Such a wonderful festival! The communication was excellent and the administrators were very supportive of my work.
Excellent festival. The video feedback system is amazing, and really provides some great insight on your film from actual viewers – and the video format really adds something special to the whole experience.
Great feedback! Awesome taste in films.
Thank you very much for valuing our short film DIE INSIDE, a lot of love from the dominican republic.
A terrific festival where every single film showcased received multiple votes for BEST FILM. Each film is the best of the best of Experimental/Dance/Music films from around the world in the last year.
Best Film: The Sweater Best Experimental: Oasis Best Dance Film: Matter Best Music Video: Chaton – From the Future Best Performances: Cabaré Best Story: clipping. – Run It Best Direction: Echo of Silence Best Cinematography: Plié (On Eggshells Best Sound & Music Everyone Wants A Tight Pussy Best Visual Design: Khimairas of the Kinesphere
SEE THE LINEUP OF FILMS:
Cabaré, 6min., Brazil, Music Directed by Emerson de Lucca Brandt Drama, body, poetry. Dude São Thiago breathes new fire into brazilians João Bosco & Aldir Blanc’s classic “Cabaré”—a standout from his debut double album O Sexo do Vento. This isn’t just a cover—it’s a reinvention. A ritual. A reclamation.
Khimairas of the Kinesphere, 9min., USA, Dance Directed by Eric Souther, Kelsey Paschich Khimairas of the Kinesphere explores the extension of the mediated body. Human movement choreographed for digital avatars which work as sites for artificially generated images. The crises of climate change demands a hybridization and reexamination of the relationship between humans and nature, a redesign, a second nature. We are forced to reimagine our co-existence and our role in shaping the future.
Chaton – From the Future, 3min., USA, Music Directed by Marcus CB Soori Chaton’s super-danceable and hard-punching debut track is inspired by futurism, the aspiration to create technologies seemingly from the future, to enable a better life for us all today.
Plié (On Eggshells), 14min., Spain, Dance Directed by Virgo Martinez From dawn to dusk, set in the Danish countryside, ‘Plié’ captures the beauty of youth combined with the absurd and inevitable lack of presence when a heart goes through loss. The heart, like the ballet movement of a plié, is extra careful and delicate when faced with a fragile situation. This film portrays a refreshing perspective of love and lust behind the scenes of the high-level ballet culture.
Oasis, 9min. Mexico, Experimental Directed by Hugo Hernández Jiménez An immersive and vibrant journey into the heart of Mexican lucha libre, where Arena Querétaro emerges as a living protagonist, welcoming its spectators and inviting them to delve into the essence of the fight. Through the accounts of local wrestlers, the magic and myth of pancracio intertwine with the culture and emotions of a community that gathers around the ring, rejoicing, cheering, and raging alongside the protagonists of the fight.
Echo of Silence, 14min., Poland, Experimental/Dance Directed by Mateusz Wawrzyniak, Patrycja Wasiak, Piotr Kuniewski In a world where everyone is surrounded by many yet feels alone you struggle to stay afloat. Echo of Silence is a story about overcoming inner darkness and finding strength to stand against all odds.
clipping. – Run It, 5min., USA, Music Directed by Lawrence Klein Sub Pop Music Video – International Spy Game of Shadow characters and conspiracies set to the clipping. style of cyberpunk future.
Everyone Wants A Tight Pussy, 1min., Canada, Poem Directed by Sofia Auza A poetry video about living with chronic vaginal pain.
MATTER, 21min., USA Directed by Gabe Katz, Mike Murphy A young woman enters into a journey of self-exploration, discovery, and identity. As she travels through the ephemeral, working through her understanding of self-perception, other travelers within the same universe try to join.
The Sweater, 9min., Canada, Experimental Directed by Maziyar Khatam Pressured into giving away his clothes, an emasculated young man obsessively attempts to reclaim his cherished sweater before it vanishes into the donation abyss.
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(On landing The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)) I had done virtually no comedy at all until then. All the television I had done was either disease-of-the-week movies or Fatal Vision (1984) or a television series called Midnight Caller (1988). But Betty Thomas, who had actually directed an episode of Midnight Caller (1988), she was the director. I had worked with her, I had also met her years ago in New York. She was a friend of Jim Belushi‘s, and I was doing “True West” with Jim Belushi, so I met her and knew her, liked her a lot. Thought she was very funny, very salty, and I went into the read thinking really that it just didn’t make sense that I would get this part. But I thought since it was Betty, I’d go in and say hi, do my thing, have fun, walk away. And so I went in, and it seemed to go okay. I went in and did my best Robert Reed impersonation, and it seemed to go fine. And a lot of time went by, more than six or seven weeks, it seemed. So I didn’t think any more about it. It was like most auditions. You walk in, and 90 percent of them are dead. And then I got a call back and went in, and [Betty] said, “I just want to see if this was as good as I thought it was”. So I did it again, and no one was laughing. She was just looking at me like an animal in the zoo. And then the third time I went in, they had already cast Shelley Long, so they wanted to see me with “Shelley Long”, and they put us on tape. They gave me some bad wig. I looked like “Buckwheat” from “The Little Rascals”, and they put me in some bad polyester shirt, and it was just really odd, because I looked so stupid. I left and didn’t think anything about it, and then it still went on and on. It was on and it was off, and it was on and it was off, and then finally I got a call from her and she said, “I really want you to do it”. And then she went to bat for me at the studio, because I don’t think the studio wanted me. It didn’t make sense for the studio; I’m sure they were going through their list of stand-up comedians and other comic actors that had done those movies. And nobody wanted to do it. They’d keep passing on it. And the time was coming, they had to make it, and so I was slipped in.
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Italy to me is like the mean mother. Whatever I do, it’s never good enough. People say I’m the queen of Cannes, but in Italy I get turned down for work.
Movies have saved my life and I’m so grateful. I’m so shy and weird that if I didn’t find a place in the world through movies, I don’t know what I would’ve become.
[her full speech at the awards ceremony of the 71st Cannes Film Festival] I have a few words to say. In 1997, I was raped by Harvey Weinstein here at Cannes. I was 21 years old. This festival was his hunting ground. I want to make a prediction: Harvey Weinstein will never be welcomed here ever again. He will live in disgrace, shunned by a film community that once embraced him and covered up for his crimes. And even tonight, sitting among you, there are those who still have to be held accountable for their conduct against women. For behaviour that does not belong in this industry, does not belong in any industry or workplace. You know who you are. But most importantly, we know who you are. And we’re not going to allow you to get away with it any longer ! [May 19, 2018]
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Let’s just say I’m a physical guy.
I’ve never been a big gore guy.
I’m not a big shopper.
I think it helps, as an actor, to never know when you’re going to get that next script and you’re done.
I played sports in high school and in college.
I played baseball in college, and then I went to Russia to study acting and played some pro ball over there.
The feature Blue Asian is a dramatic masterpiece. It touches on multiple elements – sex, love, trauma, and the challenges of an immigrant family from China, now living in Vancouver.
The performances of the cast members are achingly brave, notably the daughter and her parents. They are able to convey such depth of pain and betrayal. They waver between profound love and concern for one another, with contempt and disgust.
The director’s eye is incredibly observant, capturing tiny moments of contemplative silence, in amongst large bursts of ferocious passion and moments of angst. Sensual scenes are particularly evocative and sexy, enhanced by a luminous lighting. A rotating camera often shows these scenes upside down, as the viewer becomes a close-up voyeur.
Jazzy refrains underscore much of the film, with a muted trumpet taking the lead and heightening the action. The sound design is intense, as every little moment is clearly picked up, such as echoing footsteps, a piercing cat’s meow and rickety squeals of city transit.
The screenplay taps into heartbreaking moments, especially when a family dinner displays fragility, insults and violence. The title Blue Asian is well chosen – – underlying sadness permeates this film about the struggles of Chinese immigrants unsure of their place in Canadian society and the bluish hue in numerous scenes highlights this dramatic melancholy.
Director Statement
Blue Asian’s semi-autobiographical inspiration rests in colour blue’s connotation, which is sadness. The Sad Asian depicts a period in my life where trust between my mother and I was gone, and where the sliver of hope for the trust to come back seemed impossible to manifest. But Family is always important. In Blue Asian, a mother refuses for her daughter to be an artist. An upset daughter then runs away from her mother and her family altogether. In her daughter’s absence, this mother then reflects upon her past immigration decision to Vancouver, Canada. Was immigration to Canada worth it? Her husband beside her feels helpless to her needs and pleas, and turns violent. Tightening the family bond is a fight. Even Art’s function – film’s function – in bringing all broken-minded characters back together – is questioned in the film.
Blue Asian-the Sad Asian-unravels a key issue of the immigrant. Though the immigration can turn family members into savages against one another, the yearning for family, freedom, and togetherness never disappears.
Blue Asian seeks to ignite concern and empathy in the hearts of those looking to go past a future of domestic violence, cultural alienation, mental illness, and immigration challenges. If the freedom of the immigrant is a joke, then we all have something to grieve over and change.
At The Edge of Skin, 20min,. Brazil Directed by Danielle Villanova “At The Edge of Skin” (20’, 2024, dir. Danielle Villanova) is an observational documentary guided by the lives of Laiz and Joselito, both Black and albino. By juxtaposing Laiz at the height of her 7-year-old childhood and Joselito at 60, the film weaves together and reveals the complex ancestral network that connects their two lives.”
For The Love of Dogs, 26min., 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.
ON TIPTOES, 23min., Brazil Directed by Giovanna Romano When Fernanda and Andressa received the autism diagnosis for their sons, Rafael and Martin, they found themselves facing a future that seemed to be decided by others—invasive treatments, heavy medication, and the fears and uncertainties that come with the diagnosis. But in their pursuit of dignity and autonomy for their children, the two mothers decided to rewrite their future. The key? Cannabis oil, which gave their sons the possibility to dream. A story of courage, where maternal love transforms into a fight. Each new step is taken with the hope of achieving what once seemed impossible.
FULL FEEDBACK on your stage play from our committee of Professional Playwriters, Production Heads and Story Consultants. Get a best scene of your stage play performed at the writing festival and made into a video for the winner.
Submit your 10 Page Play, 1 Act Play, or Full Stage Play to the Festival.
SUBMIT your STAGE PLAY Today You will receive feedback on your play in 3-5 weeks
History is a narrative that describes, analyzes, and questions past events, and examines the patterns of cause and effect. It’s a collection of stories told by many different people, and is subject to constant revision and reinterpretation.
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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.)
Submit your MYSTERY 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 MYSTERY 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.
Festival Reviews 