On Sunday, June 28, 2026 the 29th Dances With Films Festival- “DWF: LA” had the World Premiere of Director/Writer: David Ketterer Spencer’s feature debut of “Souvenir” at the world famous & historic Chinese Theater in Hollywood, that is about a chance encounter between two estranged friends: Kevin and Dani leads to an unexpected day-long adventure through New York City as they attempt to return a dead self-help guru’s lost wallet. Their journey – through litigious heirs, suspiciously bad poetry, and a mysterious watch – forces them to confront unresolved feelings and life-changing decisions. You can see the star of this movie: Ruby Cruz in the photo below, taken from the movie- Photo Credit Arlene Muller: 
There is a great cast of Janeane Garafalo, Ruby Cruz (Center of below photo), and Eric Berryman, that star in the movie”Souvenir” along with Actors: Mozhan Navabi, Laith Nakli, and Willie C. Carpenter. 
The WRITER/DIRECTOR is David Ketterer Spencer, and the PRODUCERS are: Chandler Wild, and Scott DelaCruz. In the below photo you can see Entertainment Today TV Producer: Steve Taylor on the left, with the Ruby Cruz on the right: 
I really enjoyed an excellent acting performance by Janeane Garafalo, who is an American actress, comedian, activist, and author. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she became a poster child for dry wit in film and television, known for her self-deprecating humor and hipster style. 
Janeane Garafalo has appeared in films like Reality Bites, and Wet Hot American Summer, but I remember her best in Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion. She received Emmy nominations for her role as Paula, a talent booker, on The Larry Sanders Show in 1996 and 1997. 
In this indie comedy Ruby Cruz, and Eric Berryman, also star in Souvenir, and both give stellar lead performances as a romantic couple in New York City, that centers on a chance encounter between old friends Kevin and Dani (Berryman and Cruz) that leads to an unexpected day-long adventure through New York City as they attempt to return a stranger’s lost wallet, forcing them to confront unresolved feelings and life-changing decisions. This is a movie that will put a smile on your face! 
The 26 year old Ruby Jean Cruz (born March 31, 2000) is an American actress. She has acted in various short films and television series including: What Would Jesus Do?, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Mare of Easttown, and Castle Rock, and most notably as Kit Tanthalos in Willow. In 2023, she made her feature length movie debut as Hazel Callahan in Bottoms, directed by Emma Seligman. Ruby gave a very funny, and romantic performance, in her role as “Dani” as she worked together with Eric Berryman’s character as her boyfriend: “Kevin,” to solve the mystery of the lost wallet in New York City!
The 37 year old Eric Berryman is a Baltimore-born, Brooklyn-based actor who is involved in work that he believes his great-grandmother would dig. Recent world premieres include MEMNON (Getty Villa/Classical Theatre of Harlem), and the Pulitzer-winning Primary Trust at the Roundabout (Audelco Award Winner, Best Featured Actor). Eric was born on January 9, 1989 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He is an actor, known for Atlanta (2016), Bonding (2018), Godfather of Harlem (2019), and “A Complete Unknown” (2024)!
You can see Ruby Cruz, and the WRITER/DIRECTOR and PRODUCER in the above and below photos taken inside the movie theater, during the Q & A, right after this movie, with Ruby Cruz on the extreme left of each photo: 
Wilma, Wu, and a stripper named Lorraine: 
Right after watching the World Premiere of: “Souvenir,” there was another World Premiere for “Wilma, Wu, and a stripper named Lorraine” that is a very interesting, and fun indie feature, that is a story about connection, community, and finding common ground when it feels impossible. When a beloved desert cantina is threatened with closure, a washed-up burlesque dancer rallies an outrageous crew of misfits, church ladies, hustlers, and dreamers for one last talent show to save their town. As chaos turns to community, a feuding mother and daughter must decide whether to hold on or finally let go.
We live in a time where it feels like we’re all on opposite sides of the street — divided by beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences. But Wilma, Wu, and a stripper named Lorraine reminds us of what happens when we meet in the middle — when we listen, laugh together, and see each other fully. “We are more alike my friends, than we are unalike.” -Maya Angelou.
While members of the High Way Church attempt to shut down Madame Wu’s Cantina on the grounds of “moral decency,” alcoholic exotic dancer Lorraine discovers her daughter Lexi stripp’n for tips to leave town. Lorraine wrangles a ragtag group of misfit barflies together to preserve the cantina and unexpectedly draws Lexi and the church folks into a zany talent show that changes the town, and Lorraine, forever.
Wilma, Wu, and a stripper named Lorraine is more than just a funny feud between strippers and church folk, it’s about what happens when a community is forced to see beyond its differences.
On one side: the High Way Church. On the other: Madame Wu’s Cantina. What starts as a battle over “moral decency” turns into something far more surprising — a messy, heartfelt, and hilarious journey toward connection, understanding, and unexpected friendship.
Movies have always helped us laugh, cry, and see the world through someone else’s eyes. At a time when it feels like people are more divided than ever, Wilma, Wu, and a stripper named Lorraine reminds us of the simple truth: we’re all human. We all want to belong. And sometimes the wildest stories help us remember that best!
There is a great cast & crew: PRODUCER/WRITER/DIRECTOR: Debra De Liso, PRODUCERS: Debra De Liso, Ryan Rude, Susana Armendariz, & Elizabeth Wu.
CAST: Colleen Camp, Debra De Liso, Elizabeth Wu, Alexandra De Liso Smith, & Time Winters. 
As you can see in the above and below photos taken inside the movie theater, during the Q & A, right after this movie, and on the red carpet: 
Colleen Celeste Camp had a key part in this movie, and she is an American character actress and producer. After appearing in several bit parts, she had a leading role in the comedy The Swinging Cheerleaders, followed by roles in two installments of the Police Academy series. She had supporting roles in Lady of the House (1978), Apocalypse Now (1979), and The Seduction (1982), after which she played Julie Richman (Deborah Foreman)’s mother Sarah in Valley Girl and Yvette the Maid in the 1985 comedy Clue. Colleen Camp has continued to have minor and supporting roles in various independent and studio films, including Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Election (1999), Factory Girl (2006), Palo Alto (2013), American Hustle (2013), and The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018). 
The Dances With Films Festival: LA’s lineup of 279 films, with 150 world, North American, and U.S. Premieres, in the heart of Hollywood, and presented thirteen of its famous Orange Carpet events featuring more than 280 films and more than 1000 filmmakers, cast members, and documentary subjects being photographed and interviewed by Los Angeles press covering independent film; several panels and conversations (like a very valuable session on how to get your Film Distributed!– that I attended) led by top industry leaders and professionals, that was held in the VIP Filmmakers Lounge just above the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters- that was sponsored by Magenta Light Studios Distribution; and four days of speed-dating style press junkets over the course of the film festival’s eleven days. Setting the tone for the jam-packed film event, for the first time, Dances With Films: LA kicked things off with a pre-fest concert at Ovation Hollywood for the attending filmmakers and pass-holders.
Notable attendees included Cody Christian, Rachel Leigh Cook, Rudy Diaz, Kevin Dunn, Jesse Garcia, Racheal Harris, Esai Morales, Sonja O’Hara, Cheri Oteri, Michael Paré, Michael Rooker, Brandon Routh, Jean Smart, Jess Weixler, and Rainn Wilson!
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