Petits Salons Presents: UCLA Shorts Night
On July 21st, we hosted our Mid-Summer Shorts Night! This evening exclusively showcased a curated selection of UCLA Short Films in collaboration with Pedro Murcia.
Doors opened at 7:00 PM for drinks and a live musical performance by CLSTL. After 8:00 PM, we moved to the fire deck for the film screenings, followed by a Q&A with our selected filmmakers.
The Films:
Dancing in Tomorrowland (Jakob Roston)
Fidel (Luke Lace)
Hickey (Giovanna Molina)
Extraña (Paloma Ronquillo)
About Pedro:
Pedro Murcia is a filmmaker from Guatemala and a 2024 graduate of UCLA’s MFA program in Production/Directing at the School of Theater, Film & Television. He collaborated with UCLA alumnus Justin Lerner on Cadejo Blanco, a critically acclaimed feature about a young woman infiltrating a gang to rescue her kidnapped sister. The film, released during Murcia’s third year at UCLA, was nominated for the 2023 Film Independent John Cassavetes Award, which honors the best feature made for under $1 million.
**The Q&A session with our filmmakers was moderated by our guest programmer, Pedro Murcia.
The Courageous Pivot Podcast
On July 29th, Sarah Carter CEO of Cheshire Moon Productions will be featured on the Courageous Pivot Podcast with Meghan Telpner. The podcast features those who have made brave pivots in their lives, exploring the inner process, the fears, the freedom, and the unexpected joy on the other side. The mission of the podcast is to empower others to follow their heart and win at life — by their own unique metrics of what it means to thrive. Sarah and Meghan will be discussing and exploring rising through grief, women’s circles and ritual as a path to power, filmmaking as a shamanic art, home renovation as a reclamation of story and soul, the importance of community, sacred creativity and more.
Check out the podcast and stay tuned for Sarah’s episode!
Every Act is a Creative Act — Join Sarah This Fall
Every Act is a Creative Act
A soul-led creative empowerment experience for artists, visionaries, and nurturers ready to align with their truth.
This is a deep, transformative weekend rooted in sacred space, creative freedom, and soul-level connection. Together we’ll explore creative purpose, personal legacy, shadow integration, and the quiet wisdom of your intuition.
Whether you're in a moment of creative rebirth, seeking clarity, or simply ready to own your power to choose each step of the way—this space is for you.
IN-PERSON: Sept 26–28 (Los Angeles)
ONLINE: Oct 4–5
INTEGRATION: “Creative Fire” Wednesdays, Oct 7–28
Optional 1:1 sessions available
Join me in this sacred invitation to live fueled by your creative power.
Let the highest version of you lead the way.
🖤 Early registration opens July 29 alongside my appearance on The Courageous Pivot podcast. Official applications open August 8th. Join the list now to be first in line. Limited space available.
Scene House Premieres at Not Film Festival
We are proud to announce that the World Premiere for Scene House will be at Not Film Festival!
In a dystopian future, Actors inhabit an enclosed area called The Scene House. The Scene House serves as a unique hybrid of a theme park and a museum, providing Actors with the freedom to move about as they please. Actors are nurtured within the confines of The Scene House, making the environment entirely commonplace for them, akin to how animals adapt to a zoo.
Stay tuned for more information on this special night!
Previously at Petits Salons
On Monday, June 23rd, Petits Salons showcased Ed Wood. Doors opened at 7:00pm for drinks and a musical performance by Allegra Ondine. At 8:00pm we moved to the fire deck for the screening of Ed Wood directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Johnny Depp, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, and Bill Murray. Following the screening, we held a Q&A with screenwriter Larry Karaszewski, also known for People vs Lary Flint and Man on the Moon.
Ed Wood follows the titular Hollywood director who is outcasted due to his eccentric habits and bafflingly strange films. Nevertheless, with the help of the formerly famous Bela Lugosi and a devoted cast and crew of show-business misfits who believe in Ed's off-kilter vision, the filmmaker is able to bring his oversize dreams to cinematic life. Despite a lack of critical or commercial success, Ed and his friends manage to create an oddly endearing series of extremely low-budget films.
**This screening included a Q&A with screenwriter Larry Karaszewski.
Q&A with Screenwriter Larry Karaszewski
Audience: What was the tone you and Scott were aiming for in Ed Wood?
Larry: It was really important to us that the movie mixed tones. Too often, films stick strictly to one genre—comedy, horror, drama—but life isn't like that. It’s all those things happening at once. We really tried to embrace that. Sometimes, though, that approach makes it harder to break through the Hollywood system. It’s more difficult to pull off, especially when you want moments that are sincere and operatic, followed by moments that get really silly. But we love all that.
Audience: How did you pitch Ed Wood to Tim Burton?
Larry: Well, we’ve always been drawn to people who love things and, even more so, people who love other people. So, we pitched Ed Wood as essentially a love story. That’s how we sold it to Tim.
Audience: At what point did love become the core of the film for you?
Larry: From the very beginning. Before we even started writing, we knew love was going to be at the heart of the story. The idea of what happens when you meet your hero, only to find out your hero is on a downward spiral— that was the emotional core we felt right from the start.
Audience: How did you decide to shoot the film in Black & White?
Larry: We knew we had to address the look of the film, especially when it came to the makeup on Martin Landau. No matter how much we put on, he still looked too good. Then our DP, while adjusting the monitor, accidentally turned off the color. The second we did that, Tim (Burton) looked at it and said, "Oh my God, I’ve never seen a color picture of these people. These Ed Wood people are all Black & White people. They don’t exist in the color world." From that moment on, the film was always going to be Black & White. It actually led to some drama—we were originally going to make the movie with Columbia Pictures, but they put it into turnaround over the Black & White decision. Ultimately, Disney ended up producing it.
Audience: Do you have any advice for emerging screenwriters? Ed Wood has endured for 30 years and still feels relevant today.
Larry: The best advice I can give is to just do your own thing. You can’t judge a film’s worth immediately. It takes time to see if a film will resonate. You really won’t know the true worth of a movie until 20 years down the road. If the culture still wants it after all that time, that’s when you know it’s made its mark. There’s no point in trying to judge it in the moment.
Connect with Petits Salons
Petits Salons is a collaboration between James, Darby, and Sarah in partnership with Cheshire Moon Productions, BLKBRD Films, and Petit Hermitage — a space for artists, filmmakers, investors, and friends to connect. Each evening begins with live music inspired by the film and closes with a Q&A designed to spark meaningful conversations and encourage fellow filmmakers to follow their creative instincts despite the challenges.
If you have a short film or feature you’d like to submit for consideration, or if you’re a musician interested in performing, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us using the link below.
For film submissions, be sure to include:
A link to your film
A short bio
A brief description of the project
We look forward to discovering and celebrating your work!