THE STRUGGLE, 5min., USA, Comedy
Directed by Keith Armonaitis
Adulting is hard. Morning is harder.

From director Keith Armonaitis:
As a filmmaker, I have always been interested in how life contains universal moments, and I try to bring those out in a unique story on the screen. Sometimes it is done through drama, but I really enjoy finding the funny in those moments as well. The Struggle was about finding the absurd in the mundane, and putting it upon the screen so that we can laugh at the film, and ultimately, ourselves.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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GURGLE: PULLING WATER, 57min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Richard Van Kleeck
A documentary featuring courage, teamwork, adventure, and life lessons explored through the lens of the sport of rowing. Featuring Tori Murden McClure, the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic; archeologist, author, and rower John Hale; the amazing story of Oksana Masters, the world’s most decorated paralympic athlete; and a host of other interesting characters that inhabit the world of rowing. Directed by Richard Van Kleeck.

From Richard Van Kleeck:

I have always been intrigued by the sport of rowing and knew that there is a wide diversity of very interesting people involved in this sport. Little did I know how many incredible people I would meet while making this film.

Interview conducted by Matthew Toffolo

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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BUZZ Pollen Nation, 9min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Mike Machian
Bombus occidentalis, the Western Bumblebee, was one of the most common species found in the western US. Since the late 90’s, this species has experienced steep decline. Kellie Hayden volunteers her time to help track and conserve native bumblebee species.

From Mike Machian:

I had known Kellie for a few years and she had been sharing her journey to citizen scientist on social media. Like most of my documentaries i thought “this is neat, other people should know about this.”

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE, 88min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Melissa Tittl
Award Winning executive producer and director Melissa Tittl follows Best-selling author and entrepreneur, Billy Carson as he uncovers the truth coming from an unknown signal. Carson has spent most of his life studying the unseen to uncover why humanity is here and where we came from. When he discovers a NASA image depicting an unknown object, Carson knows this could be the answer to his questions. Known as The Black Knight Satellite, Carson contacts a team of renowned scientists, authors, and researchers to uncover its mysteries. We embark on a journey from cracking unknown signals to tracking down evidence of extraterrestrial communication in government documents. He finds this story goes back to our ancient origins, and what he uncovers about humanity is more than just the story of a satellite. It’s a signal that could rewrite the future of our species.

Director Statement

I made this film because I was always fascinated with the story of the mysterious Black Knight Satellite. Years later when I heard how passionate Billy Carson was about the topic and his views on where he believed it originated from, I thought this would be an opportunity to open up this investigation in a new way. There are many twists and turns throughout the film, suggesting there is more than one outcome. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey of working with Billy and gaining his knowledge.

Interview conducted by Matthew Toffolo

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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PULLING THE GOALIE, 23min., USA, Drama
Directed by Hiag Avsharian
“Avsharian has cleverly framed his film about male infertility from a conventionally male perspective using hockey as a metaphor to provide both context and levity. Sport provides an immediate connection to an uncomfortable and embarrassing topic with both situations and language that are laughingly familiar to both men and women. As an entry into the increasingly complex and demoralizing process of the infertility treadmill about which men frequently feel baffled and disengaged, Avsharian uses that parallel to create a deeply personal and compelling narrative.

http://www.ptgmovie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pullingthegoaliemovie
https://www.instagram.com/ptgmovie2022/

From the filmmaker:

I have been writing this screenplay on and off again after the birth of our first child Megan (with the help of infertility treatments), in 2009. As emotionally difficult as our infertility journey was at times, I became aware of how much more difficult the journey had been for others (e.g. multiple miscarriages). I also learned that infertility is relatively common and on the increase as couples wait until later in life to get pregnant while at the same time nearly all pop culture gives us the sense that it is easy to get pregnant. Furthermore, stories are almost always about men resisting their wives’/girlfriend’s desire to start a family, which works for drama and comedy but greatly misrepresents men, and especially men going through infertility. Lastly, and importantly, infertility treatments are expensive and insurance coverage varies widely based on where you happen to live. Thankfully we could afford the level of treatment we needed, but I thought it would be a social injustice if a couple couldn’t have a child because they couldn’t afford treatments. All in all, I felt like this was a story that I needed to at least try and tell once it had rooted itself in my head.

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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A PLACE TO HIDE, 11min., USA, Drama
Directed by Eámonn Wrightstone
Charlie and his mother, Laura, are on the brink of poverty, living out of a motel room they rent monthly. His mother, in late-stage dementia, requires constant care; leaving him unable to work. Receiving no help from his absent father, Charlie resorts to sex work at night to get the money he needs to care for his mother.

https://www.ejwdp.com/a-place-to-hide

From the filmmaker:

On a thematic level what really motivated me to make this film was just getting older. College is wrapping out for me in less than a year and this was the second to last film I would make in school. Seeing my parent’s over the holidays just reminded me that they’re getting older too. My dad has had cancer 3 times, he’s survived every single time, but what if it comes back? All of these questions surrounding my parents, their well-being, and my future seemed to hit together. I was lost. What does adulthood mean and what do I want my life to be? There has been a lot of loss in my family and at the age of 14 becoming suffocatingly aware of your parent’s mortality is not only frightening, but it’s a stark reminder of your own. ‘A Place to Hide’ sets out to explore how far we will go for the ones we love, the failures of our economic/healthcare systems, and coming into adulthood too soon.

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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BLURRED LINES, 12min,. UK, Recreation
Directed by Corry Raymond
As musician Robin Thicke reaches fame and critical acclaim for his hit record Blurred lines, he is sued by the Marvin Gaye family estate who claim he stole the song.

https://www.corryraymond.com/blurred-lines
https://www.instagram.com/blurredlinesmovie/

From Corry Raymond:

The biggest obstacle from the very beginning was casting. I knew I had to find a cast that could convincingly portray the real life people – and it wasn’t just Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, but the legal team and the cast of the music video as well. A few people said to me it wouldn’t be possible, but in the end, I found the perfect cast of people. Perfect not only in terms of their acting skills, but as collaborators as well.

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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“Roots above Ground” is a 50 minute physically integrated performance is a personal work that explores the multiple meanings of home. Using his own journey as an immigrant, disabled gay man and dancer as a base from which to work, Marc Brew intends to peel back the layers to get at this universal human need to belong.

http://www.axisdance.org/

https://www.twitter.com/AXISDanceCo

https://www.instagram.com/axisdanceco

Director Statement

"As a world traveller and someone who has never laid down roots in pursuit of my career goals," says Brew, "I have always questioned where my home is and by extension of that, where I belong. Through this work the company is delving deep into personal journeys and reflective worlds to find home as well as the community where we belong and feel at home. I am very excited to also be embedding access into the devising of my new work by collaborating with Deaf/ASL Consultants Antoine Hunter and Zahna Simon and Audio Description with Jess Curtis from Gravity Access Services."

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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THE END OF BLINDNESS, 55min., Documentary
Directed by AJ Martinson
Dr. Samuel Bora is the only ophthalmologist for over 3 million people living in rural Ethiopia. His mission: end all preventable blindness in the country.

http://www.theendofblindness.com/

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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CRACKS IN THE FOUNDATION, 9min., USA, Drama
Directed by Tessie McCoy, Tajianna Okechukwu
Cracks in the Foundation is a short drama that explores generational trauma through the lens of a Black woman as she strives to prevent toxic cycles from happening within in her family.

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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BEAT, 11min,. Canada, Experimental
Directed by Martin Daigle, Sylvain Pohu
To subject to repeated beatings or physical abuse, to strike against repeatedly and with force, To shape or break by repeated blows, to defeat or subdue, and many other meanings of the word beat is thematic content that influenced the structure of this solo for drum kit and electronics. Furthermore, the abstract and various meanings of the word are represented by the sound of free jazz and noise music is present during the entirety of the piece.

https://www.martindrum.com/
https://www.facebook.com/martindaigledrums/
https://www.instagram.com/martindaigledrums/?hl=en

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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ONE SHILLING, 6min., UK, Dance
Directed by Monica Nicolaides
One Shilling. A contemporary dance film where four strangers from different backgrounds escape everyday life for one night, drinking and dancing in one of London’s underground bars during the Blitz.

Director Statement

'One Shilling' is a short dance film, inspired by true encounters of people in WWII; where 4 strangers from different backgrounds came together to enjoy a night out, in one of the underground places in London during the Blitz. At a time of constant danger, where under-represented communities and being different was not welcomed by society. One shilling gave access to underground safe havens, where strangers escaped everyday life, social conformity and daily bombings; and became friends.

‘One Shilling’ celebrates the formation of community and unity, by embracing ones individuality. When the community does not look at class, race or sexuality. Everyone comes together to celebrate being alive; to forget the danger and casualties surrounding them in their everyday lives. At this bar, we see the temporary deconstruction of social class, race and sexuality for one night only. It is a story of the places where people from all walks of life find refuge, and a community that welcomes their differences even for a moment in time.

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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ISLE OF RUM, 52min,. Documentary

A glimpse into life on a remote Scottish Island, human inhabitants about 37 and counting...

https://www.sarahvianney.co.uk/

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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“A young girl's relationship with her father becomes tense when she begins to experience life as a woman.”

Interview with director Kelli Neal on the making of the film at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center.

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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REALITY CHECK, 24min., Spain, Fantasy/Drama
Directed by Sandro Hernández Ortiz
Reality Check follows Salvador, a young patient suffering from delusional disorder, who during one of his therapy sessions starts experiencing dangerous levels of reality distortion that make him question everything in his life.

https://www.instagram.com/subliminalproductions/

Sandro was also the lead actor in this short. Conversation with the actor/director on the process making the film.

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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Conversation with director/writer/star Jason Ishmael Echols and producer/actor Catherine Lidstone on the making of the award winning film “Along Came a Callback”.

“Audrey, a struggling Hollywood actress is having a tough go at things, but perhaps her luck is about to change when she receives a mysterious last minute audition that forces her to face her past.”

Director Statement

When I tell a story I don't want to tell our audience how to feel or what to think about our subjects or the subject matter. I wish to merely present the points of view to our audience an give them the opportunity to think it out for themselves and hopefully open a discussion about forgiveness and healing and what that might look like.

—-

Film playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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"Apples and Applesauce" is about a model that sacrifices her art career for financial security and a photographer that sacrifices everyone in their life for their artistic ambitions.

https://www.instagram.com/malikproductions/

Malik Amandla is a writer and director born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He received his BA in Film Production from California State University Northridge. In 2020, he wrote and directed his first feature film, "Apples and Applesauce." He loves to create unique stories with a diverse cast and crew.

Film playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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Braving the realities of the harsh Montana winter and changing hunting regulations, hobby and career biologists track and study wolves in the Northern Tier of Yellowstone National Park. While the fate of wolves remains uncertain, the devotion and passion of Yellowstone’s Wolf Watchers are always a constant.

https://www.instagram.com/wolfwatchersdoc/

Film playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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WHERE TEARS, PERHAPS is a music video featuring a dance duet between two female dancers that represents the act of creation. Interview with the Columbian filmmaker Walter Escamilla on the making of the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy7QN8rwGPY

Director Biography - Walter Escamilla

Walter Escamilla is a filmmaker based in Bogotá, Colombia. He studied Visual Arts at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. He's first short film, Video Pulso, premiered in 2008 and was selected in various local film festivals including Cartagena International Film Festival. He's second short film, Prayer for Transformation, premiered in 2012 to further acclaim.

Apart form his artistic career, he has extensive experience as a Director and Editor of TV shows and documentary films. In 2012 he co-founded MONARCA, a young and highly creative team that produces music videos, fashion films and experimental media.

Film playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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An image of a child looking towards the evening moon visited my thoughts one day or maybe it was a dream, from there an imaginary dialogue or dance emerged between the moon and the child. But who is guiding who in this planetary dance, is it the moon or the child?

https://www.digitaltapestries.site/

Director Statement

In 2015, Hart Ginsburg founded Digital Tapestries in response to his experiences as a psychotherapist. Inspired by the healing potential of art, he aimed to serve the diverse needs of his clients through interactive books and short films. He soon expanded his visual materials by developing a workshop format, offering film screenings as well as panel discussions. Each of Digital Tapestries’ productions – films, books, and workshops – encourages meaningful dialogue and human connection and encourages participants to reach beyond a surface level response by awakening to their own humanistic capacities.

​Since its inception, Digital Tapestries has grown into a team of artists and professionals that draw from digital media, art, social work, psychotherapy, and communications

Film playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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