ECHO, 15min., UK, Family/Fantasy
Directed by Jo Southwell
Echo, tells the story of Alice, a young woman so traumatized by the loss of her baby that she shuts herself off emotionally from her partner and retreats into a fantasy world where she is able to connect with the essence of the child she lost, who we call Echo. After an elaborate underwater game of hide and seek, which clearly fills her with joy, Alice comes to the realization that she must make a choice; sink down into the dark water with Echo, or come up for air where Tom is desperately searching for her.

https://www.astonmgt.com/aston-productions/
http://twitter.com/josouthwell
https://www.instagram.com/jo_southwell1

Get to know the filmmaker:

Echo is the story of loss. My journey began after I had a miscarriage..many years later when I was writing, the story of Alice appeared on the page! I have written Echo in many different versions – originally as a short story but from the moment Sara at Troy TV agreed to produce the screenplay – about a year until we were in production. Post production then took place over an additional four months. Creating Echo was no easy task and we had so many super talented people on board who all wanted to be part of the journey but it took time.

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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GIVE US A SMILE, 13min., USA
Directed by Alessia Fionda
A humorous retelling of the sitting of the Mona Lisa featuring the master himself, Leonardo da Vinci and his not so talented pupil, Alessio.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20850030/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
https://instagram.com/alessiafionda

Get to know the filmmaker:

I was motivated to make this film because the script I had written encompassed everything I love. Women’s issues both past and present, art history and of course my favorite, comedy. The Mona Lisa is the most recognizable and discussed piece of art in existence, yet there is little to no information regarding the subject of the painting, Lisa del Giocondo. I wanted to add a colorful reinterpretation of what could have happened during the sitting. Also, I deeply wanted to play the character of Mona Lisa and challenge myself from an acting perspective.

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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MY ROOMMATE, DEATH, 7min,. Canada, Comedy
Directed by Becca Isaias
Over 200 years after making a bet for Margaret’s soul, Death is still losing every game to her, which has resulted in them getting demoted from collecting human souls- they want their old position back, but they have also developed a soft spot for Margaret.

Get to know producer Emma M. Cooke:

We wanted to make a fun, silly film that had at its heart a story about friendship. We were motivated because we wanted to have fun, and we wanted everyone to laugh and be able to take a break from the real world with a little bit of fun. We thought mockumentaries are a currently popular genre of comedy and we wanted to put a little bit of a different spin on it- taking a character, or figure, so widely known and recognized as Death, and turn it on its head. By making it a comedy centered on a quirky friendship rather than a horror focused on Death reaping souls, we thought it would provide a little extra punch to the finished product.

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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BEACH DAY, 14min., USA
Directed by Robin Johnson
A newlywed unwinds with a solo day at the beach full of peculiar activities.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26492794/?ref_=hm_rvi_tt_i_2
https://www.instagram.com/beachdaythefilm/

Get to know the filmmaker:

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, my partner Casey and I were on the hunt for isolated, outdoor activities. We found ourselves on a beach in Rockaway, NY and discovered an abandoned, graffitied, once-building on one of the smaller beach lots. Shells, rocks, flowers and other items had been arranged carefully and intentionally on the ground, and to me, it looked like a beautiful, hyper-feminine altar. I started wondering what the story was behind this altar – why would someone hide out in this dilapidated building on the beach and perform a sort of ritual? When we came home, I wrote the first draft in about 20 minutes, and Casey encouraged me to keep developing the script and make the film. I’d been a professional actor for about 10 years, and had felt the quiet itch to jump into directing for a long time, and he is a cinematographer, so from there, it came together quite naturally.

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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GAY BODY OF MUSIC, 31min., USA
Directed by Daniel Beliavsky
The life and work of American composer David Del Tredici

Get to know the filmmaker:

My focus in documentary filmmaking is on living composers who are often in the late stages of their careers and have decades of experience upon which to reflect. Specifically, I’m interested in creating a document wherein composers have the platform to communicate their artistic legacy. I started my career in music as a classical pianist, and the majority of my repertoire was by composers who had died decades or centuries before me. Any interpretations of their music were through the teacher-student chain and never directly from the composers themselves. Accordingly, my motivation for this film, like the ones before it, has been to give composers a voice to directly and without compromise communicate their musical desires, goals, and contexts to the current and next generation of performers and audiences.

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 REFLECTION OF FRANCISCA NEWMAN, 15min., USA
Directed by Jon Frenkel Garcia
In this cinematic fairytale, Francisca Newman, a psychologically disturbed ballerina, fails at her life audition. Her perfectionism starts to take a noticeable toll on her mental health, where in a world of passion and beauty, sensibility and enlightenment becomes darkness.

Get to know the filmmaker:
It was the urge to explore this feeling of passion mixed with perfectionism that made me feel so alone as an artist but also as a friend, a son and as a human being in general. I’ve always been a very existentialist kid, looking for answers about myself and Francisca Newman is a huge aspect of who I am (and still am) that I am still trying to understand, respect and give the space that it deserves and not anymore. I found the concept of a dancer locked inside a space, ironic and beautiful and a great visual metaphor of how our creative headspaces work, psychologically speaking.

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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SANKOFA CHICAGO: THE UNTOLD, 102 minutes, USA
Directed by Vanessa Wright
Sankofa Chicago: The Untold is a powerful documentary that is the second part of a three-part series exposing the inadequacies of American History curriculums in Chicago Public Schools, a problem across the US. It highlights the overlooked contributions of Black and Brown people in American history. It explores methods of enhancing the current History and Social Science curriculum and alternative avenues for incorporating this vital history into other academic disciplines. The film stresses the significance of accurate representation and continuous learning, inspiring viewers to question conventional narratives and seek a more comprehensive understanding of American history.

http://www.sankofachicago.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

The motivation behind creating “Sankofa Chicago: The Untold” stems from a twofold source of inspiration. Firstly, the positive feedback received from the previous installment in the series, “Sankofa Chicago,” encouraged the pursuit of this sequel, affirming its potential to resonate with and educate a broad audience. Secondly, I was motivated to create “Sankofa Chicago: The Untold” because my two kids are currently studying social science and history in the Chicago Public School system. I felt a strong need to investigate what they were learning and explore various ways in which they could be exposed to their history, mainly black history and the histories of other ethnic groups.

My motivation stems from a personal passion for uncovering untold histories. Throughout my life, I’ve been intrigued by the idea of delving into the hidden narratives of our past. Sharing these stories can enrich my children’s education and contribute to a more inclusive and comprehensive learning experience for everyone. As a parent, I’m acutely aware that we don’t always have complete insight into what our kids are learning, which further fueled my desire to provide a glimpse into their education, shed light on why it matters, and explore alternatives for teaching history.

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 ALLIANCE, 60min,. USA, DOC
Directed by Amanda Jean Kowalski
During the Arctic winter an intrepid oceanographer attempts to collect rare climate data, but his greatest combatant isn’t the weather – it’s the Italian Navy.

http://thealliancefilm.org/

Get to know the filmmaker:
I was initially hired by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to go on the ship to make a short doc about what it takes to get science done in extreme weather conditions, but it quickly became clear that the more significant story actually revolved around the relationship between the scientists and the Navy captain. So in the end this project morphed into a feature documentary that became a passion project for both myself and for the chief scientist featured in the film, Dr. Robert Pickart. Additionally I’m motivated to tell stories like this because I think it’s important for people to see all of the challenges that come with trying to advance our understanding of the planet and our future.

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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GENDER REVEAL, 9min., Canada
Directed by Bryanny
A young woman that always does everything right , has a Gender Reveal party where everything goes horribly wrong.

Get to know the filmmaker:

Hmmm. Gender Reveal actually began as a school project. When I was attending Toronto Film School, I wrote a script for my feature film class. My professor at the time, whom I have a lot of respect for (and isn’t really big on empty compliments. Which is probably why I have a lot of respect for him, LOL), really liked it, AND more importantly, I really liked it. It felt like my voice. Finally, it was MY voice. So, when we were given the opportunity to enter a 7-page short film screenplay in a contest for my program, I submitted it and …my project was Green-lit. So… it began.

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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This short documentary explores the troubles surrounding sexual violence among post-secondary students. It highlights the increase in reported incidents of sexual assault among young students, causing concern and anxiety among the student community in different institutions. We follow experts from the Toronto Metropolitan University's Sexual Violence Support (C3SVS), who provide coping services as well as the University of Toronto's PEARS Project, which investigates the underlying causes of this epidemic, exposes misconceptions, and examines how a culture of silence and victim-blaming has perpetuated the problem even beyond the pandemic.

https://www.horizondocproductions.com/

https://www.instagram.com/horizondocumentaries/

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 ROSE, 4min., UK, Animation/Music Video
Directed by Hilary Campilan
Baroque-pop, cinematic folk tale about lost childhood, with ethereal vocals, weeping cello & distorted bass. Starring dancer / choreographer Chrissy Brooke, Directed by Hilary Campilan.

http://www.michaelabetts.co.uk/
https://fb.me/michaelabettsmusic
https://mobile.twitter.com/miksweety
https://www.instagram.com/mikbetts

Get to know musician Michaela Betts:
The Rose is a deeply personal biographical song about childhood trauma. I released the song initially as part of my EP Ripe Fruit and then re-released a “darker” more orchestrated version The Rose (Darker) in July 2023. Because of the strong imagery in the lyrics, I felt compelled to seek out the right people to collaborate on the music video. It always felt right to animate it.

I found Hilary Campilan the animator and director on Instagram and was immediately drawn to the striking work she was doing with dancers, animation and ai. I was already friends with dancer & choreographer Chrissy Brooke as we had worked together in a singing capacity. We all connected and the rest is history!

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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AUBREY GRUMP, 1min,. USA
Directed by Mike Dietz
“Some people are only happy when they’re not.”

Get to know the filmmaker:
Last year I met artist/animator/producer Casey Follen while working on a freelance job. Several times a year Casey and her partners release a compilation of animated shorts called Animation Wild Card. It’s a fun platform for independent animation artists to collaborate and showcase super short-shorts created just for the joy of animating. The only requirements are that the films be animated and have a runtime somewhere between 15 and 90 seconds. Casey invited me to submit a film for an upcoming episode, so I tried to come up with an idea that would be fun to animate and could tell a worthwhile story in a minute or less. Aubrey Grump is what I ended up with.

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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DETECTIVE TICKLES, 6min., USA
Directed by Elizabeth Laidlaw
Detective tickles is a film Noir sketch that is in episode 1. It is about a party clown who turns Private eye. The sketch pays homage to film noir tropes, and is filmed in the classic style of black and white. The sketch stands well on its own, but I recommend watching the full pilot to be immersed into the Trash Panda world.

https://www.youtube.com/@trashpandacomedy9305
https://www.instagram.com/thetrashpandacomedy/

Get to know writer Fee Basanavicius, writer Marissa Chastain & director Elizabeth Laidlaw

Elizabeth (Director): have been a noir nut for a long time. A WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION and DOUBLE INDEMNITY are two of my all-time favorites. I use the “anklet” scene of the latter to teach film directing to newbie film students. When Dean handed this script to me I.. well, I basically SAT on him and told him he HAD to let me direct it.

Fee (Writer): My comedy partner Marissa and I are comedians so our goal with all of our Trash Panda Comedy work is to release as many endorphins in people’s brains as we can. With Tickles we wanted to do that by being as silly as possible while playing it as straight/to period as possible. Elizabeth and her expertise helped us achieve just that.

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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SEDUCTIVE DEVOTION, 7min,. USA
Directed by Destin Gerek
In a society where narratives of male perpetrators and harm inflicted upon women prevail, “Seductive Devotion” emerges as a powerful experimental short film presenting an inspiring alternative. Through captivating imagery and a stirring poetic voiceover, the film portrays a positive model of how a man can profoundly and healingly show up for a woman. It challenges societal norms and redefines love, intimacy, and relationships, highlighting the transformative energy between souls. “Seductive Devotion” celebrates vulnerability, courage, empathy, strength, receptivity, and grace, igniting a yearning for the level of committed desire depicted on screen. In a time marked by mistrust and division, this visually arresting and emotionally resonant film offers a refreshing perspective on the healing power of love and understanding, fostering positive change in our perception and engagement in intimate relationships.

http://seductivedevotion.com/
https://instagram.com/destingerek

Get to know the filmmaker:
It seems that too many people have forgotten how to love. The divide between men and women has become so stark. The constant blame, shame, and negative assumptions about each other seem so prevalent. I am a lover of love. I am a lover of women. I am a lover of the feminine: this mysterious and indescribable energy, that I have trained myself over the years to become very attuned to. A force that seems largely misunderstood by our culture. Yet, just as much, notions of masculinity have become so distorted. I wanted to showcase a dynamic between a man and a woman that exemplifies devotional love – to show what it can mean and look like for a man to show up for, and to uplift, a woman with all that he has. And to do so in a way that not only doesn’t weaken him, but through which he finds a deeper power that exists within himself.

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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BAGS, 29min,. Canada
Directed by Mitch Ray
Jamie Gascoigne’s daily routine is disrupted one morning by his roommate Korey in their living room, still up from the night before with his musician friend Brody. Despite his displeasure with this development, his passive aggressive nature prevents him from confronting the issue in any meaningful way. What starts as a minor annoyance descends into a nightmarish daily reality as the events around him trigger things within him that he’s tried to repress and unlock things within him that he never realized were there in the first place.

https://www.instagram.com/bags.short.film/

Get to know the filmmaker:

The first time I met Mark McGee a few years ago he was staying at Kevin’s apartment – the same one in the film – and he emerged from his sleep and immediately cut into this deadpan bit as the passive aggressive roommate. Essentially the first scene in the film but with the roles reversed. That bit eventually served as the catalyst for the premise and the simple comedic premise of an untenable living arrangement lends itself effectively and authentically to a myriad of scenarios and social dynamics that confront uncomfortable and relatable issues, such as addiction, sexuality and repression.

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 COMMON GOOD, 17min., Austria
Directed by Stefan Gutternigh, Eva Amann
In 2035 the earth is ruled by a world government called “The Global Organisation for the Common Good”. The “GOCG” wants to make everybody happy by monitoring the desires of its citizens with social media, omnipresent cameras, surveillance drones and – for those who can afford them – body implants. We join “GOCG” agent Cindy Karuso as she is visiting Mr. Berger, who has not spent his designated quota for lifestyle and entertainment products for the past months. Will she manage to complete her task for the mother-state and the father-corporation by taking care of Mr. Berger? And will Mr. Berger have something to say within the process?

Get to know filmmaker Stefan Gutternigh:
“The Common Good“ sums up many of my political views in a creative way. I wanted to create a modern take on classic dystopian stories like „1984” for the smartphone generation. There is much discussion concerning left or right, religious, social and political systems. The human component is neglected for the most part. A system, an ideology or a religion can not kill someone, this is done by people acting in its name. I have been wondering for a long time how the mind of people like dictators or their sidekicks such as gulag or concentration camp leaders works. How can people, who commit the most cruel crimes against mankind, justify their actions? How can they sleep at night? How can they still be kind to their own families? It does not matter which political or social system we have, if it is led by egoistic, narcissistic people. We need to find a way to prevent this. We need to discuss relevant topics and listen to each other in order to discover things in common, instead of being prisoners of some kind of ideology and its thought patterns. I have always liked films which have a message and are entertaining at the same time, “The island“ from 2005 with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson is a perfect example of this in my opinion. I wanted to do something similar, so there are nice visuals and some humor in our film, but it hopefully leaves the audience with some food for thought.

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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BLUE BURROW, 14min., USA
Directed by Leah O’Donnell
Blue Burrow is a short movement based film fully immersed in the sun, sand, and water of Lake Huron. The shore is the meeting place for characters of different species, while the world underwater comes to represent the subconscious. Perspectives shift from fish to human to sun, and metaphors about our relationship to the natural world emerge.

https://www.leahfayeodonnell.com/
https://www.instagram.com/_leahfaye/

Get to know the filmmaker:

Growing up in Michigan, the Great Lakes were a prominent element of my childhood memories. They are the largest fresh water source in the world, with waves and views that could easily be mistaken for the ocean. Several years ago, I became interested in site-specific dance and began dreaming up images of a live performance on Lake Huron, where I have swam many times with my family. The idea to make it a film came once COVID hit. Live performances were being rapidly shut down and I realized that not only would a film be safer for the performers, but we would be able to share the work with more people. Because the camera became the audience’s eye, we were able to more deeply immerse ourselves into the water, showing more intimate perspectives of the landscape and the choreography.

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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ANGEL NEGRO, 8min,. USA, Drama
Directed by Eduardo Zamora
In “Angel Negro,” Eduardo Zamora plays a skilled hitman who specializes in taking out troublesome husbands at the request of their wives. Based in Los Angeles, California, Angel is a highly sought-after assassin who operates in the shadows and has built a reputation for his discretion and efficiency.

https://instagram.com/silkroadstudiosmia

Get to know the filmmaker:

A: I wrote this film in a my LA flat where I was catching vibe one night and I played the butterfly song by crazy town and I wrote the short in about 45 mins , Then I made a shot list and I told myself “if I came up with this this fast and down all this in one night I must shoot it” and I did. I wanted to tell a story using my surroundings as a backdrop.

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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FROM MY EYES, 98min., USA
Directed by Darrick Landreneau
When a freshman embarks on a journey to film everyday of college, he discovers that growing up might be harder than he ever imagined.

https://instagram.com/frommyeyes/

Get to know the filmmaker:

Honestly it was a mixture of my love for film and a God idea. I’d been suffering from a real lack of ideas during my first month of my Freshman Year at LSU. I had a camera (Sony NEX-VG10) and a lifetime supply of inspiration and drive… but no ideas. So I’m a Christian and one day on my way to math class I started praying for an idea, a big idea. I can take you to the exact spot where this thought just infected my brain, “Why don’t you film college?” My initial thought was, “yea right”, but over the next week God opened doors and provided a way for me to start filming. On October 16th, 2012 I picked up a camera not knowing what the story would be but curious enough to find out.

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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BRINK, 27min., Canada
Directed by David VanDyke
Out of work and desperate for money, a struggling family man plots an elaborate scheme to secure a cash grab that would exceed his drug-fueled ambitions.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16899900/?ref_=nm_knf_i3
https://www.facebook.com/brinkofficialpage

Get to know the filmmaker:

I’ve always loved crime films, especially true crime so when I discovered an old newscast on the Brinks truck robbery that my film is based on, I was immediately hooked to adapt it into a short film.

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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