Awards Archives -

Bee Nest was honored to have RSVP nominated for 3 different awards at the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival; Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Short Film. Needless to say, Ryan and I were going to be sure to ‘beeline’ or Bee Nest butts up there to Cambridge! But before heading to the festival, we hatched up a plan with our producing partners Lance Marshall and James Oxford at Watergun Outlaw Productions, to challenge ourselves with a 48 hour filmmaking frenzy. To be honest it wasn’t frenzied at all- I wrote that just for the sake of alliteration. But it was a challenge, albeit, a totally fun one!

We all went to a house about an hour outside of Boston, clicked a link and activated the 48 hour countdown clock for the short film challenge James had signed up for. We had two days to write, shoot and edit a short film – and we did it! We even had time to eat a nice baked potato dinner. Not too shabby. We really did it to challenge ourselves and have some fun, and we were fully expecting the film to be something we would bury from the light of day, but to our surprise we actually ended up making something that we really got a kick out of and are proud of. We titled it APPLES, and I would describe it as a thriller/creeper-comedy. And apparently the judges of the film challenge that our little 48 hour film had merit too, because, out of thousands of submissions, they selected it as one of their 16 finalists. They even awarded me with a Best Actress Award recently, and I am being completely honest when I say that was the last thing I was expecting. See the film here:

After we wrapped on our 48 hours of filmmaking, the four of us made our way to Cambridge to screen RSVP with the wonderful people who organize the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival. We met some amazing people at the opening night party, in particular, the vivacious ladies who run a non-profit named Bianca’s Kids. Debbie, Gabriella, Vanessa, and Maria were there to screen a documentary about how Bianca’s Kids came to be, and it a worthy story to be sure. We all joined them for the screening of their film, which celebrated the good that can be cultivated from devastating loss. It was a blessing to meet them, and laugh and cry together.

Our film, RSVP, was screened before a wonderful feature film that was made in Maine, titled NEPTUNE. We felt really honored for them to have programmed us with such a beautiful film. And the audience responded really well to RSVP. Tears and heart felt comments and questions during the talk back after certainly do quite a bit to boost a filmmakers spirits. They were a lovely crowd and we were so happy to be able to share our film with them.

Next up was the award ceremony, AND! ….we did not win. Hahaha. But as they say, it is always the biggest honor simply to be nominated 🙂 Being recognized in so many categories really did put a nice wind in our sails regardless. The biggest prize was getting to spend quality time with Lance and James, meet lovely people, and dig into some DIY creativity. After all, we all got into this business because we loved playing make-believe as kids! It’s nice to know that we don’t ever need to give that up as adults; it’s what we do best!

Bee Nest Films and Watergun Outlaw Productions had the recent pleasure of attending the Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival in Lafayette, Louisiana last week, as well as the honor of being the benefactor of a “Goujon Caille” (Golden Catfish) award for Bee Nest’s narrative short film, RSVP.

After the screening of RSVP, a talkback was held, wherein the audience’s reaction reinforced the small independent short film’s emotional impact. Mrs. Beeby spoke about her motivation for making RSVP, “I hope to share something that is unapologetically sincere. Sincerity can be a scary thing these days. It isn’t always the best way to get in with “the cool kids” But, I had to be honest with myself, and accept that I would rather be un-ironic or ‘uncool’ in favor of telling a story that is sincere and has the potential to heal and unify.“

BeeNest Films central storytelling goal is to use the art form of cinema to prompt a shift in perspective. This goal is also motivating BeeNest’s festival submission strategy. Executive Producer, Ryan Jonze shares the production companies approach, “RSVP has an ability to really resonate in areas that have a strong history and relationship with the Christian faith, for example, the South or more rural areas. This is because the pain caused by the friction between Conservative Christianity and the LGBTQ Communities is still very present. RSVP invites the viewer to confront and feel something that is still very difficult for a lot of communities in this country to explore in an empathetic way.”

At the Closing Night Ceremony for the Cinema On The Bayou Film Festival, the organizers, Rebecca Hudsmith and Pat Mire, awarded the RSVP Team with a beautiful “Goujon Caille” on behalf of the festival’s jury panel. The metal statuette is hand-made by cajun artist Andre Juneau, and evokes the whimsy and charm of Lafayette perfectly. After the ceremony, and as a Zydeco band played and everyone celebrated with beers and bourbons in hand, the 2016 Cinema On The Bayou Film Festival danced a rousing ‘good bye’ waltz into the night.

It’s also very much worth noting that the RSVP troupe had an amazing time in Lafayette, made even more special with their time spent at the eclectic cafe, TRIBE Collective. When not attending screenings at the Cinema on the Bayou film festival, lead actor, Lance R. Marshal, Mrs. Beeby and Mr. Jonze found themselves hanging out and eating the delicious, raw, vegan treats at TRIBE Collective. Co-Owner Melodie Carbuccia and Manager Walt Jamison opened their doors and their hearts and gave the RSVP team the gift of true Cajun kindness and hospitality, all served up in on a plate along side delicious whole and vibrant food. “The only thing missing”, said Marshall, “is the presence of our Producer, James Oxford and the rest of the RSVP team”.

And on that note, if you ever find yourself in Lafayette, Louisiana – whether for the Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival, the music scene or any other reason to visit Lafayette (there’s plenty!), you must do yourself a favor by stopping in at TRIBE Collective and trying as many of their mind-blowing raw treats as possible!