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Jose Zambrano Cassella

@josezcassella.bsky.social
153 followers 353 following 396 posts

Director/ Cinematographer/ Creator and Arepa Eater. FILM: linktr.ee/Josecassella MUSIC: linktr.ee/ksmusica SUBSTACK: josezambranocassella.substack.com

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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“If it looks like something you’ve seen or sounds like something you’ve heard, do something fucking different. The world doesn’t need another copy.” #film #music #art
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: Hollywood spends $200 million playing it safe, then acts surprised when the result is expensive and boring. How about smaller movies, fresh faces and enough work to build a fucking career? Let a film take a chance without needing to save a corporation. #film #art #future
josezambranocassella.substack.com
Hollywood Needs More Movies That Can Afford to Fail
Cheaper films. New faces. Smaller crews. More work. An industry you can build a life in, instead of one that needs a billion-dollar miracle every weekend.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Everybody’s a songwriter now, posting “my new song” five minutes after downloading Suno. You didn’t write the lyrics or the melody, but apparently you’re fucking McCartney. Taking credit for writing it is bullshit. Ordering a portrait doesn’t make you the painter. ...Gracias:)
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
When every film looks the same and every song sounds the same, forge your own style. That alone is an act of rebellion.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: We all have that moment when we want to say “fuck it” and walk away. Thankfully, most of us don’t. These movies are about the people who did. #film #movies #substack
josezambranocassella.substack.com
WHEN ORDINARY PEOPLE FINALLY SNAP
Badlands. Identikit. Thelma & Louise. Falling Down. Four movies about people who reach the point where the rules simply stop working.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I usually know I’m shooting a bad film when the theme from The Benny Hill Show starts playing in my head as I watch the scenes unfold... #film
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: Buy the record. Buy the movie. Keep the stuff you love. Every album, every film is somebody’s dream, and in the end, we’re the keepers of the culture. #film #music #blogger #substack #media #vinyl #collector
josezambranocassella.substack.com
THEY CONVINCED US TO STOP OWNING THINGS
Access is not ownership.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: We have more advice than ever, and somehow less originality. Maybe artists need fewer instructions and a little more fucking curiosity. #film #music #art
josezambranocassella.substack.com
SUDDENLY EVERYONE IS A FUCKING EXPERT
We have more advice, more gurus and more access to everything than ever before. So why does so much of everything look and sound the same?
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Just a friendly reminder that: -It is still Lake Ontario -It is still the Gulf of Mexico -It is still the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. -He is still a fucking idiot. Thank you for your attention to this matter. #facts
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Swamped making commercials in DC for a while—hey, artists gotta eat. When clients ask for “one tiny change” for the 47th time, I escape to the National Gallery or Portrait Gallery, practically across the street. Great art restores sanity. And DC people: IT’S FREE. You lucky bastards. #DMV #film
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Filmmaking is exploring. Why would I want to make a film about something I already understand? -John Cassavetes #film #movies
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day....
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
YOUR DAILY PERFECT VINYL: Ryuichi Sakamoto — Neo Geo (1987) Sakamoto mixing Japanese tradition, electronics, funk and world music into one wildly imaginative record. Sophisticated, strange, beautifully produced, and then Iggy Pop shows up on “Risky” because apparently it wasn’t cool enough already
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
I wanted to make a list of the best films I’ve seen in 2026 so far, but unfortunately, none of them were made in 2026.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
"The hype only works if we don’t know where we’ve come from." Studios are counting on the fact that most people don’t spend their weekends exploring the great works of the past. So every new release gets sold as if nobody has ever had that idea before.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Your Daily Perfect Vinyl: I stumbled onto Yellow Magic Orchestra - X∞Multiplies - because of one song: "Nice Age." That was all it took. Before I knew it, I was neck-deep in one of the most imaginative, playful, and flat-out original records I've ever heard.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Photo of the year. Today. D.C. The masked morons are the Proud Boys, on their way to another round of shenanigans (it's 103°F outside). Apparently they're proud enough to show up, but not proud enough to show their faces. Anyway, this is part of America today, 250 years after independence. #life
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Happy Birthday, America. The fact that I can sincerely say “I love this country” and “Fuck Trump” in the same post is exactly why I love this country. 🇺🇸 #4thofjuly #independenceday
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
A love letter to one of Hollywood's weirdest, funniest, and most entertaining eras. #film #movies #substack #cinema
open.substack.com
WHEN HOLLYWOOD WENT ALL REDNECK
How Hollywood accidentally discovered the biggest audience it had been ignoring for years.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: Before superheroes took over the multiplex, Hollywood had a different solution: sink the ship, burn the building, crash the airplane, and trap every movie star you could afford inside. #film #cinema #movies #substack
open.substack.com
WHEN DISASTER FILMS RULED
The glorious decade when Hollywood discovered that audiences would pay good money to watch catastrophe.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Inspirational quote: "Elon Musk is only a trillionaire because of government contracts and loans. He's not an entrepreneur, he's a nepo baby mooching off American taxpayers. If you have a trillion dollars in a world where children are starving, you're not a visionary, you're just a c**t." #Elon
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
#trump
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: Somewhere along the line Hollywood stopped making faces like these. #film #movies #cinema #filmmaking
open.substack.com
WHERE THE FK DID THESE FACES GO?
Three great films, and a reminder that movie stars used to look like they had actually lived a life.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: Three movies made by artists with style, nerve, and absolutely no interest in playing safe #film #movies
open.substack.com
THESE FILMS HAD BALLS
Three filmmakers swinging hard before the machine flattened everything into content
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
I started a Substack called CUT TO BLACK. Film. Music. Creativity. Industry chaos. Probably some yelling. Free to read: josezambranocassella.substack.com #substack #filmmaking #music #blog
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
#film #filmmaking
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
New track, Where Are You Tonight, is live now on Bandcamp and SoundCloud before it hits the platforms. Bandcamp: ksmusic13.bandcamp.com/track/where-...
ksmusic13.bandcamp.com
WHERE ARE YOU TONIGHT, by KS
track by KS
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: Fear, algorithms, and the slow death of creative instinct. #film #substack
open.substack.com
THIS IS WHY EVERYTHING FEELS THE SAME
Fear, algorithms, and the slow death of creative instinct
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: Three films the algorithm forgot to tell you about. #films #movies #classics #substack #cinematic #cinema
open.substack.com
YOU MISSED THESE
Three films buried while they keep feeding you everything else
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
A slate of films in development at Playpen. Built for real audiences across genres and scale. Producers, financiers, partners take a look: www.playpenmedia.com/film-slate #movies #film #indie
playpenmedia.com
Film Slate | Playpen Media
Exclusive projects for investors & production companies.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Joe Bartone’s Everything Will Be Fine in the End is now on YouTube via Stash. Gritty, offbeat, and made with a lot of heart. Watch it here ↓ and if it connects, share the love. youtu.be/dZgaleofcv4?... #movies #film #indie #watch
youtu.be
Everything Will Be Fine in the End | Dark Comedy | Full Movie | A Dark Comedy About Identity
YouTube video by Stash - LGBTQ Cinema
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: Three films buried under whatever the hell your streamer is pushing today. #film #cinema #movies
open.substack.com
MOVIES TOO GOOD FOR YOUR STREAMING QUEUE
Three films from before everything got safe.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: Before playlists. Before algorithms. When albums actually mattered. Part 1 of a series. #music #art #rock #classic #albums #listen #substack
open.substack.com
Press Play. Don’t Skip.
Four records that still kick the living shit out of most of what’s out there.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Reposting this because somehow… everyone is still a producer. Nothing has changed. If anything, it’s gotten worse. Also reposting this because there are still real producers out there doing the work… and they deserve way more credit than the noise. #film #producer #creator #substack
open.substack.com
“I’m a Producer!”
A Title That Used to Mean Something
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
If you want to up your game and you love masterful cinematography…(not, lol), I give you PIXELVISION! All you need is an audio cassette and you are basically on your way to an Oscar. When I was a kid, I actually wanted one of these things. It was a cool toy. #film #cinematography #80s #toys
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Been refining our film slate over the past few weeks and finally pulled everything into one place. If you’re a producer, financier, or potential partner looking for material, take a look. Happy to connect. **Visuals are early concept imagery. www.playpenmedia.com/film-slate #film #concept
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK The film sold the music. The music sold the film. #music #soundtrack #subatack
open.substack.com
When Movies and Music Actually Danced Together
The film sold the music. The music sold the film.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK How Hollywood keeps handing the keys to the same directors while the real talent waits outside the door. #film #create #art
open.substack.com
The Safe Bet Club
How Hollywood keeps handing the keys to the same directors while the real talent waits outside the door.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
#politics
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK In the middle of a sea of shit, the real ones can rise. #film #filmindustry #filmmaking #opinion #substack
open.substack.com
Hollywood Is Breaking. Good.
In the middle of a sea of shit, the real ones can rise.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
I don’t mean to complain. But I will. AI is convincing a lot of mediocre people they’re artists. And the future of cinema seems to be vertical video, mostly serving up the shittiest media imaginable in the shape of a phone. Hard not to feel like we’re living through the most boring era in media.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK “Drop the Needle. Shut Up” #music #jazz #streaming #musica #substack #spotify
open.substack.com
Jazz for People Who Think They Hate Jazz
Drop the Needle. Shut Up.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
I know I’m supposed to say, “Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do.” But honestly? “Fuck ’em” is shorter. Cleaner. Way easier on the tongue.
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: When Everything Can Be Generated, Only the Human Still Matters #film #ai #contentcreator #substack #art
open.substack.com
The One Thing AI Cannot Replicate Is You
When Everything Can Be Generated, Only the Human Still Matters
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Willie Colon, one of the greatest producers, arrangers, writers, and performers in the history of Latin music has passed. At a time when so much of what passes for Latino music feels auto tuned and algorithm built, he made immortal records. #williecolon #musica #music
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Jose Zambrano Cassella @josezcassella.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
New on CUT TO BLACK: Before cinema gets flattened into vertical algorithm bait, let’s remember what real movies look like. #film #cinema #substack #blogger #movies
open.substack.com
Cinema For People Who Are Sick Of Watching The Same Shit
Before cinema gets flattened into vertical algorithm bait, let’s remember what real movies look like.
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