9/10: Love Before the Fall. Directed by Daron Hagen
The myths of Orpheus and Charon are interwoven with the entirely sung magical-realist story of four friends dining in an Italian bistro who are fated to perish the next morning in the attack on the Twin Towers. At meal’s end, through magical realism, the restaurant’s mysterious strolling violinist is revealed to be Charon, hand extended, awaiting payment. Complying, each reconciles with death, and departs to the sounds of the next morning’s busy signals and the calls of first responders.
Hannah Ehman chats with composer/vocalist Gilda Lyons about working on the musical 9/10: Love Before the Fall, and her career as an artist.
NEW OPTION: For limited time – Option to submit and garner an automatic acceptance of your film. Agenda is to create exposure for the filmmaker and their film!
With that acceptance, you will receive an audience feedback video, plus 2 interviews (blog and podcast) to promote the filmmaker and film.
Submit via FilmFreeway:
Since 2016, the FEEDBACK Film Festival has been showcasing the best of Documentary Short Films. We now will be showcasing a Documentary Film Festival every month in the heart of downtown Toronto at the Carlton Cinemas.
We have created a hybrid festival with 4 tiers to enhance your film and your festival experience. All accepted films receive all four tier options:
Tier #1 – Your film plays at a private festival event where the audience will record their comments/reactions to your film on their camera or phone, then we edit them and send you a promotional video. No matter what you will receive a promotional video of your film of people commenting on your film.
Tier #2 (optional) – We put up your film live on our FILM FESTIVAL APP for 24 hours and invite a select industry audience to watch it. With this system, some films have already received a distribution deal as many platforms are looking for solid feature and short documentaries. We can not guarantee anything of course but this has been very helpful to many in the past. (see testimonials below)
Then (Tier #3) we will send you a list of questions to answer for our blog interview that will promote you and your film. Then after that (Tier #4) we will set up a podcast interview on our popular ITunes show where will we chat with you about the process of how the film was made.
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We also will be showcasing winning documentary treatments at our festival every single month.
Awards & Prizes
The Documentary Short Festival was created for filmmakers. The goal is to showcase the best of documentary talent in film from around the world.
MISSION STATEMENT: To provide filmmakers & screenplay writers of diverse backgrounds and/or with diverse stories a place to showcase their voice to a large audience and help further their careers as an artist! Free of stereotypes and degradation. We will bring a true multicultural experience represented for the artist and for the audience who attends the festival.
We support the following topics, filmmakers and communities: LGBT, Disability Culture, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Religious Diversity, Family structures, as well as other social diversities including the aging population and youth in cinema.
This festival hub is part of the FEEDBACK Festival format that takes place at least 8 times a MONTH in Los Angeles & Toronto. Weekly film festivals and screenplay table readings occurs.
ENVIRONMENTAL Festival Streams for 48 hours starting at 3pm EST on August 17th. Then shut down forever. You can stream it on the WILDsound streaming service on the web, and download on your IPhone, or FireStick (search WILDsound on your APPS). Go to https://www.wildsound.ca/browse
NOTE: You can download for FREE for 7 days and then it’s only $3.99 per month. There is original content online, including the best short films in the world today. Plus, there will be brand NEW film festival every single day of the year.
Watch the entire lineup of films on the streaming cycle when you sign on. Or, watch each film using the individual link.
FOR YOU, 3min., UK Directed by Luca Paulii ‘For You’ is a heartfelt letter from a father to his two-year-old son, capturing a summer day in the park, a world filled with wonders yet to be discovered and a looming danger. Set in Peckham, South East London, the director narrates the story in Italian, the language he has spoken to his son since birth. This project is deeply intimate and personal, yet carries a universal and resonating message: what lies ahead might be uncertain, but with love, courage, and imagination, we can create a better future.
LAST STAND: SAVING THE ELWHA RIVER’S LEGACY FORESTS, 23min., USA Directed by Dan Herz When a large, ecologically sensitive legacy forest in the heart of the Elwha River Watershed was identified for harvest, the Earth Law Center, Keystone Species Alliance, and Center for Whale Research began using all legal means possible against the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in an attempt to halt the impending clear-cut. Through breathtaking cinematography and intimate interviews, witness the profound beauty and ecological significance of the watershed, as well as the dire consequences of unchecked deforestation.
TIMEBANK THE GAME – THE RECORD OF AN EXPERIMENT, 40min., Hong Kong Directed by Amy Cheung One hundred life forms received a distressing signal from the vanished civilization of Pharmakon, learning that Earth is on the verge of self-destruction. Time Lord has devised a way to destabilize time, propelled Earth beings to enter an alternate reality through “THE GAME” – a mysterious portal that reduces them to a single-cell form.
TAMBOPATA, 25min., USA Directed by Adele Davis, Ceci Davis Tambopata is a participatory short documentary examining the effects of the global climate crisis as manifested in one of the most protected areas in the Peruvian Amazon, Tambopata National Reserve.
1. What is your short story about? I recently watched the William Holden film Network for the first time and I started googling the actor’s life. Although I’m a fan, I did not know about his tragic death from a fall while intoxicated in November, 1981 because I was a toddler at the time. Natalie Wood also died by drowning while intoxicated only two weeks later. Coincidentally, William Holden’s companion Stefanie Powers was costarring with Natalie Wood’s husband on the Aaron Spelling television hit, Hart to Hart. Wood’s husband Robert Wagner is still regarded by some as a person of interest in her death. The story is imaginative speculation, but the character of Patricia is based on an interview of Stefanie Powers. She referred to Holden’s alcoholism as “his disease.” She also related how her two best friends “both married Robert Wagner, but I was married to him on television.” The character of Tad is a pastiche of different Wagner characters. I changed details of the real life deaths of Holden and Wood out of respect for their last moments.
2. What genres would you say this story is in? It’s an homage to the fictionalized Hollywood novels of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann.
3. How would you describe this story in two words? Sleazy fun.
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life? Lawrence of Arabia.
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?) The Sleigh Ride Song is my favorite Christmas song. Rock DJ by Robbie Williams is a current favorite on Spotify. I also love ‘80’s camp hits, anything Rolling Stone puts on their “worst” list.
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel? Valley of the Dolls and Blonde are fun reads because the writers did not intend for camp to ensue. The prose sounds beautiful and Dickensian, but the content is beyond anything Dickens imagined. Only Joyce Carol Oates can write a graphic scene between three people and feel as pure as Snow White while doing it, but she’ll never dethrone Jacqueline Susann as queen of Hollywood fiction.
7. What motivated you to write this story? Trying to make sense out of actor William Holden’s sad death.
8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be? Rudolf Valentino. He’s mysterious because he died so young at the height of his fame. I read his biography when I was very young and the pictures from silent movies seemed almost alien to me. Also, I love wine and Italian food and ballroom dancing. Maybe he would help me improve my tango, a dance he popularized.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Cooking, bicycling, standard poodles, environmental protection, and wine.
10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed? I was browsing through Submittable and came across the opportunity.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers? Have fun and be yourself. Believe in your dreams. Delete rejection emails immediately. Be open to feedback, but it’s okay to disregard criticism that isn’t constructive, even if it’s from an editor.
The theme of this poem is experiencing lust over love. The idea of how a toxic relationship has its own romantic advantages and disadvantages that a long term faithful relationship may have. Everything that glitters isn’t gold but you still respect and love what was even if it ends in an empty and lonely way.
2) What motivated you to write this poem? I see relationships that sucks the life out of friends/family but I feel that some people have their own preference in romantic relationships but in the end we find ourselves lonely.
3) How long have you been writing poetry? I have been writing poetry since I was 18 years old and it intensified during my time in college. I have grown up around music and that is where my passion for poetry began.
4) If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be? I would have dinner with my mother so I can ask her about the afterlife, laugh at memories, and tell her how everyone is doing.
5) What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor? I am still finding my own voice in reading my poetry, so to hear it performed has provided me with confidence to read my poetry in front of audiences to enhance my emotion in my writing.
6) Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..? Yes, I write short stories, lyrics, and essays. I want to begin writing musicals/plays so I can combine my love for music and screenwriting.
7) What is your passion in life?
My family is a huge passion in my life, I always want to make them proud. Attending concerts and jamming out on my headphones is an escape to my personal world of music.
When a grieving teenage boy, sent to live with the father he’s never met, is haunted by memories and wrestling with his identity, it takes the magic of pebbles on water and the transformative power of kind friends to help him accept his past and welcome his future.
The screenplay is, first and foremost, about a teenager dealing with profound grief and learning to find the inner strength needed to overcome loss, guilt and change.
The story centers around Chris, a 15-year-old who’s really struggling after his mother’s sudden death in a car accident. He’s forced to relocate to this quiet island off the south coast of England, where he has to begin a new relationship with his estranged father. He also ends up forming a close friendship with Thane, one of his new classmates. Thane becomes this kind of anchor for Chris as he tries to navigate this new, unfamiliar environment.
But it’s not just about adjusting to a new place—Chris is also dealing with a lot of internal conflict, especially around his identity. He has this unreciprocated crush on a girl, which is hard enough, but then he starts to realize he might have feelings for other boys too, and that really throws him. There’s this recurring theme of skimming pebbles throughout the story, which becomes a metaphor for Chris’s journey. Every time he skips a stone, it’s like a small act of hope, a way of testing the waters. The ripples symbolize the impact of his choices—how every decision he makes affects him and the people around him.
As Chris goes through all this, he’s dealing with grief and trying to figure out who he really is. He’s haunted by the loss of his mom and the rejections he’s faced, which makes him feel really alone. But then, just when things seem bleak, he meets someone new who gives him a bit of hope. In the end, Chris is faced with this big decision: does he embrace who he truly is and find happiness, or does he keep hiding and stay stuck in his sorrow? It’s about that choice as he learns which is more difficult: holding on, or letting go.
I wanted to convey a story of dealing with grief head-on, and actually getting into the mind and feelings of someone in the immediate aftermath of a terrible tragedy. Most stories about grief tend to fast-forward through the grieving process to get to a place where a new story can begin; I wanted a narrative where dealing with grief was the story.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Young Adult, Coming of Age Drama
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
There are 5 reasons why I think this would make a compelling cinematic experience:
Firstly, Universal Themes: The story addresses universally relatable themes such as identity, loss, and the quest for self-acceptance, making it appealing to a broad audience.
Also, Emotional Depth: The script delves deep into the emotional journey of a young boy dealing with profound grief and identity struggles, offering a raw and authentic portrayal of adolescence.
Plus, Metaphorical Resonance: The recurring motif of skimming pebbles adds a layer of symbolic depth, reflecting Chris’s growth and redemption, making the narrative both visually and emotionally compelling. And, Dynamic Characters: Chris and Thane’s relationship, along with other supporting characters, brings depth and authenticity to the narrative, ensuring a strong emotional connection with viewers.
Finally, Cinematic Potential: With its evocative settings and powerful emotional arcs, “The Pebble Champion” promises a visually and emotionally engaging cinematic experience.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Life-affirming
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Leaving Normal, directed by Edward Zwick, a film about finding your place when there is nowhere to call home; Ping Pong – a Japanese movie about what it means to be a hero to others – and to yourself.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
2 years on and off, but my dream to turn my novel into a successful movie has been a dream for many, many years.
7. How many stories have you written?
One novel (of which the screenplay is an adaptation), 2 collections of poetry (Advancing Backwards, Window Spit), 3 one act plays (Red-Handed, Torn Jeans, Genius), one short screenplay (One of Us). 8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?) Hey Nineteen by Steely Dan – and an instrumental piece called Old Fool Back on Earth by Michel Colombier.
8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Because the screenplay is an adaptation of my award-winning novel, knowing what to remove from the original story was difficult. I was too close to all the narrative details of the novel that deciding which to keep and which to discard was a challenge.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I am also a maker of poetry videos, some of which have won awards around the world. But my career as an educator, a teacher and a teacher trainer has been the other main passion in my life.
10. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platform site?
Good question. The platform has its pros and cons. There are many bogus competitions/ festivals that one must be weary of – and do due diligence before handing over money. Many festivals simply provide a laurel as a prize, and many of these are pretty pointless because they do not promote the artists. Festivals like Chicago Feedback offer value for money because you get genuinely helpful feedback. And there is a real interest in promoting winners, rather than simply awarding them a certificate or laurel. High-stakes festivals and competitions, where actual film producers are readers/ judges are the ones to aim for in terms of getting actual results.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
This screenplay is at draft 6 stage, and I wanted to know if its present reworking had any merit. Plus, I wanted to get feedback to help me improve. The high score of 8/10 is promising, but now I want to aim for full marks in order to make the screenplay more attractive to potential producers. The feedback provided by Chicago Feedback was gentle, informative and helpful – and may well help me achieve a higher rating.
1. What is your screenplay about? A couple who are dealing with a loss, and purchase their first home. Only to experience an unforgettable first night where memories, dreams, and nightmares mix and come to life.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under? Horror Fiction, Psychological horror
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? Grief, which is the heart of this piece. There are several haunted house movies out there, several movies that deal with grief. And yet the main protagonists always find conflict with each and turn on each other, I wanted this to be different. I wanted a couple that supports each other and yes, gets frustrated at the world around them, but they try to navigate this world together. I want a horror movie that anyone who has lost a loved one could connect with. The horror may be supernatural at times, but that’s the reality of grief. Beyond the nightmarish horror in this script several of the conversation are similar to ones I’ve had with my partner while she was going through a death in the family. Yes I want scare people, and give them that joy from a horror film, but I want them to keep coming back, to feel like they can watch a story that helps them deal with their own grief. Even if the audience doesn’t get scared or predicts the ending, I want each time this see this movie, they find a different story. I wrote this story with a character that is non-binary, who experienced childhood trauma based on who they are, and that strikes a chord with any child that grew up being bullied, and I wanted that to be a part of the character, but not a defining part of them. After all this explanation, there are so many real life moments in this story, that I feel people will gravitate toward. It’s been fun talking with those that have read it and come up with a whole through line from the story, that was never intended. It would be a true dream, to have this filmed and give the opportunity for others to find THIER story in it.
4. How would you describe this script in two words? Lamenting Couple
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life? It’s a tie between “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Jaws”
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay? A year, It started as episode on our podcast, and has since expanded to a screenplay, and currently being altered for a stage play as well (from the POV of the Antagonist)
7. How many stories have you written? Through out my life too may to count; as a creative producing content 50 -60 different scripts right now including stage scripts.
8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?) Thriller by Michael Jackson
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay? Balance. With the pacing, whenever I wanted to add more to the story, making sure it didn’t cause issues with the pacing. and structure. I love films and stories that have a slow burn, especially in horror. I love space and silence in my stories. Either on stage or on Film. What can be said, when nothing is being said.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? This creative world is what I love and am passionate about. I was trained as performer, so beyond writing I love being on the stage or in front of the camera (even if it doesn’t like me)
11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platform site? Honestly, when I discovered it, it opened my world up for my Podcast (Dark Pony Radio) and gave me an out lit to start putting my script work out their with some success this year. And I have so many more to submit next year, both feature length and stage scripts.
12. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received? I love constructed criticism, and of course praise but if I want to reach my goals in the creative world, I need to hear from the community at large, and hear the things that can just make better faster stronger. As much as we are singular artists, I believe the more collaboration we have the better the end result. (within reason of course) I loved the initial feedback, it gave me a place to go from rather than nothing. It made me look at my choices from a different set of eyes, and see where I could expand or clarify or flat out get rid of.
In 2052 after the dissolution of the United States 30 years earlier, a young woman, 17 year-old Tamara O’Neal, is smuggled out of the Confederacy to New Albion, liberal bastion based in the Colorado Rockies, to what her father thinks is safety. After a difficult transition to life in New Albion and multiple threats from mysterious forces, Tamara becomes radicalized and vows, with the help of her new friends, to burn down the system.
1. What is your screenplay about? Tamara’s Escape is the first part of my larger story, More Perfect Union, which jumps between 2020 and 2052 in a post-Civil War North America. Tamara’s Escape, set in 2052, is how a spoiled, entitled young woman, Tamara O’Neal, is smuggled out of ConFed or the Confederacy by her parents, who, after the tragic death of Tamara’s sister, realize that her future safety is imperiled and send her to New Albion, the utopian Colorado-based country that was carved out of the United States at the end of the Civil War in 2020.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under? Near future dystopian thriller. Female focused but with many male characters.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? This story is timely. A Fundamentalist theocracy threatens the lives and livelihoods of countless men and women, but the alternative is not much better.
4. How would you describe this script in two words? Dystopian thriller (female focused)
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life? About a Boy and The Wizard of Oz!
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay? 15 years
7. How many stories have you written? 10 or so
8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?) The one I sing to myself is the New Albion National Anthem, which I wrote. I love it.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay? I had to get over my resentment about marriage because of my failed marriage and get real about relationships, no matter what the form they took. Then everything flowed more easily. In fact, the strongest relationships were between couples in ConFed, not New Albion.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? English football, travel, history, reading, and surprising my high school students.
11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platform site? Very good. They are an impressive organization. I’ve won a number of contests and I enjoy looking at my list of submissions! It makes me smile!
12. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received? I liked the initial feedback and instituted the changes that the festival suggested.
Motivation was a really good actress, Barbara. I worked with her previously and wrote it for her.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Start to finish it took around an hour to film, a couple of hours to edit and less than hour to write so probably about half day.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Today’s worry
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Waiting for the editor
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was very touched. So wonderful to capture people’s imagination in a short time.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
We started making films in March this year. As a writer I wanted to learn more about film-making. Hopefully we will get better each one we do.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
This is a tricky one, I would probably have to go with Raiders of the lost ark.
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 most festivals are doing a great job. Supporting and nurturing independent film-makers is the only way to keep cinema fresh.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
FILMFREEWAY seem fine. They dont really have any interaction with people that I know of. They should be more selective on festivals. It is clear that some are set up for making money and barely exist.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Strawberries (vegetarian, not keen on veg)
11. What is next for you? A new film?
We (my business partner, Palma Carretta) have 3 shorts to film this week and 2 next week. We are looking to have 10 shorts completed by end August.
Festival Reviews 