BUZZ Pollen Nation, 9min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Mike Machian
Bombus occidentalis, the Western Bumblebee, was one of the most common species found in the western US. Since the late 90’s, this species has experienced steep decline. Kellie Hayden volunteers her time to help track and conserve native bumblebee species.

From Mike Machian:

I had known Kellie for a few years and she had been sharing her journey to citizen scientist on social media. Like most of my documentaries i thought “this is neat, other people should know about this.”

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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PIT & PENDULUM, 27min., Canada, Drama/Horror
Directed by J. Aldric Gaudet
It is the terrorizing story of a person sentenced to death who becomes the plaything of their jailers. They are sent walking through a dark room in hopes they will fall into a pit. When that doesn’t happen they are tied down on a table to watch the painfully slow descent of a swinging pendulum with a sharp-edged blade aimed at their stomach. Escaping from the blade did not mean freedom. The walls of the dungeon grow blistering hot first, then squeeze together to push them to the brink of the pit, before being saved at the very last second.

https://www.pit-pendulum.com/

From J. Aldric Gaudet on the obstacles he faced making the film:

Walking the tightrope between showing too much and showing too little, while at the same time complimenting Poe’s words without embellishing.

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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QUEER MONGOL, 16min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Brandt Miller
Queer Mongol follows four characters over the course of Mongolia’s LGBTQ+ Pride Festival, who embody a diversity of gender and sexual identities. The film is a meditation on queerness in the non-west and a nuanced glimpse into a nascent movement on the Central Asian Steppe.

From Brandt Miller:

I’ve been working with the queer community in Mongolia for 16 years, first as a study abroad student doing research. I then returned to Mongolia on a Fulbright Fellowship in 2009 and created a multimedia exhibition about the very underground community back then—the first of its kind in the nation. Back then, the exhibition had to be faceless because it was too dangerous for individuals to reveal their identities to the public. I helped co-found the Mongolian LGBT Center and returned in 2019 to film Queer Mongol. I feel a deep connection with the place. The story of the Mongolian LGBT movement is a story I will be documenting my whole life.

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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WE’RE NOT GOING BACK!, 79min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Pamela Torrance
Pro-choice documentary film to promote awareness of what’s at stake before and now that Roe v Wade has been overturned.

https://torranceproductions.com/were-not-going-back-1
https://www.facebook.com/RoeRoeRoeYourVote
https://www.instagram.com/roeroeroeyourvote/

From Pamela Torrance:

I wanted to do something impactful to support reproductive rights when I saw Roe v Wade being threatened in late 2021.

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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BLOOD BUDDIES, 12min., Canada, Drama
Directed by Suzanne Marie Moreau
A friend in need is a friend indeed – or are they? Two best childhood friends go to their first summer camp together – and it tears them apart.

From the filmmaker:

I felt motivated to tell the female experience of puberty including that momentous occasion, a first period, since it seemed to be missing from the screen. I looked into ‘first period’ stories and discovered an online trend was shaping up among today’s generation. It made sense emotionally and theoretically to try to capture the experience and how it coincided with friendships in a sensitive, vulnerable way with a mature perspective that drew from my own remembered feelings.

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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BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE, 88min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Melissa Tittl
Award Winning executive producer and director Melissa Tittl follows Best-selling author and entrepreneur, Billy Carson as he uncovers the truth coming from an unknown signal. Carson has spent most of his life studying the unseen to uncover why humanity is here and where we came from. When he discovers a NASA image depicting an unknown object, Carson knows this could be the answer to his questions. Known as The Black Knight Satellite, Carson contacts a team of renowned scientists, authors, and researchers to uncover its mysteries. We embark on a journey from cracking unknown signals to tracking down evidence of extraterrestrial communication in government documents. He finds this story goes back to our ancient origins, and what he uncovers about humanity is more than just the story of a satellite. It’s a signal that could rewrite the future of our species.

Director Statement

I made this film because I was always fascinated with the story of the mysterious Black Knight Satellite. Years later when I heard how passionate Billy Carson was about the topic and his views on where he believed it originated from, I thought this would be an opportunity to open up this investigation in a new way. There are many twists and turns throughout the film, suggesting there is more than one outcome. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey of working with Billy and gaining his knowledge.

Interview conducted by Matthew Toffolo

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 DEAD THAT LIVE, 9min., USA, Drama/Horror
Directed by Mark Oguschewitz
A lonely zombie must fight for his life during the zombie apocalypse

From the filmmaker:

Writer/Producer Mario Mabe brought me the 7-page script and I immediately fell in love with the last page and a half.

This is where the script turned into something different – it showed some real humanizing elements still present within the zombie character. Unlike most zombie films, this script took the zombie’s perspective and challenged us to understand him. The zombie wasn’t just a mindless body walking around trying to kill people. I thought that was interesting and wanted to explore that idea more.

Interview conducted by Matthew Toffolo

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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LILI, 15min., Puerto Rico, Drama/Thriller
Directed by Brian Rios
A father and daughter must cross the border in order to find a better life, but the daughter cannot speak.

From filmmaker Brian Rios:

My main motivation was to humanize and make people feel empathy for the immigrants coming into America, especially the children that were being separated from their parents. I wanted to make a short film that could get to the emotional core of an audience member no matter what their personal politics are.

Interview by Matthew Toffolo

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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PULLING THE GOALIE, 23min., USA, Drama
Directed by Hiag Avsharian
“Avsharian has cleverly framed his film about male infertility from a conventionally male perspective using hockey as a metaphor to provide both context and levity. Sport provides an immediate connection to an uncomfortable and embarrassing topic with both situations and language that are laughingly familiar to both men and women. As an entry into the increasingly complex and demoralizing process of the infertility treadmill about which men frequently feel baffled and disengaged, Avsharian uses that parallel to create a deeply personal and compelling narrative.

http://www.ptgmovie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pullingthegoaliemovie
https://www.instagram.com/ptgmovie2022/

From the filmmaker:

I have been writing this screenplay on and off again after the birth of our first child Megan (with the help of infertility treatments), in 2009. As emotionally difficult as our infertility journey was at times, I became aware of how much more difficult the journey had been for others (e.g. multiple miscarriages). I also learned that infertility is relatively common and on the increase as couples wait until later in life to get pregnant while at the same time nearly all pop culture gives us the sense that it is easy to get pregnant. Furthermore, stories are almost always about men resisting their wives’/girlfriend’s desire to start a family, which works for drama and comedy but greatly misrepresents men, and especially men going through infertility. Lastly, and importantly, infertility treatments are expensive and insurance coverage varies widely based on where you happen to live. Thankfully we could afford the level of treatment we needed, but I thought it would be a social injustice if a couple couldn’t have a child because they couldn’t afford treatments. All in all, I felt like this was a story that I needed to at least try and tell once it had rooted itself in my head.

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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FIGURES, 20min., Canada, Action
Directed by Jamie Hegland, Jade Yurich
A Special Forces officer turned crime syndicate operative uncovers the site of a drop being conducted by one of the world’s most dangerous, underground criminal organizations. With his syndicate’s mission of eradicating this rival organization, he infiltrates the drop site in an attempt to recover a mysterious item and locate the group’s notorious leader. However, things go astray when he is unexpectedly forced to deal with one of their organization’s most reputable mercenaries. Under unforeseen circumstances, he must use his newly acquired skills and act quickly in order to accomplish his mission and survive this encounter.

https://instagram.com/figuresfilm

From the filmmakers:

Jamie: In my opinion the biggest obstacle we faced in completing this film was being able to effectively shoot the entire film in a short timeframe with the small amount of resources we had available to us. In total we had six days of filming but we could have easily taken ten days (if given the proper time/money/resources). There is one location in the film that accounts for more than half of the film’s runtime. Initially we planned to shoot it in one night, a task that proved to be too ambitious and as a result we had to plan a second day at that location to finish what needed to be filmed, and even reshoot several portions. Having to completely tear down the set and clean up the space only to come back months later and recreate the same set environment with differing materials proved to be a challenge but we were up to it.

Jade: Locking the final cut. There were so many scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor and this film could have easily run over 30 minutes. We knew we had to boil down on what the intention of this project was. A badass fight film with a story that keeps the audience engaged and in anticipation of what’s next. Cutting 11 minutes worth of story out did that in a more concise and impactful way.

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 AFTERMATH, 7min., USA, Poem
Directed by LaChelle Joy Hunt
LaChelle Hunt’s “The Aftermath”, is a moody Common Era drama atop the windy seaside hills of Point Reyes. Evelyn arrives in California in 1912 after traveling across America to pursue her dreams once shared with another. She deals with being alone on this journey and looks through her darkness to find a new light.

https://www.instagram.com/lalumierefilms

From LaChelle on her biggest obstacle making the film:

Myself. Advice to other filmmakers, don’t let your mind stop you from creating something! Just do it and then if it works great and if it doesn’t you will learn no matter what! But in terms of physical obstacles filming outdoors was definitely challenging. We were lucky to have so much sun but had some pretty windy moments. The wind made it hard to shoot but it also looked great on camera.

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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REFUGIO, 9min., Bolivia, Documentary
Directed by Rebecca Basaure
Sergio, a 27 year old environmental engineer, veterinary student and environmental activist in Bolivia makes it his life’s mission to save animals and the vulnerable ecosystems we depend on. His journey takes us to Senda Verde, an animal refuge in the jungle with over 900 wild animals rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. Sergio and Senda Verde work to inspire us to take action and create a world that is kinder and more responsible with nature.

http://www.co-labs.us/

https://facebook.com/rebeccabasaure

https://instagram.com/rbasaure

From Rebecca Basaure:

As a filmmaker, I am very passionate and motivated to use film to teach, learn and inspire people about conservation. The stakes are so high and giving people who deserve a platform to speak up about environmental degradation and climate change, is not only important but necessary.

In 2019, fires were raging in Bolivia, largely as a result of intentional burning to convert forests to farmland. As our forests continue to burn and our governments continue to put profit over life, it is hard not to feel powerless and betrayed. We want to call them out and make them accountable for not only allowing but fueling these environmental disasters. And we should. But we often overlook those who tirelessly fight to protect our ecosystems, those who save and protect wildlife, and who dedicate their lives to conservation. This film was made to celebrate those people.

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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HAPPY 4 U, 9min., USA, Comedy
Directed by Shannon Coffey - https://www.instagram.com/coffey/
happy 4 u is a short film that explores the dynamics of a latinx friend group navigating the entertainment industry that demands competition and tries to diminish community.

From Nikki Osborne - https://instagram.com/nikki0h

The #1 motivating factor was a tight deadline for a short film competition that presented itself sort of out of nowhere! Myself and others involved happened to have the time and flexibility (which almost never seems to happen) so we had to take advantage of that divine timing.

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 PLACE TO HIDE, 11min., USA, Drama
Directed by Eámonn Wrightstone
Charlie and his mother, Laura, are on the brink of poverty, living out of a motel room they rent monthly. His mother, in late-stage dementia, requires constant care; leaving him unable to work. Receiving no help from his absent father, Charlie resorts to sex work at night to get the money he needs to care for his mother.

https://www.ejwdp.com/a-place-to-hide

From the filmmaker:

On a thematic level what really motivated me to make this film was just getting older. College is wrapping out for me in less than a year and this was the second to last film I would make in school. Seeing my parent’s over the holidays just reminded me that they’re getting older too. My dad has had cancer 3 times, he’s survived every single time, but what if it comes back? All of these questions surrounding my parents, their well-being, and my future seemed to hit together. I was lost. What does adulthood mean and what do I want my life to be? There has been a lot of loss in my family and at the age of 14 becoming suffocatingly aware of your parent’s mortality is not only frightening, but it’s a stark reminder of your own. ‘A Place to Hide’ sets out to explore how far we will go for the ones we love, the failures of our economic/healthcare systems, and coming into adulthood too soon.

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 LOVE SONGS OF OEDIPUS REX, 21min., Canada, Documentary
Directed by Luke Sargent
Documentary about musician Benjamin Hackman (The Holy Gasp) processing personal loss and heartbreak, through creating a massive concept album.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3303039/?ref_=fn_al_nm_2

From the filmmaker:

Filming was a pleasure, but also a real challenge to do all by myself. I’d do things like plant the Zoom audio recorder in one room, and then shoot into that room from another room to make it feel like there was a bigger crew. Also, because we were shooting in the same studio for the whole time, I prepared by listening to the temp-tracks of these songs (which sort of act like another character in the piece) and tried to establish a visual theme for each song. That way it wouldn’t feel repetitive or boring in the edit.

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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MATCH DAY, 14min., USA, Family
Directed by Clay Randel
After watching her favorite team lose in dramatic fashion, a young soccer fan must navigate the stages of loss with the help of her recently divorced father.

http://www.clayrandel.com/matchday
https://www.instagram.com/clay.film.foto/

From Clay Randel:

Two years ago the sports world paused while Covid redefined our society. After months of anticipation, live sports came back and though it looked and felt different, I was overjoyed with the return of something familiar, my fandom. My optimism and expectations were quickly crushed while I watched my team give listless performances on the way to unexpected losses. I was confused and devastated. This experience is the inspiration that led to me writing the script “Match Day.”

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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BLURRED LINES, 12min,. UK, Recreation
Directed by Corry Raymond
As musician Robin Thicke reaches fame and critical acclaim for his hit record Blurred lines, he is sued by the Marvin Gaye family estate who claim he stole the song.

https://www.corryraymond.com/blurred-lines
https://www.instagram.com/blurredlinesmovie/

From Corry Raymond:

The biggest obstacle from the very beginning was casting. I knew I had to find a cast that could convincingly portray the real life people – and it wasn’t just Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, but the legal team and the cast of the music video as well. A few people said to me it wouldn’t be possible, but in the end, I found the perfect cast of people. Perfect not only in terms of their acting skills, but as collaborators as well.

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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WONDER WHEEL, 11min., USA, Drama
Directed by Caleb John Cushing
A couple goes on a date at an amusement park.

From Caleb John Cushing:

There was a really quick turnaround from inception to execution to editing. Probably 6 weeks overall. I first pitched the idea to my creative partner Joshua Ster in my living room, and whenever I can make him laugh I know that I have something worth developing. I wrote the outline and sent it to Bahar Beihaghi, the actress, who graciously agreed, and then we all got in a group chat and scheduled a time where we could go down to Coney. We only shot in one two hour period on one day, and then since it was all one take the editing process was relatively quick and painless as well. So I’d say about 6 weeks from “here’s this idea” to hitting final export.

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 ON ONE, 5min., USA, Drama
Directed by Jack Wolf Perry
A fierce acting coach uses intense techniques to get a performance out of his shy new student.

From Jack Wolf Perry:

The full process took about 3 weeks. The filmmaking class had about one week to write, one week of production where each director got one day dedicated to their film, and then a week of editing before we premiered all of our short films together.

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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NEIN FRIENDS, 14min., USA, Drama
Directed by Lily Micheline Kaplan
A college junior’s patience, courage, and perception are challenged at a surprise birthday dinner, attended by an assortment of nine odd guests, but nein friends.

From Lily:

I wrote the first draft of Nein Friends in November in my screenwriting class at Northwestern and hoped to submit it to a Northwestern Film grant but was hesitant. A few days before the grant application was due I got covid and called my hilarious friend Annie who ended up working morning to night helping rewrite all the dialogue and transforming the characters with me. After submitting with minutes to spare we went on to a round of interviews, pitches, and roundtables. Once selected we teamed up with our amazing producers Arwen-Vira Marsh and Joel Braunstein who helped assemble a dedicated crew of 30 and a talented cast of 10. We filmed for one weekend in the Spring and premiered at the Studio22 premiere at Northwestern on June 4th, 2022.

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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