2022 Schedule
Welcome to our 5th Annual Festival!
The 2022 Lonely Seal International Film, Screenplay & Music Festival celebrates some breathtaking accomplishments at the Regent Theatre, a 106-year-old cinematic gem in Arlington, MA (Boston). I would like to applaud all our wonderful filmmakers, screenwriters, playwrights, musicians, and composers because their creative genius thrived through a highly selective, 12-month process.
Below is our screening schedule. A subsequent list of our writers, playwrights, composers, and musicians will be released separately. On behalf of Regent Theatre owners Richard Stavros and Leland Stein, the Regent Theatre support staff, James Hourigan and the 60+ judges here at Lonely Seal, and our sponsors and marketing partners; The Regent Theatre, Final Draft, Designware, Hourglass24 and Acorns, I welcome you to our best festival yet.
Hammad Zaidi
Founder and Festival Director
2022 Lonely Seal Festival Schedule
Wednesday, October 5 – Regent Theatre
5:00 PM-5:55 PM Meet & Greet Filmmakers, Screenwriters, Musicians, and Composers are encouraged to meet each other and the festival staff.
6:00 PM-8:30 PM Off We Go! [Block 1]
Running Home: The Run4Water Story (USA 25:32) Clean water activist and adventurer Katie Spotz, best known for breaking a world record as the youngest person to complete a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean, ran 341 miles across the state of Ohio breaking yet another incredible world record – the most ultramarathons run consecutively by a female. Fueling her journey was the goal of funding 11 water projects in Uganda, with every step getting us closer to a world where everyone has access to safe water.
Spoke (USA 21:00) A short documentary about the Broken Spoke in Austin, Texas.
1 oz. Jig – “Gratis” (USA 7:22) This video was shot entirely with drone cameras. It was filmed and recorded at Cosmic Cowboy Studios in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Oklahoma Breakdown (USA 1:31:36) Mike Hosty is a comedic one-man band legend who can do things on stage that few entertainers in the world could pull off in a live setting.
8:45 PM-11:00 PM Cinema Wednesday Night [Block 2]
I/O (USA 5:33) A man struggles with telling his girlfriend that he’s dating her through his robot.
Fig Jam (USA 21:35) While on lockdown, Brenda invites Teddy for a late-night hookup. One of the two is a bit more apprehensive and paranoid and keeps more than one secret.
Derrick & Boyd – (USA 25:40) Two small-time thieves have to dispose of a body after a robbery goes awry.
Shadows and Lies (China 1:18:04) Set in Beijing, China, this dark comedy concerns an aging vampire hunter, Sonny Ray Briggs, from Blanchard Springs, Arkansas, who seeks revenge on the vampires murdered his wife. Sonny Ray is assisted in his sanguinary quest for retaliation by Bobo Lin. This blue-haired, 20something Beijing girl has decided to devote her life to “killing evil” and Serenity, a mute man with a penchant for eating bugs.
Thursday, October 6 – Regent Underground Theatre
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11:30 AM-2:30 PM Extended Lunchhour Screenings [Block 3]
Rooted (Fiji 4:54) Rooted’ is a music video that portrays the many faces and places of the Pacific. A collaboration between filmmakers and artists from around the region, it is an anthem for strength, unity, and resilience. With dancers and musicians from Fiji, Tonga, Banaba, Rotuma, the Marshall Islands, and the Solomon Islands, the video portrays how art plays a part in our identity as people of the Pacific.
Intermission O.D.D.I.T.Y. Feat B. Harms (USA 4:01) The lyrics identify how it feels to grow up as a black adolescent into a young adult and professional. It is hard. There is stigma. Finding the tightrope to balance is tough.
Shaking A Singapore Spear (Germany 16:57) An animated documentary about the relevance of Shakespeare’s classical works for digital natives in Singapore: Live action and animation combined. The film was created in close collaboration with the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Oborozuki (Cuba 5:00) Katsushika Hokusai’s tentacular “Dream of the fisherman’s wife” and Afro Cuban drums are the protagonists of a syncretic ritual; music and dance lead this interesting cultural intermixing music video directed by Joseph Ros for Japanese artist Yuko Fong and Los Rumberos de Cuba.
Far From the Sun (Argentina 15:00) Amid an economic crisis in Argentina, Roberto, a small neighborhood grocer, goes to Los Angeles with his wife, his child who has Down syndrome, and his grandmother, who does not travel.
Yom Kippur (USA 10:33) Rylan gets stuck reliving Yom Kippur repeatedly; he tries to break the Groundhog Day curse.
The Candy Tin (USA 14:30) An Irish immigrant picks up a gleaming “Ruth’s Home Run” candy tin in a general store in 1920s America. From the rocking 50s to the dour 2000s to The Future, the candy tin travels through modern America. The Future is The Past.
Candyman’s Gold – (USA 1:46:00) The inventor of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, David Klein, is giving away a candy factory in a nationwide gold ticket treasure hunt.
Thursday, October 6 – Regent Theatre
12:00 PM-3:00 PM Cultural Insights [Block 4]
Growing Peace In The Middle East (USA 17:16) A 7th grader from New York is inspired by a visit to Sindyanna of Galilee in Israel – a unique non-profit organization led by a team of Arab and Jewish women working together to create social change from the ground up. He spent the year during the pandemic inspired to document the new hydroponics project at Sindyanna, which strives to enhance Arab-Jewish cooperation while creating economic opportunities for Arab women.
Between Two Worlds (USA 7:56) Friends from NYC’s South Asian diaspora team up to build a community by merging their love of Bollywood with their passion for Contemporary dance to both celebrate their heritage and address social issues that have personal resonance, including terrorism, homophobia, and domestic violence.
A Maiden Made Not of Clay (Japan 6:00) The setting of this story is early modern Ireland. Many battles broke out. The bard harper keeps playing the harp, recalling his memories. His mind is stuck in the past and can’t be happy until he notices the incredible truth.
80 YEARS LATER (USA 50:00) This film explores the racial inheritance of Japanese American family incarceration during World War II through multigenerational conversations with survivors and their descendants.
Songs Of Little Saigon (USA 1:36:04) Songs of Little Saigon is a documentary about Vietnamese Americans whose musical talent, hope, and resilience propelled the rebuilding of their lives in Southern California after fleeing war-torn Vietnam.
3:15 PM-5:45 PM Horror Showcase [Block 5]
They’re Here (USA 6:23) A new couple, an old mountain, and a thirst for the unknown.
Valley of the Shadow: The Spiritual Value of Horror (USA 2:20:47) Director Tyler Smith and host Bill Oberst, Jr. explore the world of scary movies, finding the psychological, emotional, and spiritual complexities within the genre. The result is an academic celebration of film and its ability to engage and challenge its audience.
6:00 PM-7:50 PM Sound + Vision Showcase [Block 6]
Carrots (USA 5:45) A local newscaster befriends a blind woman at the plastic surgeon’s office.
Cloud Boy (UK 3:40) Cloud Boy journeys through his insecurities and issues growing up. But as college approaches, he decides to become a more independent person. A semi-autobiography about the experiences of living with Autism.
Beyond The Lake (USA 138:34) The picturesque life of a former musician turns upside down when the woman who caused him to quit music moves in down the street.
8:00 PM-10:00 PM Cinema Thursday Night [Block 7]
Like the Girls Who Wear Pink (USA 6:14) A time-traveling video finds its way to 1981. A plea from the future serves as a warning, woven together with hope and encouragement, for a young autistic girl. And perhaps for us all.
Bacon ‘N’ Laces (USA 19:20) A single dad of three boys manages a diner. But, there’s more to John than meets the eye.
Sweet Disaster (Germany 1:30:00) Frida unexpectedly falls pregnant, and Felix, the father of her child, breaks up with her to reunite with his ex. Even as serious health problems caused by the late pregnancy force Frida to rest, she still tries to get Felix back, using absurd, exaggerated, and sometimes hilarious methods.
10:00 PM-12:00 AM Lonely Seal Festival Party [Block 8]
Friday, October 7 – Regent Underground Theatre
10:00 AM-10:55 AM – Commingling Project – Session 1
This time is reserved for the festival participants to meet each other.
11:00 PM-2:00 PM Music & Art Showcase [Block 9]
Fireflies (USA 3:31) Filmed in one continuous shot, an abused woman gains the courage to stand up to her alcoholic partner with patience, love, and self-worth, wearing thin.
Kill The Butterfly (USA 13:15) Caroline, an artist in her late 20s, arrives at the art opening of Enrique, 60, her abusive former professor. Reality ensues.
Moving Together (UK 11:45) This film was inspired by people’s lived experiences of loneliness and the stories they generously shared with us, highlighting social, emotional, and existential loneliness.
About Time (USA 36:36) Composed and performed by author-musician Anne E. Witte (Pseudonym “Rosewood Music”), it is a succession of 8 musical/visual stories, each related to the passage of time. The themes draw from the artist’s personal history, classical myth, and travel literature. The crowdsourcing of the visuals captures a universal thread memorializing shared human experiences and a world premier using “crowdsourced” visual snippets to illustrate the lyrics.
Through The Ages (USA 4:02) “Through The Ages” is a dance video performed as a duet by a male and female dancer. It is a real heartfelt love story, spanning eighty years of life between this couple. Our video was filmed in and around Central Park in New York City.
And Then It’s Over (USA 1:45) A soulful and nostalgic animated film.
Sign of Love (USA 3:31) A calming visual journey is set to composer Yulia Petrova’s music.
The Silent Stage (Turkey 23:51) This short documentary narrates what people in the music industry in Turkey have gone through during the pandemic.
Letitia (UK 9:54) A singer/songwriter diagnosed with bipolar disorder, talks about her struggles and spirituality as she follows her new life.
The Positive Energy of Gods (France 109:44) Their music is a surge of electric rock. Their lyrics are wild poetry. Accompanied by four musicians, Stanislas, Yohann, Aurélien, and Kevin are the singers of the band Astéréotypie. They are autistic young people coming from a medical and educational institute, they reveal their jarring universe and singular style on stage. They blow the wind and howl in anger.
Friday, October 7 – Regent Theatre
2:15 PM – 4:00 PM – Friday Afternoon Showcase [Block 10]
FreeWorld – “D-Up (Here’s To Diversity)” (USA 5:08) Diversity. One of the top qualities in nature that defines our planet. Without it, all flowers would smell the same, every creature would look the same, and all people would be the same. Life would not only be incredibly boring but virtually impossible without the multitude of diverse beings populating our world. The endless variety of colors, thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, styles, desires, hopes, and dreams within humanity alone is astounding.
Junior (USA 11:22) Gifted as a teenager, Jérôme “Junior” Simeon was recruited by the top Haitian roots music group “Racine Mapou de Azor” and spent 20 years touring the world. When the lead singer of his band dies, Junior’s high-profile career comes to a shocking halt, and he suddenly faces an uncertain future for himself and his legacy.
Frank Bey: All My Dues Are Paid (USA:1:28:00) In 1977, soul-blues singer Frank Bey quit singing after a deal went wrong with James Brown. Forty years later, Frank was invited to record a CD in Nashville with Buddy Guy’s record producer, fulfilling the dream of his lifetime.
Saturday, October 8 – Regent Theatre
10:00 AM-11:30 PM Saturday Morning Sing [Block 11]
The Drive To Sing (USA 1:16:15) When choir singing became dangerous, even deadly, in COVID-19, some musicians turned to “car choirs” in parking lots to keep their music alive. See how it began, spread, and gained international attention. Feel how it touched singers and audiences during this time of fear and isolation.
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A special live performance from some of the singers in the film will proceed with the event.
11:45 PM-1:30 PM LBGTQ Showcase [Block 12]
Now You See Me (USA 8:00) A powerful story about the trauma and ultimate triumph of being a transgender female.
Dear Lily, Love Patrick (USA 16:34) Dear Lily, Love Patrick is a poignant look at the power of true connection, a young life ended by the tragedy at the onset of the AIDS epidemic, and a love that is still enduring.
Static Space (USA 28:43) A young woman struggling to figure out her place and identity inadvertently stumbles across a frequency on her ham radio. She makes contact with an astronaut currently orbiting Earth. The two women are presented with the opportunity to find meaningful connections, even while worlds apart.
We All Die Alone (USA 13:35) The hubris of an inept conflict negotiator leads two warring gangs into an 8-way standoff. The consequences are both comical and tragic.
Fred and Emile (USA 24:05) An elderly gay couple discusses their coming out journey.
1:45 PM-4:00 PM – Music + Culture Showcase [Block 13]
Argent Glass (feat. Char) (4:02 Japan) This video chronicles the frustrations of a struggling musician.
The Cure (USA 4:44) Inspired by the Tuskegee Study, The Cure explores vaccine hesitancy and the history of medical experimentation on Black and Indigenous bodies.
Corrosif (USA 3:35) A tale of lo-fi eyes.
The Message (USA 4:45) An inspiring Chicano youth in underserved, low-income neighborhoods to make more positive decisions when confronted with challenging life situations.
“Stand Up!” (USA 4:00) In 1985, Juanita Meza Velasquez organized to paint a 16’ x 82’ Chicano mural on the wall of Payless ShoeSource at 2048 Story Rd, San José, CA 95122, near King and Story Roads. Juanita organized what muralist José Meza Velasquez would later title “Mural de La Raza” as a tool to end barrio warfare and empower
graffiti artists and barrio youth. The “Mural de La Raza” depicted the history and culture of Precolumbian lore, the Mexican Revolution, the Chicano Movement, local figures, as well as the very youth who assisted in painting the mural.
DOPO YUMEmories (USA 13:16) The short documentary explores Dopo Yume, an NYC-based rock band that gained traction in the late 90s and early 00s but never quite took flight. Told through home videos and present-day narration from the band’s lead singer, we experience his memories of the highs and lows, the friendships and community that formed around the music, and the role that fate and tragedy played.
Sign The Show (USA 1:35:38) Sign the Show: Deaf Culture, Access & Entertainment brings together entertainers, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HOH) community, and American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters to discuss accessibility at live performances in a humorous, heartfelt, and insightful way.
Saturday, October 8 – Regent Underground Theatre
3:30 PM-5:00 PM Career Strategy Seminar with Hammad Zaidi [Block 14]
Originally designed for writers, the content of this seminar applies to all facets of the entertainment industry. This seminar is designed to help you shave years off your journey in the entertainment industry by instilling you with key insights. Hammad Zaidi is the founder of the Lonely Seal Company Group These include Lonely Seal Releasing, an international film, and television distribution company, The Lonely Seal International Film, Screenplay & Music Festival, a Top 100 Best Reviewed Festival, and Lonely Seal Releasing, an International film, TV, and new media distributor, and sales agency. Hammad is a certified buyer at the world’s most significant film festivals and film sales markets, including Cannes, Berlin, Hong Kong, etc., and he is a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America. In addition, Zaidi is a founder at Hourglass24, an upcoming crowdfunding platform that focuses on 24-hour campaigns, and he is an early investor/co-owner of Industry Corporation, which created Designware.
Zaidi has also been a jury, advisory board member, panelist, filmmaker advisor, program curator, and/or world cinema screener at several film festivals. These include Sundance, SXSW, Slamdance, and Flickerfest in Sydney, to name a few. Hammad has also been an adjunct professor and guest lecturer at several universities, like UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt, Chapman, The Watkins Film School in Nashville, Avila University, The University of Kansas, UMKC, and San Diego State, among others. Hammad Zaidi received his Masters of Fine Arts from the UCLA School of Film and Television Producers Program.
Saturday, October 8 – Regent Theatre
8:00 PM Butcher, Baglio, and Estes – Album release party and concert.
Sunday, October 9 – Regent Theatre
12:00 PM – 12:55 AM – Comingling Project – Session 2
This time is reserved for the festival participants to meet and discuss the possibility of collaborating on future projects.
1:00 PM-4:00 PM – Drama Showcase [Block 15]
Harbor (USA 19:20) This is a queer, modern Celtic/ Norse fairy tale and “ghost” story about living in the in-between.
Nothing Is Going To Change (USA 16:05) From 1984-1995, Geoffrey Driscoll recorded a daily video diary. Now Jordan, a video technician, watches Geoffrey’s life unfold as he transfers each videotape.
The Electricity in Me (UK 10:25) Years after giving up her newborn son for adoption, a woman confronts her trauma and memories of the man she calls ‘my monster.’
Gray Area (USA 17:24) Kate Gray struggles with a full-time career as a therapist, raising four young children, past personal traumas, and marriage. In an attempt to hold it all together, she turns to alcohol. As Kate spirals down through the “gray area” of addiction and anxiety, she must choose to reach out for help or drown in her despair.
To Have and To Hold (USA 9:42) Faye and Justin try to ignore their circumstances and enjoy their morning together.
Failure to Protect (USA 1:37:59) Failed by a system that unfairly tears apart low-income, marginalized families, five parents – Anna, Rheta, Trish, Ernst, and Rosa – fight to reunify their children. Failure to Protect is an in-depth look at the child welfare system through the forgotten lens of parents, further contextualized by experts in the field to unpack a pressing socioeconomic issue that affects hundreds of thousands of families every day.
5:00 PM-7:15 PM In His Life: John Lennon’s Birthday Celebration
From Liverpudlian to New Yorker and a beloved Working Class Hero, Loprete and Taros return to the Regent Theatre stage to take you Across The Universe for an evening of rare concert footage, home movies, his unmistakable love for a Japanese performance artist, and much more. Films that reveal the man behind the celebrated rock star! Audience members will see exclusive content created from rare, privately owned films and sound which can’t be seen on YouTube or anywhere else. These unique film vignettes celebrate the life of the man who will forever be regarded as Rock’n’Roll’s Greatest Voice!
7:30 PM-8:15 PM Awards Ceremony [Block 16]
8:30 PM-10:45 AM Omar Sosa’s 88 Well-Tuned Drums) [Block 17]
Get it On, Jones (USA 19:44)
Monday, October 10
2:00 PM-4:30 PM Indigenous Day Showcase + Voices Of Women [Block 18]
We Are Still Here (USA 5:56) In a powerful story of resilience and survival, Otgadahe Whitman-Fox, a First Nations Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara woman from North Dakota, re-enacts the true story of her grandmother. Wracked with fever from smallpox caught from infected blankets, she is left behind so that her tribe can survive. Dragging herself to be submerged into the icy waters of the river, she calls on mother earth and survives to rejoin her tribe, renewed and strong.
Our Mob (Australia 5:02) Brenda Saunders’ Nan lived in a tiny workers’ cottage next to the boot factory near the Redfern station. Perplexed by the twists and turns of family life, the ties that seemed to grow more complicated year by year, she learned her Nan was part of the Stolen Generation, constantly looking for family members, with a tangle of knots too sad or too hard to undo.
LOKO ( Peurto Rico, 19:16) A Nuyorican bruja receives a visit from her ancestor during meditation and decides to move to Puerto Rico to live off the land like her ancestors, but native life is tougher than expected.
The Old Man Next Door (New Zealand 15:00) Matiu, a war veteran who struggles with PTSD and agoraphobia, cannot leave the safety of his home since his wife’s passing. Shy student Yvonne from next door, his only visitor in self-imposed isolation, struggles with her mental health. Distraught when her boyfriend leaves her, she stops taking her medication and soon spirals out of control. Matiu is the only witness to her descent into madness, which threatens her life. He must find the strength to cross the threshold and save her or remain a prisoner of his fear.
I Am The Warrior (Canada 7:52) A Residential School Story. A mother and daughter Fox have a poor relationship. The daughter wants to right the residential schools’ wrongs and is committed to making her mother this way. She becomes the Warrior in her thoughts to save the young version of her mother, only to find her mother is the true Warrior after surviving Residential School.
Entanglement (Australia 1:03:19) We asked women across the globe what the word Entanglement meant to them. How do we connect? Over 300 women submitted their stories. 12 women writers. 12 personal stories. Heroic. Humorous. Powerful. Raw. From across the globe. 12 points of view
12 performers all entangled, yet all have never met.
