I DRUM TO A DIFFERENT PUZZLE
TRAILER
LATEST NEWS (underline means click it to access)
May 2024: Digital Griffix Film Awards has named "I Drum .. " as Best Narrative Short Film
April 2024: The short film will have its premiere from Digital Griffix Film Awards festival on May 30th at 11:30 AM Cinema Beaubien in Montreal, Quebec.
March 2024: The short film is selected to have a premiere at Maryland International Film Festival.
February 2024: The short film is named "Gold Award - Drama" at London Movie Awards
February 2024: Durango Independent Film Festival has announced the showing schedule for "I Drum ..." Please click here to view day and time.
January 2024: Durango Independent Film Festival has selected "I Dru m ..." film to participate in their Reel Learning for La Plata County (Colorado) school program.
January 2024: Cannes Independent Shorts has named "I Drum" as Best Narrative Short.
December 2023: Mediterranean Film Festival Cannes Athens Milan has named the film as Best Family Short Film.
November 2023: Vail Film Festival 2023 Screenplay Competition has named "I Drum ..." as a Finalist.
October 2023: New Jersey International Short Festival has awarded "Best Producer" for "I Drum ..."
September 2023: Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival has named Lisa Dunning as "Best Movie Director Short Film" (scroll down to TINFF 2023 Winners section).
September 2023: Florida Shorts has named "I Drum ..." as Best Producer.
September 2023: New York Independent Film Festival named "I Drum ..." as this year FINALIST (scroll down 3/4 of the page to view) in the short script section.
September 2023: California International Short Festival has awarded the screenplay "I Drum ..." as Best Short Script, and the film as Honorable Mention (directed by Lisa) for Fall 2023. Plus, it will be shown on Sunday September 17th, Block 1 Films, 11 AM - 12:40 PM session at Whitefire Theater, 13500 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks CA 91423
August 2023: TINFF (see below in July) has announced the film to be shown on Friday Sept. 22nd to start at 6:59 PM, at York Woods Library Theatre, 1785 Finch Avenue West, Toronto ON M3M 1M6 CANADA.
August 2023: Wine Women Film Festival has announced Best Director: Short Film (Lisa) as this year Finalist. The festival has given an Award to "I Drum ..." for Best Short Screenplay.
August 2023: White Mountain Film Festival has named "SUNRISE" written by Hannah Rey as Best Song (their website has not updated yet to promote this announcement).
August 2023: "I Drum ..." is a Nominee in "Most Creative Screenplay" category at Los Angeles Screenwriting Competition.
August 2023: "I Drum ..." screenplay is the "Official Selection" from Liverpool Indie Awards.
August 2023: Silicon Beach Film Festival has selected the film, and it will have a Hollywood premiere at the renown TLC Chinese Theater on Friday 9/8 Block B 12:00 PM session. (Click to view the schedule)
July 2023: Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TNIFF) has announced their 2023 nominations: Best Short Film - USA; Best Actress - Short Film (Emily Strader); Best Supporting Actor (Ned Swartz); Best Supporting Actress (Caitlin Conklin); Best Screenplay (between 1 - 60 pages) (Bryan Huynh); Best Movie Director - Short Film (Lisa Dunning); Best Movie Producer (Lisa and Jennifer Korb).
July 2023: "I Drum ..." screenplay is this year Finalist at Grande Stories Screenplay Competition.
June 2023: New Jersey Film Awards has named the film as Best Inspirational Short, Best Ensemble, and Best Female Filmmaker (click on June month down arrow).
June 2023: Future Film Awards has named Lisa (director) as Honorable Mention: Director Short Film, and the film as a Finalist (select Finalist down arrow at top of the page)
June 2023: "I Drum ..." screenplay is a Nominee at Golden Nugget International Film Festival (UK).
May/June 2023: East Coast Movie Awards has named Emily Strader as Best Actress in Drama. Also, the film is nominated for Best Drama Short and Best Supporting Actress.
April 2023: Sacramento Independent Film Festival has named the film as Best Producer, Best Female Director, and Best Acting Ensemble.
March 2023: Track Music Awards has named "SUNRISE" written by Hannah Rey as Best Lyrics of the month.
SYNOPSIS:
Noah is a typical teenager young man who is enjoying life at home and school. His friend is Faith. Unlike him, she is autistic and having responsibilities attaching to her Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) personality.
During a visit to Noah's home, she overhears something to follow up by asking Noah. He accepts her requested to follow it through. The friendships end up changing both their lives.
THE SCRIPT:
I DRUM TO A DIFFERENT PUZZLE is a new script written by Bryan. One day in January 2022 he saw a posted from LinkedIn web site. He mesmerized by what it was written. He thought there might be a story behind this, so he researched and began to write it. After a few versions it was ready to register with The Writers Guild of America.
After that he began to send out to festivals for the screenplay category. And after that he sent to Lisa (director) for her first look and interpretation, and critique as well.
LISA DUNNING, DIRECTOR
THE TEAM & CREW:
Story and Screenplay by: Bryan Huynh
Produced by: Bryan Huynh
Producer: Lisa Dunning, & Jennifer Korb
Associate Producer: Cynthia Loi & Katie Vahey Gaebler
Line Producer: Michael L. Reyes
First Assistant Director: Jagger Dunning
Cinematographer & Editor: Chuck Fiorella
Production Manager: Eliza Schurter
Original Song "SUNRISE" by: Hannah Rey
Still Photographer: Tish Limpin
Special "THANK YOU" to:
MS. LORI DAY
MR. JOVIAN HO
the cast
FAITH
PHYLLIS
SHARON
EMILY STRADER is so excited to join the cast of I Drum to a Different Puzzle.
Emily is a sophomore at Air Academy High School. She is active in the theatre and choir departments, recently appearing in Grease and Our Town. Emily sings in Chamber Choir and has served as a soloist for school performances and events. Emily has extensive exp
EMILY STRADER is so excited to join the cast of I Drum to a Different Puzzle.
Emily is a sophomore at Air Academy High School. She is active in the theatre and choir departments, recently appearing in Grease and Our Town. Emily sings in Chamber Choir and has served as a soloist for school performances and events. Emily has extensive experience in community theater as well as substantial radio and film experience. A couple of her favorite roles were Young Beatrice in the film Mute Beauts, and Olaf in Frozen. Emily was honored to receive recognition as Best Actress in the Gazette’s Best of The Springs.
SHARON
PHYLLIS
SHARON
CAITLIN CONKLIN is a Denver-based actress, musician, and theatre teacher. She was previously seen in “Clink. Shoot.” (Letterpress Films) which has enjoyed a festival run, “Sour Ground” (Great Dane Productions), “Crooked”, “A New Angle”, “Chick-Fil-B”, “Crime Noir Sleeps”, and “The Lord of Brees’hya” (Bjorn & Jork) in which she stars as A
CAITLIN CONKLIN is a Denver-based actress, musician, and theatre teacher. She was previously seen in “Clink. Shoot.” (Letterpress Films) which has enjoyed a festival run, “Sour Ground” (Great Dane Productions), “Crooked”, “A New Angle”, “Chick-Fil-B”, “Crime Noir Sleeps”, and “The Lord of Brees’hya” (Bjorn & Jork) in which she stars as Avery and is production for a feature film. In addition to several industrials,
Caitlin has performed in numerous theatrical productions including “The Wizard of Oz” as the Wicked Witch, “Meet Me in St. Louis”, “Seussical”, “Hairspray”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “The Wedding Singer.” She is a graduate of the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music in which she studied both acting and music.
PHYLLIS
PHYLLIS
PHYLLIS
BATYA CRUZ is an American actor who shines in her ability to take on
heavy character roles. Most recently, and in addition to being an award winning actor, she has taken home multiple awards for her SAG-AFTRA short film, Blood Dust, in which Batya wrote, co-produced, starred in, and directed the film. A jack of all trades in her storytell
BATYA CRUZ is an American actor who shines in her ability to take on
heavy character roles. Most recently, and in addition to being an award winning actor, she has taken home multiple awards for her SAG-AFTRA short film, Blood Dust, in which Batya wrote, co-produced, starred in, and directed the film. A jack of all trades in her storytelling and her life. She was raised by a strong single mother in a small town of Upstate NY with her two sisters.
Batya joined the Marine Corps directly after high school to better her life and fulfill her sense of duty. She served as an Arabic Linguist and as a Marine, discovered her physical and mental strength. Currently she brings her knowledge, skills and intestinal fortitude over to her service as a volunteer Search and Rescue team member.
Batya began her studies in theatre at the University of NC. She is a trained actress now residing in Denver, Colorado who continues to seek roles of substance, purpose and meaning.
She enjoys writing screenplays, mountain biking across the front range, and always learning in her craft of acting. In addition to her love and passion for filmmaking, she is a devoted mother of two incredible boys and a loving wife.
NOAH
NOAH
PHYLLIS
NED SWARTZ caught the acting bug when he was nine years old playing Thomas O’Malley in Aristocats in his hometown of Boulder. Since then, he has performed in numerous musicals locally, with his crowning achievement playing Ralphie in A Christmas Story at the Boulder Dinner Theater. Ned recently completed a film documentary in California,
NED SWARTZ caught the acting bug when he was nine years old playing Thomas O’Malley in Aristocats in his hometown of Boulder. Since then, he has performed in numerous musicals locally, with his crowning achievement playing Ralphie in A Christmas Story at the Boulder Dinner Theater. Ned recently completed a film documentary in California, where he plays a teenager, whose father chooses drugs over his family. Ned is a rising senior at Fairview High School in Boulder, where he earned summa cum laude in the National Latin Exam. When he’s not studying and acting, he’s perfecting his shim sham shimmy in an advanced tap-dancing class.
ABBY
NOAH
ABBY
LORRAINE HUCK is excited to be in, I Drum to a Different Puzzle. She has been in two other films written by Bryan Huynh and is excited to be in his third film. She was in Yesterday Never Ended and Tomorrow Never Came. Lorraine studied acting from a young age. She was in theater as a child and in college and is now pursuing television. Whe
LORRAINE HUCK is excited to be in, I Drum to a Different Puzzle. She has been in two other films written by Bryan Huynh and is excited to be in his third film. She was in Yesterday Never Ended and Tomorrow Never Came. Lorraine studied acting from a young age. She was in theater as a child and in college and is now pursuing television. When Lorraine isn’t acting, she is traveling, where she hosts and produces a show called Panda Destinations. She wants to thank her Family and Friends for always supporting her passions.
THE TEAM
LISA DUNNING
JENNIFER KORB
LISA DUNNING
DIRECTOR
CYNTHIA LOI
KATIE VAHEY GAEBLER
CYNTHIA LOI
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER