At Dances with Films Los Angeles 2025, Below the Line Festival Edition host Hannah Satterlee talks with producer Emma Schlenoff about The Obelisk, a seemingly post-apocalyptic suspense thriller that uses its fractured world to explore perspective, truth, fear and communication in America today.Emma discusses filming in rural Vermont, using locations exactly as they found them, the film’s environmental themes, and why the filmmakers hope The Obelisk starts conversations long after the credits roll.BELOW THE LINE | FESTIVAL EDITIONDANCES WITH FILMS LOS ANGELES 2025Host: Hannah SatterleeFilm: The ObeliskGuest: Emma Schlenoff - ProducerWait For Me MediaProduced by Annie ValentiDirected / Edited by Sean Williams

Recorded at Dances With Films Los Angeles 2025, Below the Line Festival Edition host Hannah Satterlee sits down with the filmmakers behind A Bloody Mess and The Nickname.The Nickname turns a seemingly innocent bachelorette party tradition into a comedy about friendship, embarrassment and discovering that your friends may have been calling you something terrible behind your back.A Bloody Mess takes things in a completely different direction with an offbeat mockumentary investigating a bizarre disaster that devastated a small town decades earlier, and a documentary crew that may be creating more problems than they're solving.The filmmakers talk about finding comedy in uncomfortable situations, working with improvisers, experimenting with mockumentary filmmaking, building believable friendships on screen and turning some wonderfully strange ideas into independent films.BELOW THE LINE | FESTIVAL EDITIONDANCES WITH FILMS LOS ANGELES 2025Host: Hannah SatterleeFilms: A Bloody Mess & The NicknameGuests:Rachel Olson - Director, The NicknameSydney O’Toole - Writer / Actor, The NicknameLead Actor / Producer, A Bloody MessDaniel Hayden - Writer / Director / Producer, A Bloody MessWait For Me MediaProduced by Annie ValentiDirected / Edited by Sean Williams

What happens when making a documentary becomes a deeply personal journey through grief, family, and legacy?In this special Below the Line: Festival Edition, host Judy Nguyen sits down with filmmaker Andrew Davies Gans to discuss his moving documentary, Voices: The Danny Gans Story, an intimate portrait of legendary Las Vegas entertainer Danny Gans, told through the eyes of his son.Known as one of the greatest performers in Las Vegas history, Danny Gans earned the city's highest honor, Entertainer of the Year, an incredible 12 consecutive times, captivating audiences with his unforgettable impressions, remarkable vocal talent, and record-breaking run of sold-out performances. But behind the extraordinary success was a deeply personal story of family, perseverance, chronic pain, and an unexpected loss that forever changed those closest to him.

Andrew shares why he chose his father's story as his directorial debut, how making the film allowed him to reconnect with a parent he lost as a teenager, and the emotional process of uncovering family memories, revisiting difficult questions, and finding healing through filmmaking. The conversation explores the challenges of processing grief, the sacrifices behind a life in entertainment, and the lasting influence the people closest to us have on who we become.More than a documentary about an entertainer, Voices is a powerful reflection on family, resilience, legacy, and the voices that shape our lives.🎤 Host: Judy Nguyen🎬 Guest: Andrew Davies GansDirector, Voices: The Danny Gans StorySean Williams - Director / EditorProduced by Annie ValentiWait For Me Mediawww.waitformemedia.comInstagram @waitformemediaTikTok @wait.for.me.mediaWhat stories from your own family deserve to be remembered? Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe for more conversations with the filmmakers bringing powerful stories to life from film festivals around the world.