ASU alum takes short film ‘The Singers’ to the Oscars (opens in new tab)

The film had no script. Its inspiration was a 175-year-old Russian short story. The “actors,” playing drunks in a dive bar weren’t actors at all, but were found on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. The film opens with Big Mouth Billy Bass, a novelty relic from a bygone era, flopping against tobacco-stained wood paneling to Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” while sad sacks drink away their sorrows.It’s an unlikely venue for a soul-affirming singing competition to break out, and an unlikely film t...