Bridgeport Film Festival 2026 was a joy!

Just a train ride from Grand Central, Bridgeport was well worth the trip. Melissa Mars walked the red carpet as a screenplay finalist for UFH [Unidentified Flying Human], attended the panel moderated by the CT Film and TV Alliance, and watched a great lineup of curated films. These included fun comedies, dramas (one of our favorites: Guetar Hero), and a heartbreaking international block showcasing global resilience, with some films in solidarity with Palestine.

The festival spoiled its guests with snacks and goodies (notebook, tote, T-shirt…), and it was a joy for Melissa to reconnect with Jason Coombs, filmmaker, activist, and BFF co-founder, along with filmmakers from past festivals, and to meet lovely new ones!

That is what we love about festivals. Bridgeport Film Festival is a wonderful one to expand the creative circle.

Learn more about the film at ufhthemovie.com.

Established more than 30 years ago, the Roy W. Dean grant supports independent filmmakers and films that make an impact on society. This is the first time Melissa Mars has reached this stage in a grant process.

A grant application is much more than a script. It brings together the budget, the financing plan, the marketing and distribution plans, and the pitch deck, covering every aspect of bringing a story to life. Reaching the finalist stage marks a milestone in Melissa’s path, not only as a writer but also as a producer.

Final results are coming very soon!

Learn more about the film at ufhthemovie.com.

Written, directed, and produced by Melissa Mars, and filmed on location in Algeria, Al Mhajba is an “innocent” children’s story… until it is not.

Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 5:20 PM (Block 8)
Tin Room Bar and Theater, 923 SW 152nd St, Burien, WA 98166
Buy tickets here

For more information about the film, visit the official Al Mhajba page.

We cannot wait to share it with our first audience. See you in Seattle!

Over two intense days in August, cast and crew brought the story to life in Albuquerque. What was first planned as a Brooklyn shoot found a new home in New Mexico, thanks to Joshua A. Friedman and Candice Neu, who joined Melissa Mars to form the producing team.

Visit ufhthemovie.com to meet the cast and crew and see more behind-the-scenes photos.

Post-production is now underway. We cannot wait to share what comes next.

More to come.

Huge thanks YoFiFest from the bottom of our hearts. What a beautiful festival, what a warm crowd, and what a joy to feel the love for this little film about seeing beyond what’s visible.

To everyone who watched The Sign and voted for it — thank you. You refilled our creative tanks!

Originally written as a short drama by Melissa Mars, My Ancestors’ Song follows an Algerian-French actress navigating Hollywood while grappling with her cultural identity. From its early accolades — Best Screenplay Award at Bridgeport Film Festival 2022, Hollyshorts 2022 Semi-finalist, Screecraft Film Fund 2022 Quarter Finalist, Outstanding Screenplays Semi-finalist, Top of Coverfly’s Red List),— to audience reactions like “This is also my story,” “Powerful,” and “Heartfelt,” we knew this story had to go further.

With the first draft now written, we’re diving into rewrites and are excited to bring this story closer to the big screen. Stay tuned for more updates!

The (now :)) award-winning screenplay has moved up to the Semi-Finals at Hollyshorts 2022, and the second round at Screencraft Film Fund. It makes us hopeful for the next stages of development.

You can check out Melissa Mars’s video of the award ceremony she posted on instagram, along with those words:

Sunday was a magical day! That’s the least I can say.

I was going to Bridgeport Film Festival as one of 3 happy finalist screenwriters. The perk was a public reading of our screenplays… And then… circumstances… an absence… led me from the audience chair to the reader chair! And for the first time, I got to cold-read*, with other wonderful actors, a character that I wrote for myself! 

Hearing “My Ancestors’ Song” take off the page and brought to life was a moving and unique experience. Feeling the audience’s reactions on a script destined to film (as opposed to theater) was thrilling and inspiring! And receiving so much love from the audience and cast, so much support and encouragement for a personal story, was overwhelming. Positively overwhelming. Especially when total strangers tell me things like “We need this” “This is my story too” “You gotta make this movie!”… (No pressure! Haha! :P) This was incredible! What a gift!

Then later… when Jason A. Coombs, the festival founder, called my name to receive the award… I bursted into tears. It was just all so unexpected. Wished for, but unexpected. 

It’s been a few days already, and I still can’t get over it. I’m imploding with gratitude. It is a huge honor. 

Like I said on stage, I never ever submitted any of the scripts I wrote before. And this is my first award as a screenwriter. It means so much at so many levels! As an artist, the doubts and ups and downs are very brutal. But as a screenwriter… isolated with your computer… even worse! 

Receiving an award in the shape of a Star… gives me wings. It’s now sitting on my desk as a North Star. 

I want to thank again Jason, the jury, the audience of this wonderful festival for supporting this story, for celebrating and opening their arms to my Algerian ancestors. 

I share this win with them, and also Anthony Abeson. He is my acting coach, he is a muse, he is a fuel to creativity, but most of all, he is the first who helped me step into this journey towards my ancestors. 

*for those who don’t know, a cold read is when we read out loud, in public or to a casting director, a scene/script, for the first time, with no preparation. 

Vidiverse is a revolutionary streaming platform, created and launched recently by Alex Proyas, acclaimed director who helmed iRobot, Dark City, among other and biggest supporter of indie filmmakers!
Vidiverse is now the new home of The Last Touch included in Deceptions, a collection of five stories that toy with your expectations like a cat with a rat.

You can rent and watch the The Last Touch and the whole collection for $1.99
Or access the whole platform for $3.30 for a whole month and join the revolution!

The Last Touch is available with English, Spanish and French subtitles! > RENT THE MOVIE