The little fierce diva Connie has a new lease of life! She is back and has high-kicked her way onto Shorts TV’s subscription channel on Amazon Prime. You can watch the feisty foul-mouthed showgirl as part of a free seven-day trial now.
Tag: Puppets
Brilliant news! My award-winning short Connie is now available to buy on Shorts International’s iTunes stores in the US and Europe! Better still, the foul-mouthed puppet is a cheap gal – a snip at only $2.99 or £1.99 respectively – so fill your stockings this festive season with twenty minutes of our little felt-covered diva.
Connie has had an incredible journey since the shoot in May 2016, playing festivals globally, including awards qualifiers, winning awards, receiving great reviews and entertaining audiences we could only have dreamed of. Being able to share it now with a whole new audience is really something else. Film festivals rock, but so few people can actually get to them, so I’m proud that Connie has been licensed by Shorts International.
The film showcases the incredible talent of our superstar, Catrin Stewart, who did an incredible job of playing two roles at once and also operating a puppet – all in just two days on set! It also features the legend that is Kim Newman. It’s a film I’m incredibly proud of. Meeting audiences at festivals and seeing their reactions to the film, and to me and the puppet, has been an extra slice of joy.
Connie is also screening now on ShortsTV’s channel in the US, with the European premiere coming very soon. ShortsTV is the world’s first 24/7 HD TV channel dedicated to shorts, and currently available to approximately 25 million homes, with more channels across the globe to come. More details on how to watch ShortsTV here.
Great news! Connie has won big at GenreBlast Film Festival 2017 in Virginia, USA! Connie scooped the Funniest Short Film award this month following the State Premiere at the festival, where my little short screened alongside the opening feature film, Guardians.
GenreBlast is an awesome festival and the comedy shorts selection was really amazing, so I’m totally blown away that the film has actually bagged the award. You just never really know when you write a comedy if people are going to get your sense of humour. You can edit, rewrite and share with your team and crew and have all the laughs in the world on set, but you still have to hope that the film finds its tribe in on the festival scene and in the big bad world. Thankfully, Connie has, and I’m thrilled that GenreBlast wanted to recognise my work in this way.
Connie was also nominated in two other categories against impressive competition – Best Actress and the female writer/director award.
Massive congrats to all the nominees and winners at GenreBlast, and a big thank you to the festival team for including us in the festival. The selection was amazing and communication before, during and after the festival has been great – a festival really worth submitting to and being part of. We couldn’t be there in person, but will definitely be submitting more work in future and hope to make it over to join the party one day.
There are more festival announcements and screenings still to come for Connie as she continues to stomp around the globe – thrilling, touching and offending as many wonderful people as she can well into 2018! These are regularly added to the Screenings page on the official Connie site.
Wowzer! Connie continues to cook up a storm stateside with four upcoming state premieres over just nine days, with three award nominations to boot!
First, Connie gets to catch some rays at the California premiere tomorrow, 31st August, at Long Beach Indie International Film, Media and Music Festival 2017. The film is screening as part of the Suspense and Horror shorts block from 9pm. I love California and am really thrilled that she’ll be allowed to cause mayhem in the golden state.
Connie is hitting Kansas City on Monday 4th September! The little diva is headed to kick Dorothy’s butt and enjoy the Missouri premiere next week, screening at the super cool Slaughter Movie House at the Screenland Armour movie theatre. Connie will be screening with the feature film, Space Babes from Outer Space, kicking off at 7pm… and better still, it’s FREE! Check out this gorgeous event poster!
Just a couple of days later after a stroll down the yellow brick road, Connie heads to GenreBlast Film Festival 2017 for her Virginia state premiere! Connie screens with the opening film of the festival, Guardians, from 7pm on Thursday 7th September at the Alamo Drafthouse. You know it’s a great festival when it’s at an Alamo Drafthouse, and GenreBlast have a really cool selection of shorts and features playing, including an advance screening of IT, also on the opening night.
AND… The awesome team at GenreBlast have very kindly nominated Connie for not one, not two, but THREE awards at the festival! It’s pretty stiff competition though, so Connie better get her boxing gloves on… I certainly can’t hop in the ring and fight it out for a trophy when I’m 6 months pregnant… But being nominated gives me a lovely, glowy, warm feeling…
Finally, finishing off next week, Connie will be hitch-hiking her way to Utah for FilmQuest 2017, screening as part of Shorts Block 2 on Friday 8th September from 6pm. FilmQuest celebrates the majesty of genre filmmaking in the realms of fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and beyond, running until 16th September. Connie is in great company as our web series, Mina Murray’s Journal, has also been selected for the festival! Go team Moranic Productions!
What a lot of mileage to cover in just nine days! It’s a US road trip. Sadly, I won’t be the Susan Sarandon to Connie’s Geena Davis for the journey as I enter the third trimester of my pregnancy, but she can hack it on her own. She’s a freebird… *zippo lighter overhead*
More celebration for Connie! The little felt-mouthed hellion has made an impression on the lovely folks at SFX magazine!
Connie is featured in the glorious SFX January 2017 edition, issue number 281. It’s out in print (extract below) and digital formats, and available from all good newsagents and via this link. If you aren’t tempted enough by the recommendation and picture of Connie alone, then you may well be swayed when you find out it’s a bumper Star Wars: Rogue One edition. It’s a real feast for a fan, which is likely why it’s flying off shelves as I type! Go get!
Seeing this in print has really knocked my socks off and reminds me that my short film has come a very long way. It’s a big achievement for a short film to get this kind of a mention, so massive congrats to my team. We’ve all earned it. Many thanks to SFX for the support.
Connie featured in SFX Magazine, January 2017
It’s been less than two months since the World Premiere at Horror Channel FrightFest, and Connie has bagged seven festival screenings and is nominated for several awards. I’m overwhelmed by how well it’s performing and am now delighted to announce our fantastic Canadian and Mexican Premieres!
First, Connie’s Canadian Premiere will be at Camp Horrors CREEPFEST Film Festival in Ontario, which takes place from 28th to 30th October. Sponsors include Scream magazine, and it promises to be a real treat, screening shorts and features, with a horror art gallery, after parties, costume contest and more! Screening day and time to be confirmed.
NOTE: Dates and location for Creepfest have moved:
CANADIAN PREMIERE: CAMP HORRORS CREEPFEST FILM FESTIVAL, 25th – 26th March 2017, The Rainbow Theatre, Toronto, Canada
Second, the Mexican Premiere is at Morbido Film Fest, Mexico City, which runs from 2nd to 6th November. Connie screens as part of their THE DEVIL IS NOT HOW YOU IMAGINED, programme: Leave pre established ideas outside. Here nothing is what it seems. These are 8 short films that will teach you not to trust appearances! Screening day and time to be confirmed.
The full programme of international short films is very impressive and I’m proud to be included as part of such an esteemed list, which includes The Puppet Man, The Stylist, Dawn of the Deaf, Death Metal, The Itching and The Procedure. Check it out here!
There are also fine arts exhibitions, plays, thematic lectures, book presentations, concerts, and even a traditional Mexican wrestling match! All that and a whole lot of sunshine.
We had a lot of fun adding the subtitles to the film and we’ve expanded our vocabulary with lots of Mexican swear words!
Connie ha sido seleccionada para el Festival de Cine Morbido en el maravilloso ¡México! está emocionadísima ¡esperamos que estén listos!
Finally, my previous short film, KEEN-wah will have its North American Premiere at Ax Wound Film Festival in Vermont on 5th November! Lovely to see that KEEN-wah is still finding its audience around the world long after Gary and Suzanne’s first date… Especially as Ax Wound is quite possibly the best film festival name ever. Very witty. Connie will also be playing at Ax Wound, so I’m doubly thrilled.
Ax Wound have a range of great sponsors, including legendary horror magazine Fangoria, Twisted Twin Productions (the amazing Jen and Sylvia Soska) and horror on demand service, Shudder (which I LOVE, by the way).
I’m off now to go and pinch myself!
I’m chuffed to say that we’ve had news of more festival acceptances for Connie, two of which I can share below, though others are currently under wraps! Very exciting. Ssssh…
First, Connie will be screened as part of Nightmares Film Festival, a top international film festival dedicated to the horrific, the dreadful and the weird – perfect for little miss puppet. The festival takes place from 20th – 23rd October in Columbus, Ohio, at the world-renowned Gateway Film Center, named one of the top twenty art houses on the continent by Sundance. This is currently set to be our North American premiere!
Connie will be screened alongside some of the very best features and shorts from around the world, including my recent FrightFest stablemates from August, The Stylist by Jill Gevargizian, Gwilliam by Brian Lonano and The Babysitter Murders by Ryan Spindell, so Connie will be in great company! Precise day/time of screening is to be announced.
Then on Friday 18th November, she’ll have her second London outing as part of the eighth annual Crystal Palace International Film Festival. Following the success of KEEN-wah at the festival last year, this is sure to be a real treat. The festival has a great vibe, with themed nights and is one of the coolest I’ve been to in years. It runs from 29th October – 19th November at several venues in South East London. You can buy tickets for our screening on 18th November here.
I’m really thrilled that Connie is finding its audience and that people will get to see Catrin Stewart’s powerhouse performance as both Dolly and Connie. She’s truly mesmerising.
It’s been a manic couple of weeks juggling numerous creative projects all at different stages. I did get some time to party at the BAFTA TV Awards and enjoy some red carpet glamour and champagne, but I’ve been really focused on bringing my latest short film, Connie, to life. A comedy horror about a withdrawn, reclusive female wannabe ventriloquist and her loud-mouthed sidekick, it’s a story that I just had to tell and this week – WE WRAPPED. After an intense two-day shoot, plus some extra special interviews, I was exhausted and emotional, but it was all worth it.
It was a fantastic team effort – I was blessed with a really fantastic, creative crew. But, I was really blessed when it came to my on-screen talent. Both my leading female characters are played by one incredible actress, the lovely Catrin Stewart (Doctor Who, Stella), who had to play two characters – one being a puppet – often at the same time. I don’t know how she did it, but she was magical.The film is now in post-production, but much, much more to follow on that over the coming months…
For now, a damn good rest is in order. And the puppets can have a sleep, too.
Cat Davies 