REALITY CHECK, 24min., Spain, Fantasy/Drama
Directed by Sandro Hernández Ortiz
Reality Check follows Salvador, a young patient suffering from delusional disorder, who during one of his therapy sessions starts experiencing dangerous levels of reality distortion that make him question everything in his life.

https://www.instagram.com/subliminalproductions/

Sandro was also the lead actor in this short. Conversation with the actor/director on the process making the film.

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

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MESSAGES FROM THE MARSH – PARTS 1-3, 3min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Amy Kaczur
Messages from the Marsh, 2021 to current, is an immersive experience with multiple video projections, sound art, and mapping. The project focuses on marsh locations on the east coast, and the work is developed via site-specific research, video documentation, and in-person engagement. Videos depict marsh spaces inhabited, spaces transformed, and spaces potentially lost.

https://www.instagram.com/amykaczur

Director Statement

I’m an artist and a citizen scientist, doing my part in bringing awareness about coastal risk, and action in marsh preservation and restoration. I've started working in Massachusetts marsh areas that are projected to be under water by 2050 through combinations of sea level rise, tides, and storm surge. I video above and within the marsh water bodies, and create topographical maps of the marshes and threatened areas. I'll continue researching the impact of the coastal marsh loss on the ecosystem and probable species extinction, and efforts in preservation, restoration and management.

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

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Conversation with creative team of the award winning short film PULLOUT. Writer/star Noah Zachary, and directors Alison Barton, Bonnie Dennison join in on the conversation about the making of the film.

“One day after purchasing their first real adult pull-out couch, homebody couple Levi and Dillon's relationship is tested when an unexpected (and pungent) visitor arrives to stay the night.”

http://www.bonabart.com/pull-out

https://www.instagram.com/2bonabart4u/

Director Statement

Levi and Dillon live in their bougie bubble in Brooklyn. Every day on their way to the subway they pass the unhoused and they feel bad. They even talk about how bad they feel. But once safe inside their two-bedroom, all this couple has to worry about is what wine pairs best with Thai food, and if they should “adopt” or “shop” for a dog. That is, until an old friend of Levi’s shows up. A friend who is clearly experiencing homelessness.

Our goal in directing PULL OUT was to use humor to pose a question: What would you do in Levi’s situation? Because while we all hold the “right” opinions, and we’d like to think we’d open our door to a struggling friend, is that true? Or is the truth that we’re more worried about our new couch, than our friend in need.

—-

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

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Conversation with director/writer/star Jason Ishmael Echols and producer/actor Catherine Lidstone on the making of the award winning film “Along Came a Callback”.

“Audrey, a struggling Hollywood actress is having a tough go at things, but perhaps her luck is about to change when she receives a mysterious last minute audition that forces her to face her past.”

Director Statement

When I tell a story I don't want to tell our audience how to feel or what to think about our subjects or the subject matter. I wish to merely present the points of view to our audience an give them the opportunity to think it out for themselves and hopefully open a discussion about forgiveness and healing and what that might look like.

—-

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

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“A filmmaker, during a pitch session, witnesses his story face drastic changes according to the producer's liking while the character in his story reacts to those changes.”

https://twitter.com/ideasarewelcom1

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

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This musical theatre thematic cabaret, is a love letter to the tormented artist. Who deals with internal battles behind closed doors, but at the end of the day still CHOOSES to CREATE beauty and art, out of the tragedy. Comedy/tragedy are the same face. Tragedy informs the comedy. Tragedy informs the beauty.

Project Links

• Website

• Instagram

  Director Statement

  In May of 2020 I was set to write/perform a musical theatre Cabaret as a final project of my BFA program. It was shelved due to the pandemic. This project meant a lot to me and I wanted it to mean something. I never truly finished writing it at the time, so I figured it just wasn’t the right timing. Fast forward two years, some rewrites, and many new life experiences later, I have finally tied a nice little bow on this thing. I had the vision to rework it into a short film, as I felt it's message would be more effective and reach more people this way. This project is a love letter to the tormented artist. Who deals with internal battles behind closed doors, but at the end of the day still CHOOSES to CREATE beauty and art, out of the tragedy. Tragedy informs the comedy. Tragedy informs the beauty.

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

  Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
  

RUMINATION is an award winning Animation Short Film. “At night, a woman’s mind wanders as she chops firewood.”

Project Links

• Website

• Instagram

Director Biography - Ashleigh Vaillancourt

Ashleigh Vaillancourt is a multimedia artist and filmmaker based out of Vancouver, Canada. Ashleigh’s work explores themes of personal resilience and social empathy, as well as the interplay of analog painting and generative digital art. Her films such as 'Hannah' and 'Fostering Uncertainty' have been shown in film festivals and galleries internationally.

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

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THE SOCIETY FOR PARANORMAL HEALING, 26min., USA, Comedy
Winning Film from the LA Comedy Festival.
Two best friends run a small business healing the spirits of haunted houses. But when funding falls through, every attempt to save the business results in the unexpected– and their status as Best Friends Forever is put to the test.

http://dinosaursvrobots.com/
https://instagram.com/dinosaursvrobots

Director Statement

I wanted to write a film about outcasts and outliers, friendship and hardship, and do so with humor and heart. I wanted to make a film that passes the Bechdel test, that is female- and queer-driven above and below the line. I wanted to put my vision into the universe and say, “See, this is how I look at the world. This is how my brain inputs information. This is how I’ve experienced life, and this is what happens when it all swirls together like damp autumn leaves in the wind.” But, like, it’s *funny* though.
My goal was to celebrate goofs, guffaws, ghouls, gals, and gays; and like Megan Rapinoe herself, I kicked that goal hard.

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

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“As a meteor hurls towards Earth, Felix tries to party and reconnect with old friends.” A dream sequence short film that played at the Under 5 Minute Film Festival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWFFzbLdbX4&t=2s

Director Biography - Robert Campbell Sturdevant

Robert Sturdevant is a filmmaker at Occidental College (Class of 2023). He is best known for his stop-motion work on the YouTube channel The Action Brick, which includes his ambitious Minecraft-inspired fan series, "Night of the Nether".

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

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“A pie thief is thwarted by a clever detective.” Conversation with writer & star Mickey Casab on the art of making a 1 minute movie.

https://www.twitter.com/mickeycasab

https://www.instagram.com/mickeycasab

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

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Michael McCulloch, a retired NASA engineer, would like to bring you along on an incredible journey – the 4-day trek along the Classic Inca Trail to one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu, Peru. It is a little over 26 miles and scales two nearly 14,000-foot mountain passes. The appeal of this particular trek is the stunning combination of Inca ruins, magnificent mountains, exotic vegetation and extraordinary ecological variety. The trail goes over high passes with unforgettable views, through cloud forests, and finally into subtropical vegetation.

https://youtu.be/_043vAPMSVI

At 64, Michael is the oldest blind person to hike this amazing trail. He had three able-bodied volunteers who helped train and get him in shape for the trek. He trained and prepared for more than a year. Then, the three sighted guides provided him step-by-step instructions in undertaking one of the most demanding hiking trails in the world in June 2019. The film highlights the teamwork, commitment, and personal and physical obstacles Michael had to overcome on his journey. It will empower you to get out of your comfort zones, take on new challenges and see that all things are possible regardless of your abilities.

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

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Student Film from the talented filmmaker Jaehee Cheong on the making of their award winning film STILL ALIVE. Played at the Fantasy/Sci-Fi Film Festival.

“After the death of her never-met senior colleague, Seol, Penelope visits her house for the first time with a special balloon made out of her breath. Going through the strange service provided by the strange funeral company Still Alive, Penelope, for the first time, feels Seol's existence more than ever after all these years of working together "remotely."“

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

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POP, 11min. short film. Played at the LA Feedback Film Festival

As they prepare for a surprise birthday party, a heterosexual couple engage in a passive-aggressive and toxic dialogue that escalates into a violent and disturbing ending.

Director Statement

As an aspiring filmmaker, I hope to explore stories through my work that deal with subjects and groups not typically represented in mainstream media. My aim is to bring a little more sympathy and love into this world through representation and understanding. I hope that by showcasing situations and people that society often neglects or mistreats in a more humanistic and empathetic lens, we can learn to relate to each other on an emotional level despite any differences in life experiences.

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

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EVERGREEN. 7min. short film. Played at the Female Feedback Film Festival.

The line between reality and dream blurs for Swedish Mia, who suffers from anxiety induced paranoia on the day of her immigration interview.

https://www.instagram.com/evergreentheshortfilm

Director Statement

With this film, I hope to raise awareness of the hardship that immigrants of all nationalities are facing while applying for permanent residency in the U.S and open up for a conversation around the subject. This issue is a reality regardless of what skin color you have, what country you are from, or what languages you speak. Ironically, as the US country that is in fact created by immigrants.

In this story, we follow Mia, a European immigrant’s story, yet “Mia” could be anyone in the world. For me, her story represents the issue of the immigration process in the U.S.

The film explores through an experimental, nightmare-like lens, the fear and feeling of paranoia that immigrants might experience, while being tested by a system that is not only difficult and scrutinizing but also intimidating, overwhelming and even at times disrespectful. Having to respond to endless requests, both personal and professional, being challenged as to the existence of a job, the validity of a relationship or being able to prove that oneself is “extraordinary” enough to live in the country. The sentiment I managed to gather from my own experiences as well as other immigrant friends, was the sense of not being wanted, trusted or welcomed.

Therefore, I hope to shed light on this issue and open up a discussion around the questions:
Is this process really fair and respectful? To what extent is this a valid test or is it an exercise and abuse of control? How do we decide who is worthy to stay in a country based on their ethnicity, gender, fortune, skills, nationality, religion or who they love and marry?

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

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FOR I AM DEAD. A Belgium short film.

In late-1800s Europe, Oscar, a wealthy but lonely middle-aged man who has lived a decadent, extravagant life in a chateau filled with wine, courtesans and opium, confesses love to his gardener Jude before he dies of his excesses.

Conversation with the lead actor/producer Al Nazemian and director Patricia Delso Lucas on the making of the film.

Director Statement

“A period piece, 18 minutes. A dark, surreal drama. A story about unrequited love, self-acceptance and the limits of the sane mind.”

With the script of For I Am Dead, I wanted to show the personal and social struggle to accept the nature of who an individual is, when his/her desires or choices do not correspond to the majority. In this particular case, Oscar is fighting with his repressed homosexuality, but this is just one of many possible incarnations portraying this dilemma.

I chose to set the story at this moment in time, the late 1800s, with the intention to accentuate the fact that these kinds of questions, although they have progressed, are still relevant today.

Will belonging to a minority ultimately end in tragedy?

This story can be extended to any situation of identity repression: Oscar being a victim of a time, an ideology, of himself; Jude being the response to him, in the form of love or hate.

Seen through the eyes of Oscar, the character of Jude embraces a duality between the kind and respectful young man he really is and the devil, the grotesque deformation Oscar projects onto him as a result of his tortured soul.

The unusual use of sound in the film, going in and out of sync at times - as well as a few jump cuts - emphasize Jude's duality and highlight Oscar's loss of sanity, as he is no longer able to tell what's real and unreal. Despite his wealth and status, Oscar was never able to buy people’s minds, not even his own.

What I want to show with this film is what happens inside of a person when they are brutally denied the freedom to choose who they are, the right to define how they want to live.

In this story, Oscar finds relief from his anguish the moment he confesses his love to Jude, but he is rejected and the price he pays is death.

In any case and despite the consequences, this permission to be yourself should start from within.

-Patricia Delso Lucas

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

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POGO IS BORED, 4min., Australia, Animation

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/
https://www.instagram.com/richie_valentino/

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

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THE STAR MILL Short Film, Black & White Film Festival showcase
A boy and his pet owlbear learn to appreciate the present, and not worry about the future, while running a windmill that powers the stars at night.

https://instagram.com/artdoingdan

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

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The World Cruzer travels through a future of nature pollution and climate chaos. Mankind is organized more democratically fighting for the survival of their own species. We share moments of insights with the World Cruzer on his mission to save the planet. His crew supports him with familiar voices, speaking about the many facets of being human. A modern movie with contemporary electronic music from Berlin clubs. It wants to change our point of view and to call upon mankind to find a global agreement - a new common sense pact.

Project Links

• Website

• Facebook

• Instagram

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

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Braving the realities of the harsh Montana winter and changing hunting regulations, hobby and career biologists track and study wolves in the Northern Tier of Yellowstone National Park. While the fate of wolves remains uncertain, the devotion and passion of Yellowstone’s Wolf Watchers are always a constant.

https://www.instagram.com/wolfwatchersdoc/

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

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UNIVERIFIED was the winner of BEST FEATURE FILM at the 2022 THRILLER/SUSPENSE Film Festival.

Jason Sutherland wants to prove that such things as Sasquatches exist, but he doesn't want to kill one to do so. He and others come up with a non-lethal way to possibly verify their existence but a pro-kill advocate tries to beat them to the punch.

Project Links

• Facebook

• Instagram

Director Biography - Scott Herriott

Scott Herriott is a documentarian, former stand-up comic and Bigfoot enthusiast. He won a regional Emmy for his hosting duties on Internet Tonight on ZDTV (later known as TechTV) and was also a contributor on the channel’s The Screen Savers. He was also a contributor on CNN’s NewsNight with Aaron Brown and co-hosted “The Bigfoot Show” podcast. His trail name is Squatch, but please don’t call him that at any social events involving tuxedos and/or martinis. He’s been shooting his own documentaries for the last 17 years. "Unverified" is his first scripted feature.

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

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