Herve Marcotte is back on the podcast chatting about his next experimental feature documentary. Without getting TOO flaky, Herve and Matthew take a deep dive into the meaning of life and the human psyche.

Along the Threat of the Other synopsis:

After my first long documentary, “Encounter with remarkable souls”, with focus on the meaning of life, I am exploring the concept of self-realization with two 25 years old young adults. The film is a quest for an unknown treasure that cannot be found alone. Like the red thread of a fulfilled life !

A tightrope walker, a physiotherapist, a sculptress, a researcher and several adults take turns talking about the inner life... and their relationship with others. Throughout the film, fictional scenes resonate with their words. The film is constructed in the manner of an adventure.

Director Statement

In my films, there's a symbiosis between the "actors" (not in the traditional sense) and the director, creating an authentic truth that would otherwise remain undiscovered by them.

I enjoy incorporating elements such as animation, improvisation, experiments, games, self-thoughts. For examples, in "Encounter with Remarkable Souls," I incorporate scenes inspired by the emperor Marcus Aurelius, in "Fraternity is Contagious !" improvisational segments, in “Along the Thread of the OTHER" fictional scenes shot in black & white. Philosophical says constellate my films. I am meticulous in ensuring these elements resonate harmoniously with the documentary's themes, which originate from my thoughts but are never told during filming.

My films, directly or indirectly, revolve around universal love, portrayed by young characters (either in age or spirit), who offer viewers another perspective. I plan to give even more space to the Divine in my future works.

I film alone.

All my documentaries, under small budgets, are of cinematic quality, edited with the assistance of a professional team, including professional editing, music composition, sound design, and mixing.
Last but not least, all my films are films of faith.

——-

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Simone is the last Greater Bamboo Lemur in Ranomafana, a protected rainforest in south-east Madagascar. After a happy start in life, surrounded by family, Simone finds herself alone, as members of her family disappear one by one. Three years on, and she’s still alone - a social animal, a primate, just like us; how has this isolation affected her mental state? Through primatologist Dr. Patricia Wright and researcher, Alba Schielen, we witness Simone’s desperate bid for companionship, as she takes a bold step for survival. At last Simone is happy again, but is all as harmonious as it seems?

https://www.instagram.com/ct_wildlife/

Director Statement

I had a chance encounter with the lemur featured in my film whilst trekking in the rainforest during my honeymoon in Madagascar in 2022. Upon hearing that this lemur was the last of her species in the area, I was eager to find out more about her and tell her story, which serves as a poignant reminder of how the global biodiversity crisis is affecting animals on a personal level.

——

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Heal avec Delphine, 30min., USA

Directed by Delphine Breyne

Heal avec Delphine is a deeply personal docuseries that follows individuals navigating life after cancer, trauma, alopecia, and other challenges. Each episode invites viewers into a powerful journey of reconnection and renewal—beginning with an intimate look at the person’s world, followed by a transformative beauty restoration at Delphine’s atelier, and ending with a meaningful surprise to mark their new beginning. Through heartfelt storytelling, emotional connection, and light-touch artistry, the series introduces a new era of beauty and healing, where feeling truly seen becomes the start of renewed self-confidence, emotional healing, and personal transformation.

https://www.instagram.com/delphineeyebrowcouture/

——-

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HOLIDAY SPECIAL, 91min., USA

Directed by Harry Roseman

Community, Celebration, Conversation, Chores; these are the key themes of this experimental documentary. Four days of shopping for Thanksgiving dinner as well as the meal itself are

the ostensible subject of this film. Community is reflected in the interaction with people while shopping as well as the camaraderie of the dinner quests. The quotidian nature of these tasks is subverted by the abstract camerawork and narrative structure, offering the viewer a new perspective on both. The vertical orientation of the film reaffirms looking ahead as we follow the trajectory and shape of the shopping cart moving down the narrow aisles, as well as following the gaze of the filmmaker as he walks forward.

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Bill W Conscious Contact, 58min, USA

Directed by Kevin Hanlon

Conscious Contact explores the personal spiritual quest of Bill W and his thirst for transcendence.

www.instagram.com/billwconsciouscontent

http://www.billwconsciouscontact.com/

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Dancing With Waves, 29min., USA

Directed by Emmitt Thrower

Tammi Judge, the founder of a transformative dance program, leads young dancers on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth, using the power of movement to heal, inspire, and change their lives forever.

Watch Emmitt’s other short film, DISABLED ARTIST SHOWCASE: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/watch-disabled-artist-showcase

https://www.instagram.com/truth_thrower

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FIELD REPORT | FLACK FAMILY FARM, 15min., USA
Directed by Travis Limoge
Nestled in the hills of Enosburg Falls, Vermont Flack Family Farm has been contributing to the vibrance of their community through their symbiotic work in the soil for nearly a half a century.

https://www.instagram.com/underblkflag/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-field-report

What motivated you to make this film?
As a Chef I have spent the last decade of my career dedicated to researching and implementing community based solutions to the industrial food complex. I have made many impactful relationships with farmers who are working hard to revitalize their local food sheds and felt inspired to share their stories as the majority of the documentaries currently available on food and food production are either glossy or focused on a specific problem rather than demonstrating the collaboration between farmer, soil, and community, the struggles they face and the actions of resilience they take on a daily basis.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
We had a good idea of the message we were trying to relay in the film and when we set out on the farm to shoot the story unfolded chronologically as we were working hand in hand from harvest to production of the fermented products, when we got to post it was quick work as we were smitten with the story we had captured, all told the whole film from start to finish took a month.

How would you describe your film in two words!?
Thought Provoking

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The organic nature of the production didn't really come with obstacles, just lessons, Flack Family Farm welcomed us in and took the reins, we just followed along.

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
It was wonderful to receive feedback from the audience, it was touching that they were able to really connect with the message and the feedback let us know that we had captured the story we were trying to tell.

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Med Selkies, 11min., UK
Directed by Kelly Ann Buckley
Med Selkies is a poetic film exploring a near-future climate crisis where land is ravaged, and a lone human drifts at sea. Succumbing to the depths, the human encounters an ancestral, aquatic force – beings who once diverged from humanity to adapt to life beneath the waves.

https://www.instagram.com/k_a_b_art_n_sound

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

~ This was an expansion of a project I did for Focal Point Gallery – a wonderful contemporary arts gallery in SouthendonSea, UK. I was lucky enough to be commissioned to create an exhibition for their FPG Sounds programme. My project – Echoes in the Fossils – was a sound-led audiovisual 5 part piece – focused on rising sea levels and lost past & imagined future soundscapes, ranging from Mesolithic to Anthropocene epochs, which touched upon futuristic polymer-human hybrids. Med Selkies was a continuation of that exploration, after Echoes in the Fossils had finished. I am interested in the Aquatic Ape theory and the idea that there may be some human cousin out there in parts of the ocean we don’t know about. Med Selkies evolved from my thinking about that, and what may happen if we are forced to return to the ocean, living with them, because of climate change. This was combined with the thinking about humans carrying micro plastics in their bodies vs the plastic eating microbes scientists are now working with. What if these grow huge, and we become the food? It’s all very mixed up thinking and dreamlike and I suppose this vibe was carried through to the film

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INTERWOVEN, 24min., USA
Directed by Dawn Carpenter
In the wake of the textile industry’s decline, a community in North Carolina fights to reclaim its economic future through innovative worker-owned cooperatives and sustainable practices, transforming the remnants of their industrial past into a beacon of hope and resilience for future generations.

http://www.interwoven-film.com/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-interwoven

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My Block My Hero, 25min., USA

Directed by Gina D'Onofrio

Jahmal Cole is the founder of My Block My Hood My City, a Chicago-based non-profit with a mission to inspire youth and empower local communities. He has been shot twice in his day-to-day life, an unfortunate reality that the teenagers and communities he has dedicated the organization to uplifting face on a daily basis in the murder capital of the United States. By leading community-driven efforts, Cole has made it his goal to build a better world one block at a time, while positively impacting the lives of the teens who grow up there. Through the Explorers program, My Block My Hood My City enables youth from Chicago’s divested neighborhoods to discover the world beyond their blocks, by taking them on enriching experiences across the city and the country that open the doors to new possibilities. In their latest adventure, the Explorers went behind the scenes at the Shedd Aquarium to learn how researchers are working to preserve the world's endangered coral reefs.

http://www.youreverydayheroes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/youreverydayheroes/

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

 Jahmal Cole is doing amazing work with teenagers through My Block My Hood My City in Chicago, where I'm also from, and I've read quite a few articles about him. When I was tasked with finding a "hero" who was really impacting the community, asking if he was willing to participate was a no brainer.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

Around a year and a half.  There was a lot of coordination between MBMHMC and the Shedd Aquarium, where they allowed us to film the teenagers on an Exploration that involved going behind the scenes and propagating coral. The editing process afterwards was also lengthy.

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RISING TIDES, 103min,. USA
Directed by Charlie Spickler
Rising Tides is the story of how climate change is affecting the fishing communities on the East Coast, the Coral in the Keys and the domino effect it has on the various regions. We are looking at the Science of Climate change and the politics of what is and what is not being done in Congress.

http://www.risingtidesfilm.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

I read an article in the New York Times about the Peconic Bay Scallops dying before they could be harvested. I grew up out on Long Island, so this became personal for me. That led me to looking at the Blue Crabs down in Maryland and the bleaching coral down in Miami and the Keys and next thing you know, – Climate Change doc.

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I was overwhelmed. Especially some of the comments that were made that literally mimicked my reasons for making the film, I wanted this film to be accessible and understandable for people with no experience with climate change and or the science of global warming. I wanted to present this information in a way that was understandable, Based on the comments I think I succeeded in doing that.

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PLASTIC TOURISM, 18min., Indonesia

Directed by Ira Setiawati

“Plastic Tourism” is more than a documentary; it challenges viewers to confront uncomfortable truths. It is a call to action and testament of the delicate balance between human leisure and environmental responsibility.

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What motivated you to make this film?

There are many plastic trashes on beaches & we have tried hard to solve it by many ways but not effective enough to solve it. So we hope this movie can open eyes of many tourists, business people on beaches, government & local people to be aware more about these plastic trashes & together solve it well.

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I was so touched & happy that other people in other part of earth appreciate this movie well & pay attention to the earth’s critical condition at this moment.

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VOICES FOR MADIDI, 24min., Canada
Directed by Jonathan Derksen
Bolivia’s Madidi National Park is considered to be the most biodiverse place on planet earth. The Uchupiamonas people, who call the park home, are in a constant battle against forces eager to exploit the protected area for its hydroelectric potential, hardwoods and gold. In this documentary, we hear from of the eco-warriors at the front lines.

https://www.instagram.com/jonathanderksen/

Get to know the filmmaker:

The Madidi area of the Bolivian Amazon is perhaps the most biodiverse place on earth. I first visited the area in 1982 as a teenager, when a group of friends and I ventured down the Beni River in a motorized dugout canoe during the rainy season, only to almost meet our fate in deadly rapids, whirl pools and a maze of giant tree snags. Fortunately, we were taken in by some Moseten hunters, who fed us and gave us shelter until the rains abated and we could carry on.

I returned to the area in the nineties as a photojournalist on a national parks beat, then, in 2007 as an expedition leader. In 2008, I filmed with National Geographic on Bolivia’s infamous “Death Road” traversing the Andes to the Amazon. In 2016 and 2017, I worked on a coffee table book “Madidi: an uncertain future” with photographer Sergio Ballivian.

On each expedition, I interacted with the extraordinary Uchupiamonas people, who taught me the ways of the jungle and the profound importance of protecting such unparalleled biodiversity. They also educated me about the various existential threats to the region and its indigenous people. This lit a fire under me.

In 2023, I returned with a film crew in hopes of bringing their story to the rest of the world, culminating in “Voices for Madidi”, a bilingual expression of the eco-warriors serving the front lives of a little-publicized battle.

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CATHY & HARRY, 40min., USA
Directed by Marta Renzi, Daniel Wolff
A revealing and humorous double-portrait of Catherine Murphy and Harry Roseman whose work is in collections from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Metropolitan Transit Authority. “Cathy & Harry” documents how their lives revolve in joyous, dizzying intensity around work, food, friends, and each other.

Get to know the filmmakers:

What motivated you to make this film?
We thought these two were special people, whose work and relationship should be documented.

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
We were pleased that the message came across – and a little surprised that the message seemed to be so much about their relationship.

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WHAT MAKES AN ARTIST?, 10min., Lebanon
Directed by Raafat Abou Daka
“What Makes an Artist” is an introspective documentary that delves into the lives of the internationally renowned sculptor brothers Assaf, exploring the unexpected paths that led them to their craft. The film peels back the layers of their fame to reveal the human side of their journey, offering a rare glimpse into their early struggles and the alternate careers they nearly pursued.

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?
The idea that people always strive to create something special and achieve a goal. Whether an artist or a doctor, everyone wants to stand out and prove themselves, often to their parents. I believe this is a universal drive, and I wanted to capture it from the perspective of someone famous—showing that even they were once like us.

What were your initial reactions to the audience feedback?
I was happy to hear the details they shared—it showed they were really focused while watching the film.

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AMERICANS SMELL GOOD, 66min,. USA
Directed by Emir Cakaroz
The film combines the filmmaker’s story in the U.S.A. with people from different social, racial, and ethnic backgrounds that he wouldn’t have met if he hadn’t come to this country. It explores the experience of being in between many cultures when living in a foreign land.

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?
Immigration, a sense of belonging, connection, and isolation were always occurring themes in my films. However, I was mostly focusing on my family’s immigration from Bulgaria to Turkey and its long-term effects in my previous films. This time, I realized I had enough experience to make a film about my immigration from Turkey to the USA and I made it!

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
It was amazing! It was a great feeling to see people understand what you wanted to do, and they actually enjoyed the film. It was also great to see how the audience made personal connection with the film.

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Watch Małgorzata Szyszka’s films on the WILDsound Platform:

SPIRIT OF SWEETNESS: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/watch-spirit-of-sweetness

Why, in today's civilized world, do we still use the methods and means of healing bodies and souls used by our grandparents? Who really are Whishperes? How does modern psychology look at rituals and whisherers? The tradition of whispering/praying in the Ortodox Church language is passed down from generation to generation. The film asks many questions and seeks answers from experts in various fields: therapists/psychologists, anthropologists, ethnographers, but also residents of Podlasie.

GREEN SWEATER: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/watch-green-sweater

When you lose everything, you have nothing And the body will deceive you. It appears like a bird from paradise .. Longing for a green sweater Longing for a parrot blouse Longing for the Mexican frill Longing for a green sweater. For yourself, for all of you.

DOCTOR OF THE "POLISH EAGLES": https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/watch-doctor-of-the-polish-eagles

The film tells about the work of doctor Janusz Garlicki of the Polish national football team, which won, among others, the Olympic gold medal during the time of coach Kazimierz Górski.

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CHHAVA, 39min., India
Directed by Anurag Srijit, Arman Shaikh

Produced by by Sudeep Mehta
Set in the storied Apshinge Military Village in Maharashtra, ‘Chhava’ offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of families bound by centuries of military service, from the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to today. Crafted with care by first-time student filmmakers, the documentary weaves together personal sacrifices and enduring bravery, revealing the profound human spirit at the village’s heart.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32117939/
https://instagram.com/chhava.official

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ECHOES OF DREAMS, 84min., USA
Directed by Vanessa Mariveles
Reyna, a struggling DJ in Silicon Valley, has to pivot her career in order to survive. Having the worst year ever, she is forced to join the “gig economy” so she can pay rent while living with her pushy mother. While dating women for the first time, she finds herself in comical situations. Through determination, self-discovery, and the power of faith, Reyna learns to overcome adversity and finds her true calling and love.

http://marivelesproductions.com/
https://instagram.com/mariveles.productions

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated me to make Echoes of Dreams was wanting to tell an underdog story mixed with romance and comedy since those are my favorite genres. I wanted to write something quickly and get it made in 2023 so I decided to tell my own story.

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MITOTE – SMOKEY MIRROR, 9min,. South Korea
Directed by Jana Sturmheit
In today’s world us humans have developed a complex social system of rules and expectations. Children are taught from the day they are born on how they are expected to behave. They are told what is right and wrong, what is possible and what not. That is, by the standards of the children’s parents and other people in their surroundings, in other words the society they grow up in.

https://instagram.com/jaystorm24.mov

Get to know the filmmaker:
It was not a graduate requirement to make a film in my department of video content design, but I felt like it would be the perfect opportunity to create my first work as director and choreographer. I have choreographed stage performances before but never a video and I wanted to portray the vision that I had inspired by the opening excerpt from the book “The Four Agreements” by Miguel Ruiz talking about Mitote – the smokey mirror.
When I have a dance vision, it plays like a movie in my head, rather than a stage performance. Often I find dance visuals intensely focused on the movement rather than the cinematic aesthetics and depth that different camera angles, movement and shot size and cuts add on the final film. I find one of the decisive factors are the intimate closeness that you can create through a camera that is impossible in a stage performance. A second factor is that the camera can move in between the dancers, which a spectator of a stage performance can’t either in most cases.

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