WILD TERRITORY, 27min., USA
Directed by Samuel Steiner Riley
Wild Territory explores the relationship between a daring wildlife photographer, Etienne Littlefair, and the vast freshwater ecosystems that define Australia’s far north. From free-diving in murky water to find crocodiles and rare turtles, to spending days on end staking out drying riverbeds for parrots and finches, Etienne and his wife Cara go to extreme lengths to photograph rare and under-appreciated species – all with the hope to spread awareness and appreciation for the wildlife and waterways they have come to care so much about. This film is a combination of beautiful imagery, exceptional wildlife, and true human connection with nature. It is a testament to the importance of protecting what we have before it’s gone.

Get to know the filmmaker:

My initial motivation for creating the film was Etienne’s extraordinary underwater photography of aquatic freshwater reptiles. The reason that his photography stood out to me was three-fold. Firstly, it is no secret that swimming in the Northern Territory is notoriously dangerous due to the prevalence of Saltwater Crocodiles, and he is undoubtably the only person doing this type of photography in the region. Secondly, he is representing a largely unseen, little known, and widely misunderstood selection of wildlife that is generally swept under the rug and poorly prioritized when it comes to conservation policy and public opinion. And thirdly, I felt that the range of photography that his work encompasses tied together various realms of a larger ecosystem that is critical to the preservation of Northern Australia’s beauty and biodiversity.

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 TALE OF BILLY O’C, 100min,. Ireland
Directed by Pete Harris
In 1970s rural Ireland, the murderer of an IRA safe house operative, must be stopped before executing his master plan.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550225274205
https://www.instagram.com/the_tale_of_billy_oc/

Get to know the filmmaker:

When I first started coming to Ireland from Australia over eight years ago I was swept up in the romantic mystique of the land and people like most tourists. There’s a magical quality about the place with its music, castles, cosy pubs and dramatic landscapes that just make you want to swing a pint and befriend people. After spending a lot more time here I’ve noticed in myself that I’m starting to take that first impression for granted like the locals do, so I wanted to make this film sooner rather than later to try to capture that original feeling of mystique and warmth in the style of the movie.

This being my debut film, I didn’t want to confuse things with lots of mad action scenes and VFX and just wanted to concentrate on telling a compelling story. Personally, I feel that a lot of modern films have become too much about the spectacle and telling a unique and interesting story still holds a lot of importance for audiences and that can often be overlooked. So, I really tried to strip it back to a story that isn’t predictable, and I wanted to avoid having the audience feel like they’ve seen this story in some form before, by keeping you wondering what’s going to happen next.

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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NOTHING ELSE MATTERS, 22min., Documentary

Directed by Alexandra Nolen

In May of 2022 at just 34 years old, Patrick Behan, the head boys’ basketball coach at St. John's College High School in Washington DC, was diagnosed with ALS. He was given just a year to live. While adjusting to the diagnosis and the devastating effects that comes with it, basketball has become a form of medicine for Patrick, as he looks to win his first championship in the most competitive high school basketball league in the country.

Alexandra Nolen is an Emmy Award Winning director and producer within the Features Unit at ESPN. She joined the unit in 2020 after previously working for the Philadelphia 76ers and NFL Films. While at NFL Films, she won a National Sports Emmy for her work on HBO’s Hard Knocks. Most recently at ESPN, Alexandra won the Gracie Grand Award for Best Sports Feature and also Best Sports Feature for a TV Network by the National Association of Black Journalists.

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 ALLIANCE, 60min,. USA, DOC
Directed by Amanda Jean Kowalski
During the Arctic winter an intrepid oceanographer attempts to collect rare climate data, but his greatest combatant isn’t the weather – it’s the Italian Navy.

http://thealliancefilm.org/

Get to know the filmmaker:
I was initially hired by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to go on the ship to make a short doc about what it takes to get science done in extreme weather conditions, but it quickly became clear that the more significant story actually revolved around the relationship between the scientists and the Navy captain. So in the end this project morphed into a feature documentary that became a passion project for both myself and for the chief scientist featured in the film, Dr. Robert Pickart. Additionally I’m motivated to tell stories like this because I think it’s important for people to see all of the challenges that come with trying to advance our understanding of the planet and our future.

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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GENDER REVEAL, 9min., Canada
Directed by Bryanny
A young woman that always does everything right , has a Gender Reveal party where everything goes horribly wrong.

Get to know the filmmaker:

Hmmm. Gender Reveal actually began as a school project. When I was attending Toronto Film School, I wrote a script for my feature film class. My professor at the time, whom I have a lot of respect for (and isn’t really big on empty compliments. Which is probably why I have a lot of respect for him, LOL), really liked it, AND more importantly, I really liked it. It felt like my voice. Finally, it was MY voice. So, when we were given the opportunity to enter a 7-page short film screenplay in a contest for my program, I submitted it and …my project was Green-lit. So… it began.

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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AUBREY GRUMP, 1min,. USA
Directed by Mike Dietz
“Some people are only happy when they’re not.”

Get to know the filmmaker:
Last year I met artist/animator/producer Casey Follen while working on a freelance job. Several times a year Casey and her partners release a compilation of animated shorts called Animation Wild Card. It’s a fun platform for independent animation artists to collaborate and showcase super short-shorts created just for the joy of animating. The only requirements are that the films be animated and have a runtime somewhere between 15 and 90 seconds. Casey invited me to submit a film for an upcoming episode, so I tried to come up with an idea that would be fun to animate and could tell a worthwhile story in a minute or less. Aubrey Grump is what I ended up with.

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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SEDUCTIVE DEVOTION, 7min,. USA
Directed by Destin Gerek
In a society where narratives of male perpetrators and harm inflicted upon women prevail, “Seductive Devotion” emerges as a powerful experimental short film presenting an inspiring alternative. Through captivating imagery and a stirring poetic voiceover, the film portrays a positive model of how a man can profoundly and healingly show up for a woman. It challenges societal norms and redefines love, intimacy, and relationships, highlighting the transformative energy between souls. “Seductive Devotion” celebrates vulnerability, courage, empathy, strength, receptivity, and grace, igniting a yearning for the level of committed desire depicted on screen. In a time marked by mistrust and division, this visually arresting and emotionally resonant film offers a refreshing perspective on the healing power of love and understanding, fostering positive change in our perception and engagement in intimate relationships.

http://seductivedevotion.com/
https://instagram.com/destingerek

Get to know the filmmaker:
It seems that too many people have forgotten how to love. The divide between men and women has become so stark. The constant blame, shame, and negative assumptions about each other seem so prevalent. I am a lover of love. I am a lover of women. I am a lover of the feminine: this mysterious and indescribable energy, that I have trained myself over the years to become very attuned to. A force that seems largely misunderstood by our culture. Yet, just as much, notions of masculinity have become so distorted. I wanted to showcase a dynamic between a man and a woman that exemplifies devotional love – to show what it can mean and look like for a man to show up for, and to uplift, a woman with all that he has. And to do so in a way that not only doesn’t weaken him, but through which he finds a deeper power that exists within himself.

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 COMMON GOOD, 17min., Austria
Directed by Stefan Gutternigh, Eva Amann
In 2035 the earth is ruled by a world government called “The Global Organisation for the Common Good”. The “GOCG” wants to make everybody happy by monitoring the desires of its citizens with social media, omnipresent cameras, surveillance drones and – for those who can afford them – body implants. We join “GOCG” agent Cindy Karuso as she is visiting Mr. Berger, who has not spent his designated quota for lifestyle and entertainment products for the past months. Will she manage to complete her task for the mother-state and the father-corporation by taking care of Mr. Berger? And will Mr. Berger have something to say within the process?

Get to know filmmaker Stefan Gutternigh:
“The Common Good“ sums up many of my political views in a creative way. I wanted to create a modern take on classic dystopian stories like „1984” for the smartphone generation. There is much discussion concerning left or right, religious, social and political systems. The human component is neglected for the most part. A system, an ideology or a religion can not kill someone, this is done by people acting in its name. I have been wondering for a long time how the mind of people like dictators or their sidekicks such as gulag or concentration camp leaders works. How can people, who commit the most cruel crimes against mankind, justify their actions? How can they sleep at night? How can they still be kind to their own families? It does not matter which political or social system we have, if it is led by egoistic, narcissistic people. We need to find a way to prevent this. We need to discuss relevant topics and listen to each other in order to discover things in common, instead of being prisoners of some kind of ideology and its thought patterns. I have always liked films which have a message and are entertaining at the same time, “The island“ from 2005 with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson is a perfect example of this in my opinion. I wanted to do something similar, so there are nice visuals and some humor in our film, but it hopefully leaves the audience with some food for thought.

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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POGO IS BORED EPISODE 2 - BULLY, 4min,.
Directed by Richie Valentino
Pogo and best friend Flower are always in search of something new to do. They love to help others in need and are very keen to jump in with innovative ideas to do so.

https://www.delvalentinoproductions.com/

Richie Valentino is back on the podcast talking about the sequel to his award winning film “Pogo is Bored’, plus his other animation works through the years.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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A WOMAN’S FACE, 8min., UK
Directed by Susan Lynch
A woman’s face. A short film about the aftermath of suicide on a man’s bereaved wife. The story begin when Anna’s husband’s body is retrieved from a canal. Anna walks out on her young children and retraces the steps of her dead husband.

Get to know the filmmaker:

My mother died a couple of years and it coincided with the end of my marriage. I wanted to do a film about loss and grief, but also the toll such emotions can take on your mental health. The conclusion I suppose is that there are so many loves in your life that hold you and in some ways your memories of who you lost also hold you. I wanted there to be hope for the main protagonist in the end.

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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SPIDER-MAN: MORALES, 17min,. USA
Directed by Sipho A Nxasana
In the wake of a personal tragedy, young Miles Morales begins his journey of donning the mask as the titular hero Spider-Man.

https://www.instagram.com/cherrystreetofficial/

Get to know the filmmaker:

A lot of what motivated me to make this film stemmed from my life-long adoration of the character of Spider-Man. I think what’s always endeared me to him is how human his stories can truly get. I think a lot back to how impactful and meaningful these stories have been to me, and even beyond the mythos of Spider-Man – film has always been such a transformative medium for me. It’s a way to not only express yourself, but to give others a voice in doing so. I think that’s probably the most important aspect of film. And so when making this, I kept a lot of that in mind.

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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CARELESSLY THERE, 13min., USA, Drama
Directed by Rachel Deutsch
As Elaine grapples with romantic feelings for her best friend May, she begins to confront her own identity, and the lies she’s told to protect it.

http://www.racheldeutsch.com/
https://www.instagram.com/racheldeutschh/

Get to know the filmmaker:

This is a film that was written by my best friend Isabelle Fenn Miller. I wanted to make this film because I wanted to challenge myself and take on a project as a director. Thus far I have directed my own work. My first film, Until I Met You, I had written, starred in, and directed. Which is a lot. I was excited to take a step back and focus on directing!

This piece was originally an essay Isabelle Fenn Miller wrote in college. We both went to acting school together at NYU Tisch and took a class called “devised work” where we were encouraged to write about anything. I knew I wanted to direct her writing because I could still remember specific lines I saw as images in my head many years later. I never had forgotten the piece.

I believed in her work so much. We both took a chance by trusting each other to make it. I couldn’t have been happier when working with Isabelle. I felt fully trusted by her to bring my own vision to the writing as a director. It helped that we were already close as friends. Our friendship fostered an environment where we were able to really listen to each other when it came to making hard decisions.

Beyond our working relationship, a theme in my work (and life) so far is creating art about romantic female friendship. I found the character of Elaine challenging. (Which is what I liked about her.) It was challenging to create a character who doesn’t DO anything, but just allow life to happen to her. If I’m being honest with myself, I feel like this often. I also feel that most of the time we think we are in control of our life when we are not at all. I was excited about exploring all these ideas when it came to making 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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BLACK BOX, 8min., China, Drama
Directed by Olivier Hero Dressen
“The Black Box” is a romantic drama film that tells the story of Thibaut, a Frenchman, and Sai, a Chinese girl, who fall in love during the peak of the Covid-19 crisis. Despite the harsh quarantine restrictions, they decide to meet and spend time together, with Thibaut having to endure 28 days of quarantine to do so. The film explores their relationship, which is narrated through dream, reality, and Sai’s fantasies. At one point, Sai describes herself as a black box, the memory of their relationship and the moments that never happened. The film also touches on their shared fascination with planes and airports, with Thibaut collecting photos of X-rays with his suitcase and Sai being fascinated by plane black boxes. The film ultimately explores the fragility and indestructibility of relationships, memory, and love.

https://www.studiosupremefilms.com/the-black-box
https://www.facebook.com/studiosupreme/
https://www.instagram.com/studiosupreme_prod

Get to know the filmmaker:

“The Black Box” was motivated by a desire to explore the complexities of love and relationships, particularly during challenging times like the COVID-19 crisis.

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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Nesia, 15min., Canada
Directed by Mikel Guillen
An avant-garde film about trauma and how a little girl connects through dance with her surviving Hungarian grandmother who was a Auschwitz survivor.

http://mikelguillen.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mikelguillenfilm/
https://www.instagram.com/mikelgb/?hl=en

Get to know the filmmaker:

I am very interested in how trauma travels through generations and cultures and how it affects many people around the globe.

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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CHECKED BAGS, 2min., USA
Directed by Mark Cline
A combat veteran is traveling by a civilian airline. The airline now requires all passengers to check their emotional baggage before boarding any flight. After checking his bags, the man experiences the serenity of becoming unburdened by the guilt and trauma that he carries inside all the time.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27484867/

Get to know the filmmaker:
As an armed services veteran (non-combat) I know that many veterans suffer from PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. In between the building out the visuals for ‘Checked Bags’ I would watch different podcasts interviewing prior and active service members. I would hear them independently discuss their personal story and how PTSD and TBI’s go hand in hand. The veteran community is getting better at sharing these stories with the public and more importantly with other vets in letting them know that they are not alone in this type of recovery and help is out there. In a way this is my contribution to help spread the word.

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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MISFORTUNE, 7min,. USA, Drama
Directed by Linda Kudzmas
Adapted from a Polish folktale, ‘Misfortune’ tells the story of two sisters; Marta the elder, and Zofia the younger. Marta is very rich, and lives in luxury. Zofia is very poor because Misfortune lives on her stove. Misfortune plagues Zofia, causing disasters that constantly keep her struggling to survive. When Zofia cleverly rids herself of Misfortune, Marta becomes jealous and risks everything to get Misfortune once again, living on Zofia’s stove.

https://friedegganimation.com/misfortune/index.html

Get to know the filmmaker:
The story of how someone can experience misfortune through no fault of their own, and how other people judge the situation and not the struggle.

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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PISS ON PATRIARCHY, 10min., Germany, Drama
Directed by Lena Fakler
Marie is driving on the highway and needs to pee urgently. But the toilet at the rest stop is broken. And an increasingly absurd odyssey through this toxic male biotope begins for Marie – and ends in blood.

https://www.la-gente-agentur.de/portfolio/lena-fakler/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I believe that by making films we can change the world — as we can make structural problems visible by identifying with a character who is going through something. Because of systematic problems like — for example — sexism in patriarchy and capitalism. Films can make us identify with a speaking car or a yellow bear. Or it can make a white, privileged dude identify with a woman who needs to pee urgently but has no possibility in a surrounding that was created for men, by men. Films help us to change our perspective and broaden our horizons. Something that we need to do if we want to smash patriarchy. We need empathy and we need to recognize our privileges — so there can be change.

All my films are feminist and political. And I love to make structural problems visible in individual stories. PISS ON PATRIARCHY focuses on one facet of patriarchy — the toilet situation and the sexist architecture of our male world. I liked to idea of a character having a very basic, urgent, natural need and want. And simple obstacles — the male world we know. And I was very motivated to make it also funny. By addressing the absurdity of this system.

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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BLUE BURROW, 14min., USA
Directed by Leah O’Donnell
Blue Burrow is a short movement based film fully immersed in the sun, sand, and water of Lake Huron. The shore is the meeting place for characters of different species, while the world underwater comes to represent the subconscious. Perspectives shift from fish to human to sun, and metaphors about our relationship to the natural world emerge.

https://www.leahfayeodonnell.com/
https://www.instagram.com/_leahfaye/

Get to know the filmmaker:

Growing up in Michigan, the Great Lakes were a prominent element of my childhood memories. They are the largest fresh water source in the world, with waves and views that could easily be mistaken for the ocean. Several years ago, I became interested in site-specific dance and began dreaming up images of a live performance on Lake Huron, where I have swam many times with my family. The idea to make it a film came once COVID hit. Live performances were being rapidly shut down and I realized that not only would a film be safer for the performers, but we would be able to share the work with more people. Because the camera became the audience’s eye, we were able to more deeply immerse ourselves into the water, showing more intimate perspectives of the landscape and the choreography.

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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JOINTS, 12min., USA, Horror/Comedy
Directed by Hadrian Lynn

Get to know the filmmaker:

I was and still am obsessed with the zombie genre, and have always wanted to do a zombie film. When the opportunity rose to make a 10-15 minute short film, I gladly took it and created this film! Other than my love of zombie movies, some other sources and motivated/inspired me were the movie 12 Angry Men and my own personal life.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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FREEDOMTOWN: NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE, 15min., USA
Directed by Morteza Rafiei
Freedom Town: Not So Black And White takes viewers on a journey to explore the tension between activism and police forces around George Floyed’s death amidst the 2020 pandemic chaos. Through two filmmaker lenses, we follow an activist and former cop over 2 years as they navigate their respective worlds.

Get to know the filmmaker:
As a Middle Eastern individual and my creative partner is African American, we embarked on creating a movie that sheds light on our country’s challenges during the pandemic and the impact of George Floyd’s tragic death. Coming from the Middle East, where I sought freedom upon arriving in this country, witnessing how the police treated their own citizens was truly bewildering. It was astonishing to see the similarities between some of the protests in America and those I had experienced in Iran. With our film, we aimed to delve deeper into the reasons behind the mistreatment of African Americans while also giving voice to the perspective of the police.

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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