BODY IMAGE Poetry – FREE submission or pay for a reading or movie

ELIZA, 11min., USA
Directed by Bianca Roth
After hitting rock bottom, 23 year old MIA, updates her home AI system to help turn her life around. What start out as small “life improvements” slowly begin to control her.

http://biancarothfilms.com/
https://www.instagram.com/biancaaroth/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I first got the idea to make this film when I kept hearing about everyone using chat gpt… honestly myself included! Obviously this AI helps a lot of people in their day to day life which I think can be a great thing. However, as the uprising of AI technology becomes more and more prevalent I started to think about where the boundary is. How much can AI help until it begins to just do things for us, and then at what point does that begin to take over. This led me to a bigger thought of will AI get so smart it begins to take over…. I hope not! These are some of things I had in my head and I wanted to create a snapshot of one person’s experience during that AI takeover.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I wrote the script over the summer in 2024 and we shot the project over the course of 2 days in September and somehow were able to edit, color, and sound design by October 31st!! (I was determined to release it on Halloween!)

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
I hate to say it but… time and money… although I am very happy with what we created despite these limitations!

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was very happy to hear that a lot of the themes and messages I had put into the film came across. I wanted to show the buildup of how AI can start as helpful and pose the question of what can happen if it becomes too much. I am so happy people enjoyed it!

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to.

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

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 feedback video was a wonderful thing to incorporate. Usually when you hear back from a festival it’s just through filmfreeway so it was really nice to get the validation that people not only enjoyed it but connected with it in a way that I was aiming for.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Great! I love it.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Sushi or pizza

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I am working on another short film… this time a comedy! This short is actually a proof of concept for a pilot that I have written and submitted to a few screenwriting festivals so I am excited to get these characters on the screen!

THE BOMB, 25min., Turkey
Directed by Onur Dogan
In the Balkan region, where lawlessness prevailed during the war, a man receives a threatening death letter from the gang he used to be a member of. Thereupon, he plans to escape to America with his pregnant wife. On the last night, after being threatened by the gang, the man leaves the house to persuade the gang members, but does not come back. Instead, an hour later, gang members enter the house.The gang leader starts a game in which he tells the woman that if she fulfills his wishes, she can see her husband again as a reward.

https://www.instagram.com/bombafilmi/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

This story is one of the war stories written by Ömer Seyfettin, one of the most famous writers of Turkish literature, inspired by his observations during his real-life captivity during the Balkan Wars in the 1910s. I had been thinking of working on an adapted script for a long time. After the first two short films I wrote and directed, this time I wanted to work on a story I didn’t write and adapt it to see what I could do. This war story, which is almost like a horror story, attracted me because it is forgotten and censored today, and I wanted to make this story. Also, when I think about the wars going on in the West and East, I thought that the subject is still relevant and that it will make viewers think about the effects of war.

2. How long did it take to make this film, from idea to finished product?

I turned the story into a script and adapted it in about 6 months. Then, our shooting preparations, casting process, rehearsals and technical preparations started. We shot the film in 3 days and post-production lasted 4 months. So, I can say that it is a 1-year process from the idea stage to the screen.

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

Ruthless and dark

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

All of my actors had different ongoing projects such as theater and TV series, and it took a long time to arrange the schedules of the 7 actors other than myself. Apart from that, we shot the film in the winter and there was no infrastructure such as electricity and water in the wooden house we used. For this, we used a generator and a caravan. Also, the weather was cold and rainy that day. Although it was the weather I wanted to see in the film, the weather made shooting conditions difficult and extended the duration.

5. What were your first reactions while watching the audience talk about your film in the feedback video?

I watched it with admiration and was very happy. It is fascinating to adapt an old literary story from our own country to the screen after 100 years and to see it touch different audiences in different countries. I remembered once again why and how much I love cinema. Thank you very much for this beautiful video you prepared. The most important thing for a director is to get feedback from viewers about their film. I think this is the best reward. Thank you for providing this, even though there are miles between us.

6. When did you realize you wanted to make a film?
I remember wanting to make a film since I was a child. I would be inspired by the films, series, and computer games I watched and dream about making films about them.

7. What film have you watched the most in your life?
I think my favorite film, which I have watched many times and know every frame by heart, is Child’s Play (1988).

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

The video you made about audience reactions is a difference maker and touches the heart of a filmmaker. Interactive experiences like this are the way to reach as many viewers as possible and make the film visible. When this is strong and done in large numbers, it is the most important thing to advance a filmmaker’s career. Also, talking to international producers about the film can be a good option.

9. You applied to the festival through FilmFreeway. How were your experiences working on the festival platform site?
Filmfreeway is the application site that makes the application process very easy, has the best interface and speed. It allows our films to reach festivals all over the world in a very short time. Applying for films from here speeds up our work a lot.

10. What is your favorite food?

I love many delicious foods, it is hard to distinguish among the dishes, but my favorite dessert is definitely ice cream. I definitely visit ice cream shops in every new country I go to and I definitely try different flavors and different styles of ice cream. Ice cream is indispensable for me.

11. What’s next? A new movie?
Yes, the feature-length version of Bomb is next. I am currently writing the feature-length version to shoot in the coming years. In addition, the short film version you watched will be dubbed in English and will meet the audience again in feature-length form with other films in a horror anthology through the Black Mandala production company at horror film festivals, film markets and box offices.