COMIC IN COVID, 127min., USA
Directed by Michael T. O’Brien
An out of work comic, due to Covid-19, practices his routines in his car because the walls in his apartment are too thin and he doesn’t want to disturb the neighbors.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I was motivated by the idea of a comedian during covid. That this could be a vehicle for me to showcase my comic skills and acting ability.

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

It took about a year to complete. I had to practice the routines and make sure they would look like material an actual comedian would be working on.

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

The two words I would use to describe the film are, intense, funny.

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

The most challenging part of the film was getting the routines down so people would believe that I was a comedian and that this was a real documentary.

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

The audience reactions were very interesting. I like the fact that people felt his journey and uncertainty during covid, but I thought people would say how funny the routines were.

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

The Godfather is probably the movie I have seen the most.

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

I’m not sure what can be done to improve festivals. I think you do a lot.

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

I like film freeway, however, sometimes you wonder about the festivals. Are they really watching every submission.

9. What is your favorite meal?

My favorite food is spaghetti, but I’m a vegan, so with vegan meatballs.

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

I have so many ideas and projects, it’s just a matter of finding the time to do them.

SNEEZE, 5min., UK
Directed by Gareth Brierley
A woman sneezes and goes on an unexpected journey.

http://www.peopleshow.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/garethbrierley/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

We wanted to make a film that we could make on an iPhone where we could almost use a ‘Guerrilla filmmaking’ style to the shooting in a day or two. I came up with the idea of Sneeze after a huge sneeze that made me forget for a second where I was…and then the idea of transportation from a sneeze came.

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

It took us two days to film, one day to write and a day edit. Four days in all.

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

Teleportation Sneezing.

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

The last shot was in the sea with Fiona drowning. But me and Maya were in there as well on a very windy day. The sun only came out for a couple of seconds so we had to be quick and not drown. But when we finished we were so happy. I have a photo to prove it.

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

Amazing comments and such insightful thoughts about the film. We felt humbled and so very pleased. Thank you.

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

From an early age playing about with a 1980’s video camera. I love the medium of telling a story visually and seeing how far you can go without words.

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

So hard. Goodfellas, The good, the bad and the ugly spring to mind. Lately it’s been The Dark Knight and Field of Dreams.

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 audience feedback video. Brilliant

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

Excellent

10. What is your favorite meal?

Vegan Burger and Fries.

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

We are looking to make another Micro Short in March. Will have a few options.

THE WHIRLING DERVISH, 2min., Egypt
Directed by Osama Elolemy
In the mesmerizing whirling dance of the Sufi lady, grace and devotion blend seamlessly. Her movements, like poetry in motion, transcend time and space, capturing the essence of the divine in every spin. The gentle flow of her white garments symbolizes purity, while her serene expression reflects inner peace and connection to the universe. As she twirls, she becomes a living embodiment of spiritual ecstasy, inviting us to join her in this sacred dance of unity and love

https://www.genieinaclick.com/
https://www.instagram.com/genieinaclick/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

As a fine art photographer, the inspiration for creating a short reel emerged from an editorial photoshoot I conducted on the Whirling Dervish dance. Initially, the plan was to exhibit the photographs in a gallery. However, since this dance is quite unique and not widely understood across different cultures, I felt the need to bring it to life through motion. By creating a reel, I aimed to showcase the fluidity of movement and the depth of expression captured in the images, making it more accessible and immersive for viewers.

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

The actual photoshoot took two days, during which we secured exclusive access to one of Samarkand’s most iconic and tourist-heavy locations—Registan Square. We were granted permission to shoot there for three hours, which was a significant challenge to arrange. Additionally, obtaining a drone permit in Uzbekistan was a complex process that took nearly two months. During this time, we coordinated travel logistics, secured the necessary approvals, and ensured everything was in place. My wife played a crucial role in assisting me throughout this journey.

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

The Divine connection

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

One of the most significant challenges was obtaining a drone permit in Uzbekistan. The process was time-consuming and required extensive approvals. However, through perseverance, I managed to secure it. Interestingly, as I started creating more reels like this, I found myself even more motivated and inspired to explore this format for future photoshoots.

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

I was truly touched and flattered by the heartfelt feedback. While receiving comments on social media with emojis is always encouraging, hearing people articulate their thoughts, describe the emotions behind each scene, and express their admiration in words made the entire effort deeply rewarding. Knowing that the film resonated with the audience on such a profound level was incredibly fulfilling.

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

I realized my passion for filmmaking when I saw how still photography, as powerful as it is, sometimes couldn’t fully convey the movement, emotion, and energy of a moment. My turning point came during my editorial photoshoot of the Whirling Dervish dance. While the images captured its essence, I felt that something was missing—the motion, the rhythm, and the soul of the dance itself. That’s when I decided to create a short reel to bring those moments to life. The process was incredibly fulfilling, and it opened my eyes to the possibilities of storytelling through film

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

I don’t have a single film that I’ve watched the most, but I’m drawn to movies that explore culture, traditions, and humanity’s deep connection with the earth. Films that beautifully capture the essence of different cultures, landscapes, and spiritual journeys resonate with me the mos

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

Watching the audience reaction in the Video would be also exciting to watch. Seeing their faces light up, hearing their gasps or moments of quiet reflection would be nice to have as an extension to the video

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

The experience was smooth and straightforward. The submission process was fairly easy since most of the required details were already pre-filled on FilmFreeway, saving me a lot of time.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Pizza 🙂

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

One of my recent projects was a cinematic piece on the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, which I’ll be revealing very soon.

ROSALIND, 32min,. USA
Directed by Veronica A. Hodge-Hampton
Vivian and Rosalind love each other, but after Rosalind was diagnosed with lung cancer she became abusive to her only caregiver, Vivian, for nine life draining years. When Vivian leaves town to see her dying father, a nurse and their close friend, Phoebe, teaches both Rosalind and Vivian a lesson in love they will never forget.

http://www.gloryfilmworks.com/
https://facebook.com/gloryvisionworks
https://www.instagram.com/gloryvisionworks/

Get to know director Veronica A. Hodge-Hampton & writer/producer/songwriter Sandra Hodge-Hampton:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Sandra (writer/producer/songwriter): I wanted to show that when a person has limited strength or even a terminal diagnosis their caregivers should let them keep as much independence as they can because in addition to the sadness associated with the illness the person is also dealing with feeling like a burden to their loved ones.

Veronica (director/producer): I wanted to make this film to show that caregivers need to ask for help while they are caring for their person whoever that is, and that it is okay to ask for help when you’re not the one that’s sick.

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

Veronica: We started talking about this when my wife relocated from the west coast and then eight years later we shot the film.

Sandra: Yes, the idea happened when I relocated, but once we were clear that we wanted this to be Veronica’s directorial debut I wrote the script and then about four months later we shot the film in one weekend.

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

Veronica: Painfully Blessed

Sandra: Real Love

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

Veronica: My work schedule because the show I was 1st AD on went long and my next show moved up, so for my film I had a really short pre-pro and I didn’t get to supervise my post my producer wife did it for me.

Sandra: Our home life because in addition to writing-producing the short I was moving our four children to another school and taking care of my mother who lived with us and self-publishing five of my book ideas.

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

Sandra: Relieved and thankful! Because I prayed that everything I wanted to convey in the script would translate into a meaningful and thought provoking experience for the audience and their comments proved that we did our job.

Veronica: It made me happy that they understood what we were trying to say. They got the emotion, they understood the stress and strain on both characters and they saw Vivian overcome in the end and be at peace about how she took care of Rosalind.

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

Veronica: In 2008 on my first job as a 1st. AD, I helped a first time showrunner direct his pilot without the usual team of network and studio producers, and that really sparked my interest in directing too one day. And since my wife comes from the indie film world she suggested I direct a short so I would have something to show…because directors direct. They don’t think about directing and then hope someone hires them.

Sandra: After college, when I lived in New York on my self-taught filmmaking path and a fellow neophyte introduced me to the b&w version of 12 Angry Men directed by Sidney Lumet. I was hooked.

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

Sandra: Godfather I and Godfather Part II

Veronica: Shawshank Redemption

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

Veronica: Nothing. I think you guys did a great job especially with the audience feedback video.

Sandra: Nothing. This is the first film festival that I’ve been apart of that REALLY helps promote filmmakers with multiple screenings and free marketing opportunities that we can use beyond the festival.

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

Sandra: Once I got our profile set up it was great to have everything set up so that the festival could pull all the film’s materials from the platform and I didn’t have to submit packets individually.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Veronica: Filet Mignon with bearnaise and Escargot

Sandra: Everything my wife makes.

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

Veronica: I’m up for a project I can’t talk about, but I’m really excited to start.

Sandra: I’m developing my first podcast, writing a web series based on my book and voicing the animated show I created.

FAN LETTER, 15min., Belgium
Directed by Zeb Daemen
Set in the glamorous 1950s, Fan Letter follows Ricky, a renowned singer at the height of his fame. One evening, before another sold-out show, Ricky receives a letter from someone he thought was lost to time—his first love, whom he hasn’t heard from in years. Attached to the letter is a phone number.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

The idea for Fan Letter started when I came across old images of Elvis reading fan mail. There was something captivating about those moments. This massive star, adored by millions, yet sitting alone with handwritten letters, connecting with fans in such a personal yet distant way. That led me down a rabbit hole, researching actual fan letters from the time, and what struck me was how deeply emotional and devoted they were. These young women poured their hearts into these letters, idolizing someone they’d never truly know.

At the same time, I’ve always been fascinated by the 1950s. The music, the culture, and especially how it was marketed almost exclusively to a young female audience. But beneath that glossy, dreamy surface, there was a much harsher reality, especially for artists. Around this time, I also watched the documentary on Tab Hunter, and his story really stuck with me, the pressures of fame, the sacrifices, and the hidden truths behind these carefully curated public images.

Once this idea took hold, it became my passion project. I kept thinking about what it would be like for an artist to look back at a life built on a bargain they couldn’t fully understand at the time, what they gained, but more importantly, what they lost. Ricky’s story grew from that, and I knew I had to tell it.

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

I first came up with the idea in early 2022. Together with my screenwrite Josh, we initially developed a much larger script and submitted it for funding. Unfortunately, we weren’t selected, but I couldn’t let go of the story. I believed in it too much.

Rather than shelving the project, we went back to the script, refining and reshaping it into something more intimate and focused. In the end, I decided to fund the film myself. While that came with certain limitations, it also gave me complete creative freedom to bring the story to life exactly as I envisioned it.

With an incredible team on board, we shot the film over three days in May 2024. Post-production, including editing and final touches, wrapped in December 2024. It was a long journey from the first spark of an idea to the finished film, but every challenge along the way only made the project more meaningful. I’m so proud of it.

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

Hauntingly nostalgic

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

Money. Haha.

Of course, making a film is never easy. It’s a complex process with countless moving parts ,but honestly, I loved every bit of it. The challenges made it evenmore fulfilling, and seeing everything come together in the end was incredibly rewarding.

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

Really sweet! Nice to hear that people have a good reaction to the film.

Also a little strange.

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

I’ve been fascinated by film for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are watching E.T., The Little Mermaid, and Splash as a kid. I was completely mesmerized by the magic.
The visuals mostly.

By the time I was 12, that fascination turned into action. I started making little videos, roping in my sisters as actors, and creating short films that we would then (enthusiastically) force our family to watch. It was pure creativity and fun, but looking back, that was the start of everything.

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

E.T. A single Man, The Shawshank Redemption, the talented mr ripley.. pride and prejudice

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

It’s always great to have a win at a festival. Grateful!

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?

anything chicken

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

Absolutely! A new idea has already taken root in my mind. I can see it so clearly. Now, it’s just a matter of letting it grow and to write it.

COOP, 19min., USA
Directed by Moriah Doepken
After sustaining a bad injury, a stubborn retired sheriff must learn to talk with his estranged son as they build a fence together, or risk losing the relationship.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I love Western films and one day had the idea of “What happens to the sheriff of the town after he’s retired and the town no longer needs him?” And working with the brilliant writer Jeffrey Hein, we expanded this idea into what you see now. We both loved the idea of a man stuck in the past and whose toxic masculinity could be the basis of a lot of problems for him in a more modern world.

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

It took a year and a few months from absolute start to finish. There was a lot of brainstorming and drafts with the writer, Jeffrey Hein, before we got to set. Since it was my graduate thesis, there was a timeline given to us by our school that we followed for it.

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

Sad Cowboy.

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

I think it’s a tie between trying to “direct” chickens and finding the ideal location in California that could be convincing enough to be Texas that ALSO has a chicken coop we could use.

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

I loved seeing people take all sorts of interpretations away with them after watching it, because what x, y, and z may represent to me comes across totally differently for each viewer, which is so cool. And I want there to be discourse on if the characters made the right choice or what the coop itself represents!

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

I realized in high school, when one of my friends and I would find every excuse to make a video for class assignments. That led to us starting to make short films on our own, and that’s when it really kicked off and I started pursuing it.

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

Judging by how much of the film I can quote as I watch it, I’d have to say The Princess Bride.

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 really focusing on the networking aspect to meet other directors, producers, directors of photography, writers, etc. that might just be your next partner in a project.

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

It’s been a great way to see all the festivals out there, so I’d say pretty good!

10. What is your favorite meal?

Pad Thai!

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

I’m currently working on a short film that I’d like to shoot sometime this year, as well as a full length feature in the works that I’ll hopefully get to sometime soon!

HOMEPLANET, 26min., USA
Directed by Andrew Pritzker
Barefoot on a country highway, a Disoriented Man is picked up by Two Local Cops who suspect he may be a space alien.

http://qikfingerfilms.com/
https://www.instagram.com/qikfingerfilmsllc/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I had a funny idea kicking around in my head about two cops picking up guy on a country road because they thought he was a space alien. But when I fleshed out the story I decided it wasn’t really about the cops but the guy they arrested. So the questioned remained, “Who is he and what is he doing there?” When the script refocused it turned from comedy to a character drama. Once I found the emotional thread, I wanted to shoot the film.

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

It took about 9 months for 12 drafts of the script, research and storyboard. We shot 4 long days and nights of production. Post took longer than expected but we had to get it right. Editing, FX, scoring,
and sound design took about another 7 months.

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

Golden-age Sci-fi.

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

We had a few. With Covid becoming less of a factor, more films went into production the same time we did. Everybody wanted to shoot before winter. It was hard to find a good sound mixer. Everyone was booked. The same went for a steady cam op…booked. We lucked out renting a Ronin from our drone pilot who was also a really good sound mixer. So the hybrid position of sound mixer/drone pilot was
born.

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

I was really happy by the response. The reviewers spoke positively about the film and connected to it emotionally. We loved their reactions. They had a personal experience with the film and that’s terrific.

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

My grandfather always had a movie camera in his hands. It was a strange little box and you could tell he loved it. When I inherited his camera, projector, and home movies, I shot a few small projects with stop motion animation and then edited the film stock. I began to get feel for the craft. I had watched a lot of classic Hollywood films from 30s and 40s movies. I loved the hard film noir lighting. The more I watched the more I understood the artistry put into filmmaking. At age 14, I had an epiphany when I began to look for subtext in films, the unspoken film within a film. That was it.

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

That’s a good question. Numerically, I’d have to say, It’s a Wonderful Life. A Frank Capra gem. Politically and culturally savvy, funny heartbreaking, mystical, and character driven by a reluctant hero, the casting, cinematography, and editing all come together. It’s rises above Christmas genre. It’s a stand alone classic.

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

PR is a big contribution as well as informative seminars and speakers but the audience is king. A live screening in a theater is electrifying and raw. There’s nothing more honest and immediate than an
audience reaction.

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

There used to be two major submission platforms but now there’s just one. FilmFreeway is a great operation. They care about what they do.

10. What is your favorite meal?

A Philly Cheesesteak made in Philly.

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

I have a few projects on my slate. I’m the writer/producer on an existential comedy called PERK we hope to shoot this spring. I’m also putting together an anthology feature centered around HomePlanet.