LOW DOWN LARRY CONQUERS THE MOON MEN, 4min., USA
Directed by Sammy Verni
At the height of the Space Race in July 1969, Larry Johnson and his trusty sidekick Spike, endeavor to be the first man (and dog) to set foot (and paw) on the Moon.

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

Low Down Larry Conquers the Moon Men is the first in a series of shorts that I have made based on a comic book character I used to draw when I was about ten years old. I see it as a love letter to that time in my life, as well as an homage to sci fi b movies, classic stop motion and the Saturday morning cartoons that I grew up with.

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

I was happy to see the reviewers understood the style, the inspiration and the humor of the film. They even made me aware of some plot points and themes I hadn’t even considered when I was creating the story!

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FLY AWAY, FROGGY BOY, 8min., Canada
Directed by Mia Lobo
Fly Detective Francis McFly loses his partner to the infamous ‘Croaks’, a frog gang at the centre of his most recent investigation. Stricken by grief, he decides to get revenge, and go head to head with their ravenous leader, The Frogfather.

https://mialobo.com/home

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

Fly Away, Froggy Boy was my final year thesis film. Everyone in their final year at my animation program was required to pitch a film idea, present it to our final year classmates, and the film ideas were chosen based on popular vote. The idea came from a joke between me and my partner (the co-creator, foley artist and voice of McFly), quite literally “Imagine if you pitched a film about a fly getting revenge on frogs”. I decided to pitch it to my class to see if anyone would be drawn to the idea as much as we were. We ended up one of the four films chosen to be made that year! People really love the idea.

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

It was a great feedback video!I found it really interesting to see what aspects of the film jump out at people. The whole project is a lot less surprising and fresh for me because I worked on it for so long. Being able to hear people talk about the specific elements of the film that they found really unique, fresh and fun, reminds me of how great the project is, and how I felt the exact same way during the process.

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WHEN I’M WITH YOU, 4min., Canada
Directed by Kanja Chen
An emotional tale of how the enduring love between a young boy and his grandfather bridges the gap between generations.

https://www.instagram.com/kanjachen/

Kanja has directed several award-winning short films that have been showcased at numerous film festivals. This animated short marks his directorial debut in the genre, allowing him to focus on a deeply personal story.

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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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Patrick McCarthy is a self taught animator who went from being a comedian sleeping in his car to becoming a Storyboard Artist at Family Guy. Patrick made multiple animations that went viral amassing millions of views on YouTube, and he has spent the last 6 years developing Paraland.

Watch his viral films on his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PatrickMcCarthyAnimations

PARALAND: THE PROLOGUE, 4min., USA

Directed by Patrick McCarthy

Paraland is the story of three heroes charged with rebuilding the realm following the reign of a hateful tyrant. As they struggle to unite the land and bring together the twelve races, they must also solve magical mysteries, defeat legendary foes, and endure the gods’ twisted sense of humor.

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M0D3RN T1M3Z, 30 seconds, USA
Directed by Richard Thompson
A machine comes to life in a 3D animation short inspired by Charlie Chaplin.

https://www.instagram.com/r_crosbythompson

Get to know the filmmaker:

I wanted to use it as a teaching tool. I teach digital design with a specific focus on bringing virtual characters to life and visual storytelling through animation. I created an assignment where students had to design a non-humanoid machine that first had to move as if it were only a machine but comes alive with cause. As a class, we could then discuss the differences in the type of movement needed to convey that change from machine to living creature. Two main characteristics defining living creatures are movement with intent and responding to environmental stimuli. The other thing I wanted my students to focus on was only creating the objects needed to tell their story — that is the reason for the lack of any environment. I wanted to emphasize the importance of story and creating an empathetic link — not spending weeks creating an environment that would likely make little difference to their story (only much time-consuming work). For the machine-like animation, I drew inspiration from Charlie Chaplin’s turn as an animatronic in The Circus. I always do the assignment myself before giving it to my students. I also record tutorial videos that support their learning and process when they get to do it. Once I had created the animation, I showed it to a few people and it always got a strong reaction even though there was no sound at the time. This made me think about submitting it to film festivals. I asked my oldest son — who is in the film industry — if he would add sound. I started to submit the film and have been a little blown away by the reception it has received.

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Low Down Larry Versus the Giant Reptile, 7min., USA
Directed by Sammy Verni
In their latest adventure together, Larry and Spike set out in a time machine to be the first to bring a living dinosaur back with them to present day. They’ve already been to the Moon and back, but this time have they gone too far?

Get to know the filmmaker:

Low Down Larry Versus the Giant Reptile is the second in a series of shorts that I have made based on a comic book character I used to draw when I was about ten years old. I see it as a love letter to that time in my life as well as an homage to sci fi b movies, classic stop motion and the Saturday morning cartoons that I grew up with.

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PETEY POSSUM, 5min., USA
Directed by Sean Winslow
Oh no! It’s *enter name here* birthday and Petey’s running late! Follow him on his journey to make the party.

https://www.instagram.com/seanpwinslow

Get to know the filmmaker:

I like to write sketch comedy, so I was thinking about random funny ideas. I have a memory from my 6th birthday party at Chuck – E – Cheese of a TV above the stage showcasing Chuckie getting ready in quick clips before appearing in front of a bunch of screaming children riding a sugar high. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be funny if he was getting ready, but things kept going horribly wrong as each clip progressed?”. That’s where the idea started.

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I AM MORE, 3min., USA

Directed by David Calderon

I am more is an initiative by Animagic Studios to create a conversation around self-esteem and body confidence among young women, their families and social circles.

http://animagic.io/

https://www.instagram.com/iammoreproject/

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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ROOM OF MEMORIES, 2min., Australia
Directed by Suniva Maya Miller
The story of heartbreak told from the memory center of the brain.

https://instagram.com/caffeinated_dream_dream

Get to know the filmmaker:

It was my first ever animated film that I developed during my first year of university. For some reason I had this feeling that I had to make something so emotional and deep. At the time I had just been through a pretty rough breakup with someone who I had been friends with for much longer. So I wanted to write and make something that would reflect the complicated emotions I had surrounding this person and our relationship.

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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MITO, 7min,. USA
Directed by Steve West
Two companions venture through space, negotiating peril and cosmic ennui in search of a new home.

http://lazychief.com/
https://instagram.com/lazychief

Get to know the filmmaker:

My initial motivation for the project was in March 2020 during the first coronavirus restrictions but I abandoned it until around May 2023 when my cat Chief died of kidney failure. The death of the companion had always been part of the story but missing such a big part of my life that had been with me for 17 years encouraged me to finish the project.

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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Lil’ RED is RIDING the wrong way in the HOOD!, 8min., USA
Directed by Venus Jones
This short film with a long title is a Hip Hop twist on a classic cautionary tale starts with an adventurous little boy getting lost on the wrong side of town. Childhood labor and public safety may sound like heavy topics, but they’re presented in an approachable manner in this timely and important project.

http://lilredmovie.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

It began as a novelty book for “woke” grandmas and after it was rejected by some traditional publishers. l learned about an individual artist grant and I was interested in doing something new to elevate my work. I wrote my proposal to turn my poetic narrative based on a classic tale into a film and l won. I spoke of partnering with a nonprofit organization on the front line of the human trafficking epidemic. The funding inspired me to create the animation for Lil Red is Riding the Wrong Way in the Hood. I’m the first on record to make the main character a boy because the safety of boys has historically been overlooked in comparison to little girls. I also made the characters African American because our communities are presently reimagining public safety.

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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TWISTED GAZE, 19min., Mexico
Directed by David Sanchez V
Diego travels to Turkey, makes a layover in Dubai. There he suffers a series of abuses by authority, sexual and homophobic by the police and military. This leads to a ceaseless search of identity and an obscure social questioning — psychological about masculinity, diversity and the “Who am I”.

https://instagram.com/diegoavilamx

Get to know the filmmaker;

The fact that in 2023 we can still be sexually abused for being homosexual. It took us 8 months from kicking off the project to wrapping it up. It all kicked off when we were working on another short film with Diego. He shared his experience in Dubai, and it stuck with me for a few days. When we caught up again, we decided to do something about it. Diego wrote everything down in great detail. After that, we recorded the “interview” (the voiceover you hear in the film). It was a two-hour-long recording… After that, we spent 2 months in post-production.

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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FLOAT ON HOPE, 5min., USA
Directed by Debra DeNicola, John DeNicola
Float on Hope reflects on our feelings of how we are leaving planet Earth to our children and fellow beings. We thought the idea could be illustrated through the eyes of a young mouse that lives in the Amazon rainforest near Manaus, Brazil. The Mouse from Manaus can represent any living being on this earth that will be affected by the escalating global perils of Climate Change. John DeNicola’s music inspired lyricist Jason Stutts to write about his sadness of how we are leaving our planet to our children. Jason was reminded of music that affected him like Neil Young’s After The Gold Rush and the possibility of having to find another place for humanity to live. After a few months of searching we came across the amazing animation of Jenna Shot.

https://john-denicola.com/

Get to know director John Denicola:

John Denicola (Director / Songwriter / Musician): We thought that the song “Float On Hope” from my album She Said with its message regarding Climate Change was an important song to have a video to represent it. We had talked about a character The Mouse From Manaus to represent the Amazon before and thought it would be a great opportunity to make an animated video to voice our concerns about what could be done regarding climate change in a unique way that matches the music . We looked at many animators for many months that could convey that and when I ran across Jenna Shot I knew we had the right artist for this story. The lyrics of the song helped write the script.

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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CLOSET COMBAT EPISODE 2, 3min,. USA
Directed by Augustus Hinton
Ted, a closeted, gay high school boy, imagines literally fighting his way out of an encounter with bullies at a track meet.

Get to know the filmmaker:
I wasn’t seeing my experience of being in the closet represented on screen. I wanted to add something to queer media that I would have liked to have seen when I was younger. I also wanted to push my character animation craft, and used those two motivations to create the piece.

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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DOTGABI – FIRE, 3min,. USA
Directed by Kaia Kim, Jenna Vopat
There’s a lame birthday party going on. DotGabi, a party lover, is sick of this boring event. With her magical powers, she turns it into the ultimate kick-ass party.

Get to know the filmmakers:
We wanted to make an exciting film that would stand out from the crowd and be fun to watch! We wanted to create a music video and bring bright energy and visuals!

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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ALIVE, 3min., USA
Directed by Pavithraa Sudhakar
“Alive” is a music video that captures the essence of New York City through a simple yet captivating storyline. Follow the journey of a young adult as they embark on a surrealistic adventure through the city on a magical taxi.

Get to know the filmmaker:

I have always loved singing and have the most fun doing it. Additionally, I have a passion for art and creativity, so I enrolled in the 3D animation and VFX course at the School of Visual Arts, where I was extremely inspired by all the work that was being created. I ended up loving the visual effects course and wanted to create a project that would challenge my skill level while also being enjoyable for the audience to watch. I decided to make a music video that combined both of my interests, and I was motivated by the learning experience in the process of songwriting and visual effects.

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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STOKER MACHINE, 12min., USA
Directed by Darieus Legg
Stoker Machine is a must-see animated surf documentary. Chad Campbell, an expert surfer discovers a mysterious surfboard on the big island of Hawaii. The retro board provides only a phone number and an email address as clues to its origin, leading Chad to accidentally uncover a central-coast California surf legend. The man they call, “Stoker”.

http://darieuslegg.com/
https://www.instagram.com/darieuslegg

Get to know the filmmaker:
My motivation to make this film was born out of a deep need to contribute something to the world beyond corporate DEI “content”. I wanted to make a personal film on my own terms with no censorship. I made a feature film in my home state of Hawaii twelve years ago and it was a traumatic experience for me. I spent the next eleven years working in Hollywood learning from experts and avoiding the elephant in the room – doing personal artwork. The pandemic happened and it gave me the space and time to be quiet and listen to what the Universe was asking me to do. Luckily I was paying attention when my neighbor Chad Campbell came home with this mysterious surfboard, the Stoker Machine. I knew immediately this was the story I had to tell.

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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AMPLIFYING FEEDBACK LOOP, 2min., USA, Animation
Directed by Vanessa Sweet
Unfolding visual poetry loops and transforms, advocating for the need for sustainable futures and community action.

https://www.vanessasweet.com/amplifying-feedback-loop-in-prod
https://instagram.com/veebsweet

Get to know the filmmaker:

Climate Change is an increasingly intense and impactful problem we are all currently facing. I felt particularly strongly to gear my work towards advocacy and activism after living for six years in Alaska, three of which was in Shishmaref, Alaska. There, I listened to the living memory of the folks who live there. Shishmaref’s community if 99.8% Shishmaref Iñupiat– and the island they live on is eroding at astronomical rates. The sea ice isn’t freezing when it should, and is melting too soon. Permafrost is thawing, and animals are rapidly changing their migration paths.

I was witness to this change first hand– and while I knew these to be true, not facing it at extremes can soften our urgency on an issue. I ended up moving away from Shishmaref for my current teaching position– but that doesn’t mean people and this planet aren’t in need. It is important to make work , for me, that speaks out and encourages postive change for the future. Shishmaref film-maker Dennis Davis is recording these changes to the island via his drones, I would highly encourage everyone to seek out his work and watch it to learn more– to get a sense of what is happening in Alaska as well as the southern US, and to hear from that community.

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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