insignificant Takes Home 5 ICTA Awards

insignificant and its cast and crew continue to scoop up accolades during the show’s festival run. So far, the series, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on January 4th, has picked up 7 Film Festival selections and 14 awards.

The latest accolades came from the ICTA Awards where the series brought home 5 more awards.

Series lead, Drew Margolis took home his third Best Actor Award for his portrayal of Wes Connelly, a teen growing up in the 90s that is conflicted about his sexuality and dealing with the effects of a sexual assault.

“Drew’s performance was subtle but nuanced, and I worried that maybe people wouldn’t pick up on how great of a job he really did.” Series creator Wayne Cella said after the awards were announced. “I’m thrilled that Drew has gotten that recognition.”

Emily Jayne, who plays Wes’s best friend, the caring and fiercely protective Izzy Isler, brought home her second Best Actress award. “Izzy has some secrets of her own as season 1 plays out and Emily did an amazing job of bringing that character to life. We’re very proud and lucky to have her on our cast.” Cella added.

Series co-lead and do-writer, Collin Roach, who plays the somewhat enigmatic Anthony Marshall Jr., the person who makes Wes question everything about himself, took home Best Supporting Actor from the ICTAs. “Collin’s work on insignificant cannot be understated. From helping to write the story to working off screen and the amazing work he did on the screen, I’m excited to see him get recognized.”

Finally, insignificant won for Best Web/New Media series and series creator Cella and co-Director, Asha Brown took home Best Director honors.

“It’s been such an honor to see how this show and these characters have touched people. The feedback has been amazing. Truly humbling. I wrote this story to let people who have gone through these types of issues know that they’re not alone. My hope is that we can get that message out to as many people as possible. It’s a message I wish was out there when I was growing up. And we have plenty more story to tell if we get that chance.” Cella said.

Season 1 of insignificant is available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video. Covered Sun Films has agreed to donate a portion of the proceeds to RAINN, an organization that helps survivors of sexual assault and abuse and The Trevor Project, a group that helps LGBTQ+ youth.

Insignificant Scores 5 Wins at the BAAD Awards in New York

Covered Sun Film’s first project since 2020, insignificant, officially released on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. 24 hours later, the series was honored with 5 awards from the Best Actor and Director Awards in New York City.

The series lead, Drew Margolis, who plays Wes Connelly was honored with not one, but two Best Actor Awards. Margolis won a Silver Award for Best Actor in a Drama and a Gold Award for Best Actor in an LGBT Film.

Emily Jayne took home a Gold Award for Best Actress in a Drama for her portrayal of Wes’s best friend, Izzy Isler.

Directors Wayne Cella and Asha Brown were also honored with two awards for their work on the series. Cella and Brown won a Bronze Award for Best Directors in a Drama and a Gold Award for Best Director in an LGBTQ Film.

The Best Actor & Director Awards – New York is an International Bi-Monthly IMDb Qualifying Competition with an Annual Screening Event, celebrating Actors and Film Directors from all over the world. Their mission is to recognize talent and passion and to award the Best Performances in Acting and in Film Directing of independent cinema. Only the Best Films of a whole year will be selected by the Jury for the Annual Screening Event in New York City.

Season 1 of insignificant is Now Available on Amazon Prime Video!

In a surprise announcement, Covered Sun Films announced the release of Season 1 of the series insignificant on Amazon Prime Video.

Click below to purchase the teen drama.

Watch insignificant here!

Covered Sun Films Founder Wayne Cella Interviewed in Authority Magazine

Wayne Cella, the founder of Covered Sun Films recently sat down with the amazing Susan Johnston to discuss a variety of topics that included the studio’s new project, insignificant, and the 5 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Became a Filmmaker.

Susan Johnston is an actress/director/singer/casting director/producer, and the founder of the renowned New Media Film Festival in Los Angeles, California. The cutting edge festival is entering its 14th year and prides itself on “Honoring Stories Worth Telling.”

Click here to read the interview in Authority Magazine.

insignificant Honored with Exceptional Merit Award at LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival

Covered Sun’s forthcoming series insignificant picked up another honor on Friday, as it was awarded the Exceptional Merit Award for Drama at the LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival.

To date, the series has picked up 4 awards, 5 nominations and 3 Official Selections. Keep checking back for the latest info and release date for the series.

UPDATED – insignificant Advances to Finals at NYIFA and Receives 3 Nominations

UPDATED – insignificant took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Ensemble and an Honorable Mention for Best Web Series.

insignificant was named a Finalist at the New York International Film Awards on Sunday, December 4th, 2022 and was honored with 3 nominations.

The series was nominated for Best Web Series at the Awards Festival. In addition, Drew Margolis, who plays lead character Wes Connelly, picked up his second nomination for Best Actor, and the full cast was nominated for Best Ensemble.

“This shows what an amazing job the entire team did. I’m incredibly proud of everyone on this cast and crew and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the series.” series creator Wayne Cella said. “I think the future is bright.”

Winners of the IMDb qualifying festival will be announced on Tuesday, December 6th. Stay tuned for more updates. insignificant is coming soon.

insignificant Named Official Selection In One Festival; A Quarterfinalist in Another

Covered Sun Film’s new series insignificant has yet to set a premiere date, but the accolades are already rolling in.

Insignificant was named a quarterfinalist at the New York International Film Awards earlier this week. On Saturday, December 3rd, the semi-finalists will be announced in the competition. The NYIFA is a “Monthly Film and Script Competition with a public Screening Event held in the very heart of Manhattan, New York City, every three months.”

On the heels of the Quarterfinalist announcement, insignificant was selected to the LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival. The LGBTQ-U is “From the creators of the Depth of Field International Film Festival, Docs Without Borders Film Festival, and the WRPN.tv Women’s International Film Festival (among a few other successful festivals) and under the umbrella of the WRPN.tv Network we bring you the LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival (LGBTQ-U).”

“Both of these festivals are IMDb qualifying events which makes these selections an honor. I’m always proud of our team and what we’ve accomplished, but it’s awesome to see them get recognition for all of the blood, sweat, tears and love that went into making insignificant.” Series creator Wayne Cella said of the selections.

insignificant is complete and is awaiting a release date. Further updates on the series’ release should be coming very soon! In the meantime follow the series on Instagram here.

Collin Roach Interview as Blink Twice Trailer Drops

Covered Sun Films and Y.E.S Entertainment teamed up to produce the Collin Roach penned Blink Twice in August. Roach, a long time collaborator with CSF wrote the short in the fall of 2021 and starred in and directed it.

Covered Sun sat down with Roach on the day the trailer for the short film was released. Today, the trailer is released to the general public via YouTube.

What was the inspiration for Blink Twice? The idea of the film really spawned from boredom. I wrote the initial short film script while I was in my hotel room on the set of another film. We were filming in Lancaster, PA so the city really shut down early each day. I’d go back to my hotel room with not much to do, so I just began writing the first idea that came to me. From there, I began to really shape in into something I felt was special, taking inspiration from films like Fincher’s Seven, The Batman, and Euphoria.

What does it mean to you to be a first time director? My passion for acting was really born off of filmmaking. I’ve been writing films since I was 15 years old, so to now be 20 years old and directing my first film brought me right back to the feelings I had as a teenager coming up with film ideas.

Why did you choose this project to be your first? I think this was the first one that made sense to begin with. I have the tendency to just get lost in the art of writing. I write what I think would be the best story, not really thinking about the logistics of making the film. Blink Twice takes place in such a grounded, realistic world, but carries action suspense in a way that can be done reasonably.

Tell us what it was like working with this cast and crew. There were very few people on the set that I haven’t worked with before, so I came in really just excited to make a film with friends, it felt like. Every single person stepped up in ways that I never could’ve imagined, and honestly there is no greater feeling than a group of people working together to create a film that you wrote.

What other projects are working on? I’m currently developing the idea of a Blink Twice mini series that follows the events of this film, as well as drafting a script for a whole new project that I look to make next.

When can we expect to see Blink Twice? The goal is to hold a premiere around the holidays, and try to have the film have a run at the festival Circuit.

Why should people watch it? I like to think of this film as one that’s truly made for the mind. At face value it’s a fun suspenseful action thriller, but the deeper you dive into the film, the more layers you peel open.

Blink Twice stars Collin Roach as Colson Turner, Emily Jayne as Zoey Montebello, Keith Pichardo as Devin Ayton, Emily Hughes as Lily Robbins, Ashley Sites as Becca and Damien Berger as Agent Royce Rollins.

Collin Roach is a writer/director/actor and musician known for his roles in Covered Sun’s series Talisman and insignificant. Roach has also appeared in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and the upcoming film Brave the Dark. Roach has also released several hip-hop and pop albums, with his latest being Back from Forever and Try Again Tomorrow.

To keep up with the latest information about the film and behind the scenes pictures and content, follow the film on Instagram @blinktwicefilm.

Talisman Arrives on Amazon Prime Video

Covered Sun’s award-winning series, Talisman has arrived for rental or purchase on Amazon Prime Video. Click to own or rent the series starring James Yoder, Collin Roach, Jack Ligenza, Matt Ingemi, Dan Berkey and Tricia Sullivan.

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.7fe0f095-b121-49ed-bb2d-2071a7fecf5c&territory=US&ref_=share_ios_movie&r=web

insignificant Brings Home Best Director Honors at NJ Web Fest

Tricia Sullivan, Drew Margolis and Wayne Cella walk the red carpet at the New Jersey Webfest in Montclair, NJ at the World Premiere of insignificant.

For the second straight year, Covered Sun has brought home a Best Director Award from the NJ Web Fest. In 2021, Wayne Cella was honored as Best Director in a Sci-Fi or Fantasy Series. The 2022 edition of the festival saw Cella win for Best Director in a Drama.

“It’s a bit more complicated than that.” Cella said after the win. “Honestly, insignificant wouldn’t be what it is without Asha Brown, my associate director and Mark Nesbitt. So while I was the one nominated, it was definitely more of a team effort.”

Asha Brown, an award-winning Director in her own right, joined Cella as an Associate Director on insignificant episodes 1-6. Brown returned this past August and sat in the director’s chair for episodes 7 and 8, as well as a flashback sequence for the beginning of episode 1. Nesbitt, who headed up the audio department for episodes 1-6, later transitioned to Director of Photography for the same flashback sequence and episodes 7 and 8.

“Mark and Asha brought so much to this story. I couldn’t have asked for a better team. They shared their experience and talent to make insignificant what it is. So they definitely deserve a huge piece of this too!”

The New Jersey Web Fest was insignificant’s first festival selection and to date, is the only festival it’s been submitted to.

“New Jersey is home. And more than that, the New Jersey Web Fest always feels like home. We didn’t want the world premiere to be anywhere but someplace we’ve come to regard as a second home. It was awesome to get to have so many of the cast and crew come out and support the premiere and get to see their work on the big screen at the beautiful Clairidge Theater.” Cella said of the festival.

insignificant is late in post production and is expected to be released by year’s end. “Our hope is to get this story out there soon and then hopefully do the web fest circuit and see how that goes. We were very lucky to have Tanisha Porreca help us with season 1, but we’ll definitely need some additional help to pull off the season 2 we have planned. Hopefully we’ll find some folks who are interested in helping us produce as we move forward and continue to tell this story.”

insignificant to Make World Premiere at New Jersey Web Fest

Covered Sun Film’s latest project, insignificant, will make its world premiere at the 2022 edition of the New Jersey Web Fest.

The New Jersey Web Fest has made a name for itself by being a creator driven showcase of international projects and for its family like atmosphere.

Covered Sun’s previous series, Talisman, screened at the 2021 edition of the festival and was honored with Outstanding Sci-Fi Series and Best Director in a Sci-Fi or Fantasy awards.

“The New Jersey Web Fest is a top notch event put on by top notch people. We had so much fun and met great creators and people from all over the world. It’s definitely one of our favorite festivals.” series creator, Wayne Cella said.

Insignificant will screen among a block of content from creators from around the world at 12:30 PM on Saturday, September 24, 2022 at the Clairidge Theater in Montclair, NJ. Tickets are available for $25 per person.

The new series, which is a teen drama that chronicles the struggles of growing up in the 90s, is nominated for two awards at this year’s festival. Lead actor, Drew Margolis is nominated for Best Actor in a Drama and Wayne Cella is nominated for Best Director of a Drama.

The full season of insignificant is set to premiere later in 2022 or early 2023.

Insignificant Honored with 2 Nominations at NJ Web Fest

Just as the cast and crew were calling wrap on season 1 of insignificant, the pilot episode was honored with 2 major nominations at the New Jersey Web Festival.

Drew Margolis, an 18 year old actor from New Jersey was honored with a Best Actor in a Drama or Suspense nomination for his portrayal of Wes Connelly in Covered Sun’s upcoming series.

“Drew is a hard worker and put a lot into that role. I’m so excited to see him get this recognition for his performance. Of the 62 scenes we shot last year, Drew was in 44 of them. He really did some emotional heavy lifting. He definitely earned this!” Said writer/director Wayne Cella of Margolis.

In addition to the Best Acting nomination, insignificant was also nominated for Best Director for Wayne Cella.

“I have said it before and I’ll say it again: none of this happens without the vision, drive, and determination of Wayne. [He’s] put together an amazing team and made a lot of dreams of being involved in telling stories, including mine, come true.” Covered Sun co-founder, John Manning said recently.

“Making a film or a television show takes a village. None of this would have been possible without Nathan Minter, Tanisha Porreca, Asha Brown, Mark Nesbitt, Collin Roach, John Manning and the rest of the Covered Sun team. This story is very personal for me, so I’m honored to be nominated alongside some incredibly talented people.” Cella said.

The New Jersey Web Fest will take place in Montclair, New Jersey on September 22-25. The festival is among the best reviewed festivals in the world. Last year, Cella picked up Best Director in a Sci-Fi or Fantasy Series and Talisman won for Outstanding Sci-Fi Web Series.

For more information on the festival or how to see the world premiere of insignificant visit https://www.newjerseywebfest.com.

Covered Sun Drops Trailer for New Series, Insignificant

Covered Sun Films will resume production on its new series, Insignificant, in August. In the meantime, they have dropped a sneak peek trailer for the upcoming season of the web series.

Check the trailer out and stay tuned for more news and release information for Insignificant. Insignificant is a teen drama that shows the ups and downs of growing up in the 1990s.

The show is expected to be released in early 2023.

Covered Sun Films Inks Distribution Deal for Talisman

Talisman premiered on the Reveel Network on 5/27/22.

Talisman was released to YouTube in May of 2020, just as the world was settling into a new pandemic-induced normal. Now, the series will be finding a new home thanks to three recently signed distribution deals.

“We had a lot of plans for Talisman that we never really got a chance to follow through on because of the pandemic. We wound up playing 8 film festivals around the world, but only got to attend 3 in person because of restrictions. As our first festival worthy project, it was a bummer.” Talisman creator Wayne Cella said.

Along the festival circuit, Talisman was honored with some awards. James Yoder, who played Ryan Silva won a Best Actor award and the series took home a Finalist Laurel in New York and a Semifinalist Laurel in Los Angeles. Later, Talisman was nominated for 9 awards at the Asia Web Awards and took home the award for Best Science Fiction Series.

However, it was at the New Jersey Webfest, where Talisman took home Outstanding Science Fiction Series and Best Director in a Sci Fi or Fantasy Series awards, that things really took a turn.

“By the time we got to the New Jersey Webfest, Talisman had been out for a year and a half. We figured that would be the last festival we played and we’d go on about our business and onto the next thing.” Cella told us.

Instead, Covered Sun found itself fielding multiple offers to distribute the series.

“The New Jersey Webfest hooked us up with The Fantasy Network, which will be a perfect home for the series since it’s aimed at fantasy/Sci-Fi fans. But then another distribution company reached out to us. And then another. It was a wild turn of events for a series that we thought was in the rear view.”

Talisman debuted on the Reveel network on 5/27/22. Reveel is a free streaming network that can be found on Roku, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV or via app.

The series will next premiere on The Fantasy Network on July 1st with episodes 1-3. on July 8th, episodes 4&5 will debut, followed by episodes 6&7 on July 15th and episodes 8&9 on July 22.

In the meantime, Covered Sun Films continued to work with Select Services Films in Los Angeles to get the show onto other platforms. Talisman is now available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video with another network on the horizon still. More details will be coming soon.

When asked if there was a possibility of Talisman returning for a second season, Cella said this. “There’s definitely been some interest in revisiting that. We have a couple other projects lined up first, but we have certainly been working on a story for season 2. We’ll have to see what the future holds.”

For now, check out Talisman on the Reveel Network or on Amazon Prime Video.

Production Set to Begin on Season 1 of Insignificant

Cast and crew of Covered Sun Films’ series Insignificant

Covered Sun Films will go ahead with season 1 of the teen drama web series Insignificant created by Wayne Cella and co-written by Cella, Collin Roach and John Manning.

“We filmed the pilot episode in August 2021. Now, we’ll get the family back together to tell more of this important story.” Series creator, Wayne Cella said recently. “We’ve put together an amazing cast and crew, so we’re excited to get back to work. It’ll be like a family reunion. In some cases, we haven’t seen each other since we wrapped last year. It will be special to get everyone back together.”

Insignificant will add some new faces to the story this time around and Covered Sun is currently busy casting those new characters. The series should release to the public sometime in early 2023.

Season 2 of the series has already been written and will film sometime in 2023.

“There is a lot of this story to tell. There was no way we were going to get what we wanted into a single season, so we’ll definitely be doing a second season, at the very least.” Cella said.

Production of Insignificant is set for early August this year.