[on her role as Special Agent Dana Scully on The X-Files (1993)] I am more spontaneous than my character . . .
When I think of normal, I think of mediocrity . . . and mediocrity scares the fuck out of me!
I know people who are embarrassed to be American. They don’t like showing their passports. It’s becoming a scary place. It takes someone very brave not to be quiet, someone who doesn’t mind death threats, their life being turned upside down, news cameras outside their door. There is no freedom of speech in America anymore. They are not living up to the constitution. There’s so much fear in America and control.
Dan came out to his mother at age 18. Dan’s dad was waiting for him to come out, but his mom couldn’t wait and asked her son if he was gay. Dan said “Yes!”.
He was in on a joke when he was hosting Saturday Night Live. He was showing the audience the backstage area when he comes across his dad Eugene Levy in a Plexiglas isolation box. Eugene wasn’t aware of the isolation box until he came in from Los Angeles.
[about her work with James Woods] It’s kind of like being pregnant. You know, you go through the initial joy of it. Then you go through wanting it to be over. And then you’re finished with it and you forget how bad it was.
There’s a bit of a stripper in every woman.
I don’t walk around with fear. I walk around with strength. I believe in cause and effect.
I don’t think I’m beautiful. When I look in the mirror, I just see me – and, I’m pretty used to me.
Marc Marashi was born in Paris, France, but grew up in Grand Rapids, MI. He attended film school at Columbia College and has lived in Chicago ever since. After over a decade working alongside the brewing and distilling industries as an equipment provider, he has started making short films again for the first time since college.
THE PRISONER, 1min., India Directed by Allabhya Ghosh Life is confined to a ten-foot-by-ten-foot room. That’s the norm in the suburbs now.
Don’t pretend you didn’t see me, 1min., Argentina Directed by Jimmy Alejandro Castro Zambrano The narration of the experiences of a blind person who moves through the city.
MELODRAMA, 34min., Italy Directed by Giuseppe De Vuono Rebecca Reveal, a promising designer, lives with her husband in an old farmhouse lost in the middle of the countryside. She is a beautiful woman, visionary and devoted to the art world, he a paranoid and egocentric man. They seem the picture of the perfect family, but both are hiding a secret that will push them beyond their limits.
Sizwe, 28min., South Africa Directed by Ayanda Makayi The story of a young, deaf Xhosa girl, overcoming adversity in the height of lockdown to save her gogo (grandmother).
Quantum Causality Conundrum, 2min., USA Directed by Aki Aitos While walking back to a college campus, Emma and Lila delve into the nuances of quantum mechanics and causality, balancing profound curiosity with the practical need to get to class on time.
Yellow Dress, 4min., UK Directed by Raph Isadora Seymour What is she doing? Trying to make a garden? Trying to make something…and who or what is trying to stop her? Crude stop-motion makes startling and poetic images and tells a story of resilience and the desire for happiness for both the hero and the villain of the piece.
Gravity Bound, 3min., USA Directed by Frankie Lasley The Man on the Moon is bound to the moon by his job; controlling the tides on Earth with a magical box of gravity. His quiet days are spent longing after a Shooting Star, who is bound to forever orbit him from a distance.
STIGMA, 30min., Tunisia Directed by Dali Mansour During the Covid-19 lockdown, “Stigma” explores the emotional impact on Bochra, a young woman living alone in France. Through webcam exchanges with her parents in Tunisia, Bochra struggles with painful memories and a dark past. Confronted with solitude in her Parisian apartment, she faces shadows of her past, gradually revealing a deeply buried trauma. The film delves into themes of resilience, the importance of family bonds, and the quest for self in an isolated world, leading to a poignant revelation.
BREAKROOM, 15min., USA Directed by Ian Wang A offbeat genre-bending comedy where mundane office tensions often unravel into something far more unsettling.
BLANCA, 7min., USA Directed by Carlos Grana During a coup in 1948, Peru’s First Lady must drive her maid and wounded chauffeur to the hospital down a treacherous road in the Andes.
Three S3conds, 16min., USA Directed by Diana Shield Arlo, a 17 year old boy struggles to open up and express himself to his counselor. He is haunted by his past actions due to his inability to control his rage and anger issues.
Stratagem The Movie, 111min., Directed by Rick E. Cutts Rellik and his girlfriend Nosaer witness a crime and are immediately on the run as they try and elude a killer who seems to always be one step ahead of them. Will they escape can they escape? Follow along as Rellik and Nosaer try and escape a killer and even more important who is behind all the carnage?
I was motivated to make this film after it seemed like all the doors kept closing on me when I tried to get someone to make it for me. John Schramm that I spoke to from Kinolime and he is the one who told me that I should direct the movie and after he put the bug in my ear I went forward with learning how to direct and produce a movie myself.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I started the idea almost 5 years ago. Then I wrote the book next the screenplay. We finished filming March of 2025 and all the editing was completed by May of 2025
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Action / Thriller
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The biggest obstacle I faced in completing the film was probably some of the people not showing up on time and having to navigate around missing actors and filling in with other parts.
What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
My initial reaction with the audience feed back was yes yes yes that’s exactly what I wanted them to say. They spoke on the volume to low which is what I wanted because I wanted people to lean in to really listen on purpose. I wanted the movie to mimic real life. We can’t make out all the words sometimes in real life but we know what’s going on.
Submit your CRIME short story to the festival here, and we will automatically have it performed by a professional actor and turned into a promotional video for yourself.
Accept only stories that fit into the CRIME genre. A mystery story is a type of fiction that involves a crime or other event that remains a mystery until the end of the story. The main character, often a detective, works to solve the mystery by: Finding clues, Examining motives, Identifying suspects, and Using logical deduction.
Get FULL FEEDBACK on either the 1st chapter or entire novel book from our committee of Professional Writers, and Writing Consultants. Get your novel performed by a professional actor at the festival.
NEW OPTION: Or, just submit for an actor performance reading transcript of your novel (any 5 pages of your book). Great way to promote the sales of your book if you’re already published. (see examples on the video playlist below)
This festival has a guaranteed 4-tier set up for each accepted script. (No matter what, all screenplays submitted receive FULL FEEDBACK on their work.) 1) Full Feedback on your script 2) Actors performance video reading of your script 3) Blog interview promotion. 4) Podcast interview on the Film Festival ITunes show
Deadline for FANTASY/SCI-FI Film & Screenplay Festival:
Honored to win Best Performances for Stigma. I’m truly grateful to the Chicago Feedback Film Festival for this recognition. The team was supportive and responsive throughout the process. The audience feedback video is a wonderful initiative that adds real value for filmmakers. The experience felt sincere and professionally handled. Thank you for celebrating independent cinema and for giving Stigma a thoughtful platform.
It was very cool to hear people’s thoughts and reactions after seeing the film. It’s so valuable as a storyteller and a unique perk of the festival.
This is a unique festival that gives valuable feedback from different audience members. This is a very original concept for a film festival. The feedback is then edited into a video and sent to the filmmaker. Each person gives his/her view or response to your film- on camera. This is a fresh contrast to getting a review from a professional writer/reviewer/critic. You will actually get direct feedback from a hybrid of people who have seen your film. It is as if you have just left a screening of your film and are getting 10 different people’s reaction to your film. Very unique, original concept for a festival and valuable to the filmmaker, who is used to reading professional reviews. The communication is excellent. Highly recommend this festival. Professional in every department.
A well run, well organized festival with really cool really niche focus. Our team was proud to be a part of it.
For all of you thousands of miles away who talk about my film HER LAST FAREWELL (UN ADIEU) in such a touching, relevant, sincere way, it’s huge and it moves me deeply. The emotion that emerges from the film is nicely shared and the script invites reflection : what more could I ask for. This video feedback will remain a rare, original and valuable testimony to my work. Thank you Toronto 🙂 ! (I hope the Google translation is OK because my english is very bad).
Festival Reviews 