Wake Up (2023)

We got a movie that takes the old school approach of trying to creep you out with chilling atmosphere more than anything else.

In this coming-of-age movie centered around senior prom, Mandy is anxious about her acceptance into Harvard while she realizes she's missing other opportunities.

The plot could’ve really been interesting if the elements of lycanthropy was integrated with perhaps the struggle of identity of being LGBTQ+. It's an experience for so many that as they’re starting to realizing their true selves, they feel like a monster, especially if they come from unsupportive homes or communities. Instead, the horror and transformation elements seem thrown in without contemplation of how this could deepen the narrative.

We chat with Penelope Lawson about her short film, The Dinner Party, her experience founding her own production company, and fun cinema.

Complex relationships between mothers and daughters are far from a new concept, whether the strain comes from abandonment, beliefs, or trauma. In My Only Wish, an Incluvie Film Festival submission, Brenda Gutierrez’s take on her character’s maternal divide comes in the form of abandonment.

I can say without question, that this is the first movie I’ve ever seen where art imitates life so much that I could 100% identify with it on a personal level. The predominately Black cast of characters are people with hopes, dreams, fears, and ambitions.