Year: 2016

Deadline TODAY: Feature/Short Screenplay Festival

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WILDsound Festival's avatarWILDsound Festival

WILDsound is a screenwriter’s treasure! They take enormous time to provide the most expert, detailed feedback, even allowing my choice to incorporate all the committee’s ideas or stay with my draft. With caring support, they’ve honored each deadline and every award they promised, and I’m forever grateful for their right-on insightful niggles to enhance my story. WILDsound provides everything a screenwriter needs to find the way to a story’s successful completion. I’m forever grateful!
– Elan Carlton, Cahoots, Feature Script

Watch Recent Winning Readings. At least 5 Screenplay Winners a Month:

FULL FEEDBACK on your screenplay from our committee of Professional Screenwriters, Production Heads and Script Consultants. Get your entire script performed at the writing festival.

SUBMIT your FEATURE or SHORT SCREENPLAY.

Submissions take 3-5 weeks for evaluation. Looking for screenplays from all over the world.

WILDsound Screenplay Festival Review – Read testimonials from past submissions.
Read Festival Articles –…

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Watch The Mega Plush Short Film – Winner Best Film January 2016 Film Festival

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under5minutefilmfestival's avatarUnder 5 minute & Smartphone festival

THE MEGA PLUSH, 4min, USA, Animation/Action
Directed by Matt Burniston

Set in the shadows of a gritty underworld, a war is brewing. The Mega Plush, a group of four plush toy vigilantes, are struggling against the uprising of the SOC (Society of Chimps) army. Good vs evil. Bear vs sock monkey. The question is “who has the stuffing to survive?”

http://www.themegaplush.com/

Watch the Amazing CGI Animation SHORT FILM:

Read Interview with the Animator/Director Matt Burniston

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Interview with Festival Director Brennan Tilley (Calgary Underground Film Festival)

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Founded in 2003, the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) is dedicated to programming films that defy convention. Through the screening of contemporary works in various categories that include: feature, documentary, animation and shorts – CUFF brings Calgarians a unique roster of films rarely seen in North American theatres. CUFF currently has two annual festivals. The main Calgary Underground Film Festival runs for 7-days in mid-April; CUFF.Docs International Documentary Festival is in November. In addition, CUFF showcases special event screenings throughout the year.

Interview with the Festival Director Brennan Tilley:

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Brennan Tilley: The Calgary Underground Film Festival has always highlighted underseen films and helped filmmakers get their work in front of an audience. As new distribution models have been introduced it is easier for filmmakers to get their films seen, but we are still providing one of a limited number of ways to properly experience a film with an audience. We maintain a casual environment and are a great opportunity for visiting filmmakers to connect with each other.

Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

Brennan: An engaged audience that trusts us to bring in the best films. It is an opportunity to watch these films with people that love the films we screen. We enhance the experience through an arcade featuring new games from independent developers, DJs and VJs between films, a themed bar, and plenty of pop-up surprises

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Brennan: The main criterion is that a film defies convention or breaks boundaries. These films in some way depart from what we have seen before.

Matthew: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Brennan: By and large, festivals want to screen the best films possible. If a film is good and made available to festivals, a film will likely get a fair shake.

Matthew: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

Brennan: We strive to connect with the filmmakers whose films we screen. Those connections and the appreciation the filmmakers show for it is a big driver for us. Cultivating the best audience experience and the response we get from that is also a huge motivator.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Brennan: The spirit and the intentions of the festival have remained consistent. The main change is the size. We have moved from a single, small non-theatrical venue over a few days to a full week with two dedicated screens at an arthouse cinema. At times, attendance figures increased at levels that made us certain we were miscalculating and then increased more the following year. Also, CUFF has become a yearround presence with an offshoot documentary festival in November and events year round.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Brennan: We have several initiatives on deck to be added over the next five years. Nothing we are revealing right now 😉

Matthew: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Brennan: In my life, probably GHOSTBUSTERS or WIZARD OF OZ, two films I started watching young and continue to watch. In the last 10-15 years, I would like to think it is Noah Baumbach’s KICKING AND SCREAMING. I also lost count of how many times I saw the Mandy Moore vehicle HOW TO DEAL in theatres; the summer of 2003 was a weird time.

Matthew: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Brennan: A great film is engaging while watching it and sticks with a viewer long after.

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Brennan: Movie watching in Calgary is heavily weighted in multiplexes and home theatres. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in audience attendance and engagement with film festivals and events. Also, cultural groups and arts organizations are highly supportive of related film screenings and events. The film scene is supported by a burgeoning film production community.

***

Interview Subject Brennan Tilley holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Process Management. He serves as Lead Programmer and Administrative Manager of the Calgary Underground Film Festival, President and Programming Chair of the Calgary Cinematheque and Shorts Programmer for the Calgary International Film Festival. He can count to ten (diez) in Spanish with assistance on only eight (ocho) of the numbers. Contrary to rumours, he has not recently watched his VHS copy of the Chevy Chase classic Funny Farm.

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Fesival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to http://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Movie Review: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) Directed by Steven Spielberg

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fantasyscififestival's avatarFantasy/Sci-Fi FILM & WRITING FESTIVAL

Submit your Fantasy/Sci-Fi Screenplay to the Festival:http://fantasyscififestival.com/

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, MOVIE POSTERCLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, 1977
Movie Reviews

Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban, Lance Henriksen
Review by Steven Loeb

SYNOPSIS:

Cableman Roy Neary is one of several people who experience a close encounter of the first kind, witnessing UFOs flying through the night sky. He is subsequently haunted by a mountainlike image in his head and becomes obsessed with discovering what it represents, putting severe strain on his marriage. Meanwhile, government agents around the world have a close encounter of the second kind, discovering physical evidence of otherworldly visitors in the form of military vehicles that went missing decades ago suddenly appearing in the middle of nowhere. Roy and the agents both follow the clues they have been given to reach a site where they will have a close encounter of…

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Movie Review: JAWS (1975)

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thrillersuspense's avatarThriller/Suspense Film and Writing Festival

Submit your Thriller/Suspense Film & Screenplay to the Festival: http://thrillersuspensefestival.com

JAWS, MOVIE POSTERJAWS, 1975
Movie Reviews

Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Carl Gottlieb
Review by Steven Loeb

SYNOPSIS:

When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it.

REVIEW:

What causes people to be scared of the unknown? Most often, it is that which can’t be seen that is the most terrifying. The imagination, it seems, is capable of conjuring images that are far worse than anything real could ever be. The best horror films are the ones that capitalize on the reactions people have to the things that are beyond their scope, be it something from another world, or, as in the case of Jaws, something that lies just below the ocean’s…

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Movie Review: GOLDFINGER, 1964. 3rd James Bond Movie

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actionadventurefestival's avatarAction/Adventure Film & Screenplay Festival

Submit your Action/Adventure Story to the Festival Today: http://actionadventurefestival.com

GOLDFINGER, MOVIE POSTERGOLDFINGER, 1964
Movie Reviews

Directed by Guy Hamilton
Starring Sean Connery, Gert Frobe, Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton, Harold Sakata and Bernard Lee.
Review by Jesse Ryder Hughes

SYNOPSIS:

A vengeful Bond is sent to see where the megalomaniac Auric Goldfinger gets his gold by M. Bond and Goldfinger have many one on one confrontations where Bond figures out that Goldfinger has a plan that could send the U.S.A into economic turmoil, while Goldfinger profits from the misfortunes.

REVIEW:

If you don’t know James Bond, most people would recognize Auric Goldfinger and his Korean bodyguard Oddjob, spoofed a lot due to his metal hat he throws to murder people. Goldfinger and Oddjob are so iconic to the Bond franchise. Bond and Goldfinger have numerous confrontations both playing at each others game, while a massive looming Korean with his lethal hat hangs out…

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Movie Review: DEADPOOL (2016)

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Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

deadpoolDEADPOOL (USA 2016) ***
Directed by Tim Miller

Starrting: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller

Review by Gilbert Seah

DEADPOOL the latest Marvel comic book ‘hero’ movie arrives with great anticipation and fanfare of comic book fans. Fans know their comic book hero and expect to see a foul-mouthed, angry, sexy and ugly fighter in an R-rated movie.

First of all, some background on DEADPOOL. Those familiar with the marvel character, best described as an uncensored personality would best skip this paragraph. DEAD POOL is the name of the lead character previously known as Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds). The character is less a hero than an antihero. He describes himself in the film as a bad guy paid to take out other bad guys. At first a normal human being, then voluntarily subjected to experiments in order to cure his cancer, Deadpool ends up totally mutated but also with accelerated healing powers and fighting agility. He is badly scarred especially facial wise and wears a skin tight costume. He is angry, swears all the time and beats various people up, depending on his mood. The fans expect the film to be extremely violent, especially in the already famous touted skewer scene in which Deadpool props a baddie up with his twin blades. Director Miller satisfies the fans with the segment not only shown twice, but also in slow motion.

To director Miller’s credit, the film is energetic and funny enough for the audience to be distracted from the film’s flaws. The film begins with mock opening credits that no doubt is funny at first, but soon wears out its welcome. It says for example that the film is directed by an overpaid tool with all other members of the the filmmaking team insulted except for the writers. The real credits appear at the end of the film.

The film begins with Deadpool (Reynolds) taking a cab, driven by Dopinder (Karan Soni) to fight his enemies, the main one being Francis (Ed Skrein from the TRANSPORTER remake). Deadpool has a lengthy irrelevant but hilarious conversation with Dopinder. The fight ensues, but because Deadpool has forgotten his bag of weapons, has only 12 bullets in his gun. As a result, he has to cut off his hand from a handcuff in order to escape in a garbage truck. The film flashes back to how this scene takes place. In the process, the audience learns that the film is a love story – one between Wade Wilson and Vanessa (Morena Baccarin).

The film’s storytelling format is chopped up unnecessarily as if the target audience is assumed to have a very short attention span. There is no need for the excessive violence, except maybe to satisfy the hardcore Deadpool comic book fans. The humour is forced, the dialogue terribly crude and blunt and many characters appear out of nowhere. An example is the blind old back lady, Al (the wonderful Leslie Uggams) who ends up as Deadpool’s lover, living in his apartment. Her quotable line: “I miss my cocaine.” All this might be entertaining to some but on the other hand , terribly boring to others, like the film critics.
For what it is worth, DEADPOOL delivers to its core audience. The film turned out better than I expected, having very low expectations after watching the trailer. But I am not the core audience. DEADPOOL fans will definitely be pleased!

 

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Deadline TODAY: Fantasy/Sci-Fi Screenplay Festival (Feature, Short, TV Pilot) Save $15 off

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WILDsound Festival's avatarWILDsound Festival

A FilmFreeway preferred festival:

(Scroll down and watch winning performance videos)

Get your screenplay performed by professional actors at the Fantasy/Sci-Fi Festival.

The Fastest Growing FANTASY/SCI-FI Festival and Contest in the World today!

– 0ffers screenwriters at all levels the fantastic opportunity to hear their stories read aloud using TOP PROFESSIONAL ACTORS (see below for recent performance readings).

– No matter what happens, you will receive full feedback on your work by our established committee. No other place in the world will you get coverage for the price you pay.

– Even if you’re just looking for feedback of your work, this is the festival for you.

– It’s there for all to see. The proof is in the viewership. These videos garner 1000s of views online. Some of the screenplay readings are more popular than actual studio films made!

– We specialize in showcasing Horror stories and making sure…

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Movie Review: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, 1963. 2nd James Bond Film

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actionadventurefestival's avatarAction/Adventure Film & Screenplay Festival

Submit your Action/Adventure Story to the Festival Today: http://actionadventurefestival.com

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, MOVIE POSTERFROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, 1962
Movie Reviews

Directed by Terence Young
Starring Sean Connery, Pedro Armendariz, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw, Daniela Bianchi and Bernard Lee.
Review by Jesse Ryder Hughes

SYNOPSIS:

It comes to MI6’s attention that a Russian girl has defected and offered to bring a lektor decoding device to MI6 in exchange that James Bond comes and retrieves her and the device. Bond rightfully responds that it is a trap, but who is setting the trap? Is it the Russians?

REVIEW:

Off the bat I have to say that From Russia with Love is my favorite Bond film and Bond novel. The film follows the source material relatively close, except a few minor changes, but that doesn’t matter, because the film is exciting and it flows extremely well. Unlike Dr. No we know the plan of the foes right…

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Interview with Aviel Silook, Founder & Creative Director (BERLIN MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS)

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Berlin Music Video Awards
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Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Aviel Silook: Our event is not a film festival, we really try to step out of this definition. The next teaser will explain: http://dai.ly/x3hcbkz

Our event is the biggest music video networking event in Europe, we already know about many nominees and winners who visited and found great job opportunities. Besides, some of the winners who traveled between Music Video’s events grasped that it is very unique, personal and fun compares to others.

We believe that getting selected by us means something special.. different than other events that their winners are always high budget productions. 2 of our final winners were winning with their first ever music video and since then they were invited to make many more videos. I believe that the fact that we nominate music videos in all languages is really appreciated as well.

We managed to get over 700 mentionings in a bit more than 3 years and we always ask to include videos from our nominees

Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

Aviel: I am originally a nightlife events producer and my main goal is that the guests of the event will have fun! so besides the great video selection we pay a close attention to other elements like good food, after parties, live shows, fun guests and a lot of press presence.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Aviel: Originality and good execution

Matthew: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Aviel: I think that many film festivals care about big names.. that’s a pity really.

We do our best not to discriminate unknown artists and also on the other side to give a fair chance to filmmakers who did a video for famous musicians. In Berlin we have a lot of social pressure not to let those in but we always remember that behind the music video could be a young filmmaker that had his first chance to make a video for a big musician. So if the video is good we won’t exclude him but at the same time we rejected many big names before.. the fame plays no role for us. If you take a look at our previous selections.. we have Bob Dylan, Katy Perry, Cold Play and other big artists who were nominated but in the end most of them lost. Popularity plays no role for us.

Matthew: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

Aviel: To do something unique

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Aviel: We really grew fast.

In the first year we had 1000 guests and this year we expect 8000 (4th edition). We have better prizes and a bigger press exposure for the winners. The venues are bigger and we work with more professionals.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Aviel: The real question for us is where do we see our nominees in 2020. We really hope that what we do will push them to go far, we want them all to get good job offers and keep making music videos.

Matthew: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Aviel: I will refer this quetsion to music videos.

I think that the music videos that i watched really many times are the ones that we are getting as submissions and specifically the winners. I view them over and over again before they get nominated and then maybe 50 more times afterwards (and try to compare them to the others, which is very difficult) just to make sure that we don’t do any mistakes with the selection.

Matthew: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Aviel: A great music video is a music video where the crew went with it all the way without a safe play (but that’s just my personal opinion).

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Aviel: The independent scene in Berlin is pretty good but not really many big productions, especially not around music videos.

Originally our festival was supposed to be a local festival and our goal was to develop the local scene but in the end we received so many international good videos and changed our mind very quick.

***

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Fesival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.