PLAIN AS NIGHT, 4min,. Canada
Directed by Seth Mackie
A man witnesses a murder from his dorm room.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

The initial motivation was an assignment for a digital media program I enrolled in, where I had to make a short film. The idea for the project, however, came from the really late nights I would spend in my dorm room, listening quietly to music and looking out my window, where I would often see a few running cars parked next to each other for long periods of time. I always wondered what they were up to, so I imagined a scenario where someone found out.

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

It took about a week for me to come up with a story and then write a script based on that story that I could live with. The shoot itself consisted of three two-hour shooting days and a 4th shooting day for pick-up shots of anything we missed. And finally, another two weeks of editing.

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

Visual and Tense.

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

There were two big obstacles I faced during the making of this film, the first obstacle being the rain. When we were shooting the wide shot of the car driving and revealing the body, it started raining unexpectedly. I was thrilled at first because I thought it looked great when we were filming it, but then I had to come up with a way to make it rain for all of the closer shots of the killer from the ground. I ended up using a spray bottle I purchased to create the rain and was surprised by how convincing the effect was. The second obstacle was that I had written an ending that I didn’t have the time or money to shoot so I had to essentially create a different ending in editing which ended up actually being better than what was written.

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

I was very pleasantly surprised to hear all of the positive things they had to say about the film. Hearing someone say that it was ‘masterfully done’ or that it’s ‘a great work of passion’ was hugely inspiring to hear.

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

I have had a passion for filmmaking since I was 12 years old which was sparked after seeing the films of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson.

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

It would most likely be 2001: A Space Odyssey or Apocalypse Now. Really almost anything from Kubrick I have rewatched repeatedly. Something about his work really just resonates with me on a deep level.

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 really loved getting the audience feedback video, the more feedback the better because it lets us see where we can improve and where we have succeeded.

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

My experience has been overall quite positive. It’s easy to use the platform and easy to advertise your film to festivals on the platform.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I don’t really have one favourite meal, I like east Indian cuisine quite a bit though.

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

I have a few screenplays I’m working on currently, all of which are significantly different from ‘Plain as Night’. Hopefully it won’t be too long until my next project.

THE DROWNING POOL, 12min,. Spain
Directed by Enrique Novials
Ariadna, a former police officer, is now a detective shocked by the recent death of her mother due to Covid. In the midst of this, she must find a child who has been kidnapped after school.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Well, the Covid period was difficult for everyone and I also wanted to dedicate it to my mother.

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

More than expected, because I’m usually fast. But I had a story. Covid came and, being locked up at home, I modified the script to adapt it to new circumstances. Between the original script and the shooting, perhaps almost 4 years have passed.

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

The drowning Pool

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

It was the first time I shot on 16mm, on real film. It was a challenge for everyone, from the actors to myself. Not only because mistakes are very expensive when shooting on film, but also because we shot with an excellent camera, a Krasnogorsk-3. And that means that each take can’t last more than 30 seconds. It was a complicated job, but I’m very happy with the result. I recommend the experience.

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

Wonderful! It’s very exciting to see how the public, who likes cinema and understands cinema, gets excited about our story and connects with it. That’s priceless.

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

Since I was little, I watched television. When the movie was over, I would lock myself in my room and pretend to act out movies by myself. I would dress up in whatever cowboy clothes I could, etc. I would also wear Big Jim, a toy.

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

I don’t remember. But I’ve seen the ones I like many times. Or I could tell you which one. From “The 3rd Man” to “The Verdict”, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, “Laura” or “High Noon”.

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 do it very well. We should tell other festivals to do the same. The video of the audience is fabulous. I can think of the possibility of seeing a summary of the people entering the room or, by paying something, being able to see a screening live, for a limited time. It’s very good in any case.

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

It’s a good platform, really. I’m happy.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I generally like Greek and Italian food. But especially undercooked potato omelette without onions. Hahahahaha

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

Yes. If all goes well, next year I will be shooting “Letters to the Daughter,” the last installment of the feminist western trilogy I’m involved in. After having shot “Calamity Jane 1882” and “Kill Them and Don’t Come Back Alone.” We’re shooting between February and March next year. And we’ll be shooting on film again. I hope the gods help us, because it will be a risky bet again.

THE DAYS OF KNIGHT, 9min., USA
Directed by John P Martinez
A highly trained operative, belonging to a clandestine ancient group of expert mercenaries, is given a mission to recover a valuable item for one of the 13 most influential families on Earth. As war breaks out and alliances formed centuries ago crumble, survival becomes the top priority for everyone involved.

https://www.instagram.com/1018filmsaz/

Get to know the filmmkaer:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

This was on my bucket list of things to accomplish. I always wanted to create a short film and decide to just do it! I should have done this long ago…

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

From the idea to the finish product it took 4-5 months to complete this film.

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

Absolute craziness!

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

Just educating myself on how to be a filmmaker. I took numerous tutorials on filmmaking, color grading, special effects, music, write a script and cinematogrphy. After three months of tutorials, I started writing a script and two months later I was filming “The Days of Knight:Chapter 3”. That was pretty tough!

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

It was a fanatastic experience seeing their reaction. I was stunned, speechless and amazed.

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

I wanted to go to film school after high school but I didn’t have the grades to get into the program. I always wanted to make a film and I just decided to go for it and do it! I wish I started a lot sooner!

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

My favorite film is “The Thing” directed by John Carpenter. It’s the perfect movie: horror / drama / mystery / suspense. It’s cinema gold!

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 truly appreciate the opportunity to just participate. Winning an award is like winning a gold medal in the Olympics. I am taken aback by the talent and creativity of these amazing filmmakers around the world. It’s pretty remarkable to be participating in festivals with them. The Crime Mystery Festival is truly unique. I haven’t seen a festival like this and I have competed in over 250 film festivals. You all are onto something great! I truly appreciate the support with showcasing case our/my film(s). I think it would be great to chat with the winners and find out their thoughts on these 10 questions. That would be fun and so interesting. Honestly…just learning more about how other filmmakers go about making their films and what the mindset of the festival judges while they are viewing all of these films for consideration. Here everyone’s subjective responses would be so educational.

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

FilmFreeway is a blessing! I have had a beyond positive experience. I love everything about this platform.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Buffalo Wings! Hot ones!

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

I’m almost 80% done with my next short film. It’s a prequel to “The Days of Knight: Chapter 3”. We’ll find out how “Knight” became a “Knight”.

SING ME TO SLEEP, 25min,. USA
Directed by Mario Valdivieso
“Sing Me To Sleep” follows the story of a young couple by the name of Marc and Julia. Julia has been diagnosed with cancer and she is at the point where her disease has become terminal. Marc decides to take his dying wife home so they can make the most of their last days together.

https://www.instagram.com/sing_me_to_sleep_film/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I’ve been with my partner Kira (also a producer on the film) for five years now. We started dating three months before covid. When covid hit, we decided to move in together as she is immune compromised which made the prospect of her getting covid extra dangerous. Unfortunately she ended up getting covid and spent several weeks in the hospital with double pneumonia and even the doctors at the time were unsure if she would survive. She did recover thankfully, but it got me thinking a lot about telling a story about a relationship ending when it was just getting started. The nugget of that concept became “Sing Me To Sleep”. I also wanted to tell a realistic portrayal of what it is like to care for someone who is sick.

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

I wrote this short as my final project for a screenwriting class when getting my MFA at DePaul university. Between rewriting, getting a crew of DePaul students together and raising funds for the film, I’d say it took about a year to make this film happen. We really wanted to get this right so we took the time to really develop and plan how we were going to execute the film. I really got lucky and got wonderful people to collaborate with to make this film we are very proud of.

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

I’d say two words I’d use to describe the film are love and grief. We wanted to tell a story about enduring love but at the same time they are grieving that their life together is coming to an end. This is why it’s so important to Julia to try to have a date night because she knows there won’t be many more to follow. Throughout the film Marc struggles to accept this is a reality, and he thinks that everything he can do to contain her energy like the wheelchair will save her. They are on the opposite ends of dealing with the inevitable and this to me is the main conflict of the film.

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

We were lucky to have a pretty smooth production. Like I said we had great people working hard on the film, probably the most professional and dedicated crew I’ve ever worked with. The biggest challenge for me and I think for every production is getting the money to make the film. We did a seed and spark campaign where we were able to raise all the money we set out to raise but of course costs always come up when making a film so we had to do additional fundraising and put money from our own pockets to cover those. We really wanted the film to be as professional as possible and doing that on a low budget can be difficult but I feel like we accomplished that goal.

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

My reaction to watching the feedback video was relief, relief that what we set out to do with the film was clear to the audience. I was moved by how moved the audience members that provided feedback were. And I was so impressed at how thoughtful all the comments were, the three members really took the time to give us some great feedback. When you make a movie, a filmmaker always wants to feel validated that what they put together will be enjoyed and felt by the audience so watching the reactions was extremely validating.

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

I’ve wanted to make films since I was seven years old so this has been a life-long passion for me. To do this you can never give up on the dream so I’m going to keep working to get where I want to be.

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

The film I’ve probably seen the most is MAGNOLIA which is my favorite film. That being said, there are a ton of films I’ve seen repeatedly but that’s the film that continues to astound me every time I watch it. So many thought provoking themes, great performances, great direction, it’s a movie to aspire to.

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 just continuing to support indie filmmakers like myself. This business is super hard to get into especially for people without connections in high places so it’s very important that you continue to platform new films and filmmakers. Getting a film made is time consuming and costly as I mentioned before so getting it in front of an audience like you have really makes all that hard work worth it. So I say keep up the good work.

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

It has been great and super easy to submit films to various festivals of all kinds. A solid platform for finding the right festival for your film.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Being Colombian, my favorite meal is steak, rice, Colombian red potatoes, and maduros. I know that’s a lot but that’s a typical meal I had growing up. Colombian food in general is my favorite food.

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

I think what’s next is to finally make a feature film. That’s definitely going to be a challenge but after making this short I feel confident that we can put together something at the same level. It will obviously have to be something contained with a practical budget we can try to raise. The next film will have similar themes of SING ME TO SLEEP but will likely be centered on Colombian American characters. There needs to be more Latin stories and as a Latin American I feel I have an obligation to make those stories.

Alex LeVesque | Mentoring Gang Members with Classic Cars, 10min., USA
Directed by John Snyder
Alex LeVesque is the founder of the Automotive Mentoring Group (AMG), a nonprofit that works to counter gang violence in the city of Chicago, Illinois. The organization recruits gang members from across the city and teaches them the skills needed to build careers as auto mechanics, thus giving a chance at reform to those who would otherwise likely fall victim to violence in the streets.

https://youreverydayheroes.com/video/alex-levesque/
https://twitter.com/YEDHeroes
https://www.instagram.com/youreverydayheroes/

Get to know Executive Producer Albert Crane:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Alex Levesque deserves to have his story told to as many people as we can share it with. His work in Chicago and his ability to tell stories is just such a rare talent, we wanted to make sure we told his story over and over. Alex was one of the first stories that John and Jim showed me. I asked John the director if he could go back and reshoot Alex’s story again after seeing the one they made so many years ago. John lucky agreed and here we are.

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

A few months, the lengthy parts were due to the editing and scheduling of Alex, to make sure John was able to capture his story properly, within the time he was able to allocate to him.

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

Restoring. Lives.

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

Scheduling and Timing, we loved Alex’s story so much we wanted to get it right.

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

What a good approach, and we’re so thankful for the kind words of encouragement. We love the fact that we’re receiving feedback from the festival. Often, we get no responses.

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

I’ve thought about this a lot lately, as this question keeps coming up. My father (Albert H. Crane III) always had a camcorder in his hand, and was obsessed with trying to make the Golf channel happen on cable. He had worked for CBS for a very long time. When I was a kid and it was either MTV or some TV show that I was watching, they lip sync’ed a music video with kids dancing on the bleachers of their school. I thought that was cool, and wanted to do something similar. I don’t shoot or edit the films, but we do feature these stories, and Alex among others deserve to have their stories told over and over, so we’re doing what we can to provide that.

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

Previously it was Grease, Pulp Fiction and The Matrix, moving away from Neo. I did watch the 90’s movie ‘Hackers’ a TON! Zero Cool, Lord Nikon, Crash Override. The Plague… Now I need to go watch that again. Thanks. HACK THE PLANET!!!

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

You offered to bulk review all of our pieces, which we’re still verifying which ones we’d like to shoot over. I think it would be interesting to have your reviews go up either in line, or before the S3 piece goes live. So that’s something to think about.

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

Uploading to it is a pain, but once the page is created, and the film is there, submitting to festivals is easy. My only issue is the point of contact, many times I get emails addressed to the Director, but since I’m the Producer, it’s a bit frustrating, but nothing that can’t be fixed.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Halloween is quickly approaching, if i didn’t say my wife’s cookies, I may not get any. So I pick those.

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

I think I’ve been saying the same thing for MONTHS!!! Season 3!!! Teasing it hard! We are so close. You’re going to love it. It’ll air on FilmFreeway and www.youreverydayheroes.com so soon. Promise. Starting with Melissa Paris The First Female World Superbike Racer. You’ll definitely see an underlining theme for Season 3, I don’t want to spoil it, but we have some really strong stories to share.

And The Balls Roll On… The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball, 93min., USA
Directed by Thaddeus O. Cooper, Kevin B Kreitman
This is the story of Skee-Ball—a unique game, patented in 1908 by a long forgotten inventor living in Vineland NJ: Joseph Fourestier Simpson. The film explores the era in which the young inventor grew up, as the industrial revolution created the new middle class, and the explosion of amusement parks that allowed them to flee their crowded industrial neighborhoods for a few hours of pleasure.

http://www.nomoreboxes.com/AndTheBallsRollOn.html
https://www.facebook.com/atbrothemovie

Get to know the filmmakers Thaddeus O. Cooper, Kevin B Kreitman:

1. What motivated you to make this film? 

Thad wanted to get back into shooting video and was looking for a small project—a 10 minute YouTube video about the history of Skee-Ball. He started digging into the real but unknown inventor, and discovered a surprisingly dramatic and moving story, and then the rest of the saga that has its own drama and memorable characters…and we knew we just had to tell the story.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
13 years, six of which were just research. We had the first book done by 2016, and the first complete version of the film by 2018, but it had some serious flaws (length and focus), and we went back and rewrote the screenplay—more than once. By the time we were ready to shoot interviews and B-roll, we were shut down by COVID. We got back to doing the real work in 2023. Finally hired a crew to do the East Coast interviews and B-roll. The film was in the can by October 2023. And it took another year to rework the music, and do the post work. But it’s DONE.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Kevin: Fast-play excitement!
Thad: Rollercoaster ride!

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Our own inexperience. This was our FIRST real film. We had backgrounds in all of the pieces—writing, film theory, music, video and photography and Thad was a production sound mixer and occasional grip in L.A. for a few years. But becoming producers—the just one more thing…oh, just one more thing… one more contract, was a real slog. We were fortunate to have a lot of resources who gave us advice (CML, Larry Hott/Florentine Films, ) Also, we took Dov Simens Filmmakers Bootcamp many years ago, so we weren’t completely unprepared for the business side of things. But it was still daunting.

What helped was what we learned from our cats. If you want something, never give up. Just keep putting one paw in front of the other until you get it.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Thad: Dumbfounded! When you work on a project for this long, you don’t know what the impact is going to be. You have a skewed perspective.
Kevin: I was just thrilled. It hit exactly what we were trying to get the film to do. They appreciated the drama, the weaving of history through the Skee-Ball story, they liked our narrator and voice actors, and it made them nostalgic!

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
For Thad: When I was in 7th grade and worked in the TV studio at my Junior High School
For Kevin: When Thad decided to make this film.

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

Thad: Three Days of the Condor Kevin: Big Trouble in Little China. Or maybe The Princess Bride

8. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Really love the FilmFreeway platform. It made everything incredibly easy!

9. What is your favorite meal?
Kevin: Seared duck breast over pilaf, with fruit sauce
Thad: Steak frites

10. What is next for you? A new film?
A new book about the inventor of Skee-Ball, Joseph Fourestier Simpson, and a film based on the book—Vineland’s Forgotten Inventor, maybe a short about JD Este. Then, who knows?

CHERRY ON TOP, 15min., Brazil
Directed by Laura Reis
A girl with a bunny head tries to escape from her hunted reality when she discovers a group of colorful and hungry girls to be a part of…but things are not as sweet as it seems

https://www.instagram.com/cerejadobolofilme/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I can think that my motivation came from the desire to send an environment message about animal’s safety, global warming, and the problems our future is warning us about. Obviously, I wanted to do this in my own way, full of visual astonishing images and satire, targeting horror movie fans that can walk out of the section and rethink their views of the world. Another part of me wanted to make this film to honor my inter child that always dreamed about becoming a filmmaker and creating my very unique universe were everything is possible, even magical forests filled with pink, cakes and weird girls scouts to be a part of.

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

I had the idea for the film when I was 19 years old, while doing what I always do alone in my room, drawing weird and unsettling characters, especially girls with bunny heads. With 20 years old, I finally shoot the film, and with 21 I am releasing to the world. So, 3 years in total.

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

Pink and Blood!!

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

I have to say, the rainy days we faced through the shooting days. We had to reschedule our set after shooting the first two days, fearing the rain reports of October 2023. We came back in November, more motivated than ever to finish our work. Glady, we shoot everything in chronological order.

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

Not gonna lie, I cried a bit. Is a fantastic feeling to watch people from another part of the world talking about your film, and specially to understand everything you wanned to express. Cherry on Top is a non-dialogue short film, I wanted it to be that way so it was easier to start conversations all around the world, and I’m so beyond happy that is happening. Right after watching the feedback video, I sent it to the entire crew and cast so we could exchange of the same exited feelings.

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

That happened at a very young age, maybe around 4 or 5 years old. I’m a cinephile since birth, thank you mom and dad for raising me around incredible films, introducing me to horror films such as The Blair Witch (1999) and our family traditions to watch all of the Friday the 13th films in a row. I was the type of kid that forced my friends to be part of my “movies” and loved to be behind the cameras at the family functions (still do), but I can’t remember the exact moment where I discovered that filmmaking was a career to pursue although I can clearly remember my child’s mind creating full on films in my head and waiting for the right time where I could bring them out to the world.

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

That’s a hard one because I was the type of kid to rent the exact same films at my local movie rental store over and over again…but thinking a little fast ford than those times, I think the film I have seen the most in my life is “The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain (2001)”

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 love the work that your festival is already doing, is really important especially to us first time filmmakers that need a space to be heard and share our visions. I wish more festivals could give the attention the you’re giving to filmmakers around the world. Something cool that you could implement could be a Q&A (online or present) featuring the film winners of the categories with the film crew and audience.

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

It was great! Not a single problem.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Is safe to say that I preferer sweets over salty foods, but as a proud vegetarian I love the Middle Eastern cuisine, falafel, chick pea, and all its non-meat goodness.

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

I hope new films come to my way, my dream project right now would be a “Cherry on Top” featured film, I still have a lot more to say and explore form its universe. But new ideas are aways coming, and I’ll for sure work on them and make it happen if I think is worth it. I also have a lot of love for music, and want to mix my two greatest loves: films and music, in to one with music videos! So, I hope this type of projects is also in my near future. But one thing I know for sure, my next short film, video clip and feature film, will be very visually awesome filled with my favorite horror references, and featuring a new look to the genre 🙂