SURVIVAL, 6min., UK
Directed by Qian Zhou
The year 2022, which has just passed, was a tough year for the world, and it was also a challenging year for the UK. The energy crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine war, the following economic crisis, the pound’s fall, global warming… All of this affects everyone in the world.

Get to know the filmmaker:
I made this film because I saw what was happening in 2022 internationally and in the UK, where I live. Energy crisis, inflation, global warming, and so on. At first I wanted to make a documentary about the impact of the crisis, and my producer came across a charity in Bournemouth that was sending free food and clothing to homeless people every weekend. Through my participation in the charity organization as a volunteer to serve people in need, I met a lot of different people and heard different stories. But what made me respect and surprise the most was Andy, the initiator of the charity organization and our protagonist. Therefore, I decided to make a documentary about Andy and tell the audience what a special year 2022 is through his eyes.

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DAVID, 10min,. Canada
Directed by Matthew Forbes
Based on a true story, “David” follows the life of an openly gay HIV/AIDS activist at the peak of that nightmare pandemic, dividing his time between fighting for justice in an openly homophobic society and helping a total stranger as the virus takes his life away. Tight, compact and full of passion, “David” shows a contrast of terrible, deadly hatred and the incredible compassion that can blossom despite the hatred, if we let it.

https://davidshort.film/

Get to know the filmmaker:

A had a friend named David Shannon. I knew him to be a charming, funny, sweet writer/journalist. When he passed in 2018 (aged only 56), it was only at his wake did someone mention in passing that during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 80s and 90s, he provided care and companionship to patients who had been ostracized by family and friends after being forced out of the closet by their diagnosis.

David had never spoken of this; it was only near the end of his life that he mentioned it to his brother. I felt this was a story that deserved to be told. Research was difficult, as he had told no one about it, so I crafted a short script that distilled the experience into a compact story.

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METHOD OF HEALING, 7min., USA
Directed by Jordan Lee Douglas Sims
After his daughter’s suicide, a mourning father goes to a new therapist. However, things are not as they appear.

https://www.amanwithfriends.com/methodofhealing

Get to know the filmmaker:
I’ve always loved surprising people. That’s always been one of my favorite parts of watching films: the surprise and the awe. I also wanted to challenge myself with this story (this was the largest budget and production for one of my shorts). The challenge of making a conversation between two people sitting in a room exciting and engaging, the challenge of shooting a fight scene, the challenge of putting an actor in a bunch of prosthetic make-up, and the challenge to put this all together into a cohesive narrative.

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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TURN OF FATE, 4min., UK
Directed by Melissa Stanton
A young Ballerina visits a fortune teller. What has fate got in store for her?

Get to know the filmmaker:

I was making my first film, Ghostlight, during lockdown, and I just started having dreams about a Ballerina and a fortune teller. It all started from there.

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BEIRUT PORT BLAST STORIES, 30min., Lebanon

Directed by Chérine Yazbeck

This is the story of four people who lost a family member in the Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020. A fifth person who worked nearly half a century explains the rise and fall of a port that was in the heydays the flagship of the Lebanese economy. The documentary gives voice to the families of victims who bring their brother or sister back to life for a few moments.

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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RUMI’S RUMBA, 19min., USA
Directed by George Kostopoulos
Professor Johnson, a college poetry professor, lectures his students on a poem by Rumi. When class finishes, one of the students, Olivia, approaches the professor with a question about the poem. This leads into a romantic fantasy musical sequence. Conflict arises soon after when Dean Cox and his secretary, Miss Flannigan, accuse Professor Johnson of exploiting Olivia.

Conversation with:

Director George Kostopoulos

Actor Chase Newhart
Actor Greg Amici

Cinematographer Nicola Raggi

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NOT AN ORDINARY MECHANIC, 5min., Latvia, Action
Directed by Jurijs Kruze
Nick Mecha is a person of many talents, who works as a mechanic at the workshop, but dreams to become a great dancer and perform on a big stage. But Nick’s “luck” always gets him into different tricky situations. This is one of them.

https://www.facebook.com/jurijs.kruze
https://www.instagram.com/jkruze

Get to know the filmmaker:

To be honest it was more like an improvisation, all started in a gym with a small action camera DJI Osmo Action, we filmed a funny fight video and it turned out so good that I said to our team that we gotta make a short film, only thing we need is an idea of why they are fighting and for what. All that we had in the beginning was an unfinished fight sequence.

The script was created in the last moment before shooting started.

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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WE ARE LEGENDS, 9min., Brazil
Directed by Bruna Valentini
Time as we know it first came from a young man, but little did he know, he wasn’t the only one with powers and time on his hands.

Get to know the filmmaker:

The story was created when I was younger, because when I was going through tough times, I became upset with how “time” was moving around me. The concept came from a requirement of my university in order to get my degree. There, all the students in the last year in Fashion Design had to make a fashion film as our final project and I always wished to make a short film, so I took this opportunity and joined my story and the project.

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GUESS MY PET?, USA, Drama/Horror
Directed by Grace Charles
A girl and her old friend our catching up after a falling out. Over ice cream and a guessing game it’s revealed there’s a more sinister plan to this friendly reunion.

Get to know the filmmaker:
I always wanted to make a female-driven film that revolved around a female character who just wanted to be treated fairly. In all my life I felt very similar to the main character Lilac in the sense of feeling used and not knowing what to do about it. When I came up with the idea I realized how important it was for me to give this character her chance at revenge. I thought giving her this playful and camp revenge would be a perfect way to make a story that makes you think and wonder what drove this character to want this revenge. Being able to sneakily force the audience to think about what drive someone to exact this crazy revenge was my main motivation.

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SHIFT BREAK, 3min., USA, Drama
Directed by Jake Gutwillig
During a frustrating and overwhelming day at work, Haley decides to take a break outside

Get to know the filmmaker:

I really wanted to work with Hannah, who is a great performer and friend, and find a way to tell a story that’s honest, and relatable, but without any dialogue. Just trying to explore and find ways to tell a story just using story and performance beats, as well as relying on a awesome performance to convey the main emotion.

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 DARK SIDE OF BRIGHT NIGHTS, 50min., Germany

When light pollution causes the night to disappear, a fundamental clock for life on earth is thrown out of balance. verena - verena@marco-polo-film.de

WHAT IS NATURE?, 9min., Netherlands

When talking about nature, we mostly assume that we talk about the same thing, but is that really the case? An ecologist might have a completely different perspective than an economist. Our perspective on nature very much determines how we interact with our environment. The impact of humans can be seen all around the globe. This film explores perspectives on the question: What is nature? Perhaps, nature is what people make of it. So… what should we make of it

http://jesterandwylde.com/

Get to know the filmmakers:

Answer: In our world, society and nature are not completely separated. In fact, most of the time they intermingle and conflicts can arise because of this. Our relationship with nature, and how we see ourselves in that context is important for the challenges we face today. The problem is though that most people when discussing these challenges focus on what needs solving instead of what we are actually talking about. When asking different people it becomes clear very quickly that when we talk about ‘nature’ we are not actually talking about the same thing. So before we start diving into the many problems we need to solve we first have to have a fundamental understanding of nature and our relationship to it.

SINS OF THE FATHER, 102min,. USA, Horror
Directed by Vanessa M. H. Powers
After the death of his father, Aden and his mother, Sarah, find themselves responsible for the sale of his family home – a place they thought they’d left behind. When Sarah’s friends arrive to help, the task seems almost manageable. However, as they clear out the house, they uncover secrets in Sarah’s past and the sinister nature of the cultivated community Aden was raised in…. And his father’s family is not so eager to let the sins of the past go unpunished.

https://www.sinsofthefatherfilm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Sinsfatherfilm/
https://twitter.com/sinsfatherfilm
https://www.instagram.com/sinsfatherfilm/

Get to know the producer/writer Tristan Corrigan:

The Director (Vanessa M. H. Powers) and the EP/Writer (Tristan Corrigan) have known each other since high school and had talked about doing a horror film on Tristan’s family farm. During COVID it was brought up that filming in an isolated area would be ideal and from there the idea and script was born.

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PAGAN VIRTUES, 5min., Australia
Directed by Kaylia Jade McGarry
This is a very selfish experimental film reflecting on my lust for shiny things in every way, shape or form. This project explores the virtues of divinity, devotion and despair; natural forces worshipped religiously in the human condition. I aimed to capture the energy of a pagan fire ritual. The film is carnivorous, grotesque, elegant and sinister; celebrating what becomes after the death of innocence. This is also a tribute to the last three years of oscillating between enemies and soulmates with someone until an ill-fated end midway through production, giving the film a personal depth. All footage was shot on my iPhone with me and a tripod. I intend to haunt and hypnotise viewers regardless of my lo-fi production methods.

https://www.youtube.com/@kayliajade
https://www.instagram.com/kayliajade/

Get to know the filmmaker:

• There were a number of factors that evolved over time to create this film. My love of experimental film was evoked by my film teacher at school who taught me about surrealism and how to defy conventional narratives. Covid took away my class’s opportunity to make an experimental film project, so now that’s what I desire to create the most. Ideas for this project started over a year ago when I entertained the thought of making a music video for one of my favourite songs, Say The Name by Clipping. The visual inspiration of fire, gore and a young female’s corrupted innocence were derived from the lyrics. Fast forward to this year and I was motivated to finally make this film just with my iPhone and a tripod in my apartment. I initially intended it to be somewhat of a twisted romance film, as I was living with a partner at the time. Our history resonated with a lot of the spiritual and sadistic themes present. They were featured in a few scenes, however, certain tragedies post-production caused me to remove them, giving the film a slightly vengeful context. Some of the film’s visuals, like the drawings and heart stabbing, were ironically filmed before events occurred. Nevertheless, this film was made purely for creative merit with the grotesque, surreal aesthetic I admire. I wanted to defy all the polished short films my film peers make on expensive equipment with large teams. Film is my favourite medium of art.

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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REVOLUTION X, 92min,. UK,
Directed by Matthew Philip Cannon
Revolution X is a time-twisting film of good against evil. It tells a story of humanity and the grounding, undeniable power of human will. Through the juxtaposition of positive and negative forces, the consequences of disregard to our individual purposes, parallels the liberation that comes with empathy and connection. By transcending time and reality, the dual narrative explores the debate of nature vs nurture, and their impact on the film rejects conventions of mainstream sci-fi that conforms to an action orientated spectacle, and instead focuses on the why rather than the what, allowing for a thought provoking production.

https://www.planetxltd.com/revolutionx

Get to know the filmmaker:

I love anything to do with time travel, but I wanted to try and make a film that reject the conventions of mainstream sci-fi films, and instead focuses on the why rather than the what. To produce a really gritty first film, a caustic collision of beauty and abrasion, where the abrasion slowly grinds it’s way deep into the human soul, to produce a thought-provoking kick ass Sci Fi film. Something quite cruel in parts, that mirror life at times, but then also had the sun shine, daydream. I also feel as a society we have lost connection with our spiritual side, so I wanted hints of the importance of the human soul through the film, like the Daydream charity, and I left little easter eggs in the film for people to figure out, what my next film is about, and also the three door theme that runs through the film. Ancient lost civilizations used this in most of there pyramids, it symbolizes our third eye, and the importance of balance in the world. Did you also notice the connection to the last supper painting.

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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VIOLAR, 26min,. USA, Horror
Directed by Sarah Goras
A young pregnant wife encounters her abusive past and unleashes a sinister presence that puts those around her in danger.

http://www.firedrivefilms.com/
https://instagram.com/firedrivefilms/

Get to know the filmmaker:

Originally, it was supposed to be a proof of concept for a feature screenplay but was not working in the short form so I decided to change some elements including the themes. At the time, I was experiencing difficulties with men in my life and trauma from the past so I decided to incorporate those moments in the film. I’ve never gone so personal in a film before so I felt vulnerable but liberated to have a voice about those moments. For example, at a gas station, a man shouted at me to smile, just a day after my mom passed. I literally broke down in tears. Even the sexual experiences I had faced with my first serious boyfriend and my ex-husband. After making the film, so much healing took place and what had been taken from now became something I could share that others had related to. And what better way to express pain and trauma than through horror!! It really gave me powerful metaphors for my experiences.

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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ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS KILL ONE GUY, 9min., USA
Directed by Jason Dugre
Two stay-at-home dads who take on some side-hustle assassin work sit and wait for their first target to come home, debating about the best way to do the job.

Get to know the filmmaking team:

Jason Dugre (Director/Writer/Actor): Bryan Coffee and I had an idea years ago for a pilot. We decided to pick the most pivotal scene to write so we could turn it into a proof of concept. The goal was to shoot the scene and have a finished product also be able to live on its own as a short film and sort of lure in the audience and leave them wanting more. It took finding the right Producer, who happens to be a friend of mine from High School, Michael R. Duffy, to realize our project.

Michael R. Duffy (Producer & Editor): The brilliance of Jason Dugré and his commitment to the project. It’s extremely hard to find a writer who, first, is talented, but two, isn’t making up reasons for not committing. When Jay and I had lunch in April 2022, opining being cogs on other’s projects, it became crystal clear we should make something together, as adults, as professionals. I’m very proud of the results of that lunch.

Bryan Coffee (Writer/Actor): like Jay said this idea came to be years ago with a larger story in mind, but when the desire to just make something strikes it strikes hard. I clearly remember sitting across from Jason talking about what was next with the various projects we had, there was a thoughtful quiet moment in the conversation, Jason came to and declared “we are going to film something!” We selected this pivotal scene and from our favorite project and from there things slowly started to click into place. Teaming up with Michael was definitely the biggest click.

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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TO BELONG, 18min., Canada
Directed by Sarah Uwadiae
A Somali-Canadian mother and daughter share their experiences as first and second-generation immigrants in Canada on their journey to belong.

Get to know the filmmaker:
My experiences as a Nigerian immigrant in Canada, and my curiosity about the experiences of other immigrants as they adapt and try to create a home and community in a new land. It was my way of processing my journey while creating a space for others to do the same.

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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DIRT DON’T HURT, 4min., USA
Directed by Orlando Torres
After seeing the red flags more clearer, BEEBO builds up the courage to finally leave her boyfriend, regaining control to her life & valuing her self worth within her own beautiful skin.

https://www.instagram.com/otcinema

Get to know the filmmaker:

Beebo and I have both been into music videos that tell a visual story that amplifies the message to the song. So we chose Dirt Don’t Hurt from her EP and started to brainstorm who the character is in this story and what her arc would be as she goes from being a timid young lady to a confident and bold woman. We wanted to pull nostalgic elements by setting the locations in a 1950’s style diner, in an early 2,000’s photo studio, and also choosing different mediums like 16 mm film for the flashback scene to give it that subtle texture to the experience of the story.

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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KILL SHOT, 3min., USA, Thriller
Directed by Joe Petito
A man finds his grandfather’s old camera with a bizarre message

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Get to know the filmmaker:

The Russo Brothers’ company AGBO started a film contest called No Sleep Til Film Fest. They were going to release a prompt and you had 24 hours to make a film and submit it. The prompt was something along the lines of taking something in reality and changing the way it works which inspired my idea for a camera that kills.

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 DEER CAUGHT IN THE HEADLIGHTS, 22min., Netherlands, Thriller
Directed by Anil Wagemans, Idzi Wagemans
A woman’s night turns sinister when she fears the charming stranger she went home with has very different intentions.

Get to know filmmaker Anil Wagemans:
Due to the on-going pandemic at the time I didn’t make any film for quite some time. Frustrated that no (big) funds were coming through for any other project as well I wanted to just make something again. So I limited myself to just one location and two actors, so keep it producible without a budget. In the end it got kinda out of hand as we got more and more people in, but we were able to shoot something quite remarkable without budget I think.

The idea came that I wanted to play with the aspect of ambiguity. Movies with clear-cut bad guys are always very boring to me, so I wanted to toy with the idea that you’re never really sure whether or not the man is in fact a serial murderer. This way the movie unfolds in the audience’s mind and they can make their own conclusions. Heavily inspired by BURNING and THE EMBRYO HUNTS IN SECRET, but also American films like PRISONERS.

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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