JesusCat (or How I Accidentally Joined a Cult) has been selected as an Honorable Mention for Mockfest 2014. Although the film will not actually be screened to the public at the film festival, it will still be eligible to be nominated for all festival awards. We are honored to have received this recognition.

Mockfest will be held on January 10 and 11, 2014 at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, California. Mockfest is the first film festival originally founded in appreciation of the mockumentary, a groundbreaking film style capable of bending reality and shaping human perceptions. This year, for the first time, the festival will be showcasing comedy films of all styles and genres from around the world. More about the festival can be found at www.mockfilmfest.com. 

JesusCat has received a lovely review on RogueCinema.com:

"JesusCat (or How I Accidentally Joined a Cult) is a unique comedy, the love child of Julia Morizawa who plays the protagonist, Elle and Shaina Vorspan who plays the antagonist, Charlotte. With no actual director and no technical script, the film is almost entirely improvisational and was shot over the course of a year. And holy moly, is it good.

"JesusCat is a wonderfully funny romp through the world of cults, social anxiety and the forming of new friendships. Considering the improvisational aspect of it and the low budget, it’s phenomenally well done.

"This is a comedian's comedy, a comedy done right, and one movie you should all check out."

Check out the full article.

Go team go.

Written by Shaina Vorspan

Last week, we had the pleasure of screening at the Action on Film Festival in Monrovia, California (a lovely city near Pasadena with a quaint downtown area).  Although we enjoyed our experience at the L.A. Comedy Fest, there's something even more special about screening in an actual movie theater!  Julia and I sat at the top in our comfy seats, hoping not to throw up, as we prayed our film would play with no problems (because that's something you have intense nightmares about when you're screening at a festival).

As soon as I heard "Hello world!" chime on the screen by Elise Lee Kim Park (you really have to make it to a screening so you know what I'm talking about), my hands unclenched and I sat back and enjoyed the experience.  The sound was great, the picture was amazing, and we had many new audience members viewing that weren't at our premiere.  

The entire Action On experience made me feel lucky.  The festival had an overwhelming feeling of support due to the hard work of Del Weston (the creator of AOF) and his team, not to mention the encouragement of other filmmakers (I only wish I had more time to see their projects!).  Julia and I attended a few seminars and had the pleasure of networking with some great people, including Matthew Chandler and Craig Lewis who screened their hilarious pilot Don't Take this the Wrong Way in our block.  

Our feeling of support was furthered by our nominations for Best Comedy Feature, the Xristos Award, and our Movie Heroes Rising Star Award win (thank you Matt Sconce and Keith Walker)!  It's always nice to feel validated, and the Action on Film Fest did just that.

Thank you to everyone who made it to the screening, everyone at the festival, and all of our supporters!  

We are proud to announce that JesusCat (or How I Accidentally Joined a Cult) has been nominated for "Best Comedy - Feature" at the 2013 Action on Film International Film Festival. 

JesusCat will be screening next at the AOF Festival on Tuesday, August 20th at 9pm, at the Krikorian Premiere Theatre, 410 S. Myrtle Ave. Monrovia, CA 91016. The movie will be sharing the screening block with the TV pilot, "Don't Take This the Wrong Way," which has also been nominated in the Best Web or Television Series category. So come prepared to enjoy an excellent evening of independent film! Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door and can be purchased at www.aoffest.com or 323-878-5522. 

Winners will be announced on Saturday, August 24th at the AOF Black Tie Dinner & Awards Show. Julia Morizawa was previously nominated for Best Female Filmmaker at AOF in 2007 for her short film, Sin & Lyle. For more information about the festival, please visit: www.aoffest.com. 

The screening of JesusCat (or How I Accidentally Joined a Cult) at the 9th annual Action on Film International Film Festival will be on Tuesday, August 20th, 2013 at 9:00pm, at the Krikorian Premiere Theatre, 410 S. Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia, California 91016. The film will be sharing the screening block with the TV pilot, Don't Take This the Wrong Way, a half-hour comedy about three guys who will do anything besides go with the flow of heading into their 30's. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door, and can be purchased online at www.aoffest.com or by calling 323-878-5522. Complimentary tickets can be arranged for members of the press by emailing a request for passes on press letterhead to: media[at]aoffest.com (attn: Nick or Theresa). Click on the link below to view the official press release.

JesusCat (or How I Accidentally Joined a Cult) has been officially selected to screen at the 2013 Action on Film International Film Festival. The festival runs August 16-24 in Monrovia, California. Screenings will be held at the Krikorian Premiere Theatre. The screening date and time for JesusCat is still to-be-determined, as the festival is still reviewing films for acceptance. But we will release that information as soon as it becomes available. 

In its ninth year, the AOF Film Festival was named "One of the Top 25 Festivals Worth the Fees" by MovieMaker Magazine, and  "Aims to promote artistically and culturally significant film arts through education and exhibition in an atmosphere of unity for the entire AOF family of filmmakers and writers. We do this to enrich the life of the community, filmmakers and of course individuals who pursue careers in front of and behind the camera. By working directly with filmmakers independent of budget, origin, style or genre we celebrate the art of film and filmmakers." More information can be found at: www.aoffest.com. 

Last week, we drove to great lengths to the city of Monrovia for our first television appearance for JesusCat. We were interviewed on the half-hour cable show, Del Weston on Film, which airs on KGEM and reaches an audience of approximately one-million viewers in the surrounding areas. Our exact air date is still to be determined, but should be in about 1-2 weeks. We'll post about it again here once we know more. 

Del Weston is the founder and coordinator of the Action on Film International Film Festival, which will be running August 16-24, 2013 in Monrovia, California. Julia's first short film, Sin & Lyle, was screened at the festival back in 2007, where she was nominated for the Best Female Filmmaker award. More about our involvement with the AOF Festival this year will be announced at a later date. Because we're not sure yet.

Written by Shaina Vorspan

A couple of weeks ago, JesusCat made its world premiere at the Los Angeles Comedy Festival.  Julia and I were deeply humbled and appreciative of this experience.  For those of you unfamiliar with the festival submission process, let me give you a brief overview.

Basically, you invest your money in various (lots if you're willing) festivals you hope will think your film is worthy of screening, maybe even an award, and some recognition.  You are in no way guaranteed a spot in any festival, big or small, no matter how much you spend, or how much you "put it out into the universe".  

We knew this going into our festival submissions, and hoped that we would get into at least one to make it somewhat worth it, and even better if it was in California, and even better if it was in Los Angeles sometime in the spring so our cast and crew could have a screening sooner than later.  Lo and Behold, the first festival we submit to (which we hauled a** to get a "work in progress" copy out by the last deadline) we not only got into, but we got a screening in California!  In Los Angeles  In the springtime!  

The L.A. Comedy Film Festival is touted as being the "largest comedy festival in the United States," so naturally we were thrilled to be showcased in the same festival as such household names as "National Lampoon" and "Michael Richards" A.K.A. Kramer (who appeared in a short at the festival).  

We felt the screening was a huge success!  Most of our cast and crew were able to come and bring their friends.  The audience seemed to enjoy themselves throughout the movie.  And we got to give out our "swag" to lucky question-askers (of which we got a lot of great questions).  

Yes the sound was maybe too loud at times, and yes we would've loved for 500 people to have come (not like there was that much room in the theatre), but for our world premier of a film we've put our heart and soul into, we could not have asked for a better first festival/first screening to have been a part of.  

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out, or who expressed their excitement and wanted to make it out!  You will be hearing about any other screenings in the future and we would love to either have you see it again, or see it for the first time!

Just a reminder, that the world premiere screening of JesusCat at the LA Comedy Festival is less than a week away! Have you bought your tickets yet?  

Need some more enticing?  Well, if you come to the screening and stay for the Q&A after, we will be giving away special JesusCat items to the first few people who ask questions!  This mug could be the savior you need for your morning cup of coffee.

So make sure to save Wednesday, May 15th at 9:00pm for the first time ever screening of JesusCat (or How I Accidentally Joined a Cult) and the Q&A after with most of the cast and crew.

Just $10 online or $12 (cash) at the door.  Click here to purchase tickets directly.

Also, check out the trailer for the Festival below (you might recognize our very own Elizabeth Yocam).  There's gonna be a lot of great comedy going on over the next week!

We are absolutely thrilled to announced that JesusCat (or How I Accidentally Joined a Cult) will be making its World Premiere at the 13th Los Angeles Comedy Festival on Wednesday, May 15th at 9:00pm. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with members of the cast and crew.

Julia Morizawa and Shaina Vorspan will be in attendance, as well as most of the rest of the cast (hopefully), but specific appearances are still to be determined. Additional information regarding parties or other festival events will be announced at a later date.

The LA Comedy Festival runs May 9-19, 2013. It is the largest comedy festival in the United States featuring film, live comedy acts, and a screenplay competition. Their dual emphasis is on “discovering” great comedic talent with the purpose of promoting it to both the entertainment industry and the LA public, as well as, showcasing the works of seasoned professionals and well known stars.

The premiere screening of JesusCat (or How I Accidentally Joined a Cult) will be on Wednesday, May 15th, 2013 at 9:00pm at the Let Live Theatre, 916 N. Formosa Ave., West Hollywood, CA 90046. Tickets are $10 online or $12 at the door (cash only). Purchase tickets and view a complete festival schedule at: www.lacomedyfest.com.