Film Bug

Seckeita had made only one short film when she and her husband, Brandon embarked on the epic journey to make "Jerico." From "haunted" jail cells to unrelenting downpours, and a lynching scene causing panic, Seckeita had to pull all the stops to finish her film and get distribution. In episode 106, she takes us through the making of "Jerico" and her special connection to Walmart.

After a chance meeting with best selling author Edwidge Danticat, filmmaker Rachel Benjamin based her thesis film, "The Missing Peace," on Danticat's short story. The film was set in Haiti and with a micro budget, Rachel could not afford flying to Haiti to shoot. In this episode, Rachel takes us through the making of the film, including finding the perfect "Haiti" setting near Chicago, and being derided on her own set. "The Missing Peace" is available on Vimeo.

Lily Gareth Cunningham’s first feature film was a labor of love that started with some shocking news. In episode 103, she takes us through the making of "Acute Failure." It's the story of a young woman who returns home to get evaluated for a medical emergency. Real life shocking news set her on the path to making the film, and she details the many pitfalls of crafting a micro budget film. "Acute Failure" premieres on October 2nd at Cinequest's virtual film festival.

Years ago, Daniel Pico was a young filmmaker in Chicago when he decided to direct his first film. The film is "Farewell Darkness," and is available on Reveel streaming platform. It's a feature film about an Iraq war veteran who struggles with PTSD. Making the film is a tale filled with twists and turns, including an angry hotel manager, a film commission with a vendetta, and being mistaken for a porn shoot. Get the full story on this episode!

Daniel is now a working producer in Los Angeles and owns Pico Boulevard Entertainment.

Filming in Croatia was a dream come true for Jonathan Perkins. "Drone wars" was an independent television competition series where teams compete to build and fly drones. From the outset, Perkins was in damage control mode, and had to put out fires figuratively and literally.