Charming Stranger

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Charming Stranger

A film production company in San Francisco

01/08/2025

Good Side of Bad is NOW available to rent or own on all cable, satellite and digital platforms including Prime Video and Apple TV.

Three adult siblings are brought back together after a shocking diagnosis forces them to confront harsh future realities regarding the mental state of one of their own. A raw and intimate look into what it means to be a family navigating the waters of mental illness.

Buy or rent GOOD SIDE OF BAD today on Prime Video: https://bit.ly/3C6JLgA

01/03/2025

Begin the new year with Good Side of Bad as we dive into humanity’s dark places while illuminating the love, laughter, and light discovered when reconnecting with those close loved ones.

PRE-ORDER ON Apple TV NOW: https://loom.ly/S-sXrcA
AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON JANUARY 7.

01/01/2025

Happy New Year from Charming Stranger! To everyone who supported our films or played a role behind the scenes in 2024, a big thank YOU for being part of our story.

Here are some of our 2024 highlights:

Cameo Wood - Director/exec. producer Cameo graduated with her master’s thesis in Dramatic Arts at Harvard University and became an incubator co-producer for Culture House Immersive

Connie Jo Sechrist: Producer Connie Jo acted as a mentor for the 2024 Networking & Career Development Program, presented by Women of Color Unite

To Die Alone - Winner of: Best Feature (SF IndieFest), Best Feature (LGBTQ+ LA Film Fest), Best Feature Film/Best Director/Best Actress/Best Editing (Southern Oasis Film Fest), Best Feature (Red Cedar Film Fest), Best Feature (Dreamscape International Film Fest)

Stalled in Eight Etudes - Winner of: Best Dramatic Shorts (Woods Hole Film Fest), Jury Award for Best Live Action (Port Townsend Film Fest), Best of Fest (SF Short Film Fest), Best of Fest (Bread & Roses Film Fest), and writer/director Kersti Bryan named as NYC Women’s Fund Recipient for Fiction Short

Good Side of Bad - Winner of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress at Block Island Film Festival, and available to stream on North American VOD platforms and DVD on Jan 7

Reflection - World premiere at Vancouver Island Short Film Festival

Elevate - Winner of Entertainment Studies Award at UCLAxFilmFest

Bourn Kind - SF Jewish Film’s Online Short of the Month and now available on Tribeca’s YouTube Channel

Saverio - Winner of Best Screenplay at Hollywood Just4Shorts

Real Artists: Onboarded the SpaceX Falcon 9 official launch to the moon

12/19/2024

Sometimes what you need is sitting right next to you.

SAVERIO, written and directed by Ellen Ancui, is a short film shedding light on the silent issue of "granny dumping" — COMING SOON.

12/16/2024

A raw and intimate look into what it means to be a family navigating the waters of mental illness.

Good Side of Bad is set to release on North American digital, cable, satellite platforms and DVD on January 7th, coinciding with Mental Wellness Month 💚

Watch GOOD SIDE OF BAD trailer here: https://loom.ly/KqfF0vo

12/10/2024

A courthouse bathroom. Eight strangers. A surprising moment of shared humanity. Kersti Bryan's STALLED IN EIGHT ETUDES is now streaming for a limited time on Encorenow — WATCH NOW UNTIL DEC 22: https://encorenow.app.link/stalled

12/05/2024

When a young woman rushing to an important networking event discovers an abandoned senior with early signs of dementia in her car, she must navigate an unsupportive system and confront a moral crossroads.

COMING SOON: SAVERIO, a short film based on true events. Follow along to stay updated!

Writer/Director: Ellen Ancui
Producer: Connie Jo Sechrist
Starring: Quincy Cho, Roberto Medina, and Scott Alin

11/29/2024

BOURN KIND: The Tiny Kindness Project is NOW AVAILABLE on Tribeca’s YouTube channel!

Bourn Kind is a film, social activism project, street art campaign, and built-in activation that explores the theme of connection and kindness, through the power of art and the work of artist Bourn Rich. In the film and real-life companion mural campaign, we are creating.

Watch now: https://loom.ly/don2k30

Director: Rachel Myers
Producers: Connie Jo Sechrist and Cameo Wood
Starring: Bourn Rich

11/26/2024

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! We’re thrilled to share that the writer/director of STALLED IN EIGHT ETUDES, Kersti Bryan has been named one of the NYC Women’s Fund recipients for Fiction Short! This recognition celebrates her work in amplifying diverse storytelling alongside a lineup of other talented creatives.

Many thanks to Amanda Farias for your special congratulations and for highlighting STALLED IN EIGHT ETUDES!

You can read the full announcement here: https://loom.ly/XnNLom0

11/22/2024

STALLED IN EIGHT ETUDES is available on Encorenow as part of the SLIFF Encore digital run. Stream it now — LIMITED TIME UNTIL DEC 22! Watch here: https://loom.ly/jLiOmWY

11/15/2024

"The career of an artist is not linear, but you never know what treasures await unless you stay in the game. For my sanity, I had to find a metric of success that was within my control. My metric is to strategically send out as many ships as I can. Each action I take — every audition, every submission to a festival, or grant proposal — is a little ship that I am sending out." - Kersti Bryan

A heartfelt thank you to Guernslye Honoré at Authority Magazine for the deep dive with writer/director of "Stalled in Eight Etudes," Kersti Bryan. Read the full interview now: https://loom.ly/VYBfuQY

11/09/2024

& RECAP!

We’re beyond grateful for the incredible response to STALLED IN EIGHT ETUDES during this festival run. The biggest thank you to all those who have attended a screening and supported this short film 💛

11/04/2024

Big win for STALLED IN EIGHT ETUDES! We're so honored to share that our short film is taking home Best of Fest from the San Francisco Short Film Festival. Thank you to San Francisco IndieFest, and a huge applause to the cast and crew for making this possible!

10/31/2024

If you didn't catch the last screening of "Stalled in Eight Etudes" in Georgia, you're in luck! We're heading back to Georgia to screen at BBR Indie Films, presented by BBR Media Group, on Wednesday, November 13th from 6 PM — 10 PM.

Don't miss out on this networking opportunity as there will be industry panelists offering their insights and expertise! Limited tickets available — https://loom.ly/mDW1Mo4

10/29/2024

"It takes living life and experiencing ups and downs to authentically reflect our shared histories. I got to where I am today professionally mostly by following my gut and saying 'yes' to a lot of weird or unexpected opportunities.” — Ellen Ancui

Explore the career journey of Ellen Ancui as she discusses her experiences with Shoutout LA by reading the full interview here! https://shoutoutla.com/meet-ellen-ancui-writer-director-producer

Ellen is the director/writer of our upcoming short film, SAVERIO — follow along for more SAVERIO updates!

Address

455 9th Street
San Francisco, CA
94133

Website

https://www.charmingstranger.com/

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Videos

Good Side of Bad is NOW available to rent or own on all cable, satellite and digital platforms including Prime Video and Apple TV. Three adult siblings are brought back together after a shocking diagnosis forces them to confront harsh future realities regarding the mental state of one of their own. A raw and intimate look into what it means to be a family navigating the waters of mental illness. Buy or rent GOOD SIDE OF BAD today on Prime Video: https://bit.ly/3C6JLgA #goodsideofbad #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthawareness #Drama #dramafilm #dramamovie #FamilyDrama #socialimpact #filmdrama #SupportIndieFilm #IndieFilm #independent

"STALLED IN EIGHT ETUDES is a study in humanity’s variations: all in a short time and in a small space. In this women’s courtroom bathroom, we will see ourselves, and understand better this little understood safe haven, and remember to choose kindness." — Alecia Orsini Lebeda, JP Ouellette, and Julie Sultan (Woods Hole Film Festival) Winner of Best Dramatic Shorts for "Stalled in Eight Etudes" at Woods Hole Film Festival 2024! Catch our next screening at the St. Louis International Film Festival on Friday, November 15th at 5:10 PM — GET TICKETS HERE: https://loom.ly/iU-tUbY

From script to screen, Charming Stranger can guide your film through every stage — development, production, and distribution. Together, we can push the boundaries and create something truly exceptional. Want to learn more about our latest projects? Visit our website! Interested in working with us? Contact us here: https://loom.ly/mxBYYWo

"With this film… it takes the feelings, the anxiety, the stress, the fear of this survival story and we come to realize that it’s not just a physical survival they’re trying to achieve… she’s trying to emotionally survive the endeavor she’s been through” Writer/director Austin Smagalski discusses To Die Alone with Thomas Eliot, host of “Invasion of the Pod People” — Listen to the full interview now: https://loom.ly/-okJIYc❗WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS❗

Spend your Thursday evening with "Stalled in Eight Etudes" on August 22nd at 6 PM at The Women's Film Festival, a festival dedicated to uplifting the powerful voices of women in film! GET TICKETS NOW — https://loom.ly/PgpIFo0 #TWFF #TWFF2024

"Actress Tracey Bonner delivers a tour de force in Kersti Bryan’s 17-minute short... pay special attention to the end credits; you might be in for a surprise.” - Tim Miller, Cape Cod Wave Join us in exploring the surprising humanity found in a courthouse bathroom as eight women cross paths in "Stalled in Eight Etudes" — NOW SCREENING.

Washington friends, missed To Die Alone ’s screening the first time? Here’s your second chance — we’re making our way back for the West Sound Film Festival THIS Saturday, August 3rd at 7:50 PM! Tickets available here: https://loom.ly/MJ9DT4w

Stalled In Eight Etudes debuts at Woods Hole Film Festival this month on July 28th at 8 PM. WORLD PREMIERE tickets are available NOW — https://loom.ly/2-ZWH3A. We hope to see you there! #WHFF #WHFF2024

Thanks to your incredible support, SAVERIO’s campaign raised $23,360! Our deepest gratitude to everyone who offered their support or made a contribution. YOU have made this film possible, and we’re excited to begin filming this month! More updates coming soon. If you missed our campaign deadline, you can still donate — message us for details! #charmingstranger #indiefilmproduction #saveriothefilm #saverio #indiefilm #shortfilm