An 8 year old girl adopted from China leads her father to a deeper understanding of what she faces in a new culture and what she longs for from her home country.
Review by Andie Karvelis:
This heartfelt film about an 8 year girl who was adopted from China was beautifully written by D. Andrew Hartfield and Tillie Hartfield. Just watching the bond between father and daughter will have you smiling but the direction the story took and how skillfully it was told will touch your heart.
The cast was phenomenal, Ming Xuan as Tillie, D. Andrew Hartfield as the Father and Sara Atkinson portraying the Mother. Each actor was so believable and you could see the rapport between them. Director Noelle P. Wilson did a wonderful job and creator D. Andrew Hartsfield also assisted in directing. The cinematography was beautiful thanks to Ben Enke and the score by Sean Turner, accentuated the emotion in the film.
One of my favorite parts was the game they played together. You could tell that D. Andrew Hartfield was writing from experience and it translated so perfectly on screen. Making this entire film an absolute joy to watch.
“Darb Zubaydah” is an inspiring documentary film that chronicles the epic hiking trip of 150 individuals, led by retired Major General Abdul Aziz Al-Obaida, along the ancient pilgrims’ trail known as “Darb Zubaydah.” The adventure begins in the historic city of Faid and spans a distance of 96 kilometers. This captivating film not only captures the physical challenges and triumphs of the journey but delves into the rich history of the renowned Darb Zubaydah trail.
Review by Andie Karvelis:
Darb Zubaydah is an inspiring documentary film that chronicles the epic hiking trip of 150 individuals along the ancient pilgrims’ trail known as “Darb Zubaydah”. The director of photography and director Dunya Alatva did an amazing job bringing this vision to life. The cinematography alone is just spectacular and that is in part due to drone operator Mezyad Alatveh as well as camera operators Mohammad Ikinci and Mohannad Alshamari,
The 96 kilometer (that’s 59.6516 miles for those who are curious) journey was led by retired Major General Abdul Aziz Al-Obaida and the interviews conducted with him as well as various hikers was interesting and very moving. The film’s score was provided by Hichem Makni and it complimented every step of this adventure beautifully.
“When a wild night ends rubbing shoulders with the LA mob, a directionless college grad has to get his friend out of danger, or it’ll be her blood on the streets next.”
Review by Andie Karvelis:
Writer and Director Elijah Chandler tackles the crime/action-thriller genre with finesse! There’s a great balance between telling the story in present time and through flashbacks. That in and of itself really helped build the suspense and keep you on the edge of your seat. Director of Photography Sam Frank did some sensational work with black and white, giving it depth and texture. This gave the film a “noir” kind of feel to it.
The actors did a nice job and everyone was very believable, as was the spfx makeup that was used. Sometimes it’s hard to get makeup effects to show in black and white film and they did a nice job without going overboard. What really elevates this film is the music provided by Arend Erasmus, its pulse pounding and driving when it needs to be and then fades into an unsettling tone that raises the suspense level.
A showcase of the best new movies and their respective trailers from around the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS:
MOVIE TRAILER of the MONTH: Don’t Die in Dubai EDITED TRAILER: Limited Slip MOCK TRAILER: The End of Days SCI-FI TRAILER: Staycation HORROR TRAILER: Appointment with the Plague Doctor, Lester Haywood COMEDY TRAILER: Naughty in Az CRIME/MYSTERY TRAILER: 27 LGBTQ+ TRAILER: Martinez, Margaritas and Murder! KIDS TRAILER: Robbie & Mollie ENVIRONMENTAL TRAILER: Water Star Medicine MYSTERY TRAILER: Wait DOCUMENTARY TRAILER: Anatolia Ancient Nature
See the Full Lineup of Films:
ANATOLIA ANCIENT NATURE, 2min. Turkey Directed by Burak Dogansoysal The Anatolian Ancient Nature documentary is a project that aims to create a visual inventory of the Anatolian geography, which contains species that are extremely important for the natural history heritage of our world. Our primary goal is to document little-known, iconic, endemic and endangered species in high quality and pass them on to future generations.
WAIT Trailer, 1min., Directed by Jared Jacobsen, Lorena Diaz A man and a woman suddenly find themselves alone in a vacant lot and neither can remember how they got there.
THE AMERICAN RIVIERA DETECTIVE AGENCY, 2min., Directed by Sidney Bailey Mike Durant, a private investigator working in Santa Barbara, specializes in high end divorce cases among the rich denizens of California’s American Riviera. Stepping outside his usual purview, Durant agrees to help a grieving widow, who suspects her husband’s death in a motorcycle accident is directly connected to the contents of a camera she discovered after his death which contains surveillance pictures and video clips of numerous people, associated with his place of work – Bristol Scott Engineering (BSE) – a developer of drone software for the US military. Durant’s investigation leads him into a minefield of corruption, betrayal and murder that very nearly ends with his own death at the hands of
SUNDOWN, 1min. Directed by Bob Brill Trailer for the short film “Sundown”
WATER STAR MEDICINE, 2min., Directed by Ilysa Spencer a PSA about water
ROBBIE & MOLLIE, 1min., Directed by KIDS ‘N TRICKS Robbie the seal and Mollie the seagull are living the good life by the sea. But dangers have been lurking on the beach and in the water for some time now. It’s not natural enemies that they now have to fear, it’s mainly plastic rubbish from humans that collects in the sea and threatens their habitat.
UNTO THE LEAST OF THESE, 3min., Directed by Kandis Heckler When a group of diverse and eclectic social workers with more dysfunction than the Homeless they serve, line up for services at a faith based agency they unwillingly work through their own prejudice, privilege and guilt.
MARTINEZ, MARGARITAS AND MURDER! Directed by James Helsing, Kirk Demorest As Freddy Martinez’s friends are murdered one by one, he is recruited by a private investigator to help set a trap for the killer responsible: The Bedroom Butcher.
27 trailer, 1min., Directed by Nino Pace Film trailer for the heist drama 27. The stresses of everyday life are causing too much anxiety for Max, he wants an easy way out. for his family. Would you do wrong to makes things right?
NAUGHTY IN AZ, 3min. Written by Christopher Harmon A shy divorcee reluctantly enters the world of nude dancing in mid 90’s Phoenix, as a fish out of water – but after numerous raucous and over the top … often dangerous, adventures — she achieves inner peace and transforms into a star.
LIMITED SLIP, 1min., Directed by Clint Calvert, Caleb Johnson Trailer for the short film Limited Slip
ECHO RHYME, 3min. Directed by Caleb Johnson, Jeff Johnson Trailer: for the feature film Echo Rhyme
APPOINTMENT WITH THE PLAGUE DOCTOR, LESTER HAYWOOD, 8min,. Directed by L.S. Strange
DELUSIONAL STATE, 3min., Directed by Trelanda Lowe
DOUBLE OR NUTIN’, 2min. Directed by Stewart Brodian A local actor tries to start a comedy variety show on public access TV using celebrity impersonators.
HUMAN GAME 2 – The Culling Of A King trailer, 1min. Directed by Nathan Waire Trailer for the sequel.
STAYCATION, 1min., Directed by Russell Emanuel Lead virologist Edward Bellows plays tête-a-tête with hard-hitting journalist Grace Baxter as the world collapses under the weight of a global pandemic. She holds nothing back as she fires question after question, seeking answers from the beleaguered professor. Meanwhile, Britt and Marnie, college roommates being forced to live together, must deal with their newfound realities of this global pandemic. And, a couple Matt and Cathy, stuck in lockdown and separated between continents, spend some belated quality time via webcam toasting to foreign brandy and reminiscing on the past.
THE END OF DAYS, 1min. Directed by Jonathan Christopher Martin-Ives In this mock trailer, a British teenager, gifted with clairvoyancy seeks to warn anyone who will listen to her about an imbedding alien attack. She falls on deaf ears.
MY SISTERS’ CUP, 3min. Directed by Cortez Mack An inspirational story about four sisters learning the value of sisterhood through the teachings and wisdom of their mother
DON’T DIE IN DUBAI, 4min., Written by Christopher Harmon A bad boy living, cannabis loving, Rap star is terrified about turning 50 and dying like his peers, so he travels to Dubai to find ‘magic bud’ that stops aging … while there to judge a Belly-Dancing contest — but underworld villains threaten his life and ruin his high. He struggles to survive long enough to appreciate his life, his friends and to blaze for another day.
Festival Reviews 