WIND LINES, 13min,. Spain
Directed by Janire Etxabe
As soon as I tried vertical dance, I knew I wanted to keep doing this. At home, in the mountains, flying, hanging. In a incessant search for the indefinable feeling.

https://www.dimegaz.eus/portfolio-item/haize-lerroak/
https://www.instagram.com/dimegaz/?hl=es

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
What motivated me to make this film was to document all the dance interventions we were performing in the different wind lines I was creating in the mountains, forests, and cliffs of the Basque Country.

2. From the idea to the final product, how long did it take to make this film?
Filming began on December 31, 2019, and we finished it in the summer of 2024.

3. How would you describe your film in two words?
WIND LINES, I like it in Basque: HAIZE LERROAK.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced while completing this film?
Securing funding to complete the filming and recovering from a full reconstruction of my right shoulder, which kept me out for a year before I could recover and start dancing again.

5. What were your initial reactions when you heard the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was very moved when I heard the audience’s reactions talking about WIND LINES. It’s a beautiful initiative to have the opportunity to hear comments, and I am very grateful.

6. When did you realize you wanted to make films?
At university, I studied Fine Arts with a focus on audiovisuals, cultural installations, and performance. These things have been part of me since my university days, and when I began practicing vertical dance, I wanted to merge everything that had influenced my training with dance. Through audiovisuals, I had the opportunity to document and share dance interventions in natural spaces, in this case, the wind lines we created in different places in the Basque Country.

7. What film have you watched the most in your life?
Hahaha Flashdance really marked me! I didn’t have a TV at home, nor do I today, so I haven’t had many options to watch movies. Honestly, I really enjoy watching all kinds 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 advance in your filmmaking career?
I think festivals already do a great job supporting and promoting the works that are presented. It’s a pleasure to be participating for the second time in the festival and to receive, just like last time, an award. We feel very loved and cared for by the Experimental Dance Music Film Festival. We are very grateful for all the work you do.

9. You submitted your proposal to the festival via FilmFreeway. How was your experience working with the festival’s platform?
It’s not a platform I use much, but in this case, I submitted the proposal through the platform, and I have to admit that everything went very well, and the platform worked properly.

10. What is your favorite food?
Marmitako. It’s a Basque dish, absolutely delicious. If you ever visit the Basque Country, you have to try it!

11. What’s next for you? A new film?
I am producing a new show for the Harrobi Dantza Bertikala Company while also working on a new vertical dance documentary.

HELLBOUND FUGITIVE, 5min., USA
Directed by Christopher Patrick Vallone
In a desperate bid for freedom, a convict seeks refuge in a decaying fortress within the mountains. He inadvertently enters a nightmarish arena where ancient demons punish the wicked, and survival means fighting hell itself.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
SO this film is just a piece of a feature length script I wrote 18 years ago when I was just getting out of indie filmmaking after 10 years. AI came into my life almost 2 years ago, and so I started to dabble in it. I started to make a film trailer to that feature I wrote, and then started to see some AI horror, thriller contests online, and decided to make a short “Hellbound Fugitive” as a piece off of the trailer I was producing. I figured I had some scenes made already from the trailer, why not make a short from some of the clips? So that’s what I did.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
About 4 weeks.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Getting the AI to do what you want. I still think of myself as a newbie to AI filmmaking coming from a tradition filmmaking world. I know folks think it is easy to do AI, they feel you just tell it what to do and it does it… but that is not true, there were many times when you really have to put on the directors hat, and get very specific in your directing words.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Very cool, so glad everyone enjoyed it, and the constructive criticism was great too, great advice to help me improve next time.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I was in grade school! I used to film with my dads VHS camera and make lil stories.

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

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

Oh gosh not sure… maybe in person meetups, networking event? Festival party? 1 on 1 zoom consults on the film?

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

10. What is your favorite meal?
Currently? I love Italian Sushi! If you look it up, you will see what it is, I make it all the time now, it’s a great appetizer or meal.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
Currently working on my next action AI short, polishing my old feature scripts I wrote 18-25 years ago and making trailers for those.

SHADOWS OF THE PAST, 13min., Australia
Directed by Locky Boaretto
A prequel to JUMPING AT SHADOWS.
Also, the origin story for the character “Agent Nixon”.

http://www.youtube.com/@lochnesslegends
https://www.instagram.com/lochnesslegendsproductions/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I was inspired by the Noir Sci-Fi vibe of films like James Cameron’s “The Terminator”, and also the character tragedy / fallen hero element of films like “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”.

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

About 6 Months.

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

Dramatic Sci-Fi.

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

Pulling of convincing VFX with a very limited budget.

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

I was actually very happy to hear that people not only had a positive reaction to the film, but that they also felt a genuine emotional connection with the 2 lead characters as well, which made me feel extremely relieved because I wasn’t sure how they were going to respond to all the tragedy elements towards the end of the narrative.

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

When I was 12 years old.

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

Star Wars.

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

Networking & Creator meetups.

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

Very good, it makes it easier for creators to connect directly with festivals, without the need of any other intermediary influences.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Sushi.

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

Working on continuing of the series of films that “SHADOWS OF THE PAST” is apart of, called “THE JUMPING AT SHADOWS SAGA”.

CALIBURN, 16min., USA
Directed by Bryce Ury
The legendary King Arthur goes to the Lady of the Lake for guidance, recounting both his noble deeds and tragic mistakes.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I’ve always been fascinated by medieval fantasy and the power of fairy tales to distill reality into one story. My wife used to teach the story of King Arthur to her 5th grade students and the image on the front cover was of a hand reaching out of the water, grasping Excalibur. That image was very impactful and I felt like there was a way to explore that chapter in the legend of Camelot in a way that was fresh and surprising while also feeling thoroughly Arthurian.

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

About five years passed between the first inkling of an idea and the final edit being made on the project. Passion projects can take a long time. The “passion” can come and go. One of the greatest lessons I learned was that waiting for creativity to surface is much less productive than diving in and finding it yourself.

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

Refreshingly Mythic.

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

One of the biggest obstacles I faced was finding the motivation to fit the mundane aspects of the process into my everyday life. A day of filming is thrilling and energetic. Editing at 4am is not.

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

The audience feedback video I received from the festival was very surreal to witness. Knowing that there were people I hadn’t met who were watching my film and enjoying it, lauding the parts of it I was proud of, was very encouraging.

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

I’ve had a love of storytelling for as long as I can remember but it was in high school that I really started directing that energy towards film. Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” helped open my eyes to how a popcorn flick could also be extremely meaningful. I gradually started to realize that entertainment and art didn’t need to be separate.

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

The Lord of the Rings trilogy has definitely been a mainstay. Anyone who has seen those movies will see the influence in my work. Myths and legends are, in a sense, the most true stories we can tell; so I admire the sincerity and depth within a genre that is sometimes disregarded as silly or childish.

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 video is such a cool feature of the festival! The only thing that might have made it better would be to know a little something about the people who were commenting.

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

My experience with FilmFreeway has been helpful in directing me to festivals that seem suited to my film. I like that you can read other people’s reviews of each festival so that you can be aware of the positives and negatives while choosing festivals in which to invest the entry fee.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I like a good steak. The quality of a steak is largely hinged upon how it is prepared; like a story. A perfectly good steak can be cooked horribly. A perfectly good story can be told in an uninspired way.

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

My next film will be an adaptation of a short story by the fantasy author, George MacDonald.

https://www.instagram.com/xcurvatus

OBSERVER, 8min., USA
Directed by Dylan Powers
When contact is lost with Samuel Harth, the Algan Space Corporation look into his memories to see what unfolded during a mission to Planet COR-73, unraveling a cosmic mystery in the process.

http://www.dylanpowersfilm.com/
https://instagram.com/powersofdylan

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I was inspired by the film “The Backrooms” and felt that I could create a film of a similar style with my own unique take on the found footage genre. I love experiences of any kind with incredibly immersive atmospheres, and I’m a huge gamer as well. I had been creating projects in Unreal Engine 5 as personal practice for myself already, so I felt that making another completely digital film like OBSERVER would give me an opportunity to create something special that felt a bit like a blend of a film and a game.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
In total, probably around 9-10 months of work from start to finish.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Keeping the viewer immersed in the first person perspective and the many techniques needed to make that happen. Right alongside this, discovering how best to communicate the narrative through the environment the protagonist explores in the film was tough, especially in a way that keeps the pacing of the film feeling good. Finding the balance of all of this was the most difficult part of the process.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was happy to have the reaction videos and I enjoyed hearing their thoughts on the films! I wished the viewers talked in more detail about why they liked what they liked and I would have appreciated hearing something they didn’t like, or felt could be better as well.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I’ve known I wanted to make films and games since I was about 10 years old.

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

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 reactions offering is great! I would love to see this be expanded upon to increase how useful it is for the filmmaker. First off, more people would be helpful. The descriptions of this audience video suggests a “crowd,” but in reality it is only 4 or 5 people. Any feedback is great, heavily valued, and much appreciated no matter how small, however I imagine I’m not the only filmmaker that expected more than what it was after how marketed this element of the festival was. Secondly, I would love for them to go a little more in detail about what they enjoyed, and feel comfortable enough to even say something they wish was different.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Good! I enjoy the simplicity of FilmFreeway a lot. I think it’s a great site where I can do what I need to do.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Biscuits and Gravy

11. What is next for you? A new film?
It may be another film, or I may finally look into making a game. I haven’t decided yet, but I will absolutely be continuing to create in the near future!

BLOODHOUNDS, 9min,. France
Directed by Dimitri Besicovitch
Fernando and Elvira flee after the death of Inna, caused by a member of their group. Meanwhile, the others are looking for them. When they find them, Fernando provokes a sword fight. After his defeat, Elvira turns against him and joins the two other bloodhounds in order to find her people. The three bloodhounds then begin the fight against Fernando which ends with the death of the latter fathered by Elvira. A few seconds later, she was shot down in turn by one of the two bloodhounds.

https://www.instagram.com/dimabesico/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I am a stunt man and a fencer and I wanted to tell a story through fencing. THe four main actors are friends and also fencers, they actually won the 2023 artistique fencing championship with their scene “Conquistador”. I was in the audience and I witnessed them winning it. I wanted to use in a film those choregraphies made by the Fencing Master (Maître d’Arme in french) Julien Pennanec’h who trained them for the championship. And here I was writing an adaptation of the scene “Conquistador” that they performed, into this movie “Bloodhounds”.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
The production and shoot were pretty quick. The first Idea came with Orianne Faure and Thomas Dedeken, playing Elvira and Fernando in the movie. And 3 month later I gathered a team and we shot during 3 days. The post Production was however took us more than a year. I was at first working alone with my dear friend Adrien Ollive who is the DOP and helped me produce the film. Then we worked with Adrien Jeannot who is a director and marvelous editor too. He help us a lot and thanks to him we had a final version of the film in october 2024. So we took a year and a half to make it

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
“Betrayal” and “Swords” I guess ^^

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
We struggle with our continuity, i made a lot of mistakes during the shooting, which were difficult to deal with, to assemble the movie, I had to make drastic cuts into it, to make it work . So my biggest obstacle was to make the sacrifice of the third fight I had.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was with my friend Adrien Ollive the DOP of the film and we both were amazed, people like our movie! After almost 15 month of post production I think we forgot that people were going to watch it. ^^

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I started as an actor in 2013 and actually directed 2 shorts that I posted on youtube, but I realised that I wanted to tell stories through films for about a year or two. I had the opportunity to write and direct stunt shows with acrobatique horse riding and sword fights and I loved it. But I was missing the intimacy of the camera and I wanted to get back to it.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
I think it must be Fight Club or the Matrix ^^ not very original i guess

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 don’t know, I’m new to festival and it is amazing to have feedback like that so thank you so much.

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

10. What is your favorite meal?
Like Joey in friends i have to answer Sandwiches ^^

11. What is next for you? A new film?
Yes, we already shot a new film called ” Coup de récrée” (it is a French puns mixing punch and playground ) with a fight on a Paris rooftop and we are in post production right now . With my friend Adrien Ollive we built ” Chill Guys Films ” and we are going to continue making films.
And “Chill Guys Films” also participated as a second unit and action unit in the next Adrien Jeannot movie called “Beyond the Line”.

THE LAST PUFF, 4min., India
Directed by Lorick Jain

https://www.instagram.com/lorick.jain/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I have a personal attachment to this problem. I lost my grandfather to smoking hence I’m making the world aware of its ill effects. However, I wanted to message this to the audience using a non traditional method. I feel an ad, doesn’t have the same impact as a short conveying the message through the horror, thriller, and suspense genre.

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

It took me about 3 weeks to complete the film.

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

Final drag.

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

I think as a first time filmmaker all aspects of filming were new and challenging to me.

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

I am truly ecstatic winning the best micro short at the world’s #1 Thriller film festival in the world. More importantly, I think the audience feedback video truly helped me understand how my work can reach people and evoke deep emotions in them.

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

I’ve always enjoyed storytelling. My professional life involves storytelling to business leaders on a day to day basis. I always had a liking towards television, food, and travel. It was natural for me to take a step in filming.

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

Interstellar. It’s the one movie that has stood the test of time from a scientific standpoint, and to me the epitome of hard work on set.

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 more networking events to meet fellow film makers, round tables, group discussions, and online forums before the event will help mingle with other fellow filmmaker’s.

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

Film freeway has made the experience seamless. I’m a true advocate of easing the experience of film makers.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Pizza

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

I am making a short film on a philosophical discussion between a dog and a human.