Katra Film Series Archives -

Katra Film Series Celebrates 10 Years in New York City this Fall!

Admin — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 23:00:43 +0000

KATRA Film Series is excited to return this Fall as we continue to celebrate our milestone 10th year in a hybrid format with in-person and virtual screenings. Join us October 18th-22nd at AMC Theaters Times Square New York and virtually via XERB.TV for an amazing week of film screenings, alumni spotlight event featuring some of our top filmmakers from the past ten years who are now producing and directing for NETFLIX, HBO, HULU, CNN, PARAMOUNT+ and more, including filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions, and talkbacks.

The AMC Lineup Schedule + Ticket Info is below. The Virtual Online Programs can be found HERE

Katra Alumni Spotlight Event. Free with RSVP here:

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20TH | BLOCK 1 | 8:45pm

Checking Out – directed by Vick Krishna, Piyali Syam

A young Indian-American man and woman check into a hotel room to carry out a suicide pact together. These two take a darkly comic, honest perspective towards death, acceptance, trauma, and mental health struggles.

Man on the Tower – directed by Karl Shefelman

In 1966, kids playing in their back yard in Austin, Texas witness the University of Texas tower shooting and decide they must save their father who is teaching class on the campus. Based on the actual event.

Generation Lockdown – directed by Sirad Balducci

An eleven-year-old boy tries to save his friend’s life during an active shooter attack in his school.

The Space Since and In Between – directed by Francisco Solorzano

While the world reels from the effects of a global pandemic, two strangers accidentally unearth a lost connection in an eerily barren NYC Times Square.

Rooftop Intermission – directed by Masa Gibson, Abby J. Smith

Two strangers from the same building end up on a roof together and make a socially distant connection.

First They Came For My Mother – directed by Rafael Alvarado

Danni, a 14 year old girl, has to protect her little sister when her mother is captured by ICE.

Con Dios – directed by Carlos Ibarra

Pablo Sanchez longs to go to college, but with no clear path to citizenship, his growing anxiety causes him to take actions that go against his moral code.

In Passing – directed by Martin Blanco

After years apart, two first-generation Venezuelan sisters reconnect to confront their childhood demons and to say goodbye, one last time.

Soyka – directed by Anastasiya Sergienya

Anna, a young woman from Belarus, tries to survive in New York City while dreaming of a better life.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 21ST | BLOCK 1 | 6:15pm

Let’s Kill Karen – directed by Courtney J. Camerota

A fearless millennial uncovers the origin of a terrorist-like group of entitled women and needs her flamboyant brother’s help to stop their rapid expansion.

The Appointment – directed by Alexandre Singh

A novelist wakes to find a troubling entry in his diary: 12 o’clock at a restaurant. But whom is he meeting, and why doesn’t he remember making this appointment?

Sticky – directed by Cameron Johanning

A boarding school student is whisked home to Chappaqua, NY to find out that her favorite bakery has been baking more than just sticky buns.

Adulting – directed by Nicholas Ortiz

A millennial woman unknowingly interviews for a job at a cult.

FIVE MINUTES – directed by Christine Khalafian

When a young woman is given five minutes out of the house from her oppressive boyfriend, she bravely turns her moment of freedom into a frantic search for a phone to make a tenuous plea for help.

When This All Ends – directed by Jordan Sommerlad

Two sisters pontificate on the lives they could have led while observing the current guest staying in their family’s vacation home in upstate New York.

An Occurrence at Arverne – directed by Robert Broadhurst

A man arrives at an unknown home with an unknown agenda.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 21ST | BLOCK 2 | 8:45pm

The Fixer – directed by Michael Schilf

An extorted Mafia enforcer must partner with the gun who murdered his wife to save his daughter and liberate himself from a sadistic Los Angeles crime boss.

Hudson Falls – directed by Elias Plagianos

The secrets of a small upstate town revolving around an eccentric scientist begin to unravel when a private eye from the city (Richard Kind) takes on a seemingly mundane job in an effort to rekindle a relationship with his ex-wife.

Message From the Future – directed by Dano Johnson

A time traveler tries to save the future. It doesn’t go well.

Junior – directed by AJ Wilhelm

Jérôme “Junior” Simeon is recruited by a music group and spends 20 years touring the world. When the lead singer of his band dies, his career comes to a halt and he faces an uncertain future for himself and his legacy.

Owners – directed by Leonex

Terence is tired of feeling the constraints of being a minority in the workplace. He starts his own company, but his decision erupts into chaos, secrets, and revelations between him and the people closest to him.

Sugar & Sand – directed by Alec Toller

Molly wants one Instagram photo from her trip to the beach. The only thing standing between her and her photo is her boyfriend, who, for Molly’s own mental health, has banned photo-taking.

Insta Life Coach – directed by Emily Kron & Kate Hopkins

A prideful millennial and self-proclaimed “Instagram life coach” gives people advice on how to better their social media selves. Spoiler: her advice is ridiculous and sometimes harmful.

Grinding Doubt – directed by Alexandra Ann Spieth

In a misguided attempt to impress a movie producer, a group of small town degenerates party way too hard at their kid nephew’s confirmation party. Things really take a turn when the kid gets in on the debauchery.

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Katra Film Series Celebrates 10 Years in New York City

Admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 20:19:14 +0000

WE ARE BACK!!! After a long and challenging year of COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, we celebrated our return to in-person events last month the only way we know how — ON THE BIGGEST SCREEN IN NEW YORK CITY! What an amazing two nights they were as filmmakers, audiences, family and friends alike gathered in the hallways of the AMC Theatre Multiplex in Times Square to embrace each other with warm hugs and kisses for the first time in over a year and a half. Filmmakers and their team of collaborators came out in full force to join us for two celebratory, fun and exciting nights out at the movie theatre with Q&A panel discussions, media interviews, and live movie screenings. There were cheers, gasps, sighs, tears, laughter and all the emotions that only a live communal screening can produce. It was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!

Congrats to all the filmmakers and actors who made these nights possible and for participating in our 10 Year celebration of independent cinema and for supporting the greater New York Film and Arts Community! We couldn’t be more proud of your work and we are incredibly honored to have hosted your talents in such a magnificent and memorable way.

Yes, we’ll say it again proudly and with gusto WE ARE BACK! Special thanks to our amazing sponsors and partners JMR Rentals, UKW Media, Final Draft, BKLYN Commons, Screenblade, International Screenwriters’ Association, Meditative Writing, Brooklyn Brewery, Whats Your Issue Foundation, On The Scene Media, and No Rest for the Weekend.

LIST OF WINNERS AND HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Best Short Film: “La Santera” directed by Yerania Del Orbe

Best Documentary Film: “From Fat Lolli to Six Pack Lolli” directed by Keith Eccles

Best Episodic or TV Pilot: “Girl Boxer” directed by Lauren Mccann

Best Feature Film: “When The Music Changes” directed by Lakshmi Devy

Best Experimental Film: “Metamorph” directed by Alexis Karl

Best Feature Screenplay: “A Kinder Sea” written by Addie Johnson Talbott, Alessandra Mesa, and Daniel Talbott

Best Short Screenplay: “Kate’s Ballad” written by Rory O’Connor

Honorable Mentions: “Pandemic Zoom” directed by Julianna Pitt and “Exit Package” directed by John Gray

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9TH ANUAL KATRA FILM SERIES GRAND FINALE

Admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 20:55:11 +0000

Join us for the Katra Film Series’ 9th Annual Grand Finale Featuring the Top Works that screened with us in 2020 as part of our quarterly virtual fest. The top selections were carefully chosen by our programming team and audience vote last year and will be available to watch anytime and anywhere via XERB.TV running February 22nd-27th. The finalists will compete for up to $10,000 in total prizes in our best of categories including the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Choice Award.

We also have a casting and filmmaking workshop with Backstage Magazine on Thursday, February 25th at 7pm EST. Founded in 1960, Backstage is the most trusted name in casting, utilizing decades of experience and advanced technology to connect content-creators with the talent needed to take their projects to the next level. Backstage Casting Specialist Christina Kleppinger will walk you through the new normal in casting – from forming a perfect breakdown, to holding effective virtual auditions, to hiring the best talent.

***Please note all ticket holders/audience members receive a $25 GIFT CARD from the HiO store in Tribeca redeemable online or for in-store purchases with brands from around the world***

GET ALL ACCESS PASS & TICKETS HERE

THE FINALISTS

PROGRAM 1

BELOW – directed by Chance Muehleck
SWEET DREAMS – directed byChloe (Lei) Tu, Tina Yuangting Chao
KITE – directed by HongWei Wang
LE TEMPS PERDU – directed by Julian Santos
THE TATTOOED TORAH – directed by Marc Bennett
NOWHERE TO NUN – directed by Austin Hsieh
EXTRA INNINGS – directed by John Gray

FEATURE FILM PRESENTATION
CROSSROADS OF AMERICA – directed by Gabrielle Muller

PROGRAM 2

MASTER MAGGIE – directed by Matthew Bonifacio
TREELINE LAKE – directed by Sinah Ober
A MILLION EYES – directed by Richard Raymond
EAGLE – directed by Jose Acevedo
ROUGHNECK – directed by Andrew Hardaway
THE PRIEST – directed by Dir. Michael Vukadinovich
MANN OVERBOARD – directed by Sam Cadman

FEATURE FILM PRESENTATION
LAMENT – directed by Diego Lopes & Claudio Bitencourt

PROGRAM 3

THE FLOWER ON THE ROAD – directed by Petros Georgiadis
SLIP – directed by Lizzie Morgan
THE TAMPON – directed by Erica Ortiz
ZARINA – directed by Lexx Truss
THE TAXIDERMIST – directed by Natalie Johnson
WHITE INK – directed by Jacqueline Grajales

FEATURE FILM PRESENTATION
THE RIGHT TO REST – directed by Sarah Megyesy & Guillermo Roqués

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2020 CALL FOR ENTRIES NOW OPEN

Admin — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 05:31:27 +0000

Now in its 9th Year, the Katra Film Series is an internationally recognized film festival and screenwriting competition dedicated to supporting the next generation of filmmakers at the world famous Alamo Drafthouse Theater. Hailed by Tribeca Films for its “honorable mission to spotlight new and emerging cinematic talents…where some of their top alums have since gone on to great things in the indie world and beyond” while the New York Times agrees “From the bottom up an amazing and excellent festival that has made it in New York!”

Since 2012, Katra alums have landed theatrical distribution and have gone on to write, produce and direct feature films and TV shows for HBO, FOX, Netflix, Showtime, ESPN, Vice Media including festival stops at Sundance, Tribeca, Berlin and Cannes Film Festival.

Additionally, we have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Huffington Post, Daily News, NY1, NBC, Women & Hollywood, Metro NY, The New Machine, Bklyner, and many other local and national publications.

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2019 KATRA FILM SERIES SEASON FINALE

Admin — Sat, 07 Sep 2019 20:09:47 +0000

We are proud to announce the 2019 Katra Film Series Fall Edition taking place from September 25-26th at the Alamo Drafthouse Theater in Brooklyn!

In partnership with HiO, ScreenBlade, Final Draft, 3636 Studios, and International Screenwriters’ Association, the audience will choose the best work of the evening each night and the winners will takes home over $7,000 in prizes and advance to our 8th Annual Grand Finale in January 2020 where they will be considered for top prizes including a Canon camera and meetings with established producers in LA.

All guests and ticket holders are invited to attend our pre-screening cocktail hour sponsored by HiO City Point Store with complimentary beer, wine, cocktails, soft drinks and appetizers from 530pm-630pm.

FULL SCHEDULE IN LINKS BELOW:

DAY 1 – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

DAY 2 – THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019

HiO – Open Bar/Cocktail Hour @City Point – 530-630pm each night

445 Albee Square lobby (near Fulton st. entrance) Brooklyn, NY 11201

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE CINEMAS – 7pm-1030pm

Wednesday, September 25, 2019 – Screening + Q&A

445 Albee Square W#4 Brooklyn, NY 11201

Trains: B, D, N, Q, R, W, 2, 3 – Social Media Share: #KATRA2019 #katrafilmseries

Follow: @katrafilmseries – www.katrafilmseries.com

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2018 SUMMER SERIES – AUGUST 4TH, 2018

Admin — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 03:48:55 +0000

It is sizzling out there and that only means one thing… SUMMER IS BACK!

Join us for NYC’s Summer Event of the Year – The 2018 Summer Series on Saturday August 4, 2018 in the capital of the world! To cool you down and get you in the mood for some riveting new films, music videos and web series all guests receive a complimentary beer courtesy of the Lagunitas Brewing Company.

Free beer, quality cinema, and delicious cocktails… does it get better than that? Not in a million years!

The big apple is not short on summer events, but this year’s Summer Series is surely not to be missed! Featuring 3 world Premieres, 2 NY Premieres, and an International Co-Production from the Middle East, we have quite a thrilling lineup in store including the World Premiere of a new film starring 2-time Academy-Award Winner Michael Douglas’s son.

SUMMER LINEUP:

BLOCK 1

Euphoria – directed by Wynter Rhys

An artist is kidnapped by his fan base and dragged to face off with his 6 year old daughter to confront the dark side of fame.

Violetta – directed by Aaron Lehmann

A young girl, Violetta, is coming of age via her voyeuristic obsessions, which transport her out of a tragic home life.

Lollipop – directed by Hanaa Saleh

A 14-year-old Saudi girl experiences the onset of puberty, which means she must begin wearing a full black niqab.

Heimlich – directed by Lisanne Sartor

Nina and Alex are married with their toddler Elsie. Nina’s had enough.

Honeypot – directed by Jill Greenberg

Inspired by the audio of Harvey Weinstein obtained by the NYPD’s sting operation in 2015 with Ambra Gutierrez.

I Got A Callback – directed by Chris Fox

An actor is put to the test in an audition that goes awry.

BLOCK 2

Dead Layer – directed by Carter Winter & Aleksey Reznikov

Danny, a visionary graffiti artist with tremendous talent, gets caught up in a terrible crime when he goes out with his old pal James.

The Decades of Mason Carroll – directed by Michael Markham

Mason Carroll wants to be in a long lasting relationship, except he hasn’t aged since 1940s.

The Things We Don’t Say – directed by Soleidy Mendez

Believing that his death is near, Pierre, a lonely senior, decides to have that long overdue conversation with Rose, his dead wife.

Frank and Lamar – Episode 1 – directed by Fred Soligan

A web series that follows two best friends who live together and together as middle school teachers in NYC.

You’re the Pest – Ep. 2, 3, 5 – directed by Adrienne Lovette | Created by Taylor Coriell & Jasmine Romero

Two estranged childhood friends are thrown back into each others’ lives when forced to inherit their families’ extermination business in Queens.

FOR TICKET AND EVENT INFO CLICK HERE

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2018 CALL FOR ENTRIES – REGULAR DEADLINE APPROACHING

Admin — Sun, 22 Oct 2017 02:55:03 +0000

The 2018 Season is right around the corner which only means one thing….

… Time To Submit is NOW!

At Katra, we pride ourselves on hosting world-class screening events and highlighting the works of our selected filmmakers with press coverage from top media outlets and offering them unparalleled career opportunities with industry professional meetings and state-of-the-art prizes from our generous sponsors.

SUBMIT HERE

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2017 SEAON FINALE FALL SERIES

Admin — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 02:15:27 +0000

FALL LINEUP – 2017 SEASON FINALE (lineup order subject to change):

The Still Life (12:12) – Directed by Yun Xie

Chris, a photographer, desperately seeking inspiration, finds himself in the right place at the wrong time. He soon realizes that in order to capture his subject’s, he’s going to have to put down his camera.

Microscopia (4:32) – Directed by Nikolaus Jantsch

The content of this work is about code, the code that surrounds us, that builds the chains of life, the code that is the source of all living and non-living structure. Is there a relation between the macro and the micro world? Has a bug a similar surface as the moon?

Conversations Centered Around Black Bodies: Black Lives Matter (9:35) – Directed by Christopher Conti

Two strangers intersect at a park bench and initiate an intimate conversation about the Black Lives Matter movement.

Cake (9:22) – Directed by Anne Hu

Eliza, a bisexual woman, tries to explore her sexuality within her marriage with her husband, Thomas, by surprise ordering a seemingly human female sex robot. But the sex robot is not the cure-all she had hoped for. Be careful what you wish for.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/198495346

Troll: A Southern Tale (11:30) – Directed by Marinah Janello

An eccentric artist navigates self-expression through his experiences living and growing up in the South.

I Love New York (10:54) – Directed by Christian Vogeler

After an NYC first-timer befriends a savvy street girl on the train, she takes him on a fantastical ride through all the city’s pitfalls. But nothing’s free in this town, so tighten up your hustle or you might just get hustled yourself.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/191375968

Happy Hour (13:55) – Directed by Gretl Claggett

When a woman meets her boyfriend for a romantic night out, a martini triggers childhood memories that threaten her ability to trust and love.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/72761339

Evil Woman (13:37) – Directed by Danny Turkiewicz

The night Brandon plans on proposing to his girlfriend of seven years, he finds out the dark and hilarious truth about her past.

John Brothers Gym (5:52) – Directed by Lydia Folckomer

Two brothers, Jerry and Manu, own and operate a gym, and life is great. But everyday family business is interrupted when Manu realizes Jerry operated the yoga studio like a total sham. He decides to hire Elisa, a professional yoga instructor. Manu thinks Elisa is fantastic, Jerry hates Elisa, and Elisa loves everyone. It’s your normal family business.

Toute La Vie (9:30) – Directed by Ella Mische

Toute La Vie is a romantic comedy with an eerie twist set in the Art Deco-Jazz style. We meet to lovers who stumble upon an abandoned apartment later to realize they are ghosts, stuck in a dream-like state, reliving the first night they met.

Pitter Patter Goes My Heart (21:30) – Directed by Christoph Rainer

The hopelessly romantic Lisa takes desperate measures to win her former lover back. But the fact that he already has a new girl at his side and that Lisa needs to bring along her alcoholic father does not particularly help. Tragedy takes its course.

Silent Cries: The Prelude (15:30) – Directed by Shauntay Cherry

An underemployed construction worker begins to buckle under the pressures of fatherhood as his son’s 7^th birthday approaches.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5ia4MDCgNw

Something Happened (19:09) – Directed by Nikhil Melnechuk

A young man has one weekend to fix his life. A young woman has one weekend to escape hers.

The Run-In (10:11) – Directed by Peter Talamo

On her way home from a late night party, Hannah experiences an unnerving encounter with a stranger who leaves her mentally paralyzed.

2017 Katra Film Series – September 16, 2017 – 5pm-1030pm
217 Bowery btw. Rivington and Prince St.
New York, NY 10002
$20 General Admission
$30 cash door only
(All tickets include Screenings, Q&A, Open 5p-6pm FREE Narranggaset Beer, Afterparty)

Do you have a Feature, Short, Web Series, Documentary, Student Film, Animation, Music Video you’d like to submit? Earlybird Deadline for the 2018 Season now open!

SUBMIT HERE: https://filmfreeway.com/festival/KatraFilmSeries

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BROOKLYN, HERE WE COME!

Admin — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 05:19:33 +0000

As we continue to work hard to discover the best new talent out there, we are proud to announce the 5th Annual Grand Finale Series will take place at the newly minted Alamo Drafthouse Theater in Downtown Brooklyn on January 25, 2017, with industry leaders Red Digital Cinema, Pond5, Museum of Moving Image, MovieMaker Magazine, CreatorUp sponsoring prizes for our top filmmakers.

There will only be a limited amount of tickets available for our milestone event. To receive a private email when they go on sale, email us at katrafilmseries2016@gmail.com with the subject line “Grand Finale Advance Tickets.”

Happy Holidays and we wish you all a prosperous and healthy new year!

Katra Film Series Team

FOLLOW US: Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube

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CALL FOR ENTRIES: EARLY BIRD DEADLINE MARCH 1ST

Admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 19:28:23 +0000

ATTENTION SHORT CONTENT CREATORS & FILMMAKERS: Katra Film Series Earlybird deadline for Spring submissions is 2 days away. Do you have a short film, web series, music video, animated film, experimental, short documentary? Send us your work today! Great prizes and opportunity for exposure in the capital of the world!

#filmfestival #shortfilms #shortfilmmakers #indiefilms #shortfilmfestival #nofilmschool #filmcurious #katrafilmseries #katrafilmfestival #shortcontent #shortcontentcreators #earlybird #submissions #call4entries #TFF2015 #NYFA #Tischschoolofthearts #SVA #studentfilms #awardwinningshorts #artsandculture

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