A satirical look into a male filmmaker's creation, and the repercussions of his narcissistic behaviors that span across four realities. “Staff Pick,” directed by Mitch deQuilettes, is a mind-bending series of vignettes on art and life, both melodramatic and deeply self-aware. A straight man in L.A. spends the day with a gay friend. An actor experiences doubts portraying a bi-curious man. The girlfriend of a director (and his artistic collaborator) feels taken advantage of and removed from the process. The fact that nothing is quite what it seems only adds complexity to its themes of gender identity, toxic masculinity, and power struggles. Led by terrific performances across the board (which perfectly convey messy relationships, professional and private), deQuilettes’ film is a brilliant dissection on the creative process, brutal and darkly funny. -KA. Director, Editor: Mitch deQuilettes. Writer, Producer: Chasen Bauer & Mitch deQuilettes. Cast: Max Baumgarten, Mani Yarosh, Sydney Schafer, Katherine Hughes, Boni Mata, D'Angelo Lacy, Rick Darge. Director of Photography, Colorist: Scott Siracusano. Production Designer: Elizabeth Godar. Original Music: Michael James Lee. Sound: Justin Fox. On-Set Acting Coach: Chasen Bauer.
An attempted e-commerce transaction goes awry. | Director: Ryan McGlade. Cast: Edy Modica, Tynan DeLong.
An introverted poetry student experiments with her image as she works on her final class project, a self-portrait poem. Melanie Notinger directs “Dress Code,” a character study about gender identity and self expression carried by a rich, lived-in specificity. Dani struggles to define herself — at...
