Good news from merry old England. The Totally Mindblowing Show is a finalist in the Canterbury Film Festival. When I read the good news, I immediately thought about my freshman year at the University of Miami when I read and loved Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. His tales encompassed a bunch of travelers going on a pilgrimage in fourteenth-century England. Each night, the traveler tells a story or two to entertain his fellow pilgrims. I think about how Blake would tell his tale about creating his TV series and his successful run on the film festival circuit.

Would he discuss how good it feels to get a congratulatory email like the one below

Dear Blake, Congratulations! Canterbury Film Awards has updated the Judging Status of your submission Totally Mindblowing Show , to Finalist.

Totally Mindblowing Show: Finalist Project has been selected as a finalist in the festival.

Or would he parrot the words about the film festival, “Canterbury is an internationally famous city which holds the Canterbury Film Fest International, we will fill our venue with a wealth of talent from around the world. This is to provide our attendees with the best possible experience to help them grow and develop their film careers.

Our International Film Festival is held in locations around the City. All of the screenings, workshops, meetings, networking, and industry professionals. How do we know, We know because we already have huge experience after 19 years of running our other Film Festivals.

Independent filmmakers and creatives face many challenges; the large competition for viewers’ attention, finding funding and getting a distributor can only be overcome by the industry coming together and creating opportunities for those who need and deserve it. Our Festival’s aim are to create an opportunity for filmmakers to show their work to the right audience at our intimate and relaxing events, and get one step closer to success by receiving recognition for their art.

Year after year, we are praised by filmmakers for the opportunities that unlock upon entering and participating in our festival. Workshops, guest speakers, film premieres, financing talks, director Q&As, film screenings, networking events, industry professional panels, and the chance to socialize with like-minded people will undoubtedly aid in future filmmaking ventures. This is perfect for either an individual seeking funding for an unproduced screenplay or a finished production seeking distribution – we are able to cater to all. All of this is neatly wrapped in a few days showcasing films that concludes with our spectacular awards ceremony gala dinner, where the winners from each of our categories walk away with a prestigious Film Festival trophy award, in recognition of filmmakers’ talents and achievement.

Thank you, Canterbury Film Festival, for this honor and for allowing me to reminisce about my college days when I read and enjoyed Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

As I typed the title to this blog, I ventured a guess that I had never written that sentence before, “Good News from Berlin.”

I wondered why?

But there’s always a first time.

And this first time is thanks to Berlin’s FilmHaus Film Festival, which honored Blake’s TV series, The Totally Mindblowing Show, with the OFFICIAL SEMI-FINALIST status.

Here’s what FilmHaus (in its 6th year) said in its congratulatory email:

Dear Blake,

Totally Mindblowing Show – SEMI-FINALIST at FilmHaus 2025

I’m pleased to announce that Totally Mindblowing Show has been recognized as an OFFICIAL SEMI-FINALIST at FilmHaus 2025! Your achievement represents meaningful progress in our competition.

The Competition This Year

This marks our 6th consecutive year, and the competition has never been more intense. Your work advanced among 1,886 submissions from 86 countries – our largest and most diverse field yet. To put this in perspective, only 146 projects were recognized as semi-finalists from this massive pool, placing your work among those who reached advanced competition rounds. From this exceptional field:

• 1,471 submissions completed initial review and evaluation
• 146 semi-finalists advanced to deeper evaluation ← your achievement
• 232 nominees were recognized for outstanding merit (top 12%)
• 76 selectees earned Official Jury Selection status (top 4%)
• 37 winners achieved top honors (top 2%)

Your Recognition

To make it this far demonstrates that your work resonated with our jury during the evaluation process. You advanced beyond the initial review against a global field that included remarkable productions. This year’s competition included feature films with Academy Award winners (Morgan Freeman in GUNNER), Emmy-nominated talent (Eric Roberts in KRUZ’), and high-profile documentaries like Zef: The Story of Die Antwoord. The caliber of work our jury evaluated was exceptional.

While Totally Mindblowing Show was not advanced to nominee status, your semi-finalist recognition reflects your commitment to the craft. The competition was extraordinarily fierce at every level, with our jury facing difficult decisions throughout the selection process.

Here’s what FilmHaus says about their festival on their website:

Join the FilmHaus revolution and fast-track your film’s journey from underground to unforgettable. Compete in one of the most elegant, professional, and aspirational film festival platforms today and give your work the recognition it deserves.

FilmHaus, the respected online film festival born in 2020, has ushered in a new era of management and innovation. FilmHaus is the home of experimental, innovative, and cult-underground films and an advocate for independent cinema. 

Embracing an ethos reminiscent of a German circus, FilmHaus champions the unusual, the innovative, and the avant-garde in cinema. Its focus on eccentric films that defy mainstream sensibilities makes it a sanctuary for authentic cinematic expression. The festival is committed to being a trunk for forgotten and lost films, a treasure trove of the eccentric and unique, “home of hidden cinematic treasures”. Adapting to a growing demand for rapid recognition, FilmHaus evolved from an annual to a triannual festival. In a world where distribution deals are rapidly sealed with streaming platforms, FilmHaus acts as an immediate elevation to a film’s status. 

FilmHaus, recognized by IMDb, offers filmmakers a robust virtual FilmFest, distinguished film awards, and professional reviews. The festival envisions a future physical event, albeit maintaining its dominance in the online space.

Thank you, FilmHaus, for the good news and this honor.

And as we approach the end of our film festival run, I want to thank the cast and crew of TTMBS for their dedication to delivering an excellent TV pilot.

As Moshe devoured his hot pastrami on rye as if he had just been liberated from the camps, Mordechai asked, “Moshe, remember when Elon Musk tested American Jews by giving his best Heil Hitler salute before hundreds of millions of TV viewers at a Trump election victory party?”

“Of course I do. Who could forget that? He not only tested American Jews’ memory of the Shoah but sent a message to the bigots of the world that he and they could get away with playing Nazi wannabes without facing any consequences. He could salute the man who murdered 6,000,000 Jews like it never happened.

“But what really pissed me off was when the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) let him off the hook. They lied for the MF fascist.”

Mordechai raised his index and middle fingers, making air quotation marks, “The ADL said, ‘It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.’”

Now Moshe raised his voice so that all the patrons of the deli could hear him scream, “Despicable! A monumental lie from a group raising money to protect Jews! Do they really think we’re that stupid?”

Then Moshe added, “I don’t know why the ADL thought that this South Afrikaner with his long history of Jew hatred would convert to loving Jews in exchange for one gesture of turning the other cheek. Musk must have laughed at them. But when ADL lied to the very people they were created to protect. That’s when I lost all faith in them. They not only broke their moral compass, they crushed it under the heels of their black leather boots.”

“At that point, the very least the ADL board of directors should have done was to fire the ADL leadership. But when they didn’t, the board should have dissolved the corporation and allowed donors to send their money to a group, like the Southern Poverty Law Center, a group that really cares about saving the lives of Jews.”

I wonder, “Did the ADL think the richest man in the world would send them a big fat check?” Mordechai asked.

“Who knows? But here’s what they got for kowtowing to the Nazi-in-Chief, after the Charlie Kirk assassination.

Musk called for the ADL to be disbanded and threatened to sue them over its work documenting the rise of anti-Semitism on X.

Musk accused the ADL of being a hate group because the ADL pointed out Turning Point USA’s ( Kirk’s organization) association with anti-Semitic groups.

Musk’s words forced the ADL to delete at least 1,000 entries and their entire Glossary of Extremism from their website. That glossary connected the dots between right-wing hate groups and Christian organizations. Now it’s gone.

Then, FBI Director Kash Patel denounced and cut ties with the ADL and added, “This FBI won’t partner with political fronts masquerading as watchdogs.”

After making the ADL look like ghetto Jews pleading with the Nazis for their lives, Musk moved on to the Southern Poverty Law Center, calling them an “evil organization” that “needs to be shut down”.

Musk and Patel’s goals are obvious. Destroy all groups keeping databases on hate groups.

“Well, I know what Jews around the world should do the next time they receive a request for funds from the ADL.”

“What’s that?” Moshe asked.

“They should make an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm: raising their middle fingers and salute the ADL to “F— off.”