HE WON’T BELONG, 22min., USA, Drama
Directed by Dominic Mercurio
In the midst of a storm on a desolate strip of California’s lost coast, Theo spots a young shivering stranger named Connor on the side of the road and brings him back to his home for shelter. While they wait for the storm to pass, they begin to uncover each others past wounds.

http://www.hewontbelong.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

A personal experience I had with a close friend kicked off the initial concept, but there were so many more moments of inspiration along that way that continually made me so excited to make this film. After the bones of the story were in place it became really exciting to be telling a story that played around with audience expectations. Especially expectations we have when two gay men are at the center of a story. I also was very motivated to offer my portrayal of anxiety / panic attacks / nightmares on screen. It was very cathartic.

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DOJO, 15min., USA
Directed by Armin Alic
Shane Lucas, an ex-Yakuza member and 4th degree black belt in Judo, is hunted down at his local dojo in Los Angeles 1985 by his long-time rival, Elias Da Rosa and his crew members from the same crime family. Shane is threatened to come back to the Yakuza or would suffer the consequence of not.

https://www.facebook.com/realjonpaul
https://www.instagram.com/j_o_n_p_a_u_l

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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LIFE ALTERING GENDER REVEAL, 8min,. USA
Directed by Craig Wildenradt
The lives of unsuspecting party guests are forever changed after they learn of their friends’ baby’s gender.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27895666/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Get to know the filmmaker:
The vast majority of the time, when I write comedy I’m usually poking fun at things that actually frustrate me. So with that said, it’s probably unsurprising that the bulk of the comedy I write is social critique. It’s kind of a healthy catharsis for me to take those things and make them the butt of a joke. So that’s always a motivation for comedy writing in general. Speaking more specifically to LIFE ALTERING GENDER REVEAL, beyond the aforementioned I personally thought the concept was hilarious, ripe for getting really absurd (which I love to do), and would be a ton of fun to make. I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I predominantly create for myself first. As many challenges as there are to indie filmmaking, one of the luxuries is just being able to do what you want. For me, that’s plenty of motivation by itself. But the rest came when I started sharing the concept and other folks thought it was hilarious too!

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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HIGHWAY, 11min,. USA
Directed by Douglas Alan Cunningham
Betrayed by her husband, Amanda, a former Army Ranger, drives hours to meet a revenge lover but is followed by a mysterious and menacing truck on lonely desert roads.

https://www.facebook.com/highwayashortfilm
https://www.instagram.com/highway_the_movie/

Get to know the filmmaker:
I’ve always been fascinated by neo-noir westerns, films like Steven Spielberg’s Duel (1971), Oren Shai’s The Frontier (2015), and the early works of director John Dahl, especially Kill Me Again (1989) and Red Rock West (1993). John Sayles’ Lone Star (1996), Jonathan Mostow’s Breakdown (1997), and the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men (2007) are three other greats in this same subgenre. Although I wouldn’t call Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas (1984) a neo-noir western, per se, it shares many of the same aesthetics and was a huge influence on my early thoughts about HIGHWAY. Equally influential were Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1982) and Mad Max Fury Road (2015), both directed by George Miller. Finally, Ridley Scott’s Themla and Louise (1992) also influenced HIGHWAY, not just because of the road movie aspects, but also because of the theme of sisterhood that features so prominently in that film. When I first saw Lindsey Hawkes (who plays Amanda, the lead in HIGHWAY) in a different short film in late 2021, somehow her look–that mixture of physical toughness and emotional vulnerability–brought all those different influences together into one story in my mind. Once that happened, the script was not difficult to write at all, and I was determined to make the 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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APPARITION GLIMMER, 5min., USA
Directed by Devin Christian
Meanwhile winding down at her home. Yeilda finds her lost foster sister at her doorstep. Their past has caught up to them. Frantically trying to figure out what to do. The connection between them has brought them together again like nothing never happened.

https://instagram.com/devin_christian_

Get to know the filmmaker:

My Actor friend Aixa Tovar came up with the script. I took a look at it and wanted to challenge myself for the piece. Adding Suspense/Drama to the catalog was a great thing for me to experience.

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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SHE IS MY FEAR AND FEAR IS A BONE, 4min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Kylie Heewon Park
An experimental short film inspired by a spontaneous collective score written by multiple people. The director asked random people around her to contribute a sentence or two to build a narrative. Using their sentences and words as inspirations, she reinterpreted the narrative into a performance.

https://www.instagram.com/kymlpq/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I was inspired by a spontaneous collective score written by multiple people. I started the first sentence, and then I asked random people around me to contribute a sentence or two to build a narrative. Using their sentences and words as inspirations, I reinterpreted the narrative into a performance.

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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STATIC, 5min., USA, Music Video
Directed by Jamin Mears
“Static”, the first part of a trilogy, tells the story of Qira and Dr Calvin Pilgrim trying to reconnect as the EPOCH Corporation is hunting them down. Can they complete their quest before time runs out?

https://facebook.com/farewellfortune
https://twitter.com/farewellrocks
https://instagram.com/farewellfortune

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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FIRST SLOVAK PRIDE, 29min,. Slovakia
Directed by Roman Stranai

What is PRIDE? How it came about in Slovakia? Was the 2010 PRIDE parade in Bratislava the first one in Slovakia? Activists from the 2010 PRIDE team as well as Hana Fabry, Jaroslav Gyurik, which where present in queer activism in the early 90s talk about important events which led to the creation of the first PRIDE parade in Slovakia.

https://www.romanstranai.com/project/prvy-slovensky-pride

Get to know the filmmaker:
I shoot and document Pride parades in Slovakia since 2013 and almost every year I shoot and edit a short video for the Pride festival. For some time I played with the idea of creating something more meaningful than just simple edits of the Pride parades to music, so when Richard Fekete, one of the organizers of the first Pride in Slovakia came to me with an idea of interviewing the team behind the first one in Slovakia in 2010, it sparked in me the need to learn more about the history of queer activism in the country. When I eventually persuaded the activists which were present in creation of queer activism in the early 90s, it was a great opportunity to merge the history of the queer movement with the creation of the first Pride and subsequent Prides using my own footage I gathered over the years.

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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DON’T WAIT UP FOR ME, 18min., USA
Directed by Alain Alfaro
A lonely and troubled writer jeopardizes his own life when he hires a hitman on himself.

Get to know the filmmaker:
A passion for filmmaking and a need to tell a personal story through a genre lens (led me to make this film). My mission as a filmmaker is to show Latinos in complex roles that is beyond what we’re used to seeing, but also grounded in truth.

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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HAKKI RISING, 30min,. USA
Directed by David Larson
An immigrant from Turkey comes to America seeking a better life and after struggling through homelessness, finds success in the world of acrobatic pizza tossing.

Get to know the filmmaker:
I love telling stories of human resilience and capturing people doing what they are passionate about. It makes for compelling storytelling and I was moved by Hakki’s story of becoming a successful entrepreneur and his rise through the pizza industry. Once I contacted him and started getting to know him, his positivity seemed so infectious and I felt like I had to bring his story to life.

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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TRIGGERLAND, 59min., USA
Directed by Sean Edward Neukom
The filmization of Beo String Quartet’s album, triggerLand. The movie, of the same title, is a fairytale-esque gun creation myth. Alvin, a construction worker, discovers a new material. This new material leads to the invention of the first gun. As the use of the gun is explored and expanded, a young girl is accidentally killed when a firearm falls from a table. Alvin is left to contemplate his course of action.

http://www.beostringquartet.com/#beohome
https://www.facebook.com/beostringquartet/
https://www.instagram.com/beostringquartet/?hl=en

Get to know the filmmaker:
— In 2023, Beo (my string quartet) had a string of album releases through our own label. One album was triggerLand. The music and story evoked such strong imagery. Rather than produce music videos, it seemed like a natural step to produce a feature film instead.

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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MERCY, 7min., Germany
Directed by Olaf Kollmannsperger, Filipa Cavaco
“Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.” -The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

https://olafk.art/
https://www.instagram.com/kollmanns/

Get to know filmmaker Olaf Kollmannsperger:

After being at the new National Gallery of Berlin I knew I had to make a dance film at this location.
The combination of Max Richter music with David Dawson Choreography and the breath taking location was my motivation.

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 DROP, 41min., USA
Directed by Adam Joel
A young woman links minds with her boyfriend using a device that lets couples relive shared memories— but when she spots overlooked signs of abuse, she must escape before he can manipulate her memories in his favor.

https://www.thelastdropfilm.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I never learned about “emotional abuse” until after I had already experienced it. That really hurt me! As I connected with other survivors, I realized we all had that in common— we only learned about the early signs of abuse in hindsight. That’s how I was inspired to make The Last Drop— a sci-fi journey inspired by the memories of real-life survivors (like me!)

Abuse thrives in silence. That’s why I’m using this film to launch an international impact campaign to change the way we learn about abuse, heal from it, and legislate it. More specifically, we’re starting conversations about the lesser known forms of abuse— like gaslighting, digital abuse, emotional abuse, and more.

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 SILHOUETTE, 14min,. Malta
Directed by Oldrich Werner
Mila is just your average college student, studying abroad for the semester in a beautiful new country. But little does she know, her trip is about to take a terrifying turn. Haunted by a traumatic experience from her past, Mila struggles to cope with the psychological aftermath. But her handsome boyfriend is there to support her, even as he battles his own demons. As Mila tries to settle into her new surroundings, she can’t shake the feeling that someone, or something, is watching her.

https://www.thesilhouettemovie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Silhouette/100090883093121/
https://twitter.com/silhouette_2023
https://www.instagram.com/thesilhouettemovie/

Get to know the filmmaker:

As a graduate thesis for the Master of Arts in Film Studies at the University of Malta, we could choose between a long dissertation and a short film with a shorter dissertation, so I was motivated by the degree and most importantly by the idea of making film itself. As this was my first film that I wrote, produced and directed myself, it felt natural that my first thing should be horror, as that’s been my favorite genre since childhood. I had previously worked on several short films of others in various roles, but this was my first own thing, so I wanted to prove myself I can do this. Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to do so without help from my cast and crew, so big shout out to them!

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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THROUGH ROSE COLORED LENSES, 5min., USA
Directed by Arie Forma
In the midst of a toxic triangle with the love of his life, and her abusive boyfriend, Shawn Anderson, a college student blinded by love, is seeing his world fall apart.

Get to know the filmmaker:

I was motivated to make this film after living through the events of this film. This film is a culmination of the years of lessons, mistakes and wearing of my pair of “Rose Colored Lenses”. This is a very personal story that I felt needs to be told. Plus, I felt very alone going through this trauma, and felt no one could understand the pain heartbreak and toxic love has on your heart and soul. So, I wanted to reach out to those who may have felt this pain, to let them know they aren’t alone, and that others can relate to this.

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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DOM BANGS A ROCKETTE, 19min., USA
Directed by Kelly Diaz
After picking up his nephew from elementary school in the Valley, East Coast transplant and aspiring adult film actor Ray, loses track of the kid, leading to the “New York style” kidnapping of an innocent man.

Get to know the filmmaker:

Tom wrote the screenplay for ‘Dom Bangs a Rockette’ a few years before we shot it, a few years before we even moved to LA. It was a project we kept putting off – life events just seemed to pop up in the way. Then March of 2020, I was in my second year of grad school at UCLA when everything shut down. Tom and I sat at home for a few months, like everyone else, and then we thought, “Maybe this is the perfect time to make this movie. Our schedules are certainly open.” And we found that a lot of our friends, who were also grad students and filmmakers, felt the same way. We all wanted to keep working, to get back on set again. And I think making a comedy at that time was perfect. We all had enough stress; it was nice to escape into work, to throw ourselves into a project we cared about and then… laugh.

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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WHAT’S BRED IN THE BLOOD AND BONE, 5min., USA
Directed by Robin M Gee
Inspired by the work of Ida Bell Wells, whose writing documented the episodic period of lynching’s in the 1890’s, What’s Bred in the Blood and Bone is a study of space and place, girded by the collective experiences of brown bodies. “Blood” explores “blood memory” as body memory and the ways in which our collective experiences bind and fortify us as African Americans.

https://instagram.com/what’s_bred_in_the_blood

Get to know the filmmaker:

A program began at my university celebrating the suffragette movement. I found the participation of black women in the movement problematic and wrote a grant which I received. This I began to explore more deeply ida b wells as a participant and read The Red Record. It all flowed from there.

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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B&E, 12min., Canada
Directed by Jamie Robertson
When his ex-con brother, Chris, enlists his help on a break-in, Duncan Fitzpatrick doesn’t know what to do. He’d agreed to run away with his brother, but only under the belief that he had turned over a new leaf. Now stuck, waiting in the car for his brother’s return, Duncan grows restless as his brother breaks into a mysterious suburban home. There’s only one problem with Chris’s plan; someone else is in the house. As the hour grows late, Duncan enters the house, only to discover how truly lost his brother has become.

https://fmtvfilms.wixsite.com/breakingandentering
https://twitter.com/BnE_ShortFilm
https://www.instagram.com/bneshortfilm/

Get to know the filmmaker:

The biggest motivation for this film was really just proving it was something I could do. Humber gave me an excellent opportunity, greenlighting this film with myself as Director and I didn’t want to take that opportunity for granted. Entering the independent filmmaking landscape, it may be some time before I am afforded the budget and resources these capstone films received and so I really wanted to make the most of it and show the world what I’m currently capable of, and what I’m going for with my films. Throughout my time at school, I’d met a lot of great people and filmmakers as well and so, not squandering an opportunity to work with all of them provided excellent additional motivation that I think was felt throughout our year and really brought the lot of us together.

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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IN THE BACKGROUND, 4min,. USA
Directed by Daniel Gold
This film glimpses the subconscious archetypes surrounding the ideas of consciousness, duality, and reincarnation.

http://aftereverpictures.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:
– I wanted to make this film for many years and it just came very organically. It was a vision of mine that I wanted to see for myself and was intrinsically motivated to finish the 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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