IN THE DISTANCE, 10min., France
Directed by Laëtitia Daché
“In the Distance” is a choreographic triptych presented as short films, offering a perspective on the notions of complementarity and duality, expressions of resilience in the face of challenges.

https://www.instagram.com/contradancecompany/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I have reflected deeply on the duality inherent in certain experiences and emotions that can emerge throughout life. This duality, which manifests itself in countless places and in a variety of forms, became a source of exploration for me. It served as a starting point for my reflections. The complexity and subtlety of the human experience, with its layers of contradiction and harmony, has always been something I’ve sought to convey. There is a richness in these tensions, a constant interplay between opposing forces, which I find both fascinating and challenging to express.

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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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Al Chang, a distinguished filmmaker from Los Angeles's Koreatown, is passionately pursuing his dream of crafting authentic narratives in the film industry. With a background that includes 10 years of service in the U.S. Army and a deep connection to the post-L.A. riots culture, in addition to being a dedicated husband and father of four, Chang brings a unique perspective to his work. Currently pursuing his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) with an Editing emphasis at Chapman University, Chang is an emerging talent in the world of filmmaking. His journey began with a passion for editing, which eventually led him to write and direct his own short films, driven by the desire to create entertaining short films. Despite the challenges of balancing life as a full-time student, husband, and father of four, Chang continues to push on, proving that creativity can thrive even in the busiest of lives.

https://www.instagram.com/4lcfilm/

Listen to previous podcast interview with Al Chang: https://www.wildsoundpodcast.com/the-film-podcast-by-wildsound/2024/1/18/ep-1091-filmmaker-al-chang-viral

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WEEKEND RELEASE, 1min., UK
Directed by Susanda Wolf
A woman waits for her son to pick her up from the police station, but he isn't coming.

http://palmanda.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

Motivation was a really good actress, Barbara. I worked with her previously and wrote it for her. Start to finish it took around an hour to film, a couple of hours to edit and less than hour to write so probably about half day.

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THE DESTRUCTION OF JANE, 12min,. USA
Directed by Drue Pennella
The Destruction of Jane is a campy, over the top, erotic, outrageous comedy which follows Miss Jane Parker to the African Jungle where it all began. Witness Tarzan and Jane’s first encounter, in what now has become a rather heralded expedition in the African Jungle, and one of our greatest love stories.

http://www.youtube.com/@thedestructionofjane9756
https://www.instagram.com/destructionofjane

Get to know Writer/Actor Paul Pecorino:

A1: I was motivated by an unstoppable combination of caffeine, an overactive imagination, and a jungle of weeds in my backyard that screamed “cinematic masterpiece.” I thought, why not turn my backyard chaos into a hilarious, campy adventure? Plus, playing both a gorilla and a damsel in distress was just too good to pass up.

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PIPPY AND THE TYPIST, 5min., USA
Directed by Rachel Nemez
Our protagonist, Pippy, discovers that a magical typewriter controls the events happening down below.

https://rachelnemez.com/
https://www.instagram.com/rachelnemez/

Get to know the filmmaker:

My studiomates and thesis friends single handedly kept me going. I was going a little bit crazy at the beginning of the process, and I think the fact that I just wasn’t alone in a studio made all the difference. There were three of us in our studio sharing the space, and it was really awesome to be able to just pop in and chat for a bit and then go back to your separate working stations.

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AFROLISTIC: BLACK HEALING FROM ZIMBABWE TO THE BAY, 22min., USA
Directed by Nekia Wright, Shylet Ndarambwa
Black American healer shares about her practice and explores traditional healing, music, and dance in Zimbabwe.

Get to know filmmaker Nekia Wright:

I traveled to Zimbabwe in 2021 to study traditional healing and prepare for the Liberated Learning Teacher Fellowship. The trip had a profound impact on me and I wanted to share this experience with other Black folx. Especially those who haven’t had an opportunity to travel. I recorded entirely on my phone during that trip and began sharing clips during my community performances and sound baths. One audience member was so touched by this one clip from the Binga region that she began weeping. This was the final affirmation for me.

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RUINS WITHIN RUINS, 9min., Greece
Directed by Lefteris Parasyris
A group of dancers positions themselves between the ancient and modern ruins of the island of Crete, Greece. Drawing inspiration from its rich heritage, they craft a series of kinetic forms and patterns influenced by folk dances and Minoan frescoes. These installations, whether harmonising with or contrasting against the island’s culture, offer reflections on historical memory and the Cretan identity.

https://www.instagram.com/lefteris.parasyris/

Get to know the filmmaker:

This film was a tribute to the island of Crete and its complex identity. It started as a photographic project but I quickly realised that these beautiful but peculiar locations would be the perfect “character” in a dance film.

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SHADOW OF THE LIGHT, 7min,. Indonesia

Directed by Tono Wisnu

This short film tells the journey of three generations traditional puppet master and his struggle to preserve the ancient craft of Wayang Kulit (Javanese traditional shadow puppetry).

Interview with writer/producer Jony Yuwono

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THE BRIDGE, 85min., USA

Directed by Evan Jackson Leong

Fifty years ago, our country grappled with widespread discrimination. In Los Angeles, neighborhood leaders challenged these barriers by establishing a community-focused bank, aiming to deliver the American dream to all. The East West Bank Foundation commissioned director Evan Leong to create The Bridge, which explores the struggles, perseverance, and successes of this remarkable journey.

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

Get to know the filmmaker:

As a 6th generation Chinese American I've been fortunate to tell the stories of my community. The Bridge is a story about a humble Chinatown bank that not only grew the community but became a global influence furthering our place in society. For me, I'd be happy to tell these stories for the rest of my career. I was not only inspired but blessed to collaborate with the East West Foundation and Dominic Ng.

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YOUR EVERYDAY HEROES OF COSTA RICA, 25min., USA
Directed by Hernán Salcedo
Your Everyday Heroes traveled to Costa Rica and searched for inspirational everyday people who are changing the world. Jeremy, Tracey, Vernon and Che are clearly all examples of what it takes to be a Hero, and we’re proud to share their stories with you.

http://www.youreverydayheroes.com/
https://www.facebook.com/youreverydayheroes
https://twitter.com/YEDHeroes
https://www.instagram.com/youreverydayheroes/

Get to know producer Albert H. Crane:
One of our film crews traveled to Costa Rica to film Jeremy Levine at Wild Sun Rescue of an episode of season two. Once they arrived, they kept meeting amazing people who were involved with their own non-profits, so we decided to feature all of them in a longer documentary in an effort to draw attention to their causes. To make this film? This production has many legs… Each hero ended up being featured in their own episode, then we decided to combine the 3 animal rescues and recut it from scratch, so to get this far has taken just about a year. That is why you see Che in the after credits, as he was the 4th hero we filmed in Costa Rica, but didn’t hit the theme of this story.

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THE LETTER, 6min., USA
Directed by Ruben Rodas
A daughter comes to terms with the loss of her father with a heartfelt farewell letter …

http://skyframepictures.com/

https://www.instagram.com/irene_stepanenko/

Get to know writer/actor Irene Stepanenko:
My motivation to create this film stemmed from a deep desire to honor my father for the immense love, care, and unwavering support he provided me throughout my life.
The idea for the film came to me two months after my father’s passing on May 26, 2021. I wrote the script as a monologue on July 27, 2021—our shared birthday. That day, alone in a Dallas hotel, I began writing a heartfelt letter to him, which later became the script. I held onto the monologue for a couple of years. When I shared it with my dear friend Ruben, a talented producer and videographer, he immediately connected with my vision. Our collaborative efforts led us to shoot the film at a beautiful location by the end of last summer. Overall, the journey from concept to completion took about two years.

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FIRST GRADE HEADACHE, 13min., Canada
Directed by Jajube Mandiela
A burnt out first-grade teacher finds herself in a night from hell when a group of vindictive parents break into her home.

Get to know writer/producer/star Jacqueline Godbout & director Jajube Mandiela

Jacqueline (writer): I was wanting to make a horror film next, but it seems whenever I start writing anything remotely dark, it always becomes a dark comedy. I’m leaning into it now. Growing up, my mom was a teacher and I also work part time as a music teacher so there were likely some thoughts from that world floating around in my brain when daydreaming ideas. One day, I was just doing my favourite activity of playing around with loglines (no joke) when I came up with the logline of First Grade Headache. Right away, it was very clear to me that I wanted… needed to make this film now.

Jajube (director): It’s quirky, absurd and yet plausible. Looked like a fun script to film, I could relate to it, and genuinely laughed upon first reading it. How to direct it was very clear in my mind, and for a while Jacqueline (writer) and I had been regularly meeting to see how to collaborate on another project together.

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LOST DREAMS, 10min., USA
Directed by Andrew Wakeman Proctor
Lost Dreams is about dreams. Scientists have not fully figured out dreams. The ancients believed you could predict the future through your dreams, Native Americans created dream-capturing devices. Some people keep dream diaries. Freud believed that we could fix people’s psychological problems by analyzing their dreams.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32021226/?ref_=ttawd_rvi_tt_i_4

Get to know the filmmaker:

I took an experimental film class at Connecticut College. We studied the works of Maya Dern and Stan Brackage. I was inspired by Anticipation of the Night by Stan Brackage. In the fall of 2009 I received an email inviting me to submit a film to an Experimental film festival in Switzerland. My friend John Prevedini sent me his music “Lost Days” and it inspired “Lost Dreams”.

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MORNING ROUTINE, 2min., Canada
Directed by William Thibodeau
Inspired by the epic true story. After sleeping in, Jack must go through his morning routine before it’s too late…

Get to know the filmmaker:

I wanted to turn something seemingly boring into something exciting. We are all in a rush during our morning routine and I wanted to depict it in the most epic way possible.

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PARROT, 24min,. Canada
Directed by Cameron Faulkner
After forcibly being sold a parrot, Ollie is thrust into a surprise birthday party hosted by his roommates. The night spirals into chaos as he tries to regain control and sort his life out. Based on an unbelievable true story.

https://www.instagram.com/parrotfilmofficial/

Get to know Oliver de la Harpe:

Covid is the short answer. Charles (co-writer) and I were isolated across continents and in many FaceTime conversations we finally started to commit to a film project we had been talking about for a few years. It lived mainly as a script we would work on until Charles showed it to our director Cameron for notes. To which he signed on immediately and said he wanted to shoot. From there the only question was when.

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SCREAMING SILENCE, 17min., UK
Directed by Kalyn Elizabeth Wood, Hal Waghorn
In the hauntingly enigmatic and dialogue-free short film, ‘Screaming Silence’, Elizabeth, a young woman in the aftermath of a traumatic event, navigates her world through a haunting soundscape of everyday noises, which ‘peoples’ her world and forces her to face her reality of circumstances and her fear of reaching out for help. As the audience intimately experiences her journey, Elizabeth’s silence becomes a bittersweet force, echoing the profound emotional depth that empowers her to move forward in an altruistic twist of an ending.

https://www.screamingsilencefilm.com/

Get to know filmmaker Kalyn Elizabeth Wood:

This film first started out as my dissertation project for my masters program in London. I was the only one in my class who was doing a digital piece. I knew when beginning to write my piece that I wanted to examine women’s relationships, mainly womens relationship to trauma, sexual assault, loss, isolation and also to dive a little into the mother-daughter relationship dynamic. The film’s first iteration was completely different from its final iteration that it is today and to be quite honest I am glad I went the route that the film is now rather than what it was ‘supposed’ to be. It challenged me and pushed me to places I had never been before as a performer intrinsically, technically, and emotionally. What started out as a quest to fulfill or rather rewrite my story as a gift to my mom and it then became something in singularity. From women, to women. A singular and multifaceted relationship with trauma, the aftermath, loss, isolation and more importantly silence. I investigated the notion of: the power of female silence in films through the lens of trauma. I want anyone who watches this film to feel as though they are allowed in Elizabeth’s world to experience and observe her life in that present moment. I want people to be inspired by the lack of Elizabeth’s voice to find their own voice. To open up and out and maybe even scream.

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Conversation with writer/producer Ken Barrett about the Opera Film “BRAINLAND”

In 1935 Egas Moniz, renowned Portuguese neurologist, visit psychiatrist Sobral Cid in order to persuade him allow his patients to be act as subjects for Moniz's experiemntal treatment - frontal leucotomy. After some resistance Cid agrees. The first such operation is staged, but Moniz's exhaltation is cut short by an attempt on his life. This self-contained chamber opera is actually scene 7 from a longer opera of the same name that tells three stories from the history of 20th century brain science (rather than a screenplay we worked with a libretto). it was filmed very quickly with little resources and involved professional and non-professional cast & crew. The music is by Stephen Brown. Directed by Chiara D’Anna

https://www.brainlandtheopera.co.uk/

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CIAO, BELLA, 8min., USA
Directed by William Quinn Dover
In this modern film noir romance, a young stalker can’t seem to get over his ex lover, until finding out the double meaning of "Ciao Bella".

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4oPE1juDqh/?igsh=MXh4anVtMTFrMGM4dA%3D%3D

Get to know the filmmaker:
As much as it sucks to say, I caught somebody I was seeing on a date with another guy. I didn't take it in a bad way though. Seeing that just sparked the idea, I'm glad it happened. I was also watching "A Boy Meets Girl", a french noir movie that is absolutely stunning, and got directly inspired by that.

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HEART WORN OUT & AGAINST THE WALL, 6min., Romania
Directed by Izabella Sandra Alda, Ovidiu Claudiu Moldovan
This short “Heart Worn Out & Against The Wall” is a short movie about loneliness and fear. Fear of losing a loved one, of being superficial, of being unlovable. About the struggles of filling a void that can never be filled and mannerisms used to cope with these feelings. About wanting affection but not being able to deal with human interactions. About feeling disconnected, but never allowing this to be seen, and thus, constantly having to deal with the inauthenticity.

https://www.facebook.com/midoristarsmidore
https://twitter.com/midoristars24
https://www.instagram.com/midoristars/

Get to know director/singer Izabella Sandra Alda:

Ren's music video for "Hi Ren" ahaha. When I saw his video, it really gave me the confidence to make a similar music video, as I already had a piano version of "Against The Wall" and the "Heart Worn Out" spoken word poetry. It was meant to be something really simple, a one-shot type of video filmed from different angles, but while working on the script, it naturally shifted into what it is now.

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