AWAKENING, 4min,. Taiwan
Directed by Sze-Ting Huang
The body serves as a vessel that stores self-awareness.

This film initially develops through the sense of touch, picking up traces of various emotions left along the journey. It constantly moves, pauses, and intersects, driven by the power generated through shifting of balance, prompting a dialogue between the body and memory, re-experiencing the mutual influence of “internal” and “external,” thus reflecting on one’s own state of floating unease.

https://www.huangszeting.com/2023awakening
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1797245748
https://www.instagram.com/szeting_h

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

This film was completed during a Dance Film workshop. As a filmmaker, I warm up with the dancers every day, something I had never tried before. It was the first time I had such a solid feeling of my own physical condition. During this process, I followed the dancers in a movement of shifting weight, using the momentum generated by swinging and transferring weight to create a cycle of “initiating-holding-falling-rising” movements. This movement may be a basic exercise for the dancers, but I felt that it resonated with my inner state at that time. Therefore, I decided to develop the entire film based on this movement, connecting external actions with internal emotions, hoping to confront my own contradictions and fears.

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

The first version took about three days to complete.

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

Balance. Fear.

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

The production time for this film was limited to just three days, necessitating precise communication with both the dancers and the cinematographers to ensure that everyone’s core vision was harmoniously aligned.

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

Receiving feedback from the audience was a pleasant addition. It’s touching my hearts!

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

During my university years, I was introduced to experimental cinema, and the experience of creating work with friends was incredibly fulfilling. Since then, I have been inspired to pursue filmmaking.

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

The films I have watched most frequently throughout my life are a diverse array of documentaries and dance films.

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

Everything is perfect, thank you 🙂

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

My experience with submitting films on FilmFreeway has been very good.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Potato chip.

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

I am currently in the process of preparing a new film, a dance film exploring childhood and body memory. I look forward to submitting this work to your festival once it is completed 🙂

COUNTERPOISE, 20min., Australia
Directed by Matt Byrne, Larissa McGowan
Counterpoise is a stirring dance video made in collaboration between Australia’s leading dance company working with artists with and without disability, Restless Dance Theatre, University of South Australia project – Connect2Abilities, Korean dance company – 29 Dong Dance Theatre, and Korean Music Project.

http://www.restlessdance.org/
https://www.facebook.com/RestlessDanceTheatre
https://www.instagram.com/restless_dance_theatre/

Get to know Larissa McGowan, Associate Artist at Restless Dance Theatre and Co-Director of Counterpoise.

What motivated you to make this film?
The motivation behind creating the film Counterpoise stemmed from the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the pandemic. Restless Dance Theatre and our team of collaborators sought to adapt to the constraints of lockdowns and social distancing, embracing Zoom as a platform for creative exploration. It became an opportunity to bridge the physical distance and create a space for artistic expression, focusing on inclusive dance practices that could engage diverse participants, including artists with disability.

By working in this remote, digital environment, we aimed to explore the themes of balance, adaptation, and human connection in a time of uncertainty.

We finally were able to work together in Seoul to create the dynamic dance film. Counterpoise reflects the resilience and creativity that emerged from these constraints, showcasing the potential of inclusive dance even in the most challenging circumstances.

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

How would you describe your film in two words!?
Dynamic and powerful

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

The biggest obstacle in completing Counterpoise was navigating the limitations imposed by the pandemic, particularly working remotely over Zoom. Coordinating movement, rehearsals, and communication across digital platforms posed unique challenges in terms of maintaining creative flow and ensuring inclusivity for all the artists. Additionally, the physical distance between collaborators made it difficult to capture the full essence of the dance until we were finally able to meet in Seoul, where we could refine and fully realise the dynamic aspects of the film.

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

Watching the audience’s reactions in the feedback video was incredibly moving. Hearing how Counterpoise resonated with them, especially the way they connected with the themes of resilience and human connection, was both gratifying and humbling. Their reflections on the film’s inclusivity and the creative use of movement, despite the challenges we faced, reaffirmed the impact we hoped to achieve. It was inspiring to see how our work sparked conversations about adaptation and collaboration in such a deeply personal and universal way.

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

The realisation that we wanted to make Counterpoise came during the pandemic, when we found ourselves grappling with the sudden limitations on in-person collaboration. As a company committed to inclusive dance practices, we knew we had to find a way to continue creating and connecting, despite the circumstances. The idea of using Zoom as a platform for artistic expression emerged organically, as we saw an opportunity to explore themes of balance, adaptation, and human connection in a digital context. It was during these early virtual rehearsals that we realised the potential for something greater—a dance film that could encapsulate the resilience and creativity of our collective experience.

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

The Princess Bride, it’s a mix of perfect storytelling and humour.

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

We truly appreciate everything your festival has done to bring Counterpoise to a broader audience. To further support and enhance the experience for us, a few additional elements could make a significant impact:

Networking Opportunities: Facilitating more meaningful interactions with fellow filmmakers, industry professionals, and potential collaborators would help foster connections that could lead to future projects.
Distribution Support: Guidance or assistance with finding distribution platforms—whether for streaming, festivals, or special screenings—would be invaluable in helping us reach new audiences.

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

Truly wonderful

10. What is your favorite meal?

Oysters and Champagne

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

A new dance work for stage.

NOT ALONE, 5min., UK
Directed by Maryam Imogen Ghouth
A poetry film about creative expression, featuring the artist Sacha Jafri.

https://www.instagram.com/maryamghouth

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I felt compelled to speak up for artists and justify our sensitivity to the world. This poetry film explores the transformative power of creative expression, which connects us to our shared human experience. As Ernest Becker reflects in The Denial of Death, quoting Otto Rank, ‘The artist… takes in the world, but instead of being oppressed by it, he reworks it in his own personality and recreates it in the work of art.’ This idea, that the artist transmutes overwhelming experiences into creative work, deeply resonated with me.

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

The process unfolded in stages, with long intervals between each. I wrote the poem in 2018, recorded it with neoclassical music by Arash Behzadi in 2019, but didn’t film until 2024.

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

Immersive and meditative.

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

The combination of finding the right subject to film and assembling a team to execute my vision was the primary challenge, which didn’t materialise until 2024. Once I found the subject, coordinating schedules with the right gaffer and editor was crucial to achieving the perfect lighting and editing necessary for capturing the film’s mood—I wanted to create a dusty New York loft ambiance. Zuhair Lokhandwala, the lead director of photography, played a vital role in assembling this team, inviting his contacts to be part of the filmmaking.

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

I was delighted, especially since the audience noticed the intricate details that my team worked hard to bring to life. I had prepared a shot list, selecting movements that I knew Sacha the artist would naturally perform, having studied his art process beforehand—actions such as a particular twist on the canvas, the outline of a wave, or a throw of paint in the air that would seamlessly carry the poem’s words. We devoted 14 hours to filming, meticulously capturing every gesture and stroke, with the intention of gradually revealing the painting as the narrative unfolded. Whether it was Presley Viegas’s colour grading and editing, Marc Pascual’s lighting, or Zuhair Lokhandwala and Chirag Satikuwar’s cinematography, the team executed my vision perfectly. Seeing others appreciate their work and our carefully curated elements was rewarding.

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

My journey into filmmaking was entirely accidental. In summer 2018, I immersed myself in crafting poetic soliloquies and narratives. Then one day in early 2019, I recorded a poem on my iPhone to review its cadence, and by sheer coincidence, Chopin was playing in the background. When I listened to the playback, I realised that I wanted to narrate and record most of my poems with music. This realisation sparked a growing interest in adapting my tracks to film. By late 2023, after creating 25 poetry films, I started submitting my work to festivals, solidifying my recognition that poetry films had become an integral part of my artistic repertoire.

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

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The adult in me, however, intends to revisit Steven Zaillian’s recent masterful adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley—its stunning visuals continue to draw me back.

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’ve been fantastic! The best help for artists like me, who focus solely on creation and not on exposure, would be more opportunities to get our work in front of audiences.

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

Excellent. FilmFreeway is simple to use, making submissions a breeze. I wish there were a similar platform for written poems—submitting those remains a much more arduous process, even with the help of platforms such as Duotrope.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I love paratha bread, but that doesn’t count as a meal, so I will say, as a part-Iranian, I love Persian food, such as Khoresh Gheymeh or Luba Polo but without meat.

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

This month, I am releasing a poetry chapbook accompanied by a complimentary album featuring my narration of the poems. The collection is titled I Ask My Being: Reflective Poems on Staying True. Another poetry film is always in the pipeline—I actually have four in store. I’m also in the final editing stages of two novellas. Lastly, I recently launched a service centered around a self-discovery e-book I developed, where I assist individuals in uncovering themselves and articulating their findings in words.

IN THE DISTANCE, 10min., France
Directed by Laëtitia Daché
“In the Distance” is a choreographic triptych presented as short films, offering a perspective on the notions of complementarity and duality, expressions of resilience in the face of challenges.

https://www.instagram.com/contradancecompany/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I have reflected deeply on the duality inherent in certain experiences and emotions that can emerge throughout life. This duality, which manifests itself in countless places and in a variety of forms, became a source of exploration for me. It served as a starting point for my reflections. The complexity and subtlety of the human experience, with its layers of contradiction and harmony, has always been something I’ve sought to convey. There is a richness in these tensions, a constant interplay between opposing forces, which I find both fascinating and challenging to express.

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

I think I started thinking about the piece in the summer of 2022, and the color grading of the film together with the final adjustments were completed in the summer of 2024, so two years.

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

Duality and complementarity.

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

I guess it’s the time. The editing takes a particularly long time, and I couldn’t work on it full-time, so it stretched over several months.

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

It’s so nice to be able to get feedback from the audience. I can’t always be there when the piece is seen, so I don’t get to experience how people react. And since it’s going through international festivals digitally, there are no faces to the reactions it provokes. The feedback video allows me to see real people and their expressions related to their experience of the piece. I’m very grateful that they took the time to watch the piece and share their feedback.

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

I don’t necessarily want to make films. I want to express, through movement, what touches us as human beings. During Covid, I experienced dance through video as a spectator, and I found that it brought something interesting: a sense of persistence or proximity, for example. I also felt the need to express myself despite the constraints we were facing at the time, and the video medium allowed us to overcome those challenges more easily than through theater and stage performance. That’s when I created a first video with no resources during the lockdown. I imagine that this idea stayed with me afterwards. Overall, I don’t think of IN THE DISTANCE as a film or a recording of a performance; it’s a choreographic piece.

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

I have absolutely no idea. I know which ones have left a mark on me, but they are not necessarily the ones I’ve seen the most times, surprisingly!

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

The audience feedback is very good; it would also be interesting to have feedback from juries and professionals.

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

Great! Everything is clear and smooth.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I love big salads (not very exciting)!

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

A new piece for sure, but I can’t say exactly when or in what form.

AMERICANS SMELL GOOD, 66min,. USA
Directed by Emir Cakaroz
The film combines the filmmaker’s story in the U.S.A. with people from different social, racial, and ethnic backgrounds that he wouldn’t have met if he hadn’t come to this country. It explores the experience of being in between many cultures when living in a foreign land.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
Immigration, a sense of belonging, connection, and isolation were always occurring themes in my films. However, I was mostly focusing on my family’s immigration from Bulgaria to Turkey and its long-term effects in my previous films. This time, I realized I had enough experience to make a film about my immigration from Turkey to the USA and I made it!

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

I would say I started at the beginning of 2020, but I had to take long breaks because
of Covid. I completed the film in March 2024, so around four years, I guess.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Covid! The world was in a big chaos in that period. We didn’t know what was going on and what would happen next. The fear was everywhere. Therefore, scheduling filming was very difficult.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
It was amazing! It was a great feeling to see people understand what you wanted to do, and they actually enjoyed the film. It was also great to see how the audience made personal connection with the film.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I finished my short film, Dad’s Apple, in November 2019. It was about my memories of my Dad. As I mentioned above, I realized I had enough experience to make a film about my immigration from Turkey to the USA, and I made it.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Nanook of the North. I saw this film many times as a college student and now as a college instructor. I show it to my students every year, so I have been watching it. I love it. It’s a great film.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
When a festival selects your film and later wins an award, it’s very encouraging. As an independent filmmaker, that is a great motivation to continue making films. However, festival submissions are very costly, and reducing them would help many filmmakers like me.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
It makes film submission very easy, and it’s a very user-friendly website.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Lahmacun (Turkish Pizza)

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I have been teaching for 20 years now in different colleges. I want to find my former students and record them. I would like to see what their dreams were when they were in college and what they are doing now.

CARVED IN STONE, 30min., USA
Directed by Porter Justus
Cast out by the academic community at her college for her extreme beliefs that artifacts belong with their cultures, not locked up in some museum, young historical photographer AMELIA SLOANE is shocked to learn a former and beloved professor has bequeathed to her a collection of valuable and rare artifacts – including the legendary sword Excalibur – and a mysterious message “You’ll know what to do with this.”

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

There were a number of reasons for this film. I learned a long time ago that sometimes to com up with good story is turn one on its head, and so I wanted to explore a character who’s mission was the opposite to what is usually expected. In this case, what if Excalibur needed to be returned instead of claimed, so that just turned into a exploration into culture reclamation and restoring history to its rightful origins.

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

20 months.

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

Charming Adventure

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

How to achieve high end visuals with limited resources

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

I love the feedback video it felt very validating, and I’ve just overjoyed that people enjoy it.

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

2009 when I walked out of James Cameron’s AVATAR.

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

Oh wow! That’s a tough question. It definitely has to be AVATAR. I watch it at least once a year.

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

Provide more opportunities to connect filmmakers to film buyers, more pitch fests, and accommodating filmmakers who travel in especially if they are nominated for something.

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

I love FilmFreeway. Way better than Withoutabox was. Haha. Great platform, easy to use.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Breakfast food. Right now I’m really into steak, eggs, bisquit, and milk.

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

My next project I’m super excited about is a gritty, mystical Mormon thriller centered around Porter Rockwell.

WEASEL, 2min., Mexico
Directed by Hisham Iyad Hajir

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I would like to get rid of a lot of the clutter in my house, but I don’t know how. The film peers into an alternate reality where technology provides a solution to this problem.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
About a year and a half. There were many empty periods of time where it wasn’t actively being worked on.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
I initially had two producers for the project. I believed that only one was needed for this film, but two were chosen so that it was a less burdensome task for each. In the end, both dropped out at different times during pre-production due to mental health issues and I had to produce the rest of the project myself, which meant that I couldn’t focus on directing as much as I would’ve liked.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I liked how they understood the film. Since it’s an extremely short film about an inexistent technological gadget, then the film didn’t only need to tell the story in its short runtime, but also establish and explain what the device is and how it works. I was happy that the audience wasn’t confused by the film.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I would say around middle school. I wouldn’t always agree with some of the creative decisions made in the films that I saw, so I learned filmmaking to know how I could do things differently.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Toy Story 2 would always be playing in my house during the weekends for reasons unknown, so I believe it would win easily.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Ways to connect with people in the industry that could help us further develop our current project, create our next project, or find a bigger project to collaborate on.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
It’s great. I just wish it had more filter options. Not all festivals are right for your project.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Fast-Food Hamburger Meals.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I would like to rest for a bit and enjoy the festival circuit. The process took a toll on me since I performed many of the different roles. I would like some time to gather myself before deciding what to do.

KILLING R, 15min., Sweden
Directed by Irene Altagracia Perez Lopez
In a not-so-distant future where AI technology is part of everyday life, Rebecka (41), a successful architect and mother to Nonno (5), works from home with her sick daughter while her partner Carl (39) is away.

http://irenelopez.se/killing-r/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087540991321

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
A career and family place enormous demands on women, and no matter how hard they try, their time and efforts never seem enough. Add to this the pressure for perfection—complicating things rather than opting for simple solutions to achieve exactly what we want. The novel Clonemom and Killing R emerged from my fantasy: ‘What if I had a clone of myself?

The concept of a perfect society is on the line. Can we keep up? Do our actions as “perfect” parents impact our children? Are they already caught in this race to fit in? Killing R is inspired by my mother’s long visits from Costa Rica, which often left me exhausted. She helped me with everything—cooking, cleaning, and caring for the kids—yet her constant corrections and perfectionism wore me down. I realized I was doing the same to my husband. He calls it micromanaging. I had become a clone of my mother, unconsciously inheriting her way of managing everything, reflecting deeply ingrained patriarchal structures.

Killing R is a proof of concept to a feature in the making, made during my MA at SKH (UNIARTS) in Stockholm. I want both men and women to relate to the experience of being imperfect humans in an increasingly perfect world. Perhaps, we can start to accept our flawed, authentic selves.”

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

We started the process during summer of 2022 and finished the film May 2023.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
A Mini Black mirror (4 words)

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
We had a very low budget 12 000 EUR and with this we wanted to work with a lot of CGI and effects. This took time from me with the actors and the script- this I regret a lot.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Wow! These women have looked at my film and understood my deepest inner thoughts about it! They understood everything! And made their own thoughts and connections about the topic. I thought this part to be the most interesting. I will take these thoughts with me to the next film witch is a feature with the same topic.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
My immigrant stepdad- Carlos wanted to be a filmmaker but instead he became a historian. We would watch everything from Godard to horror and Jackie Chan movies. He would explain the subtext of the film, symbolics and how all effects were made. In a way he was my first teacher. My mom didn’t want me to work with arts.. So it was a struggle. But one day my stepfather said to me that I should try my luck in Stockholm, and gave me 100 EUR. With this I slept on couches until I got in to the greatest film and art schools. Everything else is history.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Probably Frost ( I have three kids) but for me: Lite water to chocolate, 1992 and Dirty Dancing 1987, and Fynny games, 1997.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Well, I need to find real good scriptwriters and coproducers to elevate my next feature film. For me it is important to be at the festival and make these connections.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Easy but very hard to know what festovals are “real” or not.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Korean food..

11. What is next for you? A new film?
My next film is a feature that portrays the same there that is in this short. It is about a mother but this time we added three kids and a husband with mother to the story. And it will be more humouristic than the shortfilm. This film will deal more mirroring ourselves in the AI and why we strive for perfection when we in fact are imperfects as human beings.

PARALAND: THE PROLOGUE, 4min., USA
Directed by Patrick McCarthy
Paraland is the story of three heroes charged with rebuilding the realm following the reign of a hateful tyrant. As they struggle to unite the land and bring together the twelve races, they must also solve magical mysteries, defeat legendary foes, and endure the gods’ twisted sense of humor.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I’ve been working towards having my own cartoon show for a long time. And, I had been tweaking this same idea for quite a few years. I tried to shape Paraland around my life, and it really became a good idea when I made two of the main characters myself and my best friend. However, something was still missing and I almost gave up on it. Then, I met my now wife, and I knew that was the dynamic it had been missing. So, I was very motivated by the fact that we became a trio that tease each other but always have a good time, and our lives felt very much like the show Seinfeld. So, I wanted to meld that with an engaging fantasy world for audiences to explore.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I started working on this version of the pilot in 2020. And, I started animating the opening to the pilot (The Prologue) in 2021. I did all the animation myself, so it took a bit of time, and I finally finished it all in November 2023. And, the final product (music and SFX) was ready for viewing in January 2024. But, it was a great journey as making aesthetic decisions about the world and magic then inspired changes in the pilot and world building, which in turn created new ideas for the animation as I was making it.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Technology limitations. I learned 3D Animation and Blender specifically for this project, because I knew I wanted the backgrounds to feel more like video game levels. So, not only was it a challenge learning a whole new software, but my computer isn’t exactly the newest or most powerful. And that led to a lot of issues with files crashing. It got to a point where I would have nearly a dozen files of the same scene because they were all corrupted, but I had to keep them all because each piece that I needed to import to a new file was only salvageable in certain files. Long story short, every time I was dealing with the backgrounds I had my fingers crossed that it wouldn’t crash.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Reassurance. I appreciated them taking the time to watch and give meaningful compliments. They were all very kind, and I know that given the context they wouldn’t say anything negative. However, within all the compliments I saw continuity, and their perceptions of my intentions aligned with what I truly hoped to deliver as a product. So, that was very encouraging to know that people are enjoying the trailer in the way that I hoped they would.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Freshman year of highschool. We were all assigned Mac laptops (it was a new thing, and also a very good school – I was very lucky to be there). I constantly used my laptop to make fake movie trailers in iMovie and I knew eventually I wanted to move to LA and try to be a part of the industry.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
I almost hate to admit that it’s Shrek. It’s both technically sound yet strangely original. Having the odd couple with Shrek and Donkey worked so well, but how the heck did they think to pair an Ogre and a Donkey?!

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Not going to lie, when I first heard about the audience feedback films I thought it was going to be a video of people in the theater watching the video in real time. I would have loved that a lot. Having people take time to think about what to say and give heartfelt feedback is great, but there’s something special about seeing their initial reaction. It’s something you don’t get much in film/animation, and it’s part of the magic of live events like a festival.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
FilmFreeway makes it so easy to find so many different festivals and really helps streamline the submission process, which has been absolutely amazing. I have been a little sad to see how many different festivals will decide to change the notification deadlines without notifying people of a reason why, but that definitely hasn’t been the case with your festival. You guys were great and gave me an early acceptance and have been wonderful with communication!

10. What is your favorite meal?
Sushi is usually my go to, but on special occasions it’s American BBQ.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
Paraland: The Prologue was quite literally the beginning of the pilot and the beginning of my journey with trying to get the show made. The next steps have been to gather more people to the team and try to find a network/platform that wants to help see this world brought to life.

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

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

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

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

About six years.

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

Poor Larry.

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

Starting a family during this time and working a full time job at an ad agency kept me very busy.

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

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

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

There are pictures of me from when I was young with a camera in my hand, so I have always liked the idea of a creating a world that exists only within the confines of a camera lens, within the frame. My first real narrative was a short I made at around 13 with the family Super 8 camera.

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

Star Wars (the original).

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 so far yours is the best I have encountered in terms of promotional services available to the filmmaker. I will try and avail myself of as many of them as possible.

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

It has been a pretty good experience overall. No complaints really.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Alaskan King Crab Legs (with drawn butter of course).

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

I do plan on making at least one more installment of the Larry saga! I have the general outline already laid out and have spoken to my team of very talented artists. We are all looking forward to bringing Larry’s next trip to life. This next one will take place underwater. But that’s about all I can say at this time!