BURTON ROCKS CALLING, 30min., USA
Directed by Burton Rocks
Burton Rocks’ health left him isolated. So, he started calling some of America’s biggest stars.
They answered.
Forty years later, Burton shares his fascinating collection of interviews for the first time.

Get to know the filmmaker:
Burton Rocks: I wanted to thank my parents for giving me the freedom of expression when I was so ill in my youth in hospitals. Today I am hoping this film inspires others.

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WHERE THE ROPE ENDS, 70min., USA
Directed by Baylee Sinner
In her relentless pursuit of happiness, Nichole found herself drawn to the exhilarating realm of canyoneering. Little did she know that this new daring interest would lead to a life-altering 60-foot fall, during which she would catch a glimpse of the happiness she was chasing.

http://www.wheretheropeends.com/
http://www.facebook.com/wheretheropeends
http://www.twitter.com/wtredocumentary
https://instagram.com/wheretheropeends

Get to know the filmmaker:

I met Nichole in a 6-month yoga teacher training program. At the time, I was destressing from my commercial advertising job and she had just got in the accident and was in a wheelchair, and looking for a way to get outside of her body and connect with others. I learned more about her story and was fascinated with her as a person. Within 10 minutes of our first conversation, we started talking about making a 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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OCD, 1min,. Canada
Directed by Madonna Gonzalez
“Amanda, a girl with a debilitating “tick” fights to survive the war raging within her terrifying psyche – all while stuck sitting in a Psych 101 lecture.

https://www.imdb.me/micahkelpin
https://www.instagram.com/iammicahkelpin/

Get to know Kallie Hu Writer & Story Creator:

The film is based on a true story that is very close to me and my family. It’s meant to be a raw look at the reality of its namesake, attempting to demystify the disorder and sharing what success could mean for those living with it.

It was originally written as a submission to Vancouver’s Mighty Asian Movie Making Marathon (MAMM), hosted by the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, which required me to infuse my own heritage into the story while streamlining it into a 1-minute film. I wanted to build empathy by showing how every minute living with OCD can be an intense and terrifying struggle. This struggle is only compounded by the habits of ignoring, misunderstanding, and dismissing mental health issues which are so prevalent amongst Eastern cultural groups. OCD rips back the curtain for those seeking to understand anxiety disorders within the larger context of cultural stigma, while lending a life preserver to those who already know.

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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SPARK IN THE MEADOW, 17min.,

Directed by Bernardita Llanos

Spark in the Prairie (La Chispa en la Pradera) focuses on law student Sofía Brito and her experience of sexual harassment by her professor, a renown attorney and member of the Supreme Tribunal of Chile. Sofia was his research assistant and was working with him on the three exceptions to legalize abortion in the country. Sofa was at a crossroad between women's reproductive rights and her own experience of gender and sexual discrimination by the very man who could move forward the decriminalization of abortion.

https://www.facebook.com/bernardita.llanos.52

https://www.instagram.com/talita1958

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SPARROW STREET, 93min,. USA
Directed by Billy Jack
A typical suburban neighborhood is plunged into a nightmare as an invisible, monstrous force begins picking the neighbors off, one by one. The terror outside the house is no match to the terror that forms inside the house where survival, isolation, and hunger all play tricks of the mind for a man, an expectant wife, and their unborn child. The film begs the big question and the great reveal – What is eating the neighbors?

https://sparrowstreetfilms.com/
https://instagram.com/sparrow_street_movie?igshid=MzRIODBiNWFIZA=

Get to know the director Billy Jack & writer Justin Cole:

BILLY – We wanted to create a product (Sparrow Street) that entertains people, and we achieved this based on the data from our test screen and feedback from audience members. Very exciting for us and for those who get the chance to experience this story.

JUSTIN: We wanted to scare the heck out of audiences by fusing environmentalism and horror in a completely ridiculous and unseemly way. We think we did that with Sparrow Street. It is a film like none other ever made. Think about the idea of an environmental horror – the time is rife for this kind of emerging idea. That’s the story we are telling. Mankind vs. Nature in a completely original, unique, and distinctive point-of-view. Our hope…blow the minds of our audiences. Leave them reeling with thought and meaning. That’s ultimately why we made this 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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ECHO, 15min., UK, Family/Fantasy
Directed by Jo Southwell
Echo, tells the story of Alice, a young woman so traumatized by the loss of her baby that she shuts herself off emotionally from her partner and retreats into a fantasy world where she is able to connect with the essence of the child she lost, who we call Echo. After an elaborate underwater game of hide and seek, which clearly fills her with joy, Alice comes to the realization that she must make a choice; sink down into the dark water with Echo, or come up for air where Tom is desperately searching for her.

https://www.astonmgt.com/aston-productions/
http://twitter.com/josouthwell
https://www.instagram.com/jo_southwell1

Get to know the filmmaker:

Echo is the story of loss. My journey began after I had a miscarriage..many years later when I was writing, the story of Alice appeared on the page! I have written Echo in many different versions – originally as a short story but from the moment Sara at Troy TV agreed to produce the screenplay – about a year until we were in production. Post production then took place over an additional four months. Creating Echo was no easy task and we had so many super talented people on board who all wanted to be part of the journey but it took time.

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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MANUFACTURING THE THREAT, 82min., Canada
Directed by Amy Miller
For the first time ever, a feature-length documentary is examining the issue of agent provocateurs and entrapment in Canada’s national security apparatus. Manufacturing the Threat is a thrilling and emotional film, which examines a deeply disturbing episode in Canadian history, when an impoverished couple was coerced by undercover law enforcement agents into carrying out a terrorist bombing. Further, viewers learn that this case is far from unique in the context of Canadian intelligence.

Get to know the filmmaker:

It’s an extremely important topic that has not been covered in a feature documentary to date so I felt a sense of responsibility to ensure there was at least one film that took on the subjects.

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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BAGS, 29min,. Canada
Directed by Mitch Ray
Jamie Gascoigne’s daily routine is disrupted one morning by his roommate Korey in their living room, still up from the night before with his musician friend Brody. Despite his displeasure with this development, his passive aggressive nature prevents him from confronting the issue in any meaningful way. What starts as a minor annoyance descends into a nightmarish daily reality as the events around him trigger things within him that he’s tried to repress and unlock things within him that he never realized were there in the first place.

https://www.instagram.com/bags.short.film/

Get to know the filmmaker:

The first time I met Mark McGee a few years ago he was staying at Kevin’s apartment – the same one in the film – and he emerged from his sleep and immediately cut into this deadpan bit as the passive aggressive roommate. Essentially the first scene in the film but with the roles reversed. That bit eventually served as the catalyst for the premise and the simple comedic premise of an untenable living arrangement lends itself effectively and authentically to a myriad of scenarios and social dynamics that confront uncomfortable and relatable issues, such as addiction, sexuality and repression.

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 RED LADY FROM FOLEY STREET, 10min., Canada
Directed by Tanin J. Risdon
In a new spin on urban legend slashers, we meet Beth, a teenage outcast, who, at the end of her birthday party learns that her boyfriend Jesse is cheating on her, leading her to exact her revenge on him and all of the people involved with the help of an urban legend of Beth’s own creation.

https://www.instagram.com/foleystreetfilm/

Get to know the filmmaker:
The DOP Max Humphreys and I just began watching slashers films and got really into the idea of making one ourselves. The next step was to look for writers and we got lucky enough to have Haya Abdul-Hadi and Pablo Lopez take interest in it and come up with the idea for The Red Lady from Foley Street.

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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JUST SHORT OF REALITY, 37min., Canada
Directed by Matt Alfano, Chad McFadden
Just Short of Reality is a series of shorts that are told through the genres of surrealism, silent film and dance. Co-existing in one neighbourhood, seven individuals are presented with adversity and choice in this allegorical tale.

https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/AtHome

Get to know the filmmakers:

The Golden Era, vaudeville, silent film and movement-based storytelling have always inspired both of us from when we were aspiring artists and continues to throughout our professional careers. Dance is a universal language that can be shared by everyone.

Physical narrative is a genre that we intend to modernize and reintroduce. It’s such an effective, unique and beautiful way to create. We were trusted with the opportunity to develop our series of shorts for the new digital department at the Stratford Festival,

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 MAN IN THE RED BERET, 104min., USA
Directed by Derek Bridges
Chess Master Jude Acers has set up his “World Chess Table” on Decatur Street in the New Orleans French Quarter since 1981, where he continues to play all comers for $5 a game. This is his story.

http://judeacers.com/
https://instagram.com/themanintheredberet/

Get to know the filmmakers:

I wanted to learn how to make a movie, and I’d already written a long article about Jude Acers and I knew he would be a great subject for a documentary. And I was inclined to make a documentary rather other genres because it’s perhaps the most forgiving genre when it comes to technical proficiency, which seemed important since I didn’t know what I was doing.

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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LOVE WITHOUT PAROLE, 27min., USA, Documentary

Directed by Greg Womble

Michael falls deeply in love and matrimony follows. But married life can be tough when you’re serving a life-without-parole sentence in a notorious Alabama prison. The union soon dies, but the love doesn't. When Michael is miraculously freed after serving 36 years for relatively minor crimes, will the romance be reignited?

https://www.womcom.net/love-without-parole

https://www.facebook.com/Love-Without-Parole-a-short-film-by-Greg-Womble-Elaine-Witt-108611718616646

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BRING BACK THE WHISTLE DOG, 18min., Canada
Directed by Bob Simpson
Fast food menu items come and go, but none have ignited lasting passion quite like Canadian restaurant chain A&W’s Whistle Dog. This “hot dogumentary” profiles diehard fans fighting the good fight to bring back the iconic dog.

Get to know the filmmaker:

Most of the team that worked on this film works at Rethink, A&W’s ad agency, and the Whistle Dog has always held a place in our hearts. This documentary came out of our own curiosity about it, the quirky name, the fact it’s an oddball item at a burger chain, and, most of all, the cult-like passion behind it.

When we found out A&W was bringing it back, the initial plan was to show up at a bunch of diehard fans’ homes and surprise them with Whistle Dogs, then use the best of these surprises for a TV spot. But it quickly dawned on us that dragging a film crew across the country just for a couple minutes at each stop seemed like such a waste. We had cameras, we had crew, we had super passionate fans—we had to do more with this. Our art director Ashley blurted out, “We should do a documentary!” We just laughed. A documentary! About the Whistle Dog! How ridiculous! But then we started talking about it and realized, no, there really was a story here. Let’s do it!

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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DAY FLIPPERS, 16min., USA, Dark Comedy
Directed by Isaac Cushman
The production of a home renovation TV series is disrupted by the presence of a malevolent spirit.

Interview with:

Director Isaac Cushman

Producer Dylan Samson

Cinematographer Brendan Parker

Production Designer Alex Royston

Makeup/Sound Sarah Sweet

From filmmaker Isaac Cushman:

Honestly, it was my buddy Alex Royston, who was the Production Designer on the film. I first shared the idea with him and Dylan Samson (Producer) when we were out shooting a fake Mountain Dew ad for a class. It was an idea that was inspired by films like Grave Encounters (2011) and Ghostwatch (1992), both of which feature the crew of a television program encountering actual paranormal activity. Having most of my experience in comedy writing, I thought taking an HGTV-style show and putting those characters into a similar situation would be ripe for a hybrid of comedy and horror. It was an idea I proposed as a non-school project because it seemed too “big” to do as an assignment but since we had no other ideas we liked for our upcoming final project, we moved forward with it. I was skeptical at first but Alex championed the idea and rallied the troops. I couldn’t be more grateful for that, I was right that it was going to be difficult but because of Alex’s enthusiasm for the idea, I was given an opportunity to prove to myself that I was capable of more than I thought and we made something that I am really proud of. I now see just how possible even the most insane ideas can be with the right people and a little ingenuity.

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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HOME, 13min., USA, Dance
Directed by Shari Coleman
When her parent’s domestic violent relationship comes to a head, Harley must choose between protecting her family and keeping her sanity.

Get to know the filmmaker:

Growing up, I unfortunately witnessed the terror that is a domestic violent relationship. Though it did get me thinking about how the scope of what domestic violence is and who it affects is very spotlighted on the couple but how about the children? What does it do 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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STRIKE, 5min., USA, Action/Thriller
Directed by Oliver Li. Cinematography by Teddy Jian

Get to know the filmmaker:

Action is a genre that I have always wanted to try, but I rarely have the opportunity to do so. Fortunately, my cinematographer, Teddy, and I got a chance to experiment with action when we audited a directing course that focused on action in films. During the course, we were assigned to shoot a dance/fist fight/chasing scene. Initially, I had planned to shoot a car chase sequence. However, after some test shooting, Teddy convinced me that it was beyond our current capabilities. Consequently, we decided to only shoot a fist fight scene that included a chasing sequence. To give the fight a story setting, I came up with a Bourne Identity-style plot.

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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HOW TO THRIVE, 96min., Australia, Documentary
Directed by Duy Huynh
Is there a secret formula to happiness? Positive psychotherapist Marie McLeod takes 7 people on a transformative journey to learn the secret formula to happiness The film’s premise is; if we offer the science of happiness to people experiencing struggle; what difference would it make? Is happiness a learnable skill and can we teach people skills to live a happy, healthy and meaningful life? With unprecedented access; the result is an intimate, heartfelt and hopeful film that offers a rare glimpse into the lives of 7 people who make incredible transforms as a result of learning ‘How to Thrive?’

http://www.howtothrivefilm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HowToThriveFilm/
https://www.instagram.com/howtothrivefilm/

Get to know producer Andrew Kelly & director Duy Huynh:

Duy Huynh, Director: As a first generation Vietnamese refugee, I have my own connection to early life adversity. Some of my earliest memories of life was being lifted into a tiny fishing trawler with over a hundred others below deck; violence at sea, loss of life, inhumane refugee camps and of course watching the consequences of this experience on family and friends.

Despite the impacts from these memories I found my way through and have always considered myself one of the lucky ones. For some of my contemporaries this experience created a lasting legacy of mental health challenges and I’ve always wished I could do more to help. What separates those of us who can undergo adversity and come through the other side ok, versus those for which adversity creates ongoing struggle. I thought if we could understand this better and package it up in a helpful way, then it would be a worthwhile mission.

This film is about some of what I’ve learnt from the sciences of thriving. Turns out there’s quite a lot of research available about how to live a happier, healthier and more meaningful life. These learnable skills are so essential in a world where loneliness and mental health challenges are steeply on the rise.

My vision is for a world where these ‘thriving skills’ are available to all of us, and film is an incredible medium to not only create this awareness but inspire action. Personal action, political action and systemic change to the way we think about mental health.

Andrew Kelly, Producer: I’d been working in the corporate film production world for some time and decided it was time to take my skills and use them for social impact. Duy presented wellbeing science and positive psychology to me and I knew this was an under-represented area we could really make a difference in. A chance meeting with our now lead presenter and Positive Psychotherapist sealed the deal for me. I knew we could make this work.

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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(UN) SEEN, 7min., India, Dance
Directed by Anjana Ghonasgi, Pratik Iyer
‘Tethered between her own worlds of captivity and escapism, Maya finds herself.’

http://www.anjanaghonasgi.com/

https://www.instagram.com/anjana.ghonasgi

Get to know the filmmaker:
– (UN)SEEN is a deeply personal story. My creative expression has always been about connecting with myself. There are certain stories & experiences that can only be expressed through a visual medium and not told in words. This film was my way of doing just that.

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 DENDROVERSE, 4min., Mumbai, Experimental
Directed by Deep Malhotra
Fear of heights, cockroaches or dark. Fear can differ; some fears are minor, while others can be big. And when you overcome them, you feel more substantial than you were as you understand they were only panic inside your head and nothing else. And you just needed a bit of courage to win over them. But what if some phobias are so real that they might kill you and the species if you don’t crush them? Maybe such fears are those you don’t mess with to save your life. This poetry can sometimes become a nightmare in reality. Is the option in our hands to choose?

https://linktr.ee/deepruptive
https://facebook.com/deepmalhotra
https://instagram.com/deepruptive

Get to know the filmmaker:

This film was made for the India Film Project (IFF), an International 50-Hr film competition with the concept of “Fear”. I thought of twisting the idea with a message that is hard-hitting and relevant in current times and the need of the hour.

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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ENTANGLEMENT, 32min,. India, Fantasy
Directed by Yashaswini Nath
A couple struggles to make sense of the past, and their vastly different versions of the bizarre event that made their relationship spin out of control.

Get to know the filmmaker:

I had been writing scripts to turn into my first film, but out of everything I’d written, this story spoke to me with the greatest immediacy. The idea came to me in bits and pieces as philosophical themes and metaphysical ruminations. Musings about emotional consequences of people and events we can’t quite make sense of, and psychological implications of realities we aren’t familiar or comfortable with. I wanted to put these questions out there to a larger audience.

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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