
[Editor’s note: In addition to the usual celebration of DIY cinema, the recently completed Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival also held ‘Camp Puff,’ a campy (of course) night of movies. Iz Lee, a college filmmaker, attended the event and brings us this report.] All things alternative, campy, and retro had their perfect summer home this past…

The Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival (better known as Puff) kicks off its 11th annual edition later this week, in an underground theater. The location is fitting as the festival features alternative, DIY, or some would say “underground” films. With a healthy dose of horror (while not exclusively horror by any stretch), the festival creates a…

Pay for this streaming service. Pay for that streaming service. If you’re like me, you’re close to the breaking point on paying for streaming services. Thankfully, our neighbors to the north have come to the rescue. Canada’s National Film Board app allows you to stream many of the best/unique independent films in Canadian history, in…

I’m not sure if Trippin’ Tuesday will become a regular feature here, but if it does, this is a great first entry. Jules Guérin’s A Shaman’s Tale has a refreshing, handmade aesthetic that blends textures and papers to create a visually arresting, hypnotic journey. As for the story, as Guérin puts it: A mystical journey…

I don’t know how often you think about Garfield, the cantankerous animated cat, but one small town in France has been thinking about him every day for over 43 years. Silly Little Plastic Cat tells the story of a community in Northwest France that has dealt with the debris of thousands of Garfield phones washing ashore since…

The look of film is unmatched. While there are plenty of filters, apps, and LUTs to make digital look more like film, it still isn’t quite the same as the real thing. But obviously, we’re well past peak film, as the affordability and convenience of digital image acquisition has taken over the market. Which got…

Imagine writing and directing your first feature film at 12 years old. Now imagine a documentary film crew following you around as you try to do it, capturing the excruciating details as the project drags on for years. That was the pressure and odd situation Emily Hagins found herself in at the beginning of her…

It can be hard for those of us in the United States, particularly these days, to imagine robust government-funded programs supporting the most creative filmmakers in the country. For our friends to the north, though, the National Film Board does just that, and we have that support to thank for today’s short, “Madame Tutli-Putli.” “Madame…

In an email received today by filmmakers using Vimeo’s “Vimeo on Demand” service (including your intrepid reporter), Vimeo announced the closure of the video rental/purchase platform effective November 20, 2026. The announcement was also added to the Vimeo website in late June. “Adoption has slowed in recent years, and we believe reallocating resources to our…