and a distributor willing to take a chance on something outside the usual blockbuster churn.