THE OLD LADY, 26min., Spain
Directed by Andres Romero
A lonely old lady is slowly dying in her old mansion when the arrival of the daughter of her caretaker mysteriously changes her future prospects.

Get to know writer/producer/star ANGELE MARTENS:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
The script and the opportunity to film in a castle which adds more mystery to the story.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
TWO YEARS

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
FAMILY DRAMA

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The script is about an old woman who becomes younger and younger as time goes by. Filming in a non-linear sequence made it more complicated, especially in terms of makeup.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
It felt awesome. Seeing so much positive comment for a job that has taken us more than a year and a half of work just thinking about the audience, in delivering the best possible film for their enjoyment, is a real gift.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films? Since I can remember.
Since I can remember. My father had a camera that recorded in super 8mm, so from a very young age I was very used to recording with cameras and editing, even if it was analog, not like not, when everything is easier with the digital world.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Star Wars….1977….I was 6 years old. It was the film with which I thought: I want to do that.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
At the moment, you are doing everything magnificently, much better than other festivals, so I believe that, for the moment, other festivals would have to imitate you.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Excellent. Film Freeway is one of the best platforms, if not the best, to present your projects, due to the attractiveness of its page when it comes to presenting yourself to festivals and all the opportunities that each of them offer you.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Scrambled eggs with ham and French fries.

11. What is next for you?
There are always several projects underway, circulating, but perhaps the most interesting is the second part of this short, since many people have already asked us about the future of the life of LAURA, the real protagonist.: How will it happen? incognito among people who are not immortal like her…

Submit to the CRIME/MYSTERY Film Festival:

MY ROCKSTAR, 13min,. USA
Directed by Stephanie Williams, Graham Nothrup
“My Rockstar” is a compelling and emotional short film that follows the journey of Amanda (aka “Eva” of the band Eva Under Fire”), a determined young Latina woman who dreams of becoming a rockstar while navigating the challenges of her father’s opiate addiction. The story delves into the complexities of familial relationships, self-discovery, and the power of resilience. The film aims to evoke strong emotional responses from the audience while conveying a powerful message about the profound impact of addiction on familial relationships. It explores themes of hope, resilience, and the pursuit of dreams, leaving viewers inspired and moved by Amanda’s journey.

Get to know director/writer Stephanie Williams:

What motivated you to make this film?

My brother died in 2016 from a heroin overdose. This was a devastating shock to me and my parents that we will never fully recover from. It took a few years after his death for me to cope with the grief well enough to consider creating something to honor his memory and to express my feelings about my loss. I am a licensed psychologist, and not long after my brother passed, five other therapists who worked at my clinic had someone close to them die from a heroin overdose. One of them is my friend, Amanda Lyberg, who is also the lead singer of the band “Eva Under Fire.” Our collective grief prompted me to write the script for MY ROCKSTAR. The songs she has written on their album “Love, Drugs, and Misery” speak to the pain of losing someone to addiction, so I thought bringing the story and the music together in a film would be a powerful way to reach people. I want the world to hear our stories and for them to know that everyone who dies from an overdose isn’t a bad person. A stigma continues to exist around drug addiction and that stigma oftentimes prevents people from getting help.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

Approximately one and a half years.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Unconditional Love.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

It was my first film so being new to the industry it was a challenge to build a crew for production. Raising the funds was equally as daunting.

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

I was very encouraged that each person said they got something from the film. My intent was to create a film that packed an emotional punch. I wanted to help people understand the impact of addiction on families and from the feedback I received it seems I accomplished my goal.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I realized that I wanted to make films about two years ago. Throughout my life, I had always dreamed of acting but never had the courage to pursue it until about three years ago when I decided to try acting classes.

My acting coach then encouraged me to write some scenes to improve my acting skills. Despite feeling intimidated as I had only written academic papers before, I took the challenge and was pleasantly surprised by the positive feedback I received. In 2021, I attended my first film festival, participated in workshops, and absorbed as much knowledge as I could. I delved into books on screenwriting, eventually crafting my first feature script a few months later, which garnered recognition in a screenwriting contest. This success motivated me to enroll in a film mentorship program at The Independent Film School in New York.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

I don’t tend to watch movies more than once. However, one film I have watched quite a bit for a good laugh is NAPOLEON DYNAMITE. It’s unusual because I typically don’t gravitate towards comedies; instead, I prefer deeply psychological and suspenseful movies. Another film that truly resonated with me is THE HOURS.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

For online festivals, having an online forum with other filmmakers in the festival would be great for networking. Hosting online events that allow us to meet each other would also be beneficial. Additionally, providing a platform to interface with potential investors and distributors would be valuable. The biggest hurdle I face in making films is finding ways to fund them, and I often feel overwhelmed by the concept of raising enough money to fund a feature.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experience been working on the festival platform site?

Overall, it has been great. As a new filmmaker, I’ve encountered a learning curve in understanding how the festival awards work, as they vary between different festivals. Perhaps FilmFreeway could encourage festivals to provide more specific information on this matter. Initially, I believed that being labeled as an “Official Selection” indicated that the film is in competition and will be screened. However, each festival seems to have a unique process, which can be a bit confusing. I was hoping to attend in-person festivals to view my short on the screen, but even as an official selection, that is not always an option. Most festivals lack clarity on their process and when or if we can see our film screened if selected for the festival.”

10. What is your favorite meal?

I am vegetarian and I love Middle Eastern Food. Mijadra with hummus, falafel and tabbouleh! Oh and of course, ice cream!

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I am currently working on the feature script for MY ROCKSTAR and also wrapping up a short script tentatively titled INVISIBLE. I believe these two projects will surpass the short film MY ROCKSTAR significantly due to the extensive learning experience I gained from writing, co-directing, co-producing, casting, and being heavily involved in every aspect of post-production, particularly the editing process. I am genuinely excited about both of these new projects as they resonate with meaningful aspects of my life that I am passionate about expressing through film

SAPERE AUDE, 6min., Australia
Directed by Chadai Chamoun
A man of science, trapped between the arcane and incomprehensible grief, resorts to unthinkable measures to try to prolong his beloved’s life. In all his heartache, he is devoured by his grief, unwilling to confront the reality of his wife’s condition until it is too late. There is no sense – no moral – in suffering. There is only pain. Hashir dares to discover the truth and faces the consequences.

https://chadai.pb.gallery/sapereaude
https://instagram.com/sapere.aude.film

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film? — The initial idea for ‘Sapere Aude’ came to me when I learned that my 6 year old niece’s cancer had become terminal. I was grieving and she wasn’t even gone yet. It was devastating for our whole family. As I was processing the news (or rather, not processing), I was reminded of how Lovecraft’s protagonists go insane when they are confronted with horrors beyond their comprehension. I was still at university, so at the end of the previous semester, my course director advised me to take the summer break to think about what film I wanted to pitch for our final year project, and to choose a topic I cared a lot about. I tried thinking of something else – something happier – but as I helped my brother and his wife through the next few months, there wasn’t anything I cared about more. So I pitched Sapere Aude (back then we just called it “Madness”), and I was lucky to have a group of incredibly talented artists come aboard. Everyone has a story about cancer, it seems – and my teammates cared about the story just as much as I did.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film? — I pitched the film in March 2023, and we immediately began pre-production. That lasted from March until June, and we initially wanted to get a head start on production during our winter break (June/July) – but my niece’s health took a sharp decline in June, and passed away in early July. So I took a step back, and the film was on hold until we came back for semester 2 in early August. I remember finishing editing the film on Halloween night, just before midnight. We submitted it for our university deadline a few days later.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!? — Overwhelming grief.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film? — For me, it was definitely the difficulty in balancing the circumstances that inspired the film, and my ongoing commitments to my family with my obligations as a director and animator. But aside from that, it would have to be the inherent difficulties that come with making a student film: absolutely no budget made it difficult to make sure my team members all had access to the tools they needed. It was also tiring to complete assignments and report to teachers so frequently, despite our teachers being fantastic – sometimes it felt like a “too many cooks” situation. But as I understand it, that feeling doesn’t go away in-industry either. Unless you’re totally independent, you’re always going to have to justify your creative decisions to someone, so it was good practice too. I also feel that if our deadline had been in January or February instead of November, we could have polished up some areas of the film too.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video? — I cried a little, honestly. It’s so unbelievably comforting to know that even on the other side of the planet, people get our film. I’m also sort of sorry that people get it – no one should ever have to lose a loved one to something like cancer. It was an exhausting process to try to make sure that our film’s message was intelligible, but it feels like it’s really paid off. And not only do people appreciate the themes and message of our film, but as a piece of artwork and animation as well – that makes me feel so proud of all the hard work I and my team put in – not to mention the many, many late nights spent in the animation labs at uni.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films? — I’ve been an artist since I could pick up a pencil, but filmmaking didn’t come to me until late into high school when I was doing a subject called “Interactive Digital Media”. Mostly the subject consisted of basic web design (html, css), editing photos in Photoshop, creating logos and assets in Illustrator, etc. But one of our final assignments was a fake road safety PSA ad with the prompt “How would you look after your mates?”. I loved this assignment, and I took the time to paint some watercolour scenery on paper and scan them in to use as backgrounds for my animation. I didn’t realise how much I enjoyed animation and storytelling until then. I’d dabbled in making comics, writing stories, that sort of thing but that was my first solid go at hand-drawn animation. When that was done, my teacher really encouraged me to study animation at university, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that little push. I think I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be now.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life? — If I had to guess, it’d be a tie between 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) since it’s my comfort movie, John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), and High Noon (1952). I have no idea what that says about me.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career? — Hard to say, since a lot of the festivals I’ve been accepted into have been overseas, and I haven’t been able to attend. But I’ve volunteered with film festivals before, and honestly I can’t think of anything more that your festival could be doing. I do think more festivals should publish proper write-ups with comments from and about their winning films; it’s something that comes up when people Google a director’s name, and especially for emerging filmmakers, that extra reach can make a lot of difference in your career.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site? — So far it’s been really good, it exposes me to so many different festivals I wouldn’t even know existed! My main complaint is that a lot of festivals don’t remember to update the status of submissions (especially those that aren’t selected), or they continuously shift their notification date later and later without telling you. So I’ll check daily, and I’ll be left wondering whether I wasted money on a ghost festival or not. That’s the other issue too – the bulk of festivals charge quite a lot of money for submissions, and not enough include student discounts, etc. I’ve spent a lot of my own savings on trying to submit to festivals, and my own film was made with no funding whatsoever. And in fact, because I did it through university, I actually paid to make it. I’m not saying submission should always be free, but phew, some festivals out there are charging more than $100 AUD for me to submit a student film that’s less than 6 minutes long. Suffice to say, that greatly affects who gets to see the film.

10. What is your favorite meal? — Kousa mahshi, a Lebanese dish that my mum and I make every year for my birthday since it falls in the middle of winter, when white zucchinis are in season. It’s so comforting.

11. What is next for you? A new film? — Hopefully a new film, yes! I’m working on some personal projects at the moment, and I’ve done a little bit of work on some other people’s films (keep an eye out for Chris Paraskevas’ “Janus”, you’ll see some of my animation in that). But through Sapere Aude I’ve made some lifelong friends, and we’re all pretty much agreed that we’d like to keep working together to make our own films. We’re in early pre-production for something, but I’m stepping back from directing for this one, I’m onboard as producer and animator for that. We’re taking our time, so maybe we’ll be finished with that one by late 2025 – it’s hard to say right now.

Submit to the HORROR Underground Film Festival:

DOWN TO ONE, 3min., USA
Directed by Tyler Jensen
A Joint Slay from
Typical Films (Scream, Queen! My Nightmare On Elm Street) and Monster Makeup Productions (Death Drop Grogeous, Saint Drogo)
Starring Bright Light Bright Light

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
Working with Rod on this video was a dream come true – we share a mutual love of horror and dark comedy classics like Clue, April Fool’s Day, and the stylishly dark world of Italian giallos.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film? We storyboarded for a few weeks before renting a house and shooting over a weekend last fall. The video was edited and had its debut two weeks later on Friday The 13th.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Bloody Delightful

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The most difficult scene to shoot was the bathtub death. We used an iPhone in a waterproof bag that I had to hold down in the tub while Chris was being drowned.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
That was such a charming, happy video to watch! I was not expecting that.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I saw Natural Born Killers at a 7th grade sleepover and my entire life changed. How could they make such a movie that was extremely unrealistic and stylized. I knew from then on, that’s the kinda job I wanted.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Clueless – It only gets better with every viewing.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Career Mentorship

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
It has been excellent, no notes

10. What is your favorite meal?
There’s no better taste than celluloid.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
A new indie family comedy about a wayward uncle coming home to care for a pack of nasty children.

Submit to the HORROR Underground Film Festival:

HIGH LIGHT, 4min., USA
Directed by Anthony Orlando
A young man musters the courage to face an alien lifeform rooting through his garage.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Answer: As I saw my peers in the film industry sharing their new projects and getting laurels for their work, I knew I had to direct a new movie to promote myself so I could move forward in my career as a filmmaker. It had been a few years since I directed my last short, so I knew I had to create something new to showcase all the knowledge and experience in filmmaking I had gained since then. Also, since the short is based on a screenplay I have been working on, I hoped this film would act as a proof of concept that I could pitch to executives and hopefully get it made into a feature-length film.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

Answer: Since the film is based on a scene from another script, it only took me a couple of days to iron out the kinks and make it a standalone story. Production took about three days, and I spent a week or two editing the film.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Answer: Skin-crawling suspense

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Answer: I think my biggest obstacle was filming the scenes in my garage, as it was such a dark, cramped space. It was tough for my lead actor, Ryan, since we were shooting in the winter with such little resources. I tried to make the film as good as it could be, but for his sake, I tried not to push things too far. Still, I owed him a nice dinner after I what I put him through.

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

Answer: I was overjoyed to hear the audience liked my film so much. I’m always open to constructive criticism, but hearing how much everyone enjoyed it and left it with almost nothing but praise made me feel great about how far I’ve come as a filmmaker.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

Answer: Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved writing stories. But I realized I wanted to tell stories through film when I was in high school. After I watched “The Shining” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” for the first time, I knew I wanted to make those kinds of visual stories that have impacted so many audiences on such a deep level.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Answer: Probably “Finding Nemo”. It’s always been a favorite within my family, and we never get sick of watching it.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

Answer: Personally, I love how when festivals allow the audience to share their thoughts with the filmmakers, as it provides them with the constructive feedback and positive reinforcement they need to keep pursuing their passion. I also really like being able to connect with other filmmakers I meet at these festivals so we can pick each other’s brains or help each other find new work opportunities. If there’s one thing I learned about this industry, it’s all about who you know.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

Answer: My experience with FilmFreeway has been very good. I used it to submit my last horror short “The Shadows” to a bunch of festivals, and with the laurels I received, it was a great introduction to the festival circuit.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Answer: Pasta bolognese. No one makes it quite like my mom.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

Answer: I have a lot of projects on my plate right now. I’m currently focusing on writing an epic science-fantasy pilot. However, I also plan on sharing “High Light” online, where it will hopefully go viral, so stay tuned!

Submit to the HORROR Underground Film Festival:

DAKINI, 43min., Nepal
Directed by Arniko Kumar Singh
When darkness holds the light, the thin line between good and evil becomes an illusion. Unravel the captivating journey between perception and reality.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

– I always wanted to make a movie based on folklore and bring originality to the screen. Hence, this movie was the best way for me to showcase my ideas and interests.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

– From the inception of the idea to making this movie, in the entirety it took me about 3 years.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

– Honest effort!

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

– As a first time filmmaker, I faced a lot of challenges. The biggest one I would say would be not surrounding myself with competent and professional individuals around me. That was a huge lesson that I learned.

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

– I was very excited but also very nervous.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

– Since I was 14 years old.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

– I have seen all kinds of films throughout my life. I would watch any language, any genre and any kind of movie. Each and every movie has something unique about it.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

– I think you folks are doing a fantastic job.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

– It was great.

10. What is your favorite meal?

– Anything I eat when I am hungry is my favorite meal.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

– Hopefully, I will get to make another movie. If I can make my hobby my profession, then I would be the happiest individual on this planet.

AWAITING WONDER, 12min., Cyprus
Directed by Eleana Theophilou
A poetic exploration of a love story, of a widower that is going through the lonely journey of coming to terms with the sudden loss of his wife.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

The core of the inspiration for the film lays in a time when my husband was rushed to the hospital after an accident.

The phone call from the hospital, the drive to the hospital and the few hours that I had to wait to find out whether he was going to survive the injuries created temporarily a very subjective sense of time and was saturated with emotions of love, memories, things unsaid, fear of loss and thoughts of loneliness. During the pandemic, a couple of years after the incident, these emotions resurfaced together with the need to make the film. The emotion of loneliness was a worldwide spread, loneliness related to loss or fear of loss of loved ones was spreading as much as the viral outbreak. In addition, I have been exploring the emotion of loneliness though my creative writing for some time before I commenced the film and I wanted to see them through the perspective of a filmmaking process.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

A couple of years

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Intriguing and contemplative.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

There were a couple of mountains that I felt that I had to overcome and thankfully were surpassed. I went through pregnancy and labour during the production and post-production stage which was during the pandemic.

Consequently, you can imagine I was not always able to go to shooting locations and being worried about having a crew with me I found myself being a person of do it all behind and in front of the camera and had to find the balance between constantly babysitting and making the film. Thankfully my husband was very supportive through this process. In addition, when the film was reaching completion of the postproduction stage I was rushed to the hospital and at that point I thought I would never complete it but I managed to return home and I edited the film with final small touches and with a new perspective.

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

Immersed in beautiful feelings. It was nice to hear the different aspects and concepts people connected with the film which reflected my research and process into making the film but also gave me moments of a different perspective.

The feedback was also food for thought for further development as a filmmaker and further motivation for future filmmaking adventures.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I was in my first year as a student in the fine arts which was in my late 30s, during which time I wanted to explore video making because I felt I wanted the images to move and tell stories. I undertook an experimental filmmaking course as a taster and that was it, I fell in love with it, the film medium strongly felt as an expression tool and I eventually transferred my studies to concentrate on filmmaking.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

In general, I love watching black and white films. I would say Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) by Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, I probably watched it a few times over.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

I think the festival covered my needs as a filmmaker; the feedback on my film, a platform of promotion and a place to initiate communication with other filmmakers and receiving the above benefits without having to leave your working space and its commitments is important.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

I am very pleased with the platform because there is enough information and it is organised enough to make the process easy and smooth.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I don’t know if it is the meal or what surrounds the meal but I do like a barbeque with meat and vegetables, people and laugher with it.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I am currently working on a family documentary and I am at a very early pre-production stage. I started with an exploration of the bond between my father and I but I slowly see it moving into other family members. Off course creative writing including poetry is part of the process of making this film.

Submit to the Experimental, Dance, Music Festival

FR:AGILITY, 8min., Singapore
Directed by Amanda Tan
The film lenses the body and its form as sculpture; its undulating curves and slopes as landscape; and the skin we live in and shed as texture.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I was motivated by the desire to explore a dance film outside the confines of literal representations of movement. I wanted to make a film that withdraws from the constraints of a mere visual depiction of choreography on camera; looking at dance and movement as gestural markings instead.

I was also keen on exploring different visual textures. These textures were a means to transform the human form into a canvas, giving it new meaning and evoking different visceral sensations from the viewer.

The film envisioned was a collision between dance, lensing, and make-up artistry; blending different art forms to create a journey revealing the body in its new skin — one that is beautifully fragile yet undeniably agile.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

About 6 months start to finish, but not non-stop.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

FRAGILE/AGILE.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Translating the make-up and textures onto skin and having it be malleable enough to move with the dancer without falling apart was the biggest obstacle. We did material tests before the shoot to make sure our looks would withstand the heavy movement of the dancer on set.

However, some unexpected things happened on the day of shoot. For instance, it rained the night before, meaning the sand which we were applying to skin for one of the looks, had moistened from humidity and condensation, so it was extremely difficult to work with and get on the skin. We used headlamps to dry it and to heat up our very cold dancer, but this then caused it to overharden and crack. We pushed through and adapted the look and movement language to the situation, but yes this was one of the bigger creative obstacles.

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

It was really awesome watching these reactions. To see people kind of take away things like vulnerability in the performance was really good to see. I am glad that evoked the intended sensation and emotion. It’s also interesting to be able to see and reflect on the reactions of people halfway around the world. Film really brings us together.

6. When did you realise that you wanted to make films?

I don’t think there was ever a eureka moment. I currently would describe myself as an artist before a filmmaker, and film as just one of my mediums. For me, making lensed work was always a natural inclination, it was a way to capture humanity and performance. It started with me dabbling with photography as a teenager and then deciding to add the fourth dimension of time to my practice as an undergrad. Film was a way to put something kinetic on the flat surface of a screen. That’s what enticed me to it.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

As in what film have a viewed repeatedly? I would say Fountain by Darren Aronofsky. It’s so visually extra, I just can’t help review it over and over.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

I am actually really grateful for the interaction you guys have provided in this festival, the feedback, Q&A, etc has been a really great experience. I think one of the other things would be a way to reach online publications or platforms and have them look at the film. For example, for movement based work, getting eyeballs on NOWNESS or VIMEO would be great, but it’s often hard to get the attention of those platforms. Festivals could play a role in connecting filmmakers with sites such as these.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

Always good! Been using it for years.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I literally cannot choose because I eat literally everything. Food is a means of understanding culture to me. But I do like uni a lot.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I am currently working on a multi-screen installation for an upcoming exhibition. I will be manipulating live action to make this piece, using microscopic lensing, thermal heat cameras and some fun lighting techniques. So yeah, currently in pre-production for this! Still a long way to go.

Submit to the Experimental, Dance, Music Festival