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The world is heating up out there, but the gusts and erratic temperature swings of early Spring can often be deceiving. One minute it looks sunny and warm, the next you’re stranded on a long walk in just basketball shorts when a sudden chill descends. Or it looks nasty, and all of a sudden you’re overdressed in 80-degree heat. It might be best to stay safely within the confines of your local art house or home theater with some Don’t-Miss Indies instead.

Monkey Man

When You Can Watch: April 5

Where You Can Watch: Theaters

Directors: Dev Patel

Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Sobhita Dhulipala

Why We’re Excited: Famous for his lead role in the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel has turned his attention to directing with his debut Monkey Man, which premiered last month at SXSW. Inspired by the Indian legend of Hanuman, Monkey Man...

SXSW organizers on Monday announced the Audience Award winners for the festival’s recently wrapped 31st edition.

The list includes Tracie Laymon’s dramedy Bob Trevino Likes It, which prevailed in Narrative Feature Competition, and the action thriller Monkey Man marking Dev Patel’s directorial debut, which dominated the Headliner section. Other notable winners included A24’s Sing Sing starring Colman Domingo, which won out in Festival Favorite, and Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’ dark veteran dramedy My Dead Friend Zoe, starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales and Ed Harris, which won in Narrative Spotlight.

“We are beyond grateful to all our filmmakers, audiences, and volunteers for creating one of the most exciting SXSW Film & TV Festivals ever,” said Claudette Godfrey, VP Film & TV. “We knew our audiences would flip for our program filled with explosive studio films, surprising indie dramas and comedies, riveting TV, powerful documentaries, gripping gems from around the world, and groundbreaking Xr,...

"You guys, this whole thing is a bad idea." Gravitas has revealed an official trailer for the indie comedy Wes is Dying, marking the feature directorial debut of up-and-coming filmmaker Parker Seaman. This meta filmmaking comedy is about a filmmaker who tries to make a documentary about a dying friend - but it all goes wrong. Of course. Reminds me of the recent Black Mirror episode "Loch Henry". After finding out their best friend is dying, filmmakers Parker & Devin decide to document their journey to see Wes one last time - all in the name of Hollywood success. As they hit the road to document their journey to see Wes one last time, their missteps & interpersonal troubles threaten to derail the movie and also ruin their friendship. Starring the writers Parker Seaman & Devin Das as Parker & Devin, along with D'Arcy Carden, Wes Schlagenhauf, and Mark Duplass. Oh this looks way better than expected!

Iykyk is often used to allude to an inside joke and could not be more fitting when talking about Parker Seaman’s insane music video LA On Acid – his third collaboration with electronic music producer and DJ Dillon Francis. Opening mischievously with a spiked chicken nugget provided by none other than Diplo, LA On Acid takes its audience on a hypnotising dive into a wild trip – a fitting music video sensory overload which has had the volume cranked up to full. Wild camera set-ups, freaky yet wholly absorbing bulging eyes, a breakdancing duck and eel dicks. Seaman built upon his longstanding, established relationship with Francis and took his time to work collaboratively with the artist to really understand each beat and lyric of the song and how to represent that in the most demented and superb fashion. Set in a vintage Chinese restaurant with a cast of bizarre yet oddly...

New York – One of the honorable characteristics of the Tribeca Film Festival is their documentary programming, which reflects our current debates and circumstances. Two docs reviewed below are indicative of the search for truth and justice. The at-home Fest is available now, click TRIBECAatHOME for access.

The 2022 Tribeca Festival, presented by Crypto Platform Okx, brings artists and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, VR, gaming, music, and online work. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is a platform for creative expression and immersive entertainment. Throughout the festival, HollywoodChicago will be reviewing the films of Tribeca.

Kaepernick & America

Photo credit: TribecaFilm.com

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Craig Hatkoff and actor Robert De Niro as a reactive strike back at the September 11th attack in 2001 on New York City and the nearby Tribeca neighborhood.The 2022 edition will show...

Tribeca Festival, the event that wants to offer something for everyone, returns Wednesday with its sprawling collection of features and shorts, live music, TV, podcasts, games, and Ar/VR. The annual New York City-set fest has moved mostly back indoors this year, but will feature nods to 2021 like free outdoor screenings and an online edition, Tribeca At Home. A rich documentary slate tackles abortion, press freedom and the rise of social media. There’s a first-time award for environmental impact and a series of talks with Blackhouse Foundation centered on Poc storytelling.

“We’re an activist festival,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder with Robert De Niro and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises. “When you think back to how we founded the festival, we’ve always been political,” she added, a nod to the duo launching Tribeca after the September 11 terrorist attacks to buck up a physically and emotionally devastated neighborhood.

This year,...