Set in a parallel society where people take 'Just Smile Tabs' multiple times a day, a young girl struggles to superficially suppress her negative emotions. A commentary on society's strive for perfection and the masking of mental health issues.

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Director Statement

For this project, I was tasked with creating a film that would be submitted to the annual student film festival at my school. From conception, I had the goal of creating a serious film that tackled a serious global issue. This film came about during a very agitated and pressuring time of my life, and after many failed attempts of finding the right story idea, it only seemed authentic that I portrayed the mental health struggle of anxiety and stress. With today’s competitive nature and expectations imposed by oneself or others, being stressed out has become so normalized that it’s almost looked down upon to be vocal about it. I just felt like this thread would resonate with a lot of people, the same way it resonated with me. From there I conceptualized the idea of being forced to mask negative emotions with the magical realism element of the ‘happiness pills’ that superficially made people content. And from there the world with the motto “Just Smile, You’re Fine” unfolded.

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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Two couples in the same family face a new pregnancy, one for the first time, the other with a sorrowful past. After a miscarriage, the family dynamics change and they must learn to deal with tragedy in a whole new way.

Blog interview: https://matthewtoffolo.com/2022/08/07/interview-with-filmmaker-rachel-jacob-four-on-the-mantle/

Director Statement

I was driven to make this piece because I had the honor and privilege of walking closely alongside several amazing women who have had miscarriages. It's a subject that I find is still taboo and no one knows how to talk about it or bring up their own grief or experience of it. I felt that anguish and eventually it came out in this story. The point of this film is not to tell anyone how to talk or grieve about this experience, but to shed light on its existence in a very real way, with all that can be at stake, and to hopefully open the door so more conversations can start happening. Thank you for watching.

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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THE LAST CHAMPION was the winner of “Best Feature Film” at the Sports & Recreation Film Festival. Conversation with co-writer and actor Hallie Todd on the making of the film from creation to editing.

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“A former championship wrestler is forced to face his past when he returns to the hometown he left in disgrace twenty years earlier. Can he become the hero his town expected… or will he remain a prisoner of his past mistakes?” Directed by Glenn Withrow. Starring Cole Hauser, Peter Onorati, Randall Batinkoff, and Hallie Todd.

Film playing on the Film Festival Streaming service today. 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 LAST PICTURE was the winner of BEST DIRECTION at the June 2022 FEMALE Film Festival.

Ally May attended the UCLA Writing Program, the Academy of Film Writing, SF Film School, the Directing Actors Workshops and Sundance Directing Actors Programs. Ally has written 7 award-winning screenplays. She has been an Athena Finalist, Austin finalist, ScreenCraft Finalist, Page Finalist, Final Draft Finalist and more. Ally has directed 6 short films which have placed in festivals including - NOLA, Napa Film Festival, Sonoma Film Festival, Oregon Film Festival, Toronto Independent Film Festival, Los Angeles Independent Film Fest and more.

Watch the Festival Today. 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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DEATH AND MAGIC CASTLES was the winner of BEST ANIMATION at the June 2022 Under 5 Minute Film Festival.

Watch the Audience Feedback Video: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/death-and-magic-castles

“On a beautiful, sunny day five year old Zizou fell to the ground and died when his heart suddenly stopped. In that moment of losing my son I was thrown into the cold reality of America’s complicated relationship with death. Through animation, "Death and Magic Castles" explores traditions of mourning and loss in different cultures and follows my quest to bring death and life closer together in a culture where mourning is taboo and the goal is to live forever.”

Director BIO: Kari Barber is a journalist-turned-filmmaker based in Reno, Nevada. Her feature-length documentary debut STRUGGLE & HOPE aired nationally on public television on the series America ReFramed. DEATH AND MAGIC CASTLES is her personal story of suddenly losing her son at five years old.

Watch the Festival Today. 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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REMEMBER BEGINNING was the winner of BEST DIRECTION at the May 2022 WILDsound Film Festival.

“A fleeting glance into one man's journey from childhood into mature years with an object, a yellow tape, as a symbolic witness, which takes on a more mystical presence as the time goes on.”

Conversation with new filmmaker Elena S. Shelton on her amazing journey making this film.

Watch film tonight! 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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HYSTERICAL was the winner of BEST FEATURE FILM at the June 2022 Toronto COMEDY Film Festival.

`https://www.emmaspeer.me/hysterical

https://www.instagram.com/hystericalpotatoes

“Hysterical is a film-adaptation of a one-woman theatre performance. The stem-level plot is this: a girl-woman lost her uterus and sorts through her mind-farm-memories to find it. On a deeper level, the show explores intergenerational womanhood and inherited trauma. It weaves together themes of independence, institutionalized mental health, the female body and its policing, fertility, immigration, and growth to present to you, the audience, an unintentional coming-of-age tale for and of us all, just trying to do the best we can with what we have.”

Conversation with the creator and star Emma Spear on the making of the film. From what was supposed to be a one-woman show, turns into a feature film during the Covid era.

WATCH this film next month. Go to the WILDsound TV app. 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 LARK was the winner of BEST LONG FORM SHORT FILM at the May 2022 FEMALE Feedback Film Festival.

“Iva (19) moves from her cosy home to a bustling Belgrade, where she finds her apartment in ruins. The first thing she sees after arriving is her childhood crush Vuk. That encounter gives her a painful headache and invokes blurry memories of repressed childhood trauma. Left to herself, the first time without her mother's support, she starts testing the boundaries of freedom. Met with new challenges, she must accept newly found aspects of womanhood, and her past, so she can move on to a new life.”

Go to the WILDsound TV app. 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 WORLD TO MY DAUGHTER played to rave reviews at the May 2022 Toronto FEMALE Feedback Film Festival.

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“A fictional short film in which we see everyday moments of a father and a daughter and how life goes during the lockdown. The wishes and dreams of hundreds of women have been symbolically processed in the vision of the future.”

Film played on the WILDsound TV app next 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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NO HEARTBEAT was the winner of BEST PERFORMANCES at the April 2022 Female Film Festival.

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“In a near-future Roe Vs. Wade has been overturned nationwide, banning abortion under any circumstance. 15 year old Nola discovers she’s pregnant and must try to find a way to safely choose what she knows is best for her future, despite her family’s strong conservative beliefs.”

Conversation with filmmaker Jana Devino on the making of the film and the important subject matter.

Film also showing on the WILDsound TV app next 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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STATIC SPACE was the winner of BEST SOUND & MUSIC at the April 2022 Female Film Festival.

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“Jamie is a young woman living in rural Indiana struggling to figure out her place and identity. When she inadvertently stumbles across a frequency on her ham radio and makes contact with astronaut Noa currently orbiting Earth, the two women are presented with the opportunity to find meaningful connection, even while worlds apart.”

Conversation with writer/star/co—director Kate Black-Spence & co-director John Klein on the making of the film.

Film also showing on the WILDsound TV app. 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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FLEETING STRUCTURE played at the March 2022 SCIENCE & NATURE Festival.

http://www.entropygallery.com/

“Fleeting Structure is a documentary film exploring the art and science of fluid flow and crystal growth in the living and nonliving worlds through stunning photographs and breath-taking cinematography driven by an intriguing original soundtrack. It is also a call to action to reestablish truth in society.”

Conversation with engineer turned filmmaker Patrick Lysagnt on the making of the film.

Film also showing on the WILDsound TV app. 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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I WIN played to rave reviews at the March 2022 FEMALE Feedback Film Festival.

“Who will win the fight of imagination?”

Conversation with Filmmaker Evgenia Taneva on the making of the film.

Evgenia also has another film, 10 SECONDS, playing on the WILDsound TV APP. You can watch it here: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/10-seconds

Film also showing on the WILDsound TV app next 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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

UNMANNED was the winner of BEST DIRECTION at the March 2022 Female Feedback Film Festival.

”An active-duty drone operator struggles with her decision to re-enlist in the Air Force when she receives life-changing news and a danger close mission reveals the true cost of saving lives.”

http://www.cristinapippa.com/

https://www.twitter.com/Unmanned2022

Conversation with filmmaker Cristina Pippa on the making of the film.

Film also showing on the WILDsound TV app next 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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“Roe v. Wade: A Legal History” was the winner of Best Documentary Short at the 2022 Female Film Festival.

“As one of the most consequential decisions in the history of the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade articulated the right to abortion as a fundamental right. But where did this landmark case originate? In this documentary short, six law professors discuss how and why Roe v. Wade made it to the Supreme Court.”

Conversation with producer Samantha Schroeder on the process making the film and her way of getting the best out of her interview subjects.

Film also playing at the WILDsound TV app next 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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“Doors” played at the March 2022 Female Film Festival to rave reviews. A dance film created in collaboration with three choreographers who designed scenes of movement with three very different, unique doors. This piece explores moving in outdoor spaces where doors appear in both nature and as brick n mortar. The camera was a witness to what was revealed.

Conversation with Alisa on the making of her first film.

Film also playing at the WILDsound TV app all day on Sunday March 27th. 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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RAISE YOUR HAND played to rave reviews at the February 2022 FEMALE Film Festival.

“Gia and her best friend, Lila, try to survive a rough childhood in a neighborhood where every kid has a sad story to tell. As teenagers, their problems become more complicated, and the stakes get raised.”

Conversation with writer/director Jessica Rae on the amazing story making this personal film.

www.twitter.com/rae_jessyca

Film also playing at the WILDsound TV app on Tuesday March 22nd.. 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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You can watch the FULL MOVIE “Alternative Math” on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh3Yz3PiXZw&t=4s . Over 10 million views!

“A well meaning math teacher finds herself trumped by a post-fact America.”

Conversation with filmmaker David Maddox on the making of this multiple award winning films.

Film also playing at the WILDsound TV app next 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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CHANCE DAY was the winner of Best Screenplay at the Female Filmmakers Festival. Conversation with writer Jill Murphy Long, followed by the audio-version best scene reading transcript of the screenplay. https://www.jmlfilms.com/

“On a chance day at a busy hospital in Portland, Oregon, the fatal prognosis is given to the wrong woman with a time stamp of only thirty days.”

Screenplay also showing at the WILDsound TV app next 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 COMEDY Festival has shown an unprecedented three films in the past 3 months from David Levin.

• HARVEST MOON, a film starring Don Most & Anson Williams (from Happy Days fame).

• BEST BUDS, a film starring Jenny Leona (who also wrote the film), & Mary Chieffo.

• TOOTH FAIRIES IN QUARANTINE, starring Barry Bostwick (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), and Yvonne Jung.

Conversation with David on the making of these films and others during the Covid-era.

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David P. Levin is an American producer, director, writer and editor. In the early days of MTV, he produced Rockumentaries on Madonna and Michael Jackson, and later went on to help create and develop the "Uncensored" brand for MTV. Later on he created, produced and directed TV Land Confidential for TV Land, and also produced and directed When Pop Culture Saved America, Which Entertainment Weekly cited as one of the 10 specials to watch on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. He is the founder of BrainStorm Inc., a video production company with a focus on television projects.