Sundance, SXSW and Cannes: Film festival strategy for independent filmmakers

Sundance, SXSW and Cannes: Film festival strategy for independent filmmakers

This one's a little different. No guest this week - just me and my producer Jacob Cagle, flipping the mic and doing a proper debrief on the last six months. We're talking Sundance, South by Southwest, and Cannes. What worked, what didn't, and what I'd tell anyone who's scared to walk into a room full of people who seem like they belong there more than you do. We also get into something I don't talk about enough — the real reason I started going to film festivals in the first place, what jealousy actually taught me about what I want, and why fear isn't a stop sign, it's a map. Plus: a little state of the pod. It's almost been a year. I have feelings about it. Topics covered: * Fuck, Marry, Kill: Sundance, South by Southwest, and Cannes (yes we went there) * Chicago International, Chicago Latino Film Festival, and Midwest Film Festival — where it all started * How to go to Sundance without a badge and not miss a thing * South by Southwest: the honest review — badge worth it or not? * Cannes: why it tripled my contacts and why I'm completely biased * How to sneak into parties at Cannes and why it's basically required * International film festivals that will actually pay for you to go * Jealousy as a compass — what it's really telling you * "You belong in that room" — and what that actually means when you grew up broke * The monopoly board theory for your life and career * One year of Ilse Will Say: what I know now that I wish I knew then Hosted by Ilse Zacharias Rivera [https://ilsezachariasrivera.com/]. Say hi / follow along here: @ilsezacharias [https://www.instagram.com/ilsezacharias/] Mentioned in this episode: Thank you to our sponsor, Joel Maisonet Photography: maisonetphotography.com

Lorena Lourenço: Showing Up Unapologetically On Set, At Festivals, and In Life

Lauren Lourenço has been backed by Film Independent, Series Fest, and the Orchid Project. She's directed festival-winning shorts, an MTV music video for Anitta, and she's currently developing her first feature, Whatever Happened to Rosa Elena? — a queer horror comedy set in Palm Springs. She's also, somehow, terrified of horror films. We met at Sundance, had lunch, and I immediately understood why people find me intimidating. In this episode, we get into endometriosis (the real version, not the "heavy period" version), why Lorena started writing comedy, her hot take on where Sundance is heading, the small festivals actually worth paying attention to, candles as a gateway drug to full woo-woo, and what it means to make work that's specific without feeling like homework. Also: aliens. Probably among us. Probably fine. Follow Lorena on Instagram at @lorenaMML [https://www.instagram.com/lorenamml/] Topics covered: * Warby Parker and the big head problem * Endometriosis, emergency surgery, and writing a pilot on morphine * La Chupacabra and Whatever Happened to Rosa Elena — yes, we're on the same wavelength * Sundance: what it is now vs. what it was, and the smaller festivals doing it better * Inside Out (Canada), Cascadia, Julien Dubuque, La Leff, River Run * Hot Cakes: the 60-second rapid fire round * Aliens: living among us, and Lauren's friend who might actually be one * House of Intuition candles: cute or too much? * Therapy as an oil change, but for your brain Hosted by Ilse Zacharias Rivera [https://ilsezachariasrivera.com/]. Say hi / follow along here: @ilsezacharias [https://www.instagram.com/ilsezacharias/] Mentioned in this episode: Thank you to our sponsor, Joel Maisonet Photography: maisonetphotography.com

Jake Ferree: Life is too short to be one thing

This week on Ilse Will Say, Ilse sits down with actor, musician, wine guy, and casual full-calendar haver Jake Ferree. You’ve seen Jake on The Baxters, True Detective, and more, but this episode gets into the stuff that does not fit neatly on an IMDb page: touring with his Irish punk band Hounds of Belfast, turning pandemic drinking into actual wine knowledge, why grocery store wine might be personally attacking you, and what happens when Jude Law gently asks to pass by you on Broadway. They also get into the weirdness of being a working actor when your footage is stuck in release limbo, the joy of refusing to be just one thing, and a truly terrifying haunted stay at the Lemp Mansion that may ruin bathrooms for everyone. Follow Jake on Instagram @jakeferree [https://www.instagram.com/jakeferree/], check out his band Hounds of Belfast at @houndsofbelfast [https://www.instagram.com/houndsofbelfast/], and go watch their music video “Bar Maid” on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkve50b62R8]. If you’re in LA, you can also catch Hounds of Belfast live on June 19th at The Mint. Mentioned in this episode: Thank you to our sponsor, Joel Maisonet Photography: maisonetphotography.com

Sonya and Wendy Madrigal: Just say yes first

This week on Ilse Will Say, Ilse is joined by sisters Sonya and Wendy Madrigal, two Chicago artists who somehow make multi-hyphenating look genetic. Sonya is an actor, director, choreographer, and educator, while Wendy is a multidisciplinary artist, producer, puppeteer, and voiceover agent, which is exactly the kind of résumé that makes you ask, “Wait, so what exactly do you do?” in the best way. They get into growing up as the Madrigal sisters before Disney caught up, ugly crying during Coco and Encanto, folklórico as a family love language, community college theater magic, saying yes to unexpected career pivots, and why Wendy may or may not have manifested both her boyfriend and a dinosaur puppet. Plus, Hot Cakes brings tacos, Rocky, stinky breath, and a truly unwell Subway answer. Go see Sonya’s choreography in Goodnight Moon at Chicago Children’s Theatre through June 7, and follow Wendy @itswendymadrigal [https://www.instagram.com/itswendymadrigal/] and Sonya @soniamadrigal. [https://www.instagram.com/sonyamadrigal/] Hosted by Ilse Zacharias Rivera [https://ilsezachariasrivera.com/]. Say hi / follow along here: @ilsezacharias [https://www.instagram.com/ilsezacharias/] Mentioned in this episode: Thank you to our sponsor, Joel Maisonet Photography: maisonetphotography.com

Giselle De La Rosa: Always late but worth the wait

This week on Ilse Will Say, Ilse sits down with Giselle De La Rosa, associate director at Cine Las Americas [https://cinelasamericas.org/] and a SXSW film festival screener, for a behind-the-scenes conversation about film festival programming, short film submissions, festival curation, and what makes a film stand out fast. Giselle shares what it’s like to watch hundreds of documentary shorts, why the first 30 seconds of a short film can reveal so much, and how screeners balance instinct, taste, community, and the brutal math of limited festival slots. Ilse and Giselle also get into Latine storytelling, Latin American cinema, Indigenous stories, Austin film culture, The Artist’s Way, morning pages, creative burnout, community building, coffee withdrawal, and being “always late, but worth the wait.” Giselle also shares more about Cine Las Americas Film Festival, its mission to showcase films centered on Latinidad and Indigenous life, and the importance of creating spaces for underrepresented filmmakers. Follow Giselle @cosasdelarosa [https://www.instagram.com/cosasdelarosa/] and support Cine Las Americas @cinelasamericasiff [https://www.instagram.com/cinelasamericasiff/], especially if you’re in Austin and love film festivals, independent cinema, community screenings, and the people doing the real work behind the scenes. Hosted by Ilse Zacharias Rivera [https://ilsezachariasrivera.com/]. Say hi / follow along here: @ilsezacharias [https://www.instagram.com/ilsezacharias/] Mentioned in this episode: Thank you to our sponsor, Joel Maisonet Photography: maisonetphotography.com