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You can become famous but you can’t become unfamous. You can become infamous but not unfamous.
I don’t normally talk about my religion publicly because I don’t want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing. And I believe it is beautiful if you learn it the right way.
[on living in Ohio] Turns out you don’t need $50 million to live around these parts, just a nice smile and a kind way about you. You guys are the best neighbors ever… That’s why I came back and that’s why I’m staying.
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My ideal girl is someone who’s smart and pretty in an innocent way, and someone who listens and cares.
Writing inspires me. I couldn’t live without my journal.
The rumors – that’s the thing I hate. People assume way too much, and I can’t stand it. I know the truth; I don’t feel like I have to defend myself. I’m a pretty good guy. Yeah, I like to go out with my boys and have a good time – I’m 23 years old! But the next thing you know, there are 20 stories about me. It’s inappropriate on so many levels. I don’t know if it will ever stop. All I need to know is, I have faith in myself and I know what’s really going on.
I hated high school. I didn’t have any friends because I didn’t fit in, but I enjoyed the educational part of it. My teachers allowed me to be creative, so I thought past high school to what I wanted to do.
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If I’ve missed out on a part because I’m tall, that’s not the excuse my agent is going to use, whether or not that’s happened in the past. There’s nothing I can do about that. You are the way you are, and you have to embrace that and love that about yourself.
[on her audition for Widows (2018)] I put myself on tape while I was in Australia in my friend’s garage, ’cause I am all about the glamour. I remember putting a lot of eyeliner on, and picking out some hoops. A few days later, I flew over to L.A. and read for Steve McQueen in person. I was completely terrified. Good terror, though.
I think it’s only in hindsight that you understand what was a turning point. If you actually felt the penny drop, you should probably check yourself, like, “Whoa, you’re doing OK, but you’re not that great.” It’s an interesting schism between knowing quietly inside yourself that you’re worth being heard, but challenging yourself so you don’t plateau. I look back at certain moments that empowered me and it’s always about the people I worked with.
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There were a few times where I could have worked with my father (Richard Harris) at the beginning. One of them was in The Field (1990)– they couldn’t find someone to play the son and they offered the part to me. But my father and I didn’t think it was a good idea and looking back I think we made the right decision.
I’ve auditioned for normal characters. But I never get cast.
[on Daniel Day-Lewis‘ work ethic] His attention to detail and commitment is truly impressive, but people refer to it as being an imposition or intimidating. It isn’t. Actors do that stuff all the time. He just likes to “stay in it”, and he asks that you respect that, by not talking about bullshit.
Trapped in a questionable medical facility, a trans woman undergoes attempted forced conversion therapy. This is her fight to maintain her true identity, fighting against being mistaken for someone she’s not.
Directed by Nathan Thompson
Written by Chilli Kellaway
Cast: Lola Battle, Mckenna Bird, Sean Michael Cummings, Alexis Rea
Director Statement What is it about our culture, our definition of what it means to be human, that relies so heavily upon our fear of “the other”? Why do we feel the need to dehumanize those we don’t understand or whose identity diverges from our own?
This is a story. A story of difference. A story of how a narrow group of medical “professionals” has chosen to try to “fix,” or convert that difference of identity into what they consider normal. A story also of resistance to being defined by this limited conceit of identity. A story of survival, of fighting for a true identity, of combating isolation with an imagined, soulful, hopeful ideal.
This is also a story of trauma. A story of prolonged separation and isolation from loving support that wears away at what it means for Audrey to be truly Audrey. A story that is repeated all too often.
I grew up during social protests about homosexuals being allowed to teach in public elementary schools. I grew up hearing claims that homosexuality is contagious. While medical science has repeatedly disproved this as a complete denial of scientific truth, we are still trying to find our scapegoats.
I am a straight, white man who receives the privileged societal benefits of that identity. Both of my children identify as queer. Neither of them has had to face the specific trauma of this story, but they have had to face many others. I want the world and our society to be a safer space for them, and an accepting space for who they truly are.
This story was brought to me four years ago as a student script worthy of production. No one in my classes felt capable of telling the story adequately so I took it on. It was shot in the Spring of 2019 then shelved due to other commitments. I was hopeful that our society would have grown and developed so that this story wouldn’t need to be finished. I was wrong. This is perhaps more pertinent now with the rekindled hate-speech targeting the transgender community.
When can we release our scapegoats, our fears of otherness? When can we celebrate our own true identities and identities different than our own?
A trans man wants to use the men’s bathroom for the first time, however, he’s hindered by his own fears and insecurities. He shares these fears to his friend shown through imaginary scenarios.
Written and Directed by Karter Masuhara
Produced by Tyler Gaucheron-Land and Daniel Joseph
This is a story that explores trans identity and some of the overlooked day-to-day struggles that trans people face. Using kind-hearted and bittersweet humour to gut punch with a stark and troubling reality, I wanted to create an experience that isn’t afraid to fully delve into very real fears of violence and exclusion, while remaining hopeful for positive change.
The purpose of this film is to demonstrate both the real fears and dangers that trans people face when using the washroom, but to also show the ridiculous side of it all and invite cis audiences to step into the shoes of trans people and understand the struggles we face in day-to-day life.
In this political landscape everyday it seems another state or country is passing laws that impede on trans rights and news headlines covering trans stories are predominantly negative. The purpose of this film is to offer a positive narrative for trans people and help destigmatize trans’ experiences. I feel it’s a very relevant story that aims to promote discussion and support around these areas.
I do hope this film reaches audiences who are less informed about trans experiences. I want people watching the film to empathize with the main character. It may not be an experience you can relate to, but through the telling of this story, I hope you’ll be able to understand Ben’s fears and see where he is coming from.
In a desert war land, the elite tactical team, only know as BRAVO, must be the eyes and ears for their comrades, ALPHA Team. With time on the essence, both teams need to be on alert for the capturing of the 6 mass villains of the land. A war of stealth, values, and friendship lay on the line as BRAVO Team must overcome their own internal struggles if they wish to accomplish the mission. The question is, will they?
Sitka’s Hidden Wonders, 43min., USA Directed by Ben Hamilton Sitka’s Hidden Wonders is a 40-minute theatrical nature film that blends sweeping cinematography with a deeply personal story of return. Told by award–winning wildlife filmmaker Ben Hamilton, the film explores what it means to truly see a place—through the hidden layers of one of Alaska’s wildest coastal ecosystems.
Every summer, over 600,000 people visit Sitka, but most just walk around town and never see the incredible natural wonders all around us. I wanted to create a film that connects them to this place—beyond the shops and the docks—into the wild heart of Sitka. After years of filming here for networks like BBC and National Geographic, this was my chance to make something for Sitka itself.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
The film took two years of full-time work, plus a year of planning and permits before that. And some shots were collected over the last decade—moments I’d been saving for the right project.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Local. Connected.
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The biggest obstacle was really time. The focus and intensity it took to deliver a film like this while still being there for my small kids and wife. It meant weeks away in the field, long nights editing, and constantly trying to balance the work with family life.
THE SPECTER OF CHRISTMAS, 11min., USA Directed by Joel Harlow Official selection of Fantasia 2025 and voted Best Short FIlm at IFS/LA FilmFest 2025 The Specter of Christmas marks the fourth film in the “Old Time Radio” short film series. This time, a holiday adventure loosely based on “T’was the Night Before Christmas” narrated by Paul Giamatti.
SUBMERGED, 14min., Brazil Directed by Heloísa Cardoso A young woman waits for her lover for a secret trip. However, he does not show up and does not respond to her messages. That’s when strange and inexplicable events begin to happen in her house. She asks for help from her lover, who ignores her. Realizing that she is hopelessly alone, she gives up waiting for salvation and surrenders to her own shadow.
SHADOW OF THE IMPOSTER, 5min., UK Directed by Ortino Yang Shadow of the Impostor is a surreal psychological short film that follows Aiden, a struggling actor on the verge of a breakdown as he prepares for a major audition. Battling self-doubt, rejection, and the dehumanizing nature of the industry, Aiden begins to experience a mental split—his shadow detaches from him, reflecting his inner turmoil and fractured identity. As reality blurs with hallucination, Aiden’s confrontation with this shadow self culminates in a defiant act of rebellion during the audition, symbolizing his reclaiming of agency in a world that tries to erase him.
REPETITION, 5min., Italy Directed by Michele Lazzaro In the middle of the night, over a desolate bridge, a woman is chased by a man. Everything suggests that she is the prey, but in reality she is the hunter: a beautiful vampire who endlessly repeats her trap with the help of her accomplices.
Folie Glacée, 11min., Canada Directed by Louis Rémillard Eli et Vincent se commandent une collation à la crèmerie locale sans s’attendre aux horreurs qui ruineront leurs rendez-vous en amoureux.
FLESH WISH, 4min., UK Directed by Timothy Benjamin Slessor An experimental horror inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, David Cronenberg and Clive Barker, this music video / short details in an abstract way the summoning of demons through a ritual performed behind the locked doors of a 1970s terraced house. Images are a combination of 8mm cinefilm, analog stills and materal initially generated with the use of a variety of AI platforms before they were brought into After Effects were they were everything was heavily manipulated, with many layers of texture, noise and grain added, lighting added or altered, images distorted and blended together and so on. The actual editing was arduous, often frame-by-frame (everything was done by hand) with images further distorted and manipulated with a variety of blending modes. It was a one-man job and that one man was very, very tired by the end of it! (please note that the encode on the FilmFreeway screener is not very good, a sharper version can be seen on the Vimeo link used as the project website below)
Sumarsólstöður, 30min., France Directed by Amélie Ravalec In a world where art and reality collide, Miho’s vivid dreams reveal the cosmic force of the Architecture, uniting her with artists across the globe in a desperate battle to heal the universe.
The Krystal Gene, 13min., USA Directed by Stuart Michael Daly, Jobe Wolf In 2024, A troubled young mother (Sophia) and her psychic son (Jacob) are desperately on the run from a super soldier unit, known as ‘Black Sun’. Such an elite and ancient order will stop at nothing in abducting her son for weaponizing his DNA to gene splice slave humans for a WW3 draft.
Can’t Stop, A Star Trek Fan Production, 24min., Czech Republic Directed by Radek Belina The starship USS Greenwich Village, commanded by Captain Glenn Dirk, is sent to the Deneb system, historically known as the site of Captain Picard’s first contact with the mysterious and powerful being Q. The crew expects a peaceful scientific mission, full of exploration, discovery, and data collection. Newly appointed First Officer Felipe Scott, descendant of the famous Montgomery Scott, brings a fresh approach to planning and enthusiasm for space exploration.
Festival Reviews 