Independent filmmaking is a relentless pursuit of passion, vision, and perseverance—something Ethan Felizzari-Castillo and the team behind upcoming film, BACKYARD/DESERT, know firsthand. With ROAD TO THE DESERT, a new documentary series, CK Films invites audiences behind the scenes to witness the making of their indie feature film in real time. The series captures the true challenges and triumphs of bringing an independent film to life.
Through an unfiltered lens, ROAD TO THE DESERT follows every step of the journey—from casting and funding to production hurdles and creative breakthroughs. The series demystifies the filmmaking process, offering an honest, inside look at what it truly takes to turn passion into cinema.
Directed by Tyler Tolon,ROAD TO THE DESERT brings a grounded perspective to the behind-the-scenes experience, blending raw storytelling with immersive filmmaking. The series is available to watch on CK Productions’ YouTube channel, for free, to make this authentic look into the feature filmmaking process as accessible as possible for other aspiring creatives.
BACKYARD/DESERT follows a female border patrol agent, Pammy. Upon discovering a young migrant in the Yuma Desert, the foundation on which her life has been built slowly begins to erode. The haunting encounter forces her to question her choices, career and relationships. Torn between the comfort of her unexamined values and a growing awareness of the human ties that transcend all borders, she must make a wrenching decision in order to follow her truth.
This is a unique, wildly entertaining Irish musical that dramatizes the true story about how a hip hop band found success. You don’t have to like hip hop to enjoy it. You just have to love the Irish – and who doesn’t love folk who are never happier than when they’re dancing, drinking, fighting and cursing. And that’s just the women.
The Story
DJ Provai (JJ O’Dochartaigh) is a talented music teacher. His world is forever changed when fate sends him to the rescue of Moglai Bap (Naoise O’Caireallian), who’s one half of a hip hop band called Kneecap. The other half of the duo is Mo Chara (Liam Og O hAnnaid). The two are in need of some production assistance and JJ volunteers his services. He discovers their music is of the soul, their daring is contagious and their patriotism provocative. The teacher is smitten and the trio is launched.
Mo and Moglai are Republicans who reject the Queen’s English. Despite their youth, they have the courage of their convictions and only rap or speak in their mother tongue. Their rebellion attracts the attention of a myriad of fans, makes a lot of politicians nervous and incites a call to arms by the police and paramilitaries. But like all true anarchists, the more attention they get, the more defiant they become, and mayhem ensues. As the chaos grows, their battle cry defends not only the Emerald Isle, but native culture on a global scale. Inevitably, they become the face of a Civil Rights movement to save the Irish language. And their cause could not be more justified. Celtic is enjoying a revival in Wales; the Scots let their language die a century ago.
This biopic covers a lot of ground, some of which may not be entirely clear to a global audience. But what is universal is the humor. It ’s sacrilegious to the point of profanity and self-deprecating to the point of destruction. The subject of sex gets turned on its head when a young Colleen sets the romantic stage for Moglai’s blow job . She glares, grits her teeth and snarls. “If you come, I’ll f****** kill you”. By the look on his face, he’ll be following orders.
No Irish political story is complete without at least one kneecapping and, when Mo antagonizes some paramilitaries, he gets on their list. But when the terrifying moment comes, he’s told to lie on the ground, which is puzzling. Back in the day, the Provos would always insist that victims drop their trousers before the shots get fired. Being crippled is one thing, but ruining a good pair of trousers is quite another.
This is a documentary about Ike Reilly, a singer-songwriter and rock star elect who’s as charismatic off-stage as he is on. The music never stops and is in synch with the story at every beat. Energy is endlessly high and Reilly is the untouchable epicenter of a true rascal’s tale. It’s altogether an enchanting ride.
Ike was born in Libertyville, Illinois, in 1960. He rocked it with different bands until he finally founded his own; namely the Ike Reilly Assassination. His genre maneuvers from folk to pop rock; sometimes even in the same song. His lyrics are steeped deeply enough in working class rhetoric and political barbs to take him into the realm of a revolutionary. Everything that is needed to launch him into the musical stratosphere is in place but…… his march to glory never comes. He’s only ever been a bar band. He’s never headlined a festival or got streamed a million times. The success he, and so many others, believe he deserves, has evaded him. So far.
With an absence of royalties and a house full of kids, Ike at one stage took day jobs to keep the family afloat. One such job was grave-digging, and when he had to deal with the tragedy of burying a childhood friend, he wrote a pop song about it. By becoming personally involved, the wild man of rock shows he isn’t impervious to tragedy. This leads to some poignant film moments and shows a humanity in Ike that isn’t always apparent.
Slipping into troubadour mode, he’s unapologetic when he reveals that, if he feels the urge to write, he simply relinquishes his role as husband and father. He’s happy to lock himself away for days, even weeks, regardless of the fact that his songs are unlikely to make any money. He also admits that he lies to himself to justify his behavior, seemingly indifferent to the fact he’s in a dizzying cycle of narcissism with self-indulgence in the rear view mirror.
Ike doesn’t ever give the reason why he’s never stopped rocking, which is possibly because he doesn’t know himself. It could be that he believes his life won’t be complete until he gets his big break. Or perhaps it’s because he thinks his voice hasn’t been heard yet because he hasn’t written the right song. Either way, it’s a sure case of death or glory.
One of the film’s interviewees loyally attests that Ike is already successful. He insists that writing and recording songs is an achievement in itself, clearly inferring that it’s ‘not about the money’. This is a claim we’ve heard many times before but, the problem is, we’ve yet to hear it from someone who hit the big time and became extremely rich.
Comandante Manifesto produced by Clean Blood Pictures LLC.
In addition to Ike and his band The Ike Reilly Assassination – Phil Karnats, Dave Cottini, Pete Cimbalo, Adam Krier, Tommy O’Donnell, Ed Tinley, Shane Reilly, Kevin Reilly, and Mickey Reilly, also featured in the film David Pasquesi (“Veep,” “Book Of Boba Fett”), Tony Fitzpatrick (Artist, Actor – “Patriot”) and Mars Williams (Psychadelic Furs – band).
Additional crew includes Field Producer and Director of Photography Pete Schneider(“Severance,” “The Squid And The Whale”), Postproduction Supervisor, Editor & Colorist Joe Langenfeld(“Osso Bucco,” “Waterwalk”), Postproduction Sound Mixer Ryan Staples (“Gangland,” “Inside The Iraq War”) and Director of Photography Sean Fahey(“For Kicks,” “Bailout”).
This is a gritty David and Goliath story set in a blue collar world against a corporate America backdrop. The dynamic has a ‘what comes next’ energy that plays games with its audience. One minute it’s opening their eyes; the next they feel like Peeping Toms. The stakes are high and it feels like a journey that’s too big to end. It’s a compelling ride.
Chris Smalls worked at the Amazon Warehouse in Staten Island until he was unfairly fired. The injustice felt by Smalls was so profound, he was motivated to launch a drive to unionize the entire Amazon workforce. He enlisted the support of a handful of past and present Amazon employees who were all as committed as him. But inevitably, on a project of this magnitude, the road ahead is fraught with conflicts that arise both from without and within.
The beginning of this film is quite shocking. It’s hard to believe that, in 21st Century America, a lone man is taking on the richest company in the world. But this is what happens. Smalls has no resources and he and his colleagues are all broke. One of them, an Amazon employee, is homeless. The image of her huddled in her car is juxtaposed with the lift-off of Jeff Bazos’ rocket on his $28M spaceflight. Obscene wealth has never looked more unseemly.
Amazon’s US staff turnover is high. Long hours, short breaks, lack of safety and oppressive surveillance are the norm. Yet on the other side of the Atlantic, the retail giant has been named Top 2024 Employer by the European Employer Institute. It has been highly praised for its “commitment to the development and well being of its employees”. So the only country in the western world that allows Amazon to abuse its employees is America. People are universal so, in this case, it’s only the law that differentiates and a case of capitalism trouncing socialism.
Unions in America have been in decline since the Reagan era so this film will send chills down corporate America’s spine. Companies of all sizes have been stomping on workers’ rights for so long, the ground has scarred over. And even though this film gives breath to the possibility of change, who’s going to give breath to the film? Not Amazon Prime, for sure, and probably not any of the other streamers who are equally entrenched in capitalism. So if you have trouble finding this film online, maybe do what Chris Smalls did. Let your friends know what’s going on and kick down a few doors.
*In the United States in 2023, despite an uptick in worker stoppages, boycotts and strikes, union density was at an all-time low. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that just 10% of hourly and salaried workers were members of unions, which is about 14.4 million people.
More recently, Amazon joined Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Trader Joe’s in a legal fight to declare the National Labor Relations Board as unconstitutional. Amazon is aggressively setting the anti-union standard for the future of labor in the United States.
This is a psycho-dramatic character study that takes place during a single cab ride. It hits some high notes and sidesteps others but, by the skin of its teeth, it keeps the ball in play until the meter runs out. For that accomplishment alone, it’s worth a watch.
THE STORY
A pretty young woman (Girlie, played by Dakota Johnson) arrives at JFK airport and takes a taxi home to her Manhattan apartment. The driver (Clark, played by Sean Penn) is a New Yorker who’s spent most of his adult life behind the wheel of a cab. He’s a people-watcher and likes to share his insights with the subjects he finds so fascinating.
Clark deftly surprises his lady passenger with his take on her behavior since she stepped into his cab. His delivery is thespian and the minutiae worthy of an FBI profiler. Girlie is intrigued and their relationship is launched.
Broad strokes of their lives are exchanged and, when challenged, Girlie admits that her lover is married. Clark dives into a passionate diatribe that spells out exactly what she’s let herself in for. It’s priceless, but not just for its lampooning of the world’s most romantic car crash.
The real reason Clark is venting is because the lady in his cab is letting herself be used. He’s angry at the choice she made and, without even knowing it himself, needs to show his disapproval. It’s assumed that the title of the film relates to Girlie’s older, married lover, but it could equally relate to one of life’s protectors. My money’s on the guy who’s taking someone else’s dilemma personally.
The duologue continues but never changes pace or invites conflict. The pair claim to be competitive, but this doesn’t ring true. Their sparring is gentle, but it’s the dirty fighters that get us out of our seats. Confusingly, the story does a U-turn when Girlie describes how her sister used to tie her up. Clark sexualizes the moment by asking if she liked it. The air of expectancy evaporates when Girlie barely reacts; so why go there? And apart from that, it takes Clark out of character. He doesn’t do sleazy.
When the cab ride finally ends, the story is allowed to come to its natural conclusion. Like two passing ships that decided to tread water for a while before going on their way The intent may have been to tell Girlie’s story, but it’s Clark who turns out to be the smartest guy in the room.
It’s so unfortunate that the people with all the answers haven’t got time to run the country, because they’re too busy driving cabs around and cutting hair.
He has written and produced forty seven hits on Billboard’s Latin charts with his band Monsieur Job, and now Toby Holguín, under the pseudonym Iye Teblu, is achieving one of the most important moments in Colombian cinema in recent times with his first short film “Gidi Gidi Gi” which he wrote, directed, produced and acted in.
(Monsieur Job’s new album is titled: “TNTO TIEMP_O SIN VERT”. It was released globally in November 2023. The album was conceived by Toby and his musical partner Leo Jaramillo. It has had more than 1,200,000 views)
“Gidi Gidi Gi” is a thriller about bank robberies in which he appears alongside Colombian actors Alejandro Buenaventura, Susana Rojas and Oscar Rodríguez. It is an amazing and exciting high-level short film that explores the true bonds of friendship.
There was a generation of artists in Cali that coincided with the bloodiest era of drug trafficking in Colombia. Shouting “The country is collapsing and we are partying,” a group of filmmakers, writers, photographers and designers created the Caliwood movement during the 70s and 80s. His story is that of the May 68 hangover, the hippie communes, sexual liberation and endless nights of drugs, salsa and rock and roll.
Today Iye Teblu is the last link in all that cinematographic fever born in Cali and that revolutionized the seventh art in Colombia. He is now writing the history of national cinema with “Gidi Gidi Gi.” As director Iye Teblu has taken home recognition in Berlin, Cannes and Paris. It is a resounding success that has rarely been seen in recent years for a national short film.
The producer of “Gidi Gidi Gi” is Mierda Frita, a company established in Colombia.
AWARDS 1. Los Angeles Festivals 2. Rome International Movie Awards 3. Independent Shorts Awards, Los Angeles (Two Awards) 4. South Films and Arts Academy Festival 5. Korea International Film Festival 6. Five Continents International Film Festival 7. The Grand Cine Carnival Maldives 8. Madras Independent Film Festival 9. Kiez Berlin Film Festival 10. Cinema Paris Film Festival Best Short Film 11. Cinema Paris Film Festival (Best Director) 12. Madonie Film Festival, Sicily (Best Short Film) 13. Madonie Film Festival, Sicily (Science Fiction) 14. Shunyatam International Film Festival 15. International Media Arts Film Awards 16. Hottomela International Film Festival 17. Cannes World Film Festival 18. Out Of The Can International Film Festival 19. Cannes World Film Festival: Best Director, Best Fantasy Film, Best Sci-Fi, Best Experimental (Four Awards)
HONORABLE MENTIONS Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival Playback International Film Festival, Manchester, UK HIFF – HALO International Film Festival
FINALIST Hollywood Blood Horror Festival
SEMIFINALIST Sweden Film Awards
NOMINATION Swedish International Film Festival TIFA – Tiete International Film Festival Shorted HIFF – HALO International Film Festival
SHORTED AIFF Alternative Film Festival
SELECTION Los Angeles Film Awards Crown Wood International Film Festival Dubai Film Festival Film Boxe International Monthly Festival American Golden Picture International Film Festival Best International Film Festival Cinematography & Photography Awards Top Shorts
From creating forty seven Billboard Latin Chart hits (and counting) and generating over one million views for their newest album “TNTO TIEMP_O SIN VERT” with Monsieur Job – to writing/directing/producing the short film “Gidi Gidi Gi” under the name Iye Teblu, which has already garnered nineteen awards from prestigious film festivals around the world – Toby Holguin has proven himself a true renaissance man in the world of entertainment.
Originating out of Cali, Colombia, and once a heralded football player with thoughts of sports stardom, Toby got into music and entertainment almost by accident, being called into duty to be the singer of his friend’s band in high school. Since then, the acclaimed artist and entertainment impresario has spent countless hours honing his craft, putting forth uncompromising effort, both in the studio working diligently on his music and on the set writing/directing/producing under film moniker Iye Teblu, where Holguin has been able to deftly focus his efforts parallelly into filmmaking, alongside film production group Mierda Frita, achieving truly dizzying heights as a leader in both fields.
Iye Teblu is an experimental artist that writes, directs and acts from pure sensitivity. He has no formal film training or education, but his life is truly a movie.
Monsieur Job began as a solo project for Toby. Looking to stimulate collaboration, he then decided to form a band with a musician he knew to be top notch, Leo Jaramillo from Bogota, Colombia, formerly of Vía Rustica and La Mojarra Eléctrica. Toby also performs as a DJ and electronic producer as a Bora Bora Resident (since 2012), was on the Bora Bora World Tour 2012 – 2014, and Ashbury & Haight (Universal Music Mexico 2004, Universal Music Brazil 2005).
This documentary isn’t the gripping spy thriller the filmmakers claim. Reenactments replace history and the narrator is the giggly 90-year-old widow of the film’s subject. It all seems pretty mundane until, unexpectedly, the little old lady’s facade is stripped away. Then it gets fascinating.
Ted Hall was an 18-year-old Harvard graduate when he was recruited to work on what was to become the world’s first atomic bomb. A year later, the fruits of US science were dropped onto Japan’s homeland and Hall did not approve. He claimed he secretly believed that a U.S. post-war monopoly of such a powerful weapon could lead to nuclear catastrophe. Two months later, he started passing key information about the bomb to the Soviet Union. In other words, a rich kid decided to save the world.
At the time, the president of the Soviet Union was Stalin. Hall had a world of rulers to choose from but decided to get into bed with a dictator who had famously executed a million of his own people. Why didn’t he head for a democratic country, such as the UK? They had just led the charge to eradicate that other well-known psychopath and their total execution of nationals was zero.
Not satisfied with having established himself as a traitor, Hall then went on to claim, in an old video recording, that Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were innocent of the crime they were executed for. He and a friend acted alone. His excuse for not coming forward was that his wife talked him out of it. She told him that it wouldn’t help the Rosenbergs and would make their own lives ‘difficult.’ Perhaps that’s something she’d like to repeat to the Rosenberg’s sons who were orphaned when those switches got flicked. Having established herself and her husband as reprehensible, she then goes on to voice her disgust at the American people for celebrating the executions. She thought it was in very poor taste.
Joan Hall assassinates what’s left of her character by admitting she didn’t ever take her membership of the Communist Party seriously. The only thing she enjoyed was the social side. Apparently, the happy couple drove past the Rosenberg’s prison on their way to one of their parties on the night of the execution. That might seem bizarre but, as the self-proclaimed ‘compassionate spy’ said, it would have been tricky to explain their absence. Spoken like a true hero.
In this thriller, subterfuge is played out against an ancient backdrop of political struggle. Every aspect is compelling but, at times, the narrative gets bogged down and lacks clarity. But even at its foggiest, the story whispers, ‘It’s the truth.’ The writing may not be the best but Death of a Whistleblower isn’t just a film. It’s a whistleblower in and of itself.
Luyanda Masinda’s (Noxolo Dlamini’s) is a South African investigative journalist. One night she ends up in a Johannesberg bar with a fellow wordsmith, Stanley Galloway (Rob van Vuuren). Galloway is the editor of a high-profile political outlet and attractive enough for Luyanda to accept his invitation to go home with him. The following morning, just after they leave Galloway’s apartment, their car is rammed, The two are surrounded and Galloway is assassinated. Luyanda escapes relatively unscathed but becomes consumed with her quest to track down the people who orchestrated her lover’s death.
The deeper Luyanda digs, the more dangerous her quest becomes. Within days, she discovers that South Africa may be a victim of state capture. Evidence points to a corrupt group of politicians who are covertly hiring out government troops, military equipment and chemical weapons to rogue African countries. There is a moment of story clarity when the intrepid Luyanda confronts a military elite about what she has discovered. It’s a long journey to get to this point, but perhaps the filmmaker wanted to make sure no one gets left out when the lid is finally blown open.
There is more than one person to whom the title of this film could be referring. The obvious choice is Stanley Galloway who was planning to whistleblow on a global scale. Then there is Albert Loots (Irshaad Allywho), a military employee who dices with death by smuggling top secret data on a daily basis. The third contender is Luyanda herself, who pokes the bear with no thought for personal safety. Sadly, these three are not alone. The remaining contenders are listed at the end of the film. They’re amongst the many who, like Galloway, paid the ultimate price for loving their country.
Perhaps this film explains South African’s perpetual absence on the global stage. Israel, with a population of nine million, is never out of the news. South Africa, with a population of 60 million, is never in it. It could be that that’s how the government has engineered it, or it could be that the the world isn’t yet ready to let go of the Mandela Fairy Tale. Surely Apartheid didn’t get replaced by something that can’t even pass the smell test?
This emotionally charged documentary tells a tale that started 800 years ago. At this time, the citizens of 500 Indian nations were the only ones who called the US home. When their sovereignty was stolen, so their fight began. And they have been fighting ever since.
One of the many organizations doing battle is The Fight Against American Mascoting Their goal is to stop sports clubs using the names and mascots of tribes to which they have no affiliation. Not only is this exploitation, but their derisory presentations cast a slur on indigenous culture. But when wealthy organizations were informed that they were insulting their countrymen, they made it clear they didn’t care.
An appalling example of this is when, in 2000, the Cleveland baseball team was asked to cease use of their cartoonish ‘chief’ logo. Despite widespread racial justice protests, they kept it until 2018. An even more contentious battle was fought with the Washington ‘Redskins.’ They would undoubtedly still be using the ‘R’ word had Fedex not threatened to remove their sponsorship if they didn’t comply.
There are a lot more confounding stories like this, many with less successful endings. And as disappointing as these disclosures are, is it really a surprise? With America so unashamedly entrenched in capitalism, an extra kick at morality’s soul is par for the course. But what is truly shocking is that thousands of schools swim in the same pool as Big Sport. Like the clubs, they’re fully aware they’re causing offense, but they carry on regardless. Are these really the kind of people who should be guiding young Americans into adulthood?
Fortunately, however, not all hope is lost. There’s a heartwarming interview with a young schoolgirl who didn’t find out until she was a teenager that the name of her school was ‘politically incorrect.’ And when she discovered it was causing distress to millions, she was horrified. She lobbied her school board and succeeded where some very expensive lawyers failed. She got the name of her school changed. Perhaps this budding activist should spend less time in the classroom and more time on the road, explaining to unenlightened educators that all lives matter.
The fact that so many people have been fighting their cause for so long opens the door to a very big question. Why hasn’t the ‘greatest nation in the world’ made the abuse of Indigenous Culture a form of hate crime? It’s a dramatic step but if millions of Americans really think the name of their sports team is more important than the dignity of an entire race, the law has to explain that it’s not.
Our fascination with the criminal world has prompted filmmakers to keep churning out anything that shines a spotlight on the bottomless underworld. So there is plenty of room for a tale about a Canadian criminal who claims new lands as his own, and preferably those that are laced with landmines. The Canadian is called Gerald Blanchard and he narrates a most fascinating tale.
Gerald was adopted as a baby. His parents divorced when he was young and his mother uprooted him from a city he loved and took him to Omaha, Nebraska. He was skinny and wore spectacles and his ‘nerdiness’ got him the wrong kind of attention. Bullied and friendlesa, he buried himself in the art of electronics but, after a while, he became restless. His life was boring and meaningless and he started thinking of ways to make it more interesting. And just like that, his pre-teen criminal career was launched.
Instead of following in the footsteps of everyday shoplifters, Gerald creates something a lot more sophisticated. He becomes a thief, of course, but around the thieving he builds a sophisticated system that enables him to achieve full retail price for everything he steals And he steals a lot. But when he gets stopped by the police with a car full of stolen goods, he gets clean away with it. Emboldened by his success, he progresses from car loads to trucks. Within weeks of launching his new career, he is, without doubt, the highest earning schoolboy in the entire Americas.
There is much in this documentary that seems far-fetched, but facts are backed by the many witnesses who share first-hand accounts of Gerald’s daring. These include the two boys he enlists to accompany him on his shoplifting sprees. Their young lives are forever changed by the skinny kid who is fearless, ingenious and who treats his interactions with the police as some kind of game. He just doesn’t take the law seriously. And when he eventually gets arrested and deported to Canada, instead of regretting the folly of his ways, his activities escalate. But this renewed boldness attracts the attention of two Winnipeg detectives who spend the rest of their working lives in pursuit of the unfathomable criminal who’s causing global mayhem.
There are many intriguing aspects to this story, but the most fascinating of all is Gerald’s pervasive desire to dance with fate. There are times when, even though he can easily escape, he puts himself in harm’s way. And instead of enjoying his new jet-set life, he goads the very people who want to take away his freedom. Gerald has a lot to say about his escapades, but makes no comment on his compulsion to stare down the barrel of a gun. Perhaps that’s because it’s a flaw he doesn’t celebrate, or perhaps even the mastermind himself doesn’t know what keeps dragging him to the edge of the precipice.
RELEASE
Brazil
O ladrão de joias
Jul 13, 2023(internet)
United States
The Jewel Thief
Jul 13, 2023(Hulu and Disney+)Jul 13, 2023(internet)
