Film Inquiry’s Seed & Spark Campaign Picks Of November 13, 2020

Our friends at Seed & Spark are featuring everything from an animated documentary to a romantic comedy for the month of November. Whether it’s something with quirky characters or quantum physics, there’s always intriguing campaigns for indie shorts and features to discover!

DRAGONFLY

Writer-producer-director Julia Morizawa (JesusCat (or How I Accidentally Joined a Cult)) brings us Dragonfly, an animated feature animated by Maria Marta Linero (Living Ubuntu). Inspired by a noted lack of the Japanese-American experience in her Oregonian school curriculum, Morizawa based Dragonfly’s story on the Tokyo Firebombing on March 9-10, 1945. Featuring Japanese-American voice actors Miya Kodama (Grey’s Anatomy), Erika Ishii (Destiny 2), and Thomas Isao Morinaka (Kubo and the Two Strings), Dragonfly’s is sure to be something special.

EGGHEAD & TWINKIE

Featuring a queer Asian American protagonist and taking inspiration from anime and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Egghead & Twinkie is a comedic road trip feature all about coming out of the closet. Based on her award-winning short film of the same name, writer-director Sarah Kambe Holland notes a central theme of the feature is “loving someone isn’t about the idea of them: it’s about embracing who they truly are.” Sabrina Jie-A-Fa (The Corrupt Half), Louis Tomeo (Every Witch Way), Maihua Lee (The Art of Being Loved), and Asahi Hirano (The Edge) star in this charming film.

LE BON CHEF

Set in the male-dominated world of classic French cooking, Le Bon Chef is a feature directed by Tracy Schott about Vivienne Martine, a Cordon Bleu graduate, and owner of the titular restaurant. Written by Sue Lange and Tracy Schott, Le Bon Chef has a cast of quirky characters inspired by Schott’s experience in the restaurant industry. Le Bon Chef looks to be a tasty film indeed!

E IS FOR:

Rebecca Isbill Davis directs a non-linear black queer sci-fi feature about alternate timelines in E is For:. Taking inspiration from sci-fi legends Octavia Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin, Rebecca Isbill Davis and MJ Slide’s screenplay tackles quantum physics and discovering one’s identity. The winner of the 2020 Narrative Open-Call South Pitch Competition, E is For: is set to shoot in December 2020 in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio to emphasize its intimacy.

STAY CALM

A debut short written and directed by Sam Quinn (Jane Got a Gun) and Connor McLean, Stay Calm is a horror film exploring the challenges of living a mindful life in a chaotic world. Three friends entrenched in a love triangle have to manage their emotions to prevent a zombie monster from emerging from within. They are looking for funds to get over the last hump of post-production. Let’s help make that happen!

THE DISTRICT

David Weathersby (Jazz Occurrence) brings his years of documentary expertise to The District, an animated documentary short which takes viewers into the history of African American police officers in Chicago’s powerful 3rd district. Not just a short film, The District aims to be a platform to start conversations about the nuanced relationship between the African American community and law enforcement. A social justice story told from the perspective of Dahveed Lemieux (a former police detective and Black Panther Party member) and Delbert Howell (a former mounted police officer), this looks to be a striking take on a moment in history that needs telling.

INSIDE THE BEAUTY BUBBLE

Inside the Beauty Bubble gives us a glimpse of Jeff, a self-professed “hairstorian” who created the Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum in Joshua Tree, California. Thousands of beauty artifacts line the walls of a place Nylon described as “if Wes Anderson designed a hair salon”. Cheryl Bookout (PURE) and Cheri Gaulke (Gloria’s Call) produce and direct this amusing look at a place and a man that contains multitudes.