https://independent-magazine.org/2019/08/28/interview-leave-your-hat-on-ed-polgardy/
Obsessed with Independent Film Since 1976
Obsessed with Independent Film Since 1976
Rebecca Reynolds is a writer/producer and co-founder of 8180 Films. Her latest project is as co-creator, producer, and co-director of Hollywood and Crime, a true crime podcast from Wondery on Luminary.
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“What exactly does a producer do?” People outside the movie industry always want to know. So The Independent’s Rebecca Reynolds decided to get the inside scoop from one of the most prolific producers she knows: Ed Polgardy, the quintessential indie producer who has independently financed films outside the studio system. His work includes feature films with budgets ranging from $60,000… Read more »
LA-based filmmaking brothers, Brett and Drew Pierce, recently completed principal photography on their latest indie horror film, Hag. A modern twist on the classic witch genre, Hag is their third feature and the second one the brothers co-wrote and co-directed. Scheduled for a 2019 release, Hag stars Disney Channel veteran Piper Curda, Here and Now’s Kevin Bigley, Jane… Read more »
New York based director/screenwriter Jeremiah Zagar’s first two feature films were critically acclaimed documentaries. His autobiographical In a Dream took home the Audience Award at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival. Zagar’s film went on to win six more awards. A couple include Best Documentary Feature at the Woodstock Film Festival and the Audience Award at… Read more »
Canadian-born actress, writer, and director Lucie Guest pulled from her own painful life experiences to create an award-winning short film, Never Better. As befitting her training with the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, The Groundlings in Los Angeles, and the Second City Conservatory Program, Guest’s take on post break-up pain took a seriously comedic turn. Never Better… Read more »
Acclaimed actor Stephen Lang’s impressive career moves easily between indies such as this fall’s hit horror film Don’t Breathe and big studio films such as Public Enemies and Tombstone. Here he tells how his most personal indie project led to his biggest studio movie and how the two remain intertwined to this day. (Full disclosure:… Read more »
Whose Streets chronicles the lives of activists in Ferguson, Missouri and the surrounding St. Louis area following the controversial killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson on August 9, 2014. Interdisciplinary artist Damon Davis and organizer, advocate and storyteller Sabaah Folayan joined forces to direct and produce the film…. Read more »
In 2011 writer/director Andrew Ahn’s first short film Andy took Best Narrative Short at the San Diego Asian Film Festival. About a young family’s trip to a shopping mall with their six-year-old son, Andy effectively deals with culture clash, paranoia, and gender play in just a little over six minutes. The film enjoyed a successful… Read more »
Lizzie Velasquez has fought for survival all her life. Born with a rare syndrome that makes it impossible for her to gain weight, 26-year-old Velasquez has struggled constantly with life-threatening medical challenges with the help of her wonderful, loving family. But no challenge has been greater than Velasquez’s fight to get legislation passed to prevent… Read more »
Back in 2011, 10-to-Watch-2013 producer Katie Tibaldi was working on the TV series Are We There Yet when she met 10-to-Watch-2015 Mike Luciano. Starring Terry Crews in the Ice Cube role, the TV series filmed an amazing ninety episodes in one year in Stamford, Connecticut. The sheer number of episodes and the daily commute from… Read more »
Mike Luciano and Phil Matarese met while working day jobs at an ad production company in New York City. In his free time, Luciano wrote, directed, edited, and acted in short films such as ¡Viva Espana! while in Matarese’s free time, he directed commercials, made ethereal animated shorts, and designed super happy-looking t-shirts with cryptic messages like “Kill Me Please. I’m begging… Read more »