Category Archives: Indie

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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Emmy Winner Minos Papas Unleashes Folk Horror “Motherwitch” at Fantasia

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By Armando

motherwitchEmmy-winning filmmaker Minos Papas is bringing his psychological horror “Motherwitch” to Fantasia Film Festival on July 30th for its North American premiere.

The film follows Eleni, a painter in 1882 Cyprus who tries to resurrect her dead children but instead awakens the Kalikantzari, creatures from Cypriot folklore. Now she has to fight both grief and a curse threatening her village.

“Motherwitch” sold out its world premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam and has been making the rounds at EFM Market, Guadalajara, Transilvania, BIFAN, and Galway Film Fleadh. After Fantasia, it heads to Croatia, Brazil’s Festival Filmes Incriveis, and Fantasy FilmFest Germany.

Papas shot the film between Los Angeles and Cyprus, drawing on years spent listening to bereaved parents, healers, and war veterans. The result is what he calls a love letter to Cyprus, its mythology and landscape woven into every frame.

The director, known for “Shutterbug” and “Tango on the Balcony,” also produced “Take Me Home,” which premiered at Sundance 2026 and screened at Berlinale and Tribeca.

“Motherwitch” is a co-production between Cyprus, North Macedonia, Canada, and the USA. B Rated International is handling sales.

For indie horror fans who love atmospheric folklore films, this one’s worth tracking down.

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Christian Ward Signs Three-Book Deal with Oni Press

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Eisner Award winner Christian Ward just locked in three new projects with Oni Press, all set to roll out starting in 2027.

The deal extends Ward’s relationship with the indie publisher beyond his upcoming series The Forever Home, a six-issue collaboration with artist Sami Kivelä launching in September. All three projects are under wraps for now, but Ward will write and draw in various capacities across the lineup.

Ward’s been making comics for nearly two decades, working with every major publisher along the way. His recent credits include Event Horizon and Batman: City of Madness. But he says Oni stands out.

“Everyone is so passionate about making bold and distinctive comics,” Ward said. The support for The Forever Home convinced him to stick around. “I’m now beyond thrilled to be working with Oni Press on three new titles, all just as ambitious and exciting.”

Oni Press Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn called Ward’s work “thrilling and unexpected,” adding that she’s pinching herself over the chance to explore three completely original series with him and his co-creators.

The first of the three new books debuts in 2027. Details will come later. For now, Ward’s focus is The Forever Home, which hits shops September 9. The series follows a billionaire scientist who builds a luxury ark to survive the end of the world, only for his family’s refuge to become a time-warped nightmare.

Ward will appear at San Diego Comic-Con on July 23 for signings and panels.

This is what creator-owned comics should look like. Bold swings, long-term partnerships, and artists who own their vision.

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“The Town That Takes” Brings the Roanoke Mystery to Theaters This July

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The-Town-That-TakesA supernatural horror thriller built around one of America’s oldest unsolved mysteries is heading to theaters next month.

Atlas Distribution Company picked up festival favorite “The Town That Takes” and will release it in select theaters across the top 20 North American markets starting July 10. The film takes the only clue left behind after the Lost Colony of Roanoke vanished in 1590, a single carved word, CROATOAN, and imagines a terrifying answer.

Director Britt Bankhead, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Blaze, stars alongside Miles Mussenden (Doom Patrol), Mike Markoff (Hit Man), and Grace Patterson (Slotherhouse). The story follows Dean Richardson, a troubled Army vet trying to reconnect with his estranged 12-year-old son after his ex-wife’s death. When they stop in a remote town haunted by whispers of Croatoan, a brutal murder puts Dean in the spotlight and his son suddenly disappears.

What starts as a murder investigation turns into something far more sinister as unexplained deaths and impossible encounters pile up across the region.

“Britt Bankhead took one of the oldest unsolved mysteries in American history and built a supernatural thriller that gets under your skin,” said Harmon Kaslow, President of Atlas Distribution.

For indie horror filmmakers, this is another example of festival buzz translating into theatrical distribution, proof the theatrical market for genre films remains alive.

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Two Indies Take Home Tribeca Awards for Screenplay and Cinematography

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Tribeca handed out some major wins to the indie world this year. ZEJTUNE, a Maltese drama directed by Alex Camilleri, won Best Screenplay in the International Narrative Feature category. THE SIEGE OF PARADISE, a documentary from Irish filmmaker Gar O’Rourke, earned a Special Jury Mention for Best Cinematography.

ZEJTUNE follows Mar, a woman who returns to Malta after her estranged mother’s death, planning to sell inherited farmland and leave for good. Instead, she meets Nenu, an 80-year-old folk singer whose music pulls her back toward the island she wanted to escape. The film is a co-production between Malta, Germany, and Qatar, produced by Oliver Mallia, Ramin Bahrani, and Camilleri himself.

THE SIEGE OF PARADISE takes a sharp, funny look at Cinque Terre, where fewer than 3,000 locals deal with over four million tourists every summer. The doc follows six lives across one chaotic season, exposing what happens when social media driven tourism crushes a small Italian paradise.

Both films prove that strong storytelling and vision still cut through, even in a crowded festival landscape. For indie filmmakers grinding through the circuit, these wins matter.

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Gidi Dar’s Hasidic Comedy “The Wedding Entertainer” Premieres at Tribeca

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A disgraced Jewish wedding comedian fights to save his reputation and marry off his daughter in “The Wedding Entertainer (The Tale of Moishe Badhan),” making its world premiere at Tribeca Festival next month.

Director Gidi Dar (“Ushpizin,” “Legend of Destruction”) brings together Shuli Rand and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Elon Gold in what’s billed as a hilarious caper set in Jerusalem’s Hasidic community. Rand plays Moishe Striker, a former Badchan (a traditional Hasidic wedding MC and comedian) who lost everything to addiction. Now he needs one last gig to raise $20,000 for his daughter’s wedding.

The setup gets messy fast. Moishe convinces his childhood friend to let him co-host a ceremony alongside Meshulam (Gold), a younger, flashier performer already hired for the job. When the two Badchans clash, the whole thing spirals.

Malky Goldman from “Unorthodox” plays Moishe’s daughter, Sarah-Leah. Tal Friedman rounds out the cast.

The film screens June 4 at Village East by Angelika in New York. It’s a rare spotlight on a specific cultural tradition that doesn’t often make it to festival circuits, giving indie audiences something genuinely fresh.

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Black-and-White Jazz Musical ‘Airport BLVD’ Heads to Tribeca Competition

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airport-blvdA black-and-white musical about gentrification and belonging in East Austin is heading to the U.S. Narrative Competition at Tribeca 2026.

Airport BLVD follows Xavier as his neighborhood, friendships, and sense of home slowly vanish around him. Writer-director Alejandro Hendricks shot the film in luminous black-and-white with an original jazz score, centering Black creative lives in a city rarely shown from this perspective onscreen.

The film tackles displacement, intimacy, ambition, and what happens when a city transforms faster than the people who made it home. It’s a love letter to East Austin, old and new, caught in that bittersweet space between memory and evolution.

The cast includes Jamal Gamble, Toluwani, Kenny Duet, Mor Cohen, Matthew Graham Wagner, and Azeem Williams. Brannin Webber, Jamal Gamble, and Trai Wade produced.

Airport BLVD world premieres June 5 at 6:15 PM at Village East Theater by Angelika, with additional screenings June 6 and 10.

For indie filmmakers tackling gentrification and cultural erasure, this one hits close to home. Austin’s transformation has pushed out countless artists and communities of color. Hendricks is putting that story, and those faces, front and center.

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Mexican Director Fernanda Tovar’s “Sad Girlz” Brings Double Berlinale Win to Tribeca

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Sad-GirlzFernanda Tovar’s debut feature is heading to New York with serious momentum. “Sad Girlz” (Chicas tristes) will make its North American premiere at Tribeca Festival next month after sweeping Berlin’s Generation 14plus section with both the Crystal Bear and the Grand Prix.

The Mexico City-set drama follows Paula and La Maestra, two 16-year-old competitive swimmers training for the Junior Pan American Championship. After a party where Paula is left alone with a longtime crush, something shifts. She becomes withdrawn. Her best friend pushes for answers. As Paula slowly shares what happened, neither girl can fully name the experience or its weight.

What starts as an unbreakable bond begins to fracture under the pressure of fear, guilt, and anger. Tovar captures how teenage friendship can become both refuge and battlefield when trauma enters the frame.

Produced by Colectivo Colmena, the film recently added another prize at Cartagena Film Festival. Tovar’s shorts have played Cannes Critics’ Week and Morelia, but this marks her most ambitious work yet.

“Sad Girlz” screens June 4-12 at Tribeca, with its North American premiere on June 4 at 5:15pm at Village East by Angelika. For indie filmmakers watching, it’s a reminder that intimate, emotionally precise storytelling still cuts through.

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Alice Eve Faces Sharks and Secrets in Malta Thriller ‘CHUM’

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chumA destination wedding goes sideways when a great white shows up uninvited. CHUM, starring Alice Eve, hits theaters and VOD on June 5 from Independent Film Company.

The premise is simple but effective. A wedding party in Malta gets ambushed by a bloodthirsty shark and a fisherman with his own twisted plans. Trapped between open water and a human threat, the group has to figure out who to trust while fighting to stay alive. The newlyweds, meanwhile, are forced to confront whether their relationship can survive the chaos.

Eve, known for Star Trek Into Darkness and recent indie thrillers like Cult Killer, leads the cast. Jonathan Zuck directs from a script he co-wrote with Joe Leone. The ensemble includes Eric Michael Cole, Elle Haymond, and Sarah Siadat.

IFC is giving this one a day-and-date release, meaning it’ll be available in theaters and at home simultaneously. The 87-minute runtime suggests a lean, no-filler approach, which is exactly what a survival thriller needs.

For indie filmmakers and genre fans, CHUM is a reminder that you don’t need a massive budget to deliver tension. A smart concept, a solid cast, and a killer location can go a long way.

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Avalon Fast’s “CAMP” Hits Theaters June 26 After Festival Run

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CampA guilt-ridden young woman, two tragic accidents, and a voice calling from the woods. That’s the setup for CAMP, a new horror feature from writer-director Avalon Fast hitting theaters June 26 courtesy of Dark Sky Films.

The film follows Emily, who takes a job as a summer camp counselor to escape the weight of two devastating tragedies from her past. Surrounded by supportive fellow counselors, she starts to believe in a fresh start. But when a voice begins whispering from deep in the woods, urging her to go home, Emily’s fragile peace starts to unravel.

CAMP has been making waves on the festival circuit, winning Fantastic Fest’s Next Wave Award and screening at BeyondFest, Sitges, Brooklyn Horror, and Outfest. Critics have compared it to The Virgin Suicides, with RogerEbert.com noting how the film uses grief and mourning as storytelling tools instead of easy answers. Projected Figures called it “a dizzying, unnerving examination of the strength and power that women can use to uplift each other.”

Fast, who calls her work “GIRL HORROR,” previously directed Honeycomb, which premiered at Slamdance in 2022. The film stars Zola Grimmer, Alice Wordsworth, and Cherry Moore.

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