Month: August 2025

Turning 49 Today: Alexander Skarsgård

festreviews Happy Birthday

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I was fascinated by the male lion, the way he moved, the confidence. When he just sat down and looked straight at the cameraman, he did absolutely nothing, but for a second you didn’t know whether he was going to yawn and fall asleep or pounce. I thought it would be interesting to try to find that. You don’t show your teeth, you don’t say anything, you don’t show it. It’s the not knowing that’s interesting. Anything could happen. -on studying film of wild lions that helped inspire his performance as Eric Northman.

When I step into a project, I need to feel that there’s a challenge, something new, something fresh about it. That being said, I’m kind of attracted to characters with a darkness or a sadness that they carry with them.

Happy Birthday Sean Connery – 1930 – 2020 

festreviews Happy Birthday

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I’m an actor – it’s not brain surgery. If I do my job right, people won’t ask for their money back.

I have always hated that damn James Bond. I’d like to kill him.

I’ve never kept a record of anything. I gave away everything: all the posters, the memorabilia that would have been helpful – and financially rewarding.

[on whether he would ever escape being identified as James Bond] It’s with me ’til I go in the box.

I care about Bond and what happens to him. You cannot be connected with a character for this long and not have an interest. All the Bond films had their good points.

Turning 67 Today: Tim Burton

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[suburbia] “I think the atmosphere that I grew up in, yes, there was a subtext of normalcy. I don’t even know what the word means, but it’s stuck in my brain. It’s weird. I don’t know if it’s specifically American, or American in the time I grew up, but there’s a very strong sense of categorization and conformity. I remember being forced to go to Sunday school for a number of years, even though my parents were not religious. No one was really religious; it was just the framework. There was no passion for it. No passion for anything. Just a quiet, kind of floaty, kind of semi-oppressive, blank palette that you’re living in.”

[the approach you have to take in movies] ” . . . you always have to feel like it’s gonna be the greatest, even if it’s a . . . you know . . . piece of crap.”

[Talking about the Batman characters]: “These are some of the wildest characters in comics and yet, they seem the most real to me.”

[About working with Jack Nicholson on Batman (1989)] “By the time Jack walks onto the set, he feels very clear and strong about the character. So when you’re shooting it’s great, because that’s when you toy around with the levels of how broad to go.”

Turning 42 Today: Caitlin FitzGerald

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Caitlin Fitzgerald at arrivals for THE FIXER Premiere at 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, The School of Visual Arts (SVA) Theatre, New York, NY April 16, 2016. Photo By: Steven Ferdman

You never stop thinking about technique, but really, the reason we’re actors is because of the sheer joy of those few moments you get every now and again where you’re totally present. The rest is just struggle and misery.

I’m kind of a control freak. I like to be really prepared.

The notion of overnight stardom is really dangerous. For almost every person who has success in this business, there are years and years of hard work to get there. To have longevity, you really have to train, and you really have to work.

In a play, you know where you start and end and all the stops you have to do, but in television, you can’t construct this carefully planned out arc for your character. You often get a script and you’re shooting it two days later, and you don’t know what’s going to happen next. It’s one of the harder things that I’ve done.

WINNERS: August 2025 Toronto FEMALE Film Festival

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A showcase of the best Female Films from around the world today!

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS:
Best Short Film: Obedience
Best Visual Design: Cycle of Emotions
Best Story: Dis-connected
Best Direction: The Taste of Pork Belly

Cycle Of Emotions, 6min, Greece
Directed by Natasha Smyrnaiou
In a hidden search…
In the complex stages of exploration that the Soul goes through…
Through the emotions…
Discovers…
Accepts…
Learns…
Evolves…
Getting Free…
Pictures, music and movement…
In a film art video performance of 6’.

https://instagram.com/natasha_smyrnaiou

Dis-connected, 10min., Spain
Directed by Estela del Carmen
Andrea is a girl addicted to her cell phone, until one day she is forced to live a day without him.

Obedience, 12min., Spain
Directed by Maria Carmen Sánchez
A girl is kidnapped by a couple of men, who claim to be vampires.

The Taste of Pork Belly, 20min., Taiwan
Directed by Sophie Shui
The preschooler A-Mao spends his days fooling around and exploring with his little sister and his buddy A-Bao. When they are hungry, there are sweet potatoes and snails to eat, and from time to time A-Mao can also eat some of the pork belly that his mother has gotten as a “gift.” A-Mao’s childhood is free and happy.

WINNERS: August 2025 Toronto FANTASY/SCI-FI Festival

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A showcase of the best fantasy/sci-fi films from around the world today.

AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Feature Film: APPology
Best Short Film: The Nest
Best Direction: Ekorts
Best Performances: Liquid Love

APPology, 105min., Switzerland
Directed by Marco von Moos
5 very different friends embark on a journey to create the ultimate app that turns you into your perfect self, all controlled by an Artificial Intelligence.

https://www.instagram.com/marcovonmoos/

The Nest, 7min., Spain
Directed by Ignacio Rodó
It’s the first night he’s bringing someone home. But they must be quiet.

https://www.instagram.com/ignacio.rodo

Ekorts, 6min., Austria
Directed by John Whitehand, Julia Hulle, Alexander Bachmayer
Daniel finds himself locked in a deserted buliding, no way out. Something is going on, but he can’t explain it.

https://reisenbauer-film.com/ekorts

Liquid Love, 15min., USA
Directed by Dave McGrath
It’s New Year’s Eve, Jillian is about to make a monumental resolution. She is giving up one of her two favorite things: Wine or Coffee. As she struggles to make up her mind, Wine and Coffee try to convince her that the other should be the one to go. When Jillian is ready to leave for the party, she announces her decision.

WINNERS: August 2025 DRAMA Film Festival

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Showcase of the best FILMS in the world today.

Audience Award Winners:
Best Feature Film: I WANT TO BACK HOME
Best Short Film: THERAPY
Best Direction: HUG ME
Best Story: THE TOUCH
Best Micro-Short: LOVEBIRDS

Hug Me, 19min., Spain
Directed by M. Carmen Sánchez
Dalia lives on her birthday. Everyone hugs her, everyone ignores her…

https://www.instagram.com/mv.audiovisuales/

Therapy, 10min,. Spain
Directed by M. Carmen Sánchez
“Therapy” deals with the day-to-day life of a woman, Lola, who feels neglected by her husband, Manolo, and thinks that, through therapy with her psychologist, she can fix the situation.

Summer Turns to Fall, 1min., Canada
Directed by David Creighton
This micro-short, black and white animated film, is dedicated to suicide awareness, and those who are left behind.

The Touch, 13min., Croatia
Directed by Marko Visković, Erik Kyle Lončar
After just being informed about her sister’s death, Dolores spends the evening alone waiting for her husband to return home from a business trip. What was supposed to be a tear-soaked night turns into a surreal experience that will challenge our heroines view on life, death and family.

LOVEBIRDS, 4min., USA
Directed by Maria Corso
Betty and Ray, a wild couple on the run, live fast and love hard while staying one step ahead of the law. With their lives on the line and a clean getaway just out of reach, they attempt one more job — one which may cost them more than they can afford.

I want to back home, 85min,. Spain
Directed by Miguel Ángel Mengó
Ana, 14 years old, coexists with the terminal illness of his mother and his father’s sorrow . One day, her aunty and her daughter, Laura, the same age as Ana, propose her to live in another village. That will change the lives of Ana and Laura forever.

http://www.miguelangelmengo.com/quiero-volver-a-casa/

WINNERS: August 2025 ANIMATION Film Festival

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A showcase of the best animation films from around the world today.

AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Short Film: INSIDE ALONE
Best Story: ONE GIANT WADDLE
Best Music Video: IF I WERE A PONY
Best Micro-Short: VIPER PRODUCTS
Best New Media Film: TORNADO: WAR OF THE WORLD

INSIDE ALONE, 4min. Iran
Directed by Hossein Moradizadeh
Inside alone there is nothing. A black hole that smashes everything inside. Sometimes it’s a light star. Sometimes illusion and sometimes imagination. Such a world was created.

https://www.instagram.com/mora.films/

ONE GIANT WADDLE, 8min., USA
Directed by Kevin Jones
A group of penguins watching the moon landing gets jealous of the astronauts’ constant bragging about taking giant steps. While the penguins watching are stuck on Earth, with gravity keeping their steps so tiny that their walking style is mockingly referred to as waddling.

IF I WERE A PONY, 4min., USA
Directed by Leonard Eckhaus
If I Were a Pony by Leonard Eckhaus is the story of a boy and his pony told from the Pony’s perspective. The pony and the boy share many adventures. They ride across streams; they ride with friends and sometimes they just enjoy each other’s company.

VIPER PRODUCTS, 2min., Canada
Directed by David Creighton

Tornado: War of the world, 15min., Iran
Directed by Majid Frazolanhi
An alien race attacks another planet and after destroying it, attacks Earth with its spaceships. One of the ships destroys cities using a large tornado. In another place, the ships destroy buildings with lasers. The armies of countries fight against the aliens. While a gate opens and many spaceships attack Earth. Godzilla enters and calls on the superheroes of Earth.

https://www.instagram.com/majidfarzolahi

WINNERS: August 2025 POLITICAL Film Festival

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Showcase of the best POLITICAL FILMS in the world today.

Audience Award Winners:
Best Feature Film: CANADA UNPLUGGED:( Part 1) The Perfect Storm
Best Short Film: Eureka!

Eureka!, 15min., Canada
Directed by David Creighton
In this animated micro-short, a conspiracy nut finally grasps the truth.

CANADA UNPLUGGED:( Part 1) The Perfect Storm, 56min., Canada
Directed by Sangita Iyer
A bold, eye-opening documentary from Mettle Films, directed by award winning filmmaker Sangita Iyer, explores diverse Canadian voices discussing the impact of mass immigration in Canada. In this two-part series, we hear real concerns, lived experiences, and urgent questions about Canada’s immigration system, cultural cohesion, housing crisis, and economic pressures.

https://www.instagram.com/mettlefilms

WINNERS: August 2025 STYLE, EXPERIMENTAL, FASHION Festival

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A showcase of the best from the STYLE, EXPERIMENTAL, FASHION festival.

AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Short Film: FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS
Best Direction: ALEPH

FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS, 27min. India
Directed by Mohanjeet Baldev Singh Kalsi
In the biting cold of North India’s winters, thousands of stray dogs struggle to survive, unseen and unheard. But in the bustling city of Gurugram, one man refuses to look away.

https://www.instagram.com/fortheloveofdogs2025

ALEPH, 29min,. Brazil
Directed by Joao Butoh
To live or not to live in the shadow of a society.
Can politics, religion and ethnicity force you to live up to established standards?
What is the price of your happiness?
Live your life or live the life that others attribute to you?

https://www.instagram.com/joaobutoh