In 1993 Kashmir, a teenager searching for his missing best friend is forced by an Indian Army captain to collect identification cards from a valley of corpses, becoming an outcast in his own village while fearing his friend may be among the dead.
Score: 8/10
Director / Writer:Travis Hodgkins (based on The Collaborator by Mirza Waheed)
"Line of Control" is well acted, well scored and shot with greens so bright they’re almost technicolor.
“I Heard Your Footsteps…”
Nikhil Singh Rai in his first role as The Boy in Line of Control
Travis Hodgkins’s Line of Control (2026) is an emotional, beautifully produced wartime thriller that will leave the audience with a better idea of the true cost of freedom. Set in the ‘90s leading up to the Kashmir conflict and insurgency, Line of Control is the story of a boy (newcomer Nikhil Singh Rai) and his group of school friends, deciding how best to direct their own journeys into adulthood. Through the lives of the Famous 4 and their loved ones, the audience is led through a hard lesson of war ruining lives, and the deals we make to protect others and the lies we tell to protect ourselves.
When Taylor can’t get her party store shift covered after her dad dies, she makes a deadly mistake that sparks a downward spiral of red, white and blue-collared chaos.
Score: 8/10
Director / Writer:Jared Sprouse/Barrett Jay
Starring:Ainsley Seiger, Phillip Andre Botello, Ben Weinswig, Sharahya Carter, Jorge A. Sanchez, Joe Hoenig
Genre:thriller, horror, indie
Runtime:89 min
Release:2026
Excerpt
Party USA can also be looked at as a political statement about the danger of white women's tears and the harm they cause to the people of color around them. In Party USA there is a villain, but it may not be who or what you think it is.
Rockin My Hips Like Yeah
Friday (Jorge A. Sanchez) makes promises, promises, promises, and Taylor (Ainsley Seiger) has not choice but to believe them.
What happens when after the party, all you’re left with is the hangover? On its face Jared Sprouse’s feature Party USA (2026) is a taut thriller about grief and the things we do to protect ourselves and loved ones. Set under the banner of the deep South, the film explores what happens when your ceiling is zero and your dreams and hopes go as far 1. And while it is certainly that, Party USA can also be looked at as a political statement about the danger of white women’s tears and the harm they cause to the people of color around them. In Party USA there is a villain, but it may not be who or what you think it is.
A psychiatrist interviewing a mysterious prisoner finds the line between fiction and reality dissolving as four interconnected tales reveal a sinister force that has existed far longer than anyone imagined.
Score: 6/10
Director / Writer:Robert W. Filion / Brad Hord
Starring:Jaysen Buterin, Amie Henry
Genre:anthology, horror, psychological thriller
Runtime:72
Release:2026
Excerpt
I’m always impressed by the ingenuity of directors working with small budgets. To produce what are essentially four short films and put them inside this narrative is quite the feat.
A Horror with Great Potential
Dr. Erin Murphy (Amie Henry) amd Bob (Jaysen Buterin) for Echoes from the Void
Dr. Erin Murphy (Amie Henry) is having a bad day. From the moment she’s ripped from sleep and assigned a new case to when she begrudgingly accepts the case and takes a swig from her flask for mettle, it’s clear she’s not exactly excelling at life. She’s a criminal psychologist and her patient is introduced to her only as “Bob” (very Twin Peaks (1990)). Bob was last seen talking to Amy Wells – a young woman who has recently gone missing. As Dr. Murphy tries to gather information on Bob (Jaysen Buterin), the seemingly troubled man decides to take Dr. Murphy on her own journey. They won’t be leaving the room with the security guard posted outside; Dr. Murphy’s journey will be a journey of the mind. Echoes From the Void (2026) is an indie horror anthology that has a creative premise, but the execution may be a bit too mysterious.
A former Sundance award-winning filmmaker, now cancelled by social media, is forced to direct online porn films for a sleazy producer.
Score: 6.5/10
Director / Writer:Mark Schwab
Starring:James Duval, Silas Kade, Fernando, Jason Caceres, Diogo Hausen
Genre:comedy, psychological thriller, lgbtq+
Runtime:89
Release:2025
Excerpt
There’s self sabotage, and then there’s Mark Schwab’s Cutaways (2025), a queer drama that could easily be touted as a “psychological thriller”. From start to finish Cutaways raises a variety of red flags that you just can’t look away from.
Running Through My Head
Is Andy trying to seduce Evan Quick? For Cutaways
There’s self sabotage, and then there’s Mark Schwab’s Cutaways (2025), a queer drama that could easily be touted as a “psychological thriller”. We follow director Evan Quick’s (Silas Kade) fall from favor as he lands in the cradle of sin that is the valley porn industry. The disgraced filmmaker was “canceled” due to allegations of misconduct and forced to direct porn films to keep on the lights. He’s not even doing a great job at that, but he has secured himself a 3 picture deal from local self-made man Sammy (the incomparable James Duvall). From start to finish Cutaways raises a variety of red flags that you just can’t look away from.
"My Gender Is Black" is an experimental documentary exploring how Blackness shapes, complicates, and expands gender identity through masculinity, sexuality, embodiment, performance, vulnerability, and self-definition.
Score: 6/10
Director / Writer:Terry Blade
Starring:Cristian Julian Chigbolu, Ujah Ogbole, Big Sexy, Jay Hill, Syd Tillman, James Baldwin
Genre:documentary, short film, experimental
Runtime:20
Release:2026
Excerpt
The first step towards living in your intersectionalities is being seen, and acknowledging that the things that make us different, also make us human. Terry Blade’s "My Gender is Black (2026)" is an artful reckoning that invites the viewer to figure out where they belong.
Limitless
Intersectionality is an interesting concept that discusses when a person has multiple social identities. A woman may have the same needs as other women, but a Black woman might require specialized care. Whether an Asian queer man, a transgender biracial woman, intersectionalities provide contact to how we interact in this world and how we’re perceived. There are so many ways we can define ourselves! On a clear day, these intersections have working lights that manage the traffic smoothly. But other times – more often than not it seems – you end up with a big ole wreck. However, the first step towards living in your intersectionalities is being seen, and acknowledging that the things that make us different, also make us human. Terry Blade’s My Gender is Black (2026) is an artful reckoning that invites the viewer to figure out where they belong.
Two strangers in their 50s, both going through pivotal moments in their lives, meet on a hike in Sedona and share a deep connection as they talk about life, love, legacy, and the betterment of humankind.
Score: 8/10
Director / Writer:Monique Sorgen
Starring:Alysia Reiner, Wallace Langham
Genre:romance, drama
Runtime:90 min
Release:2026
Excerpt
These sorts of passion projects can lend themselves to being overly pretentious or preachy, but Sorgen has created a near perfect balance that gives the viewer lots to love and think about.
One Day in Heaven
Wallace Langham and Alysia Reiner in One Day in Sedona
I’ve ranted at length about films that sermonize – the proclivity to make a film touting your beliefs and thoughts on everything whether it’s relevant to the plot and setting or not. It’s very hard to accomplish without being cloying and even harder to do so successfully. So imagine my surprise when Monique Sorgen’s One Day in Sedona graced my screen. It’s a simple film made simply and features two main characters who walk and talk for 90 minutes. And it’s glorious.
We follow Julie (Alysia Reiner) as she weaves through Sedona’s baffling traffic grid, appearing to write a eulogy for her father. She’s thinking about legacy and heads to a local hike spot to clear her mind. She parks next to a motorcyclist that has shown up spontaneously and completely unprepared. Will (Wallace Langham) suddenly found himself with a lot of free time and many more intrusive thoughts. Unfortunately he doesn’t have nearly enough water and Julie graciously offers her tumblr to him. She’s packed a 3 litre pouch in her backpack – another thing Will doesn’t have.
After an E.R. doctor treats an injured boy, he is pulled into the world of gangs and street violence in the underbelly of Los Angeles.
Score: 5/10
Director / Writer:Attila Korosi
Starring:Attila Korosi, Michael Flores, Ishaan Bahri, Daniel Hovey, Angel Hovey, Robert LaSardo
Genre:crime drama, indie, experimental
Runtime:83 min
Release:2023
Excerpt
As long as the story is solid, the pacing is well managed and everything makes sense, it’s easy to rate an independent film. Unfortunately, this film failed to deliver on most of these metrics, but… I still liked it?
Follow the Leader
l-r: Adriana Guerrero, Sara Hovey, Angel Hovey, and Daniel Hovey. Cast who are also members of Alberto Guerrero’s immediate family. Live and Die in East LA is dedocated tp Alberto in memoriam.
Joining a gang seems like a lot of effort for little reward; still, many are still drawn to the allure of comraderie and illegal group activity andLive and Die in East LA is poised to act as both an homage and a deterrent. I love the renegade style of indie film and I’m happy to give a lot of grace to productions that can’t always deliver award winning performances or stellar special effects. As long as the story is solid, the pacing is well managed and everything makes sense, it’s easy to rate an independent film. Unfortunately, this film failed to deliver on most of these metrics, but… I still liked it?
Maybe it’s the potential and maybe it’s the collaboration with Homeboy Industries and GRYD (Gang Reduction & Youth Development) – two organizations looking to end gang violence in Los Angeles. Maybe it’s the authentic ex-gang members who are being so vulnerable and open with their stories, or maybe it’s the inventive animated interstitials that condemn selfishness and backstabbing through the metaphorical tale of an ambitious caterpillar (animated by the talented Mio Yamanaka)?
For filmmaker Freddy Long, limited resources are merely a challenge to get creative. A music producer turned composer, writer/director and producers, Long brought his feature, Feel the Burn to life with only $20,000. Being able to create a film by balancing genre ambition with the practival realities of independed production. I sat with him and talked about his beginnings, providing opportunities for his colleagues and why Black filmmakers should feel free to explore different kinds of stories.
Stacey Yvonne: Where are you from, and how did you first get into filmmaking?
Freddy Long: I was born and raised in Miami. I lived in different neighborhoods, but where I became who I am was Carol City.
In this exclusive video interview, I sit down with filmmaker Freddy Long to discuss his beginnings, his filmmaking and what’s next.
How do you bring an espionage film to life on a $20,000 budget? Writer and director Freddy Long joins Stacey Yvonne to discuss his independent film Feel the Burn, his journey from music production to filmmaking, and the creativity it takes to make every dollar count.
We explore writing complex female characters, bringing Black cultural authenticity to genre storytelling, and adapting ambitious scenes to real-world limitations. Long also shares his filmmaking influences and his interest in tackling sci-fi horror next.
Sabrina’s work happens through a screen. Then a patient starts crossing boundaries. As compassion becomes a source of danger, the distance between her sessions and her private life begins to disappear.
Score: 7/10
Director / Writer:Sean O. McGuiness w. Joe Verrastro
She Listens Alone (2026) is a heady psychological thriller that will leave the audience considering which barriers to keep around ourselves and which to tear down.
Your Therapist’s Therapist
Alivia Levie as “Sabrina” for She Lives Alone
For a while I read the title of this film as “She Lives Alone” and it was apropos as a story about a young therapist whose practice and life have both become fairly isolated. I also rearranged the words of the title calling it “She Alone Listens” which is also fitting as we watch her intake information from her clients while never being able to deposit her own. She Listens Alone (2026) is a heady psychological thriller that will leave the audience considering which barriers to keep around ourselves and which to tear down.
