Andy Kastelic

[ AWARDS ]

Best Film, Oceanside International Film Festival - The Countryman
Best Short Film, Myrtle Beach International Film Festival - The Countryman
Best Short Film, Magnolia Independent Film Festival - The Countryman
Best Short Film, Big Water Film Festival - The Countryman
Best Film, Argo Film Festival - The Countryman
Audience Choice Best Film, Borrego Springs Film Festival - The Countryman
Best Director Short Film, Oil Valley Film Festival - The Countryman
Best Short Film, NYC International Film Festival - Rex
Best US Short Drama, Austin Revolution Festival - Rex
Cannes Court Métrage, 48HFP - Secondhand Sunset
Best Drama, Wasteland Film Festival - The Misanthrope
Best Short Thriller, Pittsburgh Moving Picture Festival - Blue Boy
Best Short Film, Chicago Horror Film Festival - St. Augustine
Audience Choice, International Short, Guernsey Film Festival - The Misanthrope
Best New Mexico Film, Albuquerque Film & Music Experience - The Misanthrope
Best New Mexico Film, Albuquerque Film & Music Experience - Typhoon
Best New Mexico Film, Albuquerque Film & Music Experience - The Dust Monologues
Best New Mexico Film, Albuquerque Film & Music Experience - Rex

[ Selected Press ]

“Jeb’s journey from despair, into tyranny and anger, before reaching a nadir which triggers redemption, is a classic tale – but one which feels fresh and alive thanks to director and star Andy Kastelic’s imaginative and inventive storytelling… The performances and presentation of The Misanthrope are reason enough to seek it out, but the message at the heart of this short will connect to audiences in a way that few films truly manage. For a film about death, there is a lot of life to it.” [UK Film Review]

“Short films are the most challenging style of cinema. But Kastelic achieves [The Misanthrope] with breathtaking clarity and skill by phrasing the spoken word in the form of poetry, accompanied by beautifully composed cinematography.” [Film Threat]

“Kastelic’s screenplay is fantastic, as is his direction. It’s thematically cohesive and brimming with humanity. Simultaneously tragic and triumphant, Typhoon leaves the inevitable feeling a lot less bitter: making space, on the contrary, for hope.” [Indie Shorts Mag]

“Kastelic is a genuine talent because he has made another terrific film [Torchlight] showing a deep rapport with the characters and his actors who are all allowed painful moments of truth. To see strong acting like this in a time of flashy directors who cut and edit their films like music videos is a pleasure. Directors grow great by taking away the layers, not adding to them and Kastelic does nothing for show and everything for effect.” [Screen Critix]

“You’d be forgiven for assuming that the opening few moments of Andy Kastelic’s Typhoon might be the precursor for a tense manhunt thriller. But rather than pursue that well-travelled road, Kastelic decides to take a sharp right turn to somewhere completely different. Kastelic certainly hasn’t shied away from some bold story choices and despite its murky beginnings, Typhoon is an affectionate tale about redemption and the varying ways people can look to escape the shackles that bind them.” [UK Film Review]

“Carefully chosen angles impart a layer of integrity while intricate cuts and sound arrangements lay a sheet of platinum dust to an already exceedingly accomplished undertaking. Kastelic’s writing is compelling and equally affecting—it is the very material that the film’s fierce actors cut their teeth on. And, under his direction, a beautiful dust storm of fifteen performances. Brace yourself. The Dust Monologues will take you by storm.” [New Mexico Film News]

[ Complete Press ]

The Countryman Review - Film Threat, 2023
The Countryman Review - Indie Shorts Mag, 2023
The Countryman Review - Screen Critix, 2023
The Countryman Interview - Cinema Scope, 2023
The Countryman Interview - Borrego Springs Film Festival, 2023
The Countryman Feature - VC News-Bulletin, 2023
The Misanthrope Review - UK Film Review, 2022
The Misanthrope Review - Indie Shorts Mag, 2022
The Misanthrope Review - Film Threat, 2021
The Misanthrope Review - Screen Critix, 2021
Blue Boy Review - Film Threat, 2021
Blue Boy Review - Screen Critix, 2021
Blue Boy Review - Indie Shorts Mag, 2022
Blue Boy Review - UK Film Review, 2022
Blue Boy, Garden State Film Festival Interview, 2023
Blue Boy, Romford Film Festival Interview, 2023
St. Augustine Review - Screen Critix, 2021
St. Augustine Review - UK Film Review, 2022
St. Augustine Review - Indie Shorts Mag, 2022
Typhoon Review - Indie Shorts Mag, 2020
Typhoon Review - Screen Critix, 2020
Typhoon Review - Film Threat, 2020
Typhoon Review - UK Film Review, 2020
Typhoon Review - Greg Squared Films, 2021
Torchlight Review - Screen Critix, 2020
Torchlight Review - Film Threat, 2020
The Dust Monologues Article - NM Film News, 2019
The Dust Monologues Review - Indie Shorts Mag, 2020
The Dust Monologues Interview - FOX KRQE, 2019
The Dust Monologues Press Release - 2019
’Secondhand Sunset Heads to Cannes’ - Albuquerque Journal, 2017

[ Noteworthy ]