Melanie Lynskey gets Precious Gem Award, Talks about career
Film Review: "Magic Hour"
Swedefest 2025
Dining Divas Premier
OUTshine Film Festival
Film Review: "Ethan Bloom
Film Review: "Zoe"
Miami Film Festival
Vero Beach Film Festval
INDEPENDENT STREAK MAGAZINE
Vero Beach Film Festival
The Vero Beach Film Festival took place April 10-13,bringing in filmsfrom around the world to eager audiences. The event blasted off with the screening of the film "Sally" about the first female astronaut,Sally Ride. The festival included eventssuch asa special vintner dinner,aDJdance party,afilmmakerspanel,aGrand Wine Tasting,"After Dark Hang Outs" and more.There waseven a "hidden lounge" for filmmakers.
(Thisreporter washonored to be one of the juristsfor this prestigiousfestival!)
For moreinformation,visit https://vbfilmfest.org.
Award Winners
Best Documentary Feature ?Sally
Best Narrative Feature ?Lena & Vladimir
Best Documentary Short ?Edel Rodriguez:FreedomIsa Verb
Best Dramatic Short ?RoomTaken
Best Comedy Short ?Career Day
Best Vero Visions Short ?NoGoodDeed
Best NextUP! Student Short (University) ?TheShepherd
Best NextUP! Student Short (Secondary & High School) ? TheTowel
On page 10,you will find an article about actressMelanie Lynskey. She talksabout experiencing "imposter syndrome." Where in your life have you experienced thisphenomenon? Isthere something about you that makesyou stand out above the rest? Remember not to compare yourself to others.Every person isdifferent and on a unique path with aunique past that shaped them to be who they are today.There isno comparison. The only real competition iswith yourself. So,put one foot in front of the other,learn from what you did yesterday and go bravely forward into tomorrow. Take adeep breath and forgive yourself for what you have not accomplished and remember tomorrow isanother day.
Breaka leg!
Rachel Galvin
Publisher
INDEPENDENT STREAK MAGAZINE
Miami Film Festival
By Rachel Galvin
Thisyear'sMiami Film Festival was jam packed with red carpet premiers, celebritiesand plenty of cinematic gems.
The festival,put on by the Miami Dade College,began in 1984 and hasbeen going strong ever since.
The 2025 festival brought in 198 filmsfrom 45 countries.It began on April 3 with the film "Meet the Barbarians," directed by Julie Delpy It was followed by an opening night party at the historic Alfred L.DuPont Building complete with food,drinks,photo opsand music (pictured on thispage).
The closing night film on April 12 wasthe LGBTQfilm "On Swift Horses," directed by Daniel Minahan.Actor Diego Calvacreated quite astir with his attendance ashe hit the red carpet and said afew wordsdurig the screening.
Asmentioned,he wasnot the only actor or actressthat hit the red carpet during the festival. JuliaStilescame out for her film "Wish You Were Here."
Jason Isaacs,known most recently for his role on "White Lotus," received aPrecious Gem award,so did Paul Feig ("Bridesmaids," "Another Simple Favor" and "Freaks& Geeks"),aswell asMelanie Lynskey,known for showslike "Yellowjackets" and "Two and aHalf Men." (See more on Lynskey on page 10). These are just afew of the people that gained alot of attention for their appearance at the fest thisyear.
There were also plenty of parties,talks, and other special eventsthroughout the fest. The festivitiesculminated with ahuge outdoor party at Jungle Plaza with food, drinksand music!
For moreinfo.,visit miamifilmfestival.com.
"Silent Partners" Premier at Miami Film Fest
By Rachel Galvin
Ciro Dapagio hasbecome abit of a phenomenon Thiscinematic creator continuesto get pressall over the world since he stepped his toe into the film world with filmslike "Mob King" and the just released "Silent Partners." The latter film had itsworld premier at none other than right here at the Miami Film Festival thisyear.It received avery good response from the crowd and wasso popular that it wasone of the only filmsto get asecond screening due to popular demand.
Thisreporter actually wrote about the film after it had aprivate screening for friendsand family (in the fall 2024 issue -- You can read my interview with Dapagio).The film hasonly gained ahuge buzz since then until itsofficial release on May 13. It also went on the the CannesFilm Festival where itsdistributor,Breaking GlassPictures, seeksinternational distribution.
Dapagio hasa long list of other projectsin the works.Hiscomedy "Cherry Picker" was also just shown at the South Beach Film Festival.
At the premier for "Silent Partners," he had a chance with some of hiscast and crew to do a Q&A. They talked about everything from casting to how to make their film fit the 1980stimeline. The actors involved in thisfilm are all top notch and afew of them were among those who had achance to say a few wordsat the event. The group also did some photo opsin the theater and outside on their own red carpet before heading to the after party (pictured).
Expect to hear more great thingsin the worksfrom Dapagio,who doesn't rest on hislaurels.
Pictured: On left: Director Jokes Yanes makes a point; below: Ciro Dapagio & actress and singer Lika Osipova; actor and fan Burton Gazzara & actor Garry Pastore; director Jokes Yanes, actors James Bishop, Garry Pastore, Antoni Corone and Ciro Dapagio during Q&A; Right top: Ciro Dapagio and fellow actor Salvatore Grosso; below: volunteers show off programs; bottom: L to R: Actors Lou Silver & Michael Newman with Independent Streak (IS) founder Rachel Galvin
Film Review:"MagicHour"
By Rachel Galvin
Harriet Peterson managesto keep asmile on her face while her world beginsto slowly close in on her.Optimistic to afault,and the type to alwayslook at the bright side of life while being pushed from all sides,Peterson harborsan inner secret.Any outward joy she projectsisin sharp contrast to the inner despair she doesnot know is growing,fed by constant challengesshe encountersslicing away at her stability,in athousand cuts.
On the surface,she seemsobliviousto the resentmentsfrom people all around her,so when the angst in them buildscausing them to take action,she istaken completely by surprise. Everything she hasknown isabout to be taken away,leaving her ashell of a woman.
For one,the rift between Harriet and her daughter isgrowing with each passing day,asher daughter beginsresenting her mother for what appearsto be alack of confidence in her dream to be an actress. The more the daughter feelsneglected,the more she turnsto her dad, who ishaving an affair,something that also comesout of left field to Harriet.The daughter doesnot realize that it isnot her career choice her mother isupset about,but the lossof her own forgotten dreams. Asthe crevicesbetween Harriet and her family grow larger,Harriet boilsover like ateapot,spilling her rage toward everyone around her, including her boss,who also treatsher like adoormat.The anger she feelsisnot only toward these issues,although they would be enough, but also due to that dream she deferred -- her deep desire to follow her passion and go back to film school and finish what she
started.
That simmering pot eventually explodes. Harriet isforced to take bold action. But she isnot bold enough to reveal everything she is doing to certain people around her,leaving her to lead adouble life -adding to the excitement of the moment,but also the angst.
But going back to school isnot that easy.Thingshave changed; she is older and wiser now,and her peersare now much younger.The people she isforced to work with do not necessarily have her best interestsin mind.And she isforced to really push herself out of her comfort zone even more to battle back and fight for what she believesin,to fight for her dream and make it come true no matter the consequences. But she doesfind unexpected alliesalong the way asshe worksto get back what she haslost. The struggle to regain her identity again isquite a journey.
Director Jacqueline Christy deliversapowerful film.Beautifully shot with excellent acting,the film isboth relatable yet more dramatic than real life. ActressMiriam Shor,who playsHarriet,iseverything in this role -- vulnerable,funny,heartbreaking,tragic,wise,naive Shor is perhapsbest known for her role asDiana Trout in the TVshow "Younger," in which she playsan over-the-top man-hungry demanding bossat apublishing company.Her role in thisfilm asHarriet softens her considerably and presentsavery deep and three-dimensional human being.There isso much meat to the character that it givesShor much to chew on and really showcasesher range asan actress, something that issure to be astepping stone to more nuanced roles and performancesfor her in the future. All actorsdo well in thisfilm, but Shor standsout far above the rest.
Thismulti-layered film takesthe viewer a bit through the ringer, feeling every bit of the upsand downsof Harriet'shopesand heartaches,leaving them spent so that when the unexpected twists occur at the end,it iseven more emotional. Anyone that is misunderstood for following their passion in life will especially relate to Harriet.(Honestly,thisreporter could not stop bawling).For anyone in that category,thisisamust-watch,and even those who might not personally relate to the yearning for a dream will really enjoy thisfilm, which isa tour de force for Shor and a great accomplishment for the whole cast and crew.
Thefilmwasshownrecentlyaspart of theMiami FilmFestival.For moreinformation,visit https://magichour.us.
Film Review: "Ethan Bloom"
By Rachel Galvin
Director Herschel Farber put together agem of afilm with "Ethan Bloom." Asold-out crowd watched the family film at the Miami Film Festival on April 6 at the OlympiaTheater.The plot followsayoung boy,Ethan, who decideshe wantsto become Catholic and goes about working with the local priest to do all he can within the church.The problem is... he'sJewish. And his father,played by JoshuaMalina,isnot happy.He has Ethan talk to arabbi,who happensto be female,played by Rachelle Lefevre,about Judaism in hopesit will change hismind.
Although he doesfind some kinship with her,it does not change hismind about being achurchgoer,and he knowshisfather just doesn't understand. So,Ethan goesabout creating abit of aruse to not only continue in hisreligiouspursuits,but also pursue hislove interest,who he met in the church.Of course, eventually,thisplan fallsapart in dramatic fashion.
Thisfilm isdramatic,and will make you shed atear, but overall istold in alighthearted fashion with many very funny moments,thanksto characterslike the sassy grandma,played by Mindy Sterling,the slightly mischeviouspriest,played by CarlosPonce,and others.
The young actorsdo avery good job in thisfilm despite being new to the craft,including Hank Greenspan,who played Ethan.Surprisingly,thiswashis first role!
Top: Director Herschel Farber and writer Maylen Dominguez; cast & crew on stage; 2nd line: Hank Greenspan, Carlos Ponce, Rachelle Lefevre and Joshua Molina; 3rd line: local screenwriter Deni Sher, Rachel Galvin and local actress Laurel Levey, who played Hilda in the film; actors Renata Bresciani, who played a secretary, and LJUgarte, who played an emcee; Q&A following the film
Film Review: ?Zoe?
By Rachel Galvin
Wild child Zoe liveslife like awhirling dervish,spinning from excitement to excitement,leaving humdrum existence behind. Unfortunately,life doesn? t really operate ike that There iswork that needsto be done But that fact fallson deaf earswith Zoe. Her neglectful father,who isalso her boss,doesnot understand her and isadamant that she tow the line or lose everything. Her best friend hasjust about had enough of her drama,and her boyfriend isunsure of their relationship. When everything comesto ahead and her life fallsapart,she endsup seeking the help of an unlikely source. Through magical means,she fallsinto a life?changing adventure.Aschoicesare shown to her,she must decide who she truly wantsto become.
Thisisadelightful film that exploresthe outcome of life?schoices.Emanuela Galliussi embracesher multiple personalitieswith aplomb.In addition to being the lead in the film,she also isawriter and director. The ability to bounce back and forth linguistically iscertainly acoup aswell,asZoe?sadventurestake her to faraway lands.
The way the film isstructured buttonsup the storyline perfectly. It isa fun watch and hasa very satisfying ending.It had itsworld premier at the Coral GablesArt Cinemaon April 4 aspart of the Miami Film Festival. For moreinformation,visit FallingUpFilms.com.
1st Annual South Beach Film Festival
The inaugural South Beach Film Festival took place May 15-18 in Miami.
In an effort to remember that cinematic history in Florida,there were plenty of nostalgic parties, including aScarface rooftop party and aMiami Vice themed dinner.There are were chancesto meet filmmakersand writersof today,and more. Of course, there were also filmsto see!
Pepe Serna,known for "Scarface," "Miami Vice" and more,wasgiven a lifetime award!
Emanuela Galliussi
Top: Miami Film Festival Director of Programming Lauren Cohen speaks about the awards; on right: award winners and jurists take the stage
Miami Film Festival Award Winners
On the closing night,the festival presented several awardsand juristsand award winners came up on stage in front of everyone in the audience.They also showed the closing night film. Thisall took place at OlympiaTheater.
$2,000 Documentary Achievement Award: "Checkpoint Zoo," directed by Joshua Zeman
Audience Documentary Film Award: "Selenay LosDinos," directed by Isabel Castro
First runner up: "Chirino," directed by Jorge Soliño
Second runner-up: "The Librarians," directed by Kim Synder
$5,000 Made in MIA Short Film Award: "Little Haiti," directed by XFSerrano
$4,000 Miami International Short Film Award: "Gender Reveal," directed by Mo Matton
$1,000 Short Documentary Film Award: "View from the Floor," directed by Megan Griffiths& Mindie Lind
$1,000 Florida Cinemaslam Award: "Dirt Therapy," directed by Sebastian Valencia
$2,000 The Reel South Short Film Award: "George V.," directed by DennisScholl & Dia Kontaxis
Audience Short Film Award: "Night Train Last Stop," directed by Gina Margillo
First runner-up: "Test of Time," directed by Julian Alicea
Awards:
15,000 MARIMBASAward: "The Last Meal," directed by Maryse Legagneur
Made in MIA Feature Film Award: "The Python Hunt," directed by Xander Robin
$10,000 Jordan Ressler First Feature Award: "Omaha," directed by Cole Webley
Audience Feature Film Award: "Espina," directed by Daniel Poler
First runner-up: "AdiósCuba," directed by Rolando Díaz
Second runner-up: "Magic Hour," directed by Jacqueline Christy
Second runner-up: "Confession of a Jumbotron Addict," directed by Mickey Duzyj
Findout moreat MiamiFilmFestival.com.
Seen at Miami Film Fest...
So m any film m akers, act ors, cast & crew m em bers hit t he red carpet t hroughout t he fest ival! Here are a few of t he faces capt ured by t he paparazzi.
Find m ore pict ures of t he fest ival on t he Independent St reak Magazine Facebook page soon!
Actress Melanie Lynskey is a Precious Gem
By Rachel Galvin
Known best for being the stalker next door,Rose,in the TVshow ?Two and aHalf Men?or the complex Shaunain ?Yellowjackets?or for being in countlessother projectsthroughout the years,Melanie Lynskey hascreated quite afan base.Many of them came to the Miami Film Festival on April 12 to see thistalented actressbe given a Precious Gem award. She also had a chance to discussher career during an extensive interview by Variety'sEmily Longeretta.
Lynskey explained that she started her career in local theater but her first role in film wasat age 15 in Peter Jackson?s ?Heavenly Creatures?working with Kate Winslet.Her next film was?Ever After? with Drew Barrymore,another role she cherished.
She went on next to do filmslike ?Sweet Home Alabama?and ?Coyote Ugly ?
When asked about the casting process for ?Coyote Ugly?and how she got involved,she said,?Oh my gosh, everybody wanted to get that movie.It waslike the hot script of the moment. And I remember reading it.There were so many different draftsof it. And the draft that I got,I think,wasthe part that was done by Kevin Smith.It wasquite dark,and I waslike,oh,thisisfun.?
I'm like,I did it once.?
She went on to need a dialect coach for the part when working on the final draft of the script to do aNew Jersey accent.?But then there wasasound problem,?she said. ?None of my lineswere recorded.And I had to re-record every single line I did in that movie.And they did not get me adialect coach."
Despite that difficulty,it wasafun experience to work on the set.?It wasactually the only time in my entire career where I played the best friend,?she said. ?People are like,you alwaysplay best friends. And
When it comesto ?Sweet Home Alabama,?she said it wasa wild shoot.?That waslike one of the wildest shoots. We were crazy ? Storiesthat I cannot tell. But yeah,it wasreally lotsof fun.? Although Lynskey hasshown prowessin dramatic roles,she really excelsin comedy. ?I alwaysreally enjoyed comedy. Growing up,I did improv comedy," she said. One of her most memorable roles wasasRose in ?Two and a Half Men.?Acting in an American sitcom wasnot on her bucket list necessarily,so when the ideawas presented to her,she wasnot sure about it,but found it an interesting concept.Little did she know the longevity the character would have.She did the pilot,not knowing the character would necessarily continue. And when she auditioned,instead of following what they had determined for the character,she approached it alittle differently. Instead of playing the stalker next door asafemme fatale,she decided it would be more interesting to make her more naive, completely unaware that anything waswrong. They thought her take to be weird,but they liked it When the show got picked up,she was put in asa seriesregular. But later,she realized that if she continued,it would make it very difficult for her to follow the path she wanted to go down and she asked to step back to work on other projects.They allowed her out of her contract.
She realized that with the show ashuge asit was,she wasgoing to be losing alot of money.She literally could become a millionaire,but she knew thiswasthe right decision for her.
Being in that role led to being recognized by more people out in public,but most of the time,she goesaround undetected,she said. Thismay be surprising,but she quipped that she normally ?does not look like this,?saying,?I usually look like someone you'd be 10
like,oh,isshe okay?She'shaving a rough day." She joked about how momsat school said that they can tell who isin the industry because they are wearing pajamas,to which she said,"They're not pajamas," which drew ahuge laugh.
Asked if the audition processfor TVwasdifferent than the audition processfor film,she said,yes,adding,?The audition processfor TVis so strange. Like when you're in front of just giant boardroomsfull of executiveswho don't think anything isfunny,and you're just sitting there looking at people,you know.And you're trying to ...be comedic. It wasreally weird.It'snot the ideal conditionsfor creating comedy."
She added,"But I had areally good chemistry with Charlie [Sheen,on ?Two and aHalf Men?]..So I think that really helped me."
One of her favorite experienceswasworking on the film ?Informant.? ?I got that movie because of Two and a Half Men," she said. "Because Stephen Soderbergh,who directed the movie,wanted to cast comedy people. So,Cameron Cooper,who'sthe casting director,who I'm friendswith,waslike,'Stephen wantscomedy people and I think you being on asitcom isreally helpful.' And so,I got to audition for that and got the part."
She added,"And it wasjust one of the most fun,creative,exciting experiences.Matt Damon'sso great.He'ssuch a good person. Like,you just keep waiting for something to go wrong. And it'slike,oh no,he's just like adreamy,wonderful human being.He wasagreat guy.It was agreat time."
Lynskey did alot of great films,and interacted with many celebs.?I had thisrun of these wonderful movieswhere the movie stars involved in them were just so kind.Like,George Clooney was[never in histrailer]. He wasalwaysout talking to the crew,hanging out with everybody.I did amovie with Edward Norton. It wasso awesome.I did amovie with John Krasinski and MayaRudolph.Like,it wasthisbig run of people who were so,so,so wonderful,so professional. And it just wasgreat."
These days,most people are talking about her role in "Yellowjackets." She wasasked what the biggest challenge waswhen stepping into thiscomplicated role."It didn't feel like a challenge," she answered."I felt so immensely grateful to be given acharacter who wasso interesting There'slayersand layersand layers She'svery complicated. She'svery dangerous.She'svery funny."
She added,"I love our writers,I have to say ... I love them. I love them aspeople. I love them ascreatives.And,you know,we've known each other now for six years.And just the gratitude I feel for the material that they've given me.It's,you know,I'm alwayssurprised.
I told you about thisrecently in an interview. I think people have an ideathat I knew the entire plot outline. And I'm just like,I do not. Before I signed on,I wasvery careful.I just wanted to make sure they had aplan.They very,very much had aplan. I waslike,'stop. I trust you.' And I still really trust them.I think that the story isgoing to surprise all of us."
She elaborated about how she often did not know what was happening ahead of time with her character or the script overall,but she did ask at length for information about her younger self in the wilderness,saying it wasimportant to know for the backstory of the character and to know her motivation.
One of the people she talked about working with wasHilary Swank, who she said she actually met for the first time the day they were working together and said she wastotally game to do the part and everything that wasneeded,including stunts,which wassomething she appreciated.
Next,Longerettamoved on to the TVshow "Togetherness." Within it, Lynskey said she loved working with AmandaPeet,who she classifies as'one of the greats' and said she would love to work with her again.
Longerettaasked Lynskey if the amount of nudity in the show scared her.But thiswassomething that did not seem to phase Lynskey.She felt it wasimportant in the scene.Longerettanoted that obviously Lynskey felt comfortable working with the Duplassbrothers, otherwise she could not have done such an intimate scene.
Lynskey agreed,but added,"It'svery weird to be doing asex scene with somebody with hisbrother directing.It wasprobably more weird for Mark. Jay iscoming in to give alittle bit of advice and Mark islike, 'thanks,dude.' It wasstrange.But they have such agreat relationship and I really,really trusted them."
Her latest project iscalled "Pike River," adocu-dramawhich isa New Zealand story directed by her ex-boyfriend,Rupert MacKenzie.
"It wasbased on a tragedy that happened at a mine in New Zealand. Avery famousstory.And I played one of the women.The character I played lost her husband. And in real life,she teamed up with another woman who lost her son in a mine to get justice," explained Lynskey.
She said the story wasatragic one,and astory many people do not know about. "It felt like a very important story to tell," she said,adding that she also appreciated being able to use her own accent.
Next wastime for the rapid fire questions.What role scared her the most?"Perksof Being a Wallflower,because of what that means," she said.
She added,"I remember yearsago I did an audition and I lied and said I could ride ahorse. And I'm terrified of horses.I didn't get that job.But whenever I had to be around horses,I am very scared. I will not recommend it.I regretted it immediately. I waslike,'why did I do that?'"
She also talked about not being able to drive when she worked on "Coyote Ugly." Danny Aiello III,astunt coordinator and son of actor Danny Aiello,taught her how to drive."He wasa really wonderful man. He wasso kind to me. He took me around Brooklyn.And then he got really into it.He passed away afew yearsago. But he wasincredibly kind and very patient.And he changed my life."
Asked what wasphysically the toughest job that she had had,she said,"Oh,probably 'Candy' because JessicaBiel and I had acrazy stunt that we rehearsed for weeksand weeksand weeks And it wasinsane We did so much of that ourselves. It waslike an axe fight.Spoiler alert. It wasabig axe fight.And it doesn't go well for me. It also wasareally sad,sad story,atrue story.I cared very much about the woman I was playing.It wasreally heartbreaking."
She wasasked if she ever passed on any part and she said she felt weird answering that question because,if she passed on something, she wasrelinquishing ownership of it,it became somebody else's. It belongsto the person who did it.
She added,"There were thingsI auditioned for and I didn't get.The
one I alwaysthink about that I wasso heartbroken to not get was 'Junebug.' Because I auditioned a few timesfor that,and it was down to me and a couple other people. And I washeartbroken.I cried all day. And then I saw the movie,and I waslike,'oh my God, thiswasnever my part.'" She said that she lovesseeing when people really own apart,like she felt Amy Adamsdid in "Junebug."
She first realized she wasreally an actresswhen she found herself in a room doing a test with Daniel Day-Lewisfor "The Crucible." "So,I came to LosAngelesand I got to be in the room reading with Daniel Day-Lewis.And that,for me,that wasa moment where I waslike,oh,someone thinksI am areal actor. Nobody'sallowed in the room with Daniel Day-Lewis.For real. I alwaysfelt like a bit of an imposter. He wasso kind,and he wasso generous. Then there were like Visaissuesand stuff like that and I didn't do that movie. But the experience of getting to be there with him wasreally wonderful."
She talked a bit about the phenomenon of imposter syndrome and how to escape from it. She said,"What I realized at a certain point wasthat the thingsthat make me feel like an imposter are kind of the good thingsabout me.Like,you know,there are alot of people who are acting who are so stunning and beautiful and aspirational and all these things.And then,you know,I would look at myself and I'd be like,oh my god,should I have fixed my teeth?Should I change something on my face?You know,there are all these things that you look at yourself and you go I'm not like all these other people. And then I had to really turn it around at acertain point and be like,I'm not like all these other people and that'swhat I'm bringing to this.And I'm bringing my humanity and the fact that I don't look like everyone. And I do look like aregular person. And let'shave that be a positive thing. And it'snice for someone to turn on the TVand be like,oh, that'sthe person who I feel like I look a little bit like.I know for me it's alwaysnice when I feel that way. So that waswhat turned my imposter syndrome around alittle bit."
Asfor the future,she would love to work with director Mike Lee. She also wantsto start producing things,and wantsto do some more comedy."I'm tired.I want to do something funny," she said.
Lastly,Longerettaasked her what the biggest lesson wasthat she has learned on set and in life,and she answered,"Listen to my instincts, whether that be on set ...or working with a particular people...and not getting distracted."
Emily Longeretta & Melanie Lynskey
INDEPENDENT STREAK MAGAZINE Day1
Dining Divas Take Over Ft. Lauderdale with Three Amazing Premier Parties
By Rachel Galvin
When Christine Curran started ?Dining Divas?back in 2018,little did she know the phenomenon it would become.She started with one show with local women sharing their thoughtsand providing information on local culinary hot spotsand more. Today,she hasdeveloped an empire with her Destination Divasthat spansbeyond the Sunshine State and included much more programming. Her Dining Divasnow have abranch in the family tree in California,New York and Texas. Also under her wing are other shows,such asBikini Chef,LaJama,The Decor Diva with PerlaLichi,The Wine Divawith Anne Russo and others.Her showscan be seen on Google TV,Apple TV,Prime Video and FUBU(For UsBy Us) Network.
Her influence hasgone beyond the screen,with their annual mastermind event in faraway localesand their DivaNetwork,begun by Adora Evans, mastermind community.They even have their own saver app,which helpspeople get discountson food they eat.Their next mastermind event isin Trinidad and Tobago with guest speaker Jeff Hoffman It is an all-encompasing seven daysof empowerment. Guestsenjoy luxury experiences,beachfront culinary indulgencesand powerhouse guest speakers.
The divaswere resplendent at this year?spremier event. It wasactually expanded to three daysthisyear and washeld March 23-25.
SCHEDULEOFEVENTS:
Day 1
Day2
- The festivitieskicked off with abang.The Opening Party was at Bo Beach Club in Ft. Lauderdale with great viewsand ocean breezes.Camerawere everywhere with paparazzi snapping away and video camerascapturing the action. People were being interviewed on multiple red carpets.The party wasdownstairsand then it moved upstairs for even more fun.
Everyone got wild with exotic prints. There were girlsbody painted like wild catsand zebras. ChrisCruz emceed.There wasa contest for best dressed with some great prizes.
There wasfood and drink available. Everyone could grab adrink,chitchat with friendsand meet new people who had traveled from all over to be in attendance.
Country singer Coffey Anderson broke into some rap much to the crowd'sdelight.People sang and danced to the DJ'd music. It wasagreat time.
Day 2
-Held at Savor Cinema in Ft. Lauderdale,the second day wasalso packed with people from all over. People could sample food and have a drink and sit in the theater and watch what they had in store,including clipsfrom "Dining DivasTexas," "LaJamaTVshow," "The Wine Diva,Anne Russo," "The Decor Diva PerlaLichi," "America?sNext Bikini Chef" and "Dining DivasNew York"? and that wasall before the intermission.
Everyone streamed out onto the patio to take a break and do more networking and sampling while they readied for the next grouping of clips.For something completely different,they showed an episode of ?Speakeasy,?a show that wasstraight out of something like aBond movie with aglossy look,luxurioussettingsand plenty of style mixed with intrigue and action.In addition to that gem,they showed
?Mastermind in the Exumaswith LisaNichols,??Gourmet Escapades with Chef Bluebeard,?and ?Dining Divasin Florida ?Hidden Gems.? Thiswasjust a bit of what took place at the amazing event,
Guestsleft the event,after plenty of photo ops,with an amazing swag bag filled with the best swag thisreporter hasever seen, from foot masksand hair and face productsto high-end candles,
Day3
Day 3- The crowd headed back to Savor Cinemafor more stylish fun. This included more food and drinksand more showcasing of everything the Diva Network has to offer. Thisday they showed their adventures in the ?Pacific Northwest,?the second clip from ?Speakeasy,??Dining Divasin Orlando,?and again clipsof Chef Bluebeard,The Wine Diva, The Bikini Chef,"LaJamaTV," "The Decor Diva with PerlaLichi," and their trip to Virginia.
In addition,Curran wassurprised to receive a Women in Power Award.She would go on to attend their event as well but she received the trophy on thisnight and had a chance to pose with it in some photosand share the honor with the crowd and fellow divas.
Not only that but Jeff Hoffman got a chance to speak about the upcoming mastermind event they are doing with him asaspeaker.
The three daysof eventswere wonderful Everything Curran putsher name on istop of the line. Every event brought adifferent theme of glamour. Day 1 waswild exotics,day two waspink and black and the third day was glitz and glamour,and everyone dressed accordingly.
It wasthe utmost in networking,fun and inspiration.The party continued with an after party at Casa Calabria.Most divastraveled around in limos!
Missed the three daysof non-stop fun and glamour?They have so much more in store,including promoting ahigh-end mindset mastery event with networking keynotesby leadersand more called The Visionary Edge. It will be held June 5-7 at BahiaMar.
They have weekly mastermind zoom callsand, again,they have that trip coming up aswell. Find out more at www.diningempire.com, https://diningdivas.tv and elswhere.
SeemorephotosontheIndependent Streak MagazineFacebookpagecomingsoon.
INDEPENDENT STREAK MAGAZINE
10th Annual Swedefest
By Rachel Galvin
We were not sure it wascoming back,but it did and boy were we glad! Swedefest came back with a vengeance to celebrate its 10th year on March 28 at the Lake Worth Playhouse.Thiswasalso the kickoff of the L-Dub Film Festival and Charlie Birnbaum had afew thingsto say about that festival, which went until the 30th with more films But back to Swedefest.What isit?It is coined as"acelebration of bad movies" and that isbasically what it is.There were very short filmsshown created by locals,often by whole familiesgetting together to replicate filmsalready completed and redo them in afun,but delighfully bad,zero budget way. It basically was about creating spoofs.And thisreporter wasin one about Jay and Silent Bob.Thiswasnot the first time.
There wasaspecial themed drink people could buy on the way in and aphoto opp red carpet set up.People dressed unique to mark the occasion...at least some did.The emcee shared funny quipsin between movies. Everyone got to vote on their favorites.
But it wasnot just new filmsthistime.Many of the filmsactually had been shown before.You see,they wanted to bring back the favsfrom the last 10 years.People could vote on their favorite of the favsand then their favorite of the new films,etc.
The Best of the Fest went to a family-made production of "Rocky." The overall winner,however,was"Alien," which hasbeen shown in the past.
It wasgreat to see Elizabeth Dashiell,and her partner in crime Heath McKnight,bring back thisunique fest.
INDEPENDENT STREAK MAGAZINE
OUTshine Film FestivalSpring Edition
By Rachel Galvin
The OUTshine film festival shinesitslight a little further by showing filmsin two different counties.They also have two festivalsa year ?one in the spring and one in the fall.Thisspring edition began in Miami and ended up in Ft. Lauderdale thisyear.Asusual,it brought an excited crowd ready to see some great LGBTQ+ filmsand network with each other. Plus,they come for the great parties!
The opening night film wasone that hasbeen getting alot of attention,asit wasalso just shown at the Miami Film Festival for their closing night??On Swift Horses.?They showed it on April 17 at Regal South Beach and followed with an after party at the swanky Rum
Room.
But that wasjust the beginning.The next night got spicy with the Noche LatinaFilm & Party and the screening of ?Fine Young Men.?It and the rest of the Miami filmswere all shown at Regal South Beach. But thisnight?safter party wasat Twisted Tonic Rooftop.
There also wasanother event focused on the men ?Miami Men?s Spotlight Film & Party,on Saturday,April 19.It included ascreening of the film ?Streetsof Gloria?with an after party at the Graystone Hotel. Then,they moved to Broward on Thursday,April 24,with the Centerpiece being shown at Regal Dania Point.The Italian comedy ?Accidental Films?wasshown,followed by an after party in the same complex at Bowlero Terrace,afancy bowling alley with arcade. This reporter enjoyed the tasty tidbitsthey had to offer and the mega-rita drink!
They had another Men?sSpotlght event,thistime showing the film ?MidasMan,?about the Beatlesmanager Brian Epstein,at the Gateway Theatre on Saturday night,followed by aparty in Wilton Manorsat Lit. Ladiesgot their own spotlight with ?Hot Milk?on the same night at Gateway.Their after party wasat The Well.
Sunday brought a drag brunch and ascreening of ?To Wong Foo, Thanksfor Everything! Julie Newmar?also at The Well,starring Drag Queen Jasmine Pryce Lords.
She also made an appearance at the closing night film and party at Savor Cinema. They showed ?Four Mothers,?aswell asthe trailer for the upcoming series?Our Family Pride.?Then everyone enjoyed some good eats and networking on the patio, plussome great tunes. In addition, they had a virtual component for those who were unable to
This page is filled with photos of OPENING NIGHT-FT. Lauderdale.
Photos by Rachel Galvin
attend in person.
Asalwayseveryone had agreat time and already are counting down the days until the fall edition.
Youcanfindout morethat event and everythingtheorganizationhasinstore byvisitingOutShineFilm.com.
This page is filled with photos of CLOSINGNIGHT. Photos by Rachel Galvin