THE YORKIE WEREWOLF, 74min., USA
Directed by Michael DiBiasio-Ornelas
A rebellious teen witch is turned into a tiny werewolf and thrown into the middle of a decades-old war between one small town's creatures of the night -- and the local mafia.

https://www.instagram.com/michaeldibiasio/
https://twitter.com/MichaelDiBiasio

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Fun. The goal of this film was to do something absurd, to enjoy the process of that, and to make something that would hopefully make a lot of people laugh.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

I first got the idea nine years ago, and then forgot about it. It occurred to me again -- "what if someone got turned into a werewolf, but instead it was a Yorkie" -- and this time I pitched it to someone while looking for my next film to line up. The pitch went well enough that they said "if you write the script, I can try to help you get some financing at a low budget." Ultimately, that opportunity didn't pan out but I pretty quickly got a private investor on board based on the strength of the concept.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Absurd fun.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

My wife (and co-producer) and I ended up having another baby about six months after wrap. We had to bend the film schedule around that, for good reason. It's worked out okay!

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

We were happy that people seemed to get as much a kick out of the movie when watching, as we did in making it.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

When I found myself on set of my first short film. I sort of stumbled into filmmaking, but after my first day on set -- I was in.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Allegedly I watched Disney's original animated Pinnocchio so many times as a kid that I wore out the VHS tape. I don't know if that counts. As an adult, there's a handful. Bull Durham. Caddyshack. The Hustler. Holy Grail. Back to The Future. Short Circuit 2. It's a wide spectrum.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

I don't know. It's a weird time for any sort of distribution, including festivals. We have a newer local one that's working from the inside out, in basing their programming on values. They share revenue, offer regional filmmakers a room and some food money. It's an interesting model I'm interested in monitoring.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

No complaints. It's a pretty fast process.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Pizza? Ice cream? Cheeseburgers? A ribeye? Rhode Island Hot Weiners? Hard to say. Depends on the day. Whatever it is, it's not healthy.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I hope so! I'd love to make a sequel to The Yorkie Werewolf, because it would be fun and also that would mean we earned enough in distribution to substantiate a sequel. I have an indie Rom-Com in development that I'd also love to make. And there's something I need to write that's really pulling at me lately but requires more focus. That one also is a bit heavy. It's a moody SciFi/Fantasy sort of mystery/thriller that's basically about death. It will be more fun than it sounds. One thing I've enjoyed about Yorkie is that it seems to have opened up my style a bit. I feel more loose. Which I like!