Category Archives: Arts and Culture

Cassie Workman Takes on Occultism With Puppets, Practical Effects, and Punk Energy in New YouTube Series

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A comedy series about magic, demons, and tarot cards just dropped on YouTube, and it’s got Lilly Wachowski’s stamp of approval.

CASSIE WORKMAN IS WITCHY AF is an eight-part adult comedy documentary that dives into occultism through the lens of a fictional bookstore. Creator and host Cassie Workman guides viewers through ritual magic, death, and identity, covering figures like Aleister Crowley and John Dee alongside Hollywood’s secret occult history and Santa Muerte.

The series uses puppetry from Direct Message and practical SFX makeup from the team behind Smile 2 and Hocus Pocus. Guest stars include Garbage’s Shirley Manson, comedian Ben Russell, and what the press release calls “an all-star cast of demons and evil puppets.”

It’s a co-production between ETCH and Anarchists United Studios, the production company founded by Wachowski with Sarah Marie Flores and Lawrence Mattis. The company focuses on elevated genre work from underrepresented creators. Wachowski called the series “wickedly delightful” and said she’s proud to call Workman a friend.

Workman is an Australian writer, actor, comedian, poet, and musician known for surreal, emotionally raw performances. Her 2019 show Giantess, which explored gender identity, earned a nomination for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and won Best Show at Sydney Comedy Festival. Her 2021 theater piece Aberdeen won a Fringe First Award at Edinburgh in 2022.

The series was shot entirely in Asbury Park, New Jersey, at Wolfe & Kron bookstore and Georgies, the town’s oldest gay bar. The cast and crew were predominantly women, queer, and LGBTQIA+.

New episodes drop weekly on YouTube. For indie creators looking to blend comedy, philosophy, and practical chaos, this one’s worth the watch.

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New Documentary Traces 20 Years of Research Linking What We Eat to How We See and Think

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A new health documentary follows an Irish scientist’s two-decade quest to prove that nutrition affects vision and brain health in ways we’ve barely begun to understand.

“A Vision for Vision,” directed by two-time Emmy winner Wayne Chesler, tracks Professor John Nolan’s research into carotenoids, the plant-based pigments found in marigolds, eyes, and the brain. The film spans locations from marigold fields in Mexico to research labs in Ireland, omega-3-rich waters off Norway, and elite performance centers in Singapore.

Nolan, who founded and directs the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland, has spent over 20 years studying how targeted nutrition might support vision, memory, and aging. His recent trials, including the re-MIND, CARES Trial 2, and CREST AMD studies, found that supplements combining carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin E showed positive effects on Alzheimer’s symptoms, improved working memory in healthy adults, and better visual performance in patients with early macular degeneration.

The doc arrives as conversations around preventative health gain traction. Nolan’s pitch is straightforward: aging happens, disease doesn’t have to, and earlier intervention through nutrition could change outcomes.

The film drops on digital and VOD November 3. For indie filmmakers covering health and science, it’s a reminder that some of the most compelling stories live in labs, not studios.

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Carla Simón Returns With Family Secrets Drama “Romería”

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RomeriaA young woman with a camcorder shows up at her estranged grandparents’ house on the Galician coast, looking for answers her family doesn’t want to give.

That’s the setup for “Romería,” Carla Simón’s latest feature, opening June 26 at Film Forum in New York. The film follows 18-year-old Marina, a budding filmmaker who needs a signature from her paternal grandparents to attend university in Barcelona. But what starts as a bureaucratic errand becomes something deeper. Armed with her deceased mother’s diaries and her camera, Marina tries to piece together the truth about her parents and her father’s death. Her relatives welcome her, sort of, but dodge her questions at every turn.

Simón knows something about mining family history for story. Her debut “Summer 1993” was autobiographical and won three Goya Awards. Her follow-up “Alcarràs” took home the Golden Bear at Berlin and represented Spain at the Oscars. “Romería” premiered at Cannes last year and played the New York Film Festival.

Shot along rocky Galician coastlines with what critics are calling “sun-dappled” cinematography, the film tackles a universal question: what were your parents like before you knew them? For indie filmmakers building stories from personal history, that’s fertile ground.

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Grammy Museum’s New Exhibit Celebrates Legendary Songwriters With Kurt Cobain’s Guitar, Prince’s Purple Rain Glasses, and More

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The Grammy Museum is opening a new permanent exhibit that puts the spotlight on the people who actually write the songs.

Tower of Song: Iconic Songwriters & Recordings opens May 28 in Los Angeles, bringing together artifacts from both the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. It’s a partnership that makes sense, shining a light on the craft behind the hits.

The crown jewels are wild. Kurt Cobain’s Mosrite Gospel guitar that he used to write most of Nevermind. Prince’s gold-rimmed glasses from Purple Rain. Miles Davis’s red lacquer trumpet. Keith Moon’s gold Premier drum kit from Tommy. Jim Morrison’s personal notebook. Frank Sinatra’s microphones from Capitol Records sessions.

On the songwriting side, there’s Neil Diamond’s handwritten lyrics for “Song Sung Blues,” Diane Warren’s Yamaha DX 7 keyboard she used to write countless hits, and the LinnDrum and Ensoniq synthesizer Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis used to create Rhythm Nation 1814.

The exhibit includes an original film featuring Alan Menken, Carole King, Warren, and Jimmy Jam discussing their creative process. There’s also a digital interactive asking visitors to break down what makes these Hall of Fame songs actually work.

The opening night features a public program with Jimmy Jam and Warren breaking down their craft, followed by a reception.

For indie songwriters grinding it out, this is validation that the craft matters.

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Pearl Jam, Alabama Shakes, and Maná Set to Headline Ohana Festival’s 10th Anniversary

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Ohana-Festival-2026Ohana Festival is hitting a milestone, and the lineup reflects it. Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder & Friends, Tyler Childers, and Maná will headline the three-day event at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California, running September 25 through 27.

The 10th anniversary edition also includes Alabama Shakes, Fontaines D.C., Billy Idol, Pixies, Rilo Kiley, Jon Batiste, Men I Trust, and Bad Religion across more than 30 acts and three stages.

Since Eddie Vedder founded the festival in 2016, Ohana has become a standout on the festival circuit, mixing world-class music with environmental activism and surf culture along the Southern California coast. Pollstar named it Music Festival of the Year four times, most recently in 2026.

The Cove, a dedicated area within the festival grounds, focuses on oceans, conservation, Indigenous voices, and community action. The Storytellers Stage hosts panels with environmentalists, activists, and pro surfers, while The Cove Gallery displays hundreds of curated art pieces tied to music and board culture. Proceeds support nonprofit partners through the Vitalogy Foundation.

Ten Club presale starts Tuesday, May 12 at 10 a.m. PT. General presale follows Thursday, May 14 at noon PT. Tickets include GA, VIP, and Ultimate VIP packages. More info at ohanafest.com.

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Film Forum Bringing 35mm “Third Man” Print to NYC, Old-School Photochemical Style

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Third-Man-2026Film Forum is screening a new 35mm print of Carol Reed’s “The Third Man” from June 12-25, and they’re doing it the analog way.

Unlike most classic film prints made today, which are digitally restored then output to film stock, this print was created photochemically in a lab from the original 35mm elements. Haghefilm and L’Immagine Ritrovata handled the work for Studiocanal, keeping the process true to the film’s origins.

The 1949 noir, starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles as Harry Lime, was shot across five weeks of double shifts in Vienna. Cinematographer Robert Krasker won an Oscar for his shadow work, and Anton Karas’s zither theme became a worldwide phenomenon.

Welles lit his own scenes and wrote much of his dialogue, including the famous “cuckoo clock” speech. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and was named one of the 10 best-shot films of cinema’s first 50 years by American Cinematographer.

This matters because photochemical preservation is increasingly rare. Most repertory houses default to digital restorations. Film Forum’s commitment to analog processes keeps the craft alive for filmmakers and audiences who care about how classics are preserved and presented.

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Drama Desk Awards Announces Nominees for 70th Anniversary Ceremony

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drama-desk-awardsThe Drama Desk Awards revealed nominations for its 70th edition, returning to The Town Hall on May 17 after the venue went dark during the 2020 shutdown.

Beau the Musical and Mexodus lead with 10 nominations each, followed by The Seat of Our Pants with nine. Death of a Salesman and Ragtime also scored big, with eight and six nods respectively.

The Drama Desks stand apart as the only major theater award honoring work across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway. This year’s nominees span from big revivals to scrappy originals, with contenders including Preston Max Allen’s Caroline, Jordan Tannahill’s Prince Faggot, and the immersive Masquerade reimagining of Phantom of the Opera.

The ceremony will honor Tom Schumacher, former Disney Theatrical Productions president, with the Harold S. Prince Award. Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire receive the William Wolf Award for their decades of collaboration and mentorship.

Nathan Lane, Laurie Metcalf, and John Lithgow compete for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, while Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, and Brandon Uranowitz are up for Musical honors.

Tickets are available now at DramaDesks.com. For a full nominations list and the complete announcement video, visit the Drama Desk website.

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Spike Lee’s Apartheid Story “Apart” Heads to Tribeca

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apartSpike Lee co-wrote an animated short about friendship under apartheid, and it’s making its world premiere at Tribeca Festival next month.

“Apart” follows two boys, Themba and Joel, whose bond is tested by the violence and racism of apartheid-era South Africa. The film was directed by Pola Maneli, a South African artist whose work has appeared on the cover of The New Yorker and hangs in the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Grammy-winning South African musician Black Coffee supervised the music, while fashion designer Laduma Ngxokolo designed isiXhosa-inspired wardrobe for the characters.

The 15-minute short blends traditional 2D animation, cutout, 3D, and 2.5D techniques. Over 600 days, a crew of 266 people produced 18,000 frames using 14 different software tools. The animation style nods to woodcut prints, the DIY art form used to spread anti-apartheid messages and evade censorship.

The entire film was made by human artists, no AI involved.

“Apart” screens twice at Tribeca as part of the Animated Shorts program curated by Whoopi Goldberg: June 6 at Spring Studios and June 13 at AMC 19th Street East.

For indie creators, it’s a reminder that handmade animation still matters, especially when telling stories rooted in history and cultural resistance.

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Lorenzo de Felici’s RED ROOTS Gets the Robert Kirkman Stamp of Approval, Plus Variant Covers That’ll Make You Drool

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red-rootsRobert Kirkman doesn’t throw praise around lightly, but he’s calling *Red Roots* “the comic series you’ve been waiting your whole life for.” That’s a hell of an endorsement.

Lorenzo de Felici, the artist behind *Oblivion Song* and *Void Rivals*,is stepping up as both writer and artist for this new ongoing series from Image Comics. And if you know de Felici’s work, you know this is going to be something special.

The premise? A professional killer and a high school teacher whose lives get tangled up in some terrifying, mysterious force. Yeah, we’re already in.

But let’s talk variants for a second. *Red Roots* #1 is launching with an absolutely stacked lineup of covers. Ryan Ottley (*Invincible*). Mike Mignola (*Hellboy*). Luana Vecchio (*Lovesick*). Riley Rossmo (*The Moon is Following Us*). Jason Howard (*The Astounding Wolf-Man*). This is basically a who’s who of badass comic artists.

De Felici made waves when *Void Rivals* became one of the biggest launches of 2024, it’s on its 12th reprint and still selling like crazy. His creative partnership with Kirkman on that book and *Oblivion Song* proved he’s got the chops. Now he’s going solo, and the hype is real.

*Red Roots* #1 drops April 29 at your local comic shop. Nine different covers to choose from, including a 1:25 black-and-white virgin cover by de Felici and a 1:50 B&W Mignola variant. Yeah, you’re gonna want to talk to your shop about this one early.

This is what indie comics should be — bold swings from creators who’ve earned their stripes. De Felici’s got the talent and the momentum. Now we get to see what he can do when he’s calling all the shots.

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Art House Cinema Week Kicks Off Across New York City

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made-in-nyNew York City is shining a spotlight on independent film as the first-ever Art House Cinema Week New York begins today, running March 20–26.

The citywide initiative, backed by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and Art House New York, brings together nearly 30 independent theaters for a week of special programming, discounted tickets, and community-focused screenings.

The event also includes 5,000 free tickets funded by the city, aimed at making art house cinema more accessible. Additional perks include discounted memberships and concessions, with select groups—such as students, teachers, veterans, and SNAP/EBT cardholders—eligible for free admission at participating locations.

Designed to encourage audiences to reconnect with local theaters, the week highlights the role of independent cinemas as cultural and community hubs across the city.

More details and full programming are available at arthouseny.org.

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