“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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After the recent death of her mother, Alex is left with the responsibility of taking care of her brother, Jakob. After Jakob starts a fight at school. Alex makes a potentially fatal decision, that puts her in a conflict with the Questioner, a manifestation of her guilt.

From Sean L. Restivo:

“My mother passed away from Stage 4 Metastisized Breast Cancer in April 0f 2021. I wanted to make something that both honored her as a mother, and display my own feeling that I had after her loss. For a time after her death, I thought I had to be strong for my own siblings and the people around me, but inside I was hurting myself and depriving myself of the care that I needed.”

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 TIME YOU LEFT is an award winning short film made at the Toronto Metropolitan University by Yvette Sin & Nikita Zhang.

https://www.facebook.com/The-Time-You-Left-110591541273026

https://www.instagram.com/thetimeyouleft/

Director Statement

The Time You Left is a story born from our experiences as East-Asian women, daughters of immigrants, female artists, and as families impacted by illness. Through this project, we hope to connect with those from similar intersections, and to play what part we can in diversifying the media landscape with thoughtful BIPOC stories.

If you’re like us, elementary school kids made fun of your exotic smelling lunches. Your mother relentlessly assured you nothing was wrong, even when you knew something was up. You didn’t see stories like yours on screen very often, so you thought they must be too mundane, too unimportant to share.

You want the permission to see yourself in the stories we tell, break generational cycles, and honour the strength of your family. Call it a form of activism, but to you, it’s as pure as storytelling.

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Anjela Pencheva has suffered from Cerebral Palsy since birth, but the difficult diagnosis has never broken her spirit and has turned her into a writer, an actress and a dancer. Through her work and with her computer generated voice, she participates in various initiatives for the rights of the people with disabilities and inspires everyone who has met her.

Director Statement

Anjela's story has haunted me for 13 years, even before I started making films. Life encountered me with it again and again, in different situations, until the time to tell it came. Or not, time she tells it through me came. Her need to communicate with the world has led her to art, where, although snuggled down in a wheelchair, she flies. It was this freedom of spirit that I wanted to recreate with animation - brave, vivid, light as a feather Anjela. The incredible animation artist Dimitar Dimitrov-Animiter magnificently captured that. And so, in 16 minutes Anjela can do everything she has always dreamed of, and we can only benefit from her strength.

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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MESSAGES FROM THE MARSH – PARTS 1-3, 3min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Amy Kaczur
Messages from the Marsh, 2021 to current, is an immersive experience with multiple video projections, sound art, and mapping. The project focuses on marsh locations on the east coast, and the work is developed via site-specific research, video documentation, and in-person engagement. Videos depict marsh spaces inhabited, spaces transformed, and spaces potentially lost.

https://www.instagram.com/amykaczur

Director Statement

I’m an artist and a citizen scientist, doing my part in bringing awareness about coastal risk, and action in marsh preservation and restoration. I've started working in Massachusetts marsh areas that are projected to be under water by 2050 through combinations of sea level rise, tides, and storm surge. I video above and within the marsh water bodies, and create topographical maps of the marshes and threatened areas. I'll continue researching the impact of the coastal marsh loss on the ecosystem and probable species extinction, and efforts in preservation, restoration and management.

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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MEAN TO AN END is a winning short film that played at the Festival for Horror.

“A sexy young woman seeks out married men to seduce in a bar in an effort to get pregnant, but her intentions for the baby are unexpected.”

Director Statement

Horror from a female perspective can be disturbing. When I wrote this short script a few years ago, I did not anticipate directing it, but felt that I was the only one who truly understood the dynamics of the characters, so it became my directorial debut. Horror can be full of scary creatures and things that go bump in the night, but I find horror in the mundane, the everyday, and in the ways that humans harm each other. Audiences like to think that women are weak and innately good, but it is patently not true. Evil knows no gender. I would like to thank my amazing talented volunteer cast and crew who brought a very polarizing piece to life and committed utterly. I am thankful that they believed in the project and in the creative vision of a first-time director.

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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ONE & ONLY is an experimental comedy special written and performed by Sophia Cleary for an audience of one person. Using this 1:1 ratio of performer to audience, ONE & ONLY explores connection, intimacy and the shifting power dynamics in live comedy.  

https://www.sophiacleary.com/

https://www.instagram.com/_sophia_cleary/

https://twitter.com/_sophia_cleary

Sophia Cleary is a queer, genreless, childless & anti-disciplinary comedian, writer, and artist working with jokes, video, dance, music, and more. She has presented her work in NYC at the Center for Performance Research, Danspace Project, the Chocolate Factory, Dixon Place, The Kitchen, and e-flux and in Los Angeles at the Hammer Museum and Human Resources Gallery. Sophia co-created "Miracle," an anti-fan fiction play about Anne Geddes and GG Allin with performance artist Neal Medlyn. She is the founder and coordinator of the works-in-progress series REHEARSAL and former co-editor for Ugly Duckling Presse's performance annual Emergency INDEX. She is one-half of feminist punk band Penis, a collaboration with Samara Davis.

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 veteran filmmaker/DP and former world class diver Kevin McMahon, on the making of the proof of concept short film CLASSIFIED.

“An elite group of soldiers go on mission to rescue missing comrades but when they enter the abandoned power plant they soon find that an evil presence is behind the disappearances and the fighters find themselves against an enemy they cannot beat.”

http://www.pathfindermotionpictureco.com/classified.html
https://www.facebook.com/ClassifiedHorrorFilm/

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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.

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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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“A filmmaker, during a pitch session, witnesses his story face drastic changes according to the producer's liking while the character in his story reacts to those changes.”

https://twitter.com/ideasarewelcom1

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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

This musical theatre thematic cabaret, is a love letter to the tormented artist. Who deals with internal battles behind closed doors, but at the end of the day still CHOOSES to CREATE beauty and art, out of the tragedy. Comedy/tragedy are the same face. Tragedy informs the comedy. Tragedy informs the beauty.

Project Links

• Website

• Instagram

  Director Statement

  In May of 2020 I was set to write/perform a musical theatre Cabaret as a final project of my BFA program. It was shelved due to the pandemic. This project meant a lot to me and I wanted it to mean something. I never truly finished writing it at the time, so I figured it just wasn’t the right timing. Fast forward two years, some rewrites, and many new life experiences later, I have finally tied a nice little bow on this thing. I had the vision to rework it into a short film, as I felt it's message would be more effective and reach more people this way. This project is a love letter to the tormented artist. Who deals with internal battles behind closed doors, but at the end of the day still CHOOSES to CREATE beauty and art, out of the tragedy. Tragedy informs the comedy. Tragedy informs the beauty.

• 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.

  Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
  

RUMINATION is an award winning Animation Short Film. “At night, a woman’s mind wanders as she chops firewood.”

Project Links

• Website

• Instagram

Director Biography - Ashleigh Vaillancourt

Ashleigh Vaillancourt is a multimedia artist and filmmaker based out of Vancouver, Canada. Ashleigh’s work explores themes of personal resilience and social empathy, as well as the interplay of analog painting and generative digital art. Her films such as 'Hannah' and 'Fostering Uncertainty' have been shown in film festivals and galleries internationally.

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 SOCIETY FOR PARANORMAL HEALING, 26min., USA, Comedy
Winning Film from the LA Comedy Festival.
Two best friends run a small business healing the spirits of haunted houses. But when funding falls through, every attempt to save the business results in the unexpected– and their status as Best Friends Forever is put to the test.

http://dinosaursvrobots.com/
https://instagram.com/dinosaursvrobots

Director Statement

I wanted to write a film about outcasts and outliers, friendship and hardship, and do so with humor and heart. I wanted to make a film that passes the Bechdel test, that is female- and queer-driven above and below the line. I wanted to put my vision into the universe and say, “See, this is how I look at the world. This is how my brain inputs information. This is how I’ve experienced life, and this is what happens when it all swirls together like damp autumn leaves in the wind.” But, like, it’s *funny* though.
My goal was to celebrate goofs, guffaws, ghouls, gals, and gays; and like Megan Rapinoe herself, I kicked that goal hard.

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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

“As a meteor hurls towards Earth, Felix tries to party and reconnect with old friends.” A dream sequence short film that played at the Under 5 Minute Film Festival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWFFzbLdbX4&t=2s

Director Biography - Robert Campbell Sturdevant

Robert Sturdevant is a filmmaker at Occidental College (Class of 2023). He is best known for his stop-motion work on the YouTube channel The Action Brick, which includes his ambitious Minecraft-inspired fan series, "Night of the Nether".

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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

“A pie thief is thwarted by a clever detective.” Conversation with writer & star Mickey Casab on the art of making a 1 minute movie.

https://www.twitter.com/mickeycasab

https://www.instagram.com/mickeycasab

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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Michael McCulloch, a retired NASA engineer, would like to bring you along on an incredible journey – the 4-day trek along the Classic Inca Trail to one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu, Peru. It is a little over 26 miles and scales two nearly 14,000-foot mountain passes. The appeal of this particular trek is the stunning combination of Inca ruins, magnificent mountains, exotic vegetation and extraordinary ecological variety. The trail goes over high passes with unforgettable views, through cloud forests, and finally into subtropical vegetation.

https://youtu.be/_043vAPMSVI

At 64, Michael is the oldest blind person to hike this amazing trail. He had three able-bodied volunteers who helped train and get him in shape for the trek. He trained and prepared for more than a year. Then, the three sighted guides provided him step-by-step instructions in undertaking one of the most demanding hiking trails in the world in June 2019. The film highlights the teamwork, commitment, and personal and physical obstacles Michael had to overcome on his journey. It will empower you to get out of your comfort zones, take on new challenges and see that all things are possible regardless of your abilities.

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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Student Film from the talented filmmaker Jaehee Cheong on the making of their award winning film STILL ALIVE. Played at the Fantasy/Sci-Fi Film Festival.

“After the death of her never-met senior colleague, Seol, Penelope visits her house for the first time with a special balloon made out of her breath. Going through the strange service provided by the strange funeral company Still Alive, Penelope, for the first time, feels Seol's existence more than ever after all these years of working together "remotely."“

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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ADVENTURES WITH THE CARETAKER was the winner of BEST LONG FORM SHORT FILM at the FEEDBACK Animation Festival.

https://twitter.com/ShadowlightFilm

“A man has a secret job taking care of creatures like Bigfoot, The Loch Ness Monster, and The Abominable Snowman.”

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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook