A young man attends the final session of his compensated work therapy program. The therapist remains ever oblivious as his lies begins to swallow the room whole.
Get to know the screenwriter;
1. What is your screenplay about? – Shrink is an original story about a young man (Ashton) attending his final therapy session through his employer’s Employee Assistance Program. As the session progresses, his lies about his trauma to protect his abuser begins to bleed into his own perception of reality. He can only sit and watch as the space around him shifts before his very eyes, as his therapist remains ever oblivious to the changes in the room, and the changes in Ashton.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under? – Thriller / Drama
3. Why should this screenplay be produced? – Shrink provides a distinct voice from the tragic perspective of an abused victim who experienced having their gender fetishized. This voice also sheds light on the inner fears and mindset of a victim who tries to protect their abuser, and how those lies can consume a person whole. Shrink provides an experience that many young, impressionable adults who fall into abusive relationships can relate to, highlighting themes like over empathy/rationalizing abuser behavior, brushing off their true problems, and the pain of trying therapy and realizing the therapist isn’t really connected to you. Logistically, producing Shrink would require minimal location scouting, requires a max of only 3 characters, and very achievable set designs.
Through my personal practice of Butoh and its bodily methods, I often experience a sense of the “unseen world”—what Japanese aesthetics call yūgen. I wanted to share that sensation with more people. The film became an attempt to preserve the traces of that invisible realm, which I see as a contemporary form of ritual or prayer. My aim was to translate its purity and quiet clarity into cinematic form.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take?
The whole process took about five months: one month for planning, one month for shooting, and roughly three months of editing. It was a very compressed schedule for a first-time director, but I worked full-time on it. I felt that a concentrated timeline would allow me to seal the sense of stillness we captured during the shoot directly into the film.
3. How would you describe your film in two words?
“Sacred Silence.”
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
As a first-time director, everything—from shaping a visual language to managing a small production team—was a challenge. The hardest part was finding a cinematic form that could convey the invisible, ritualistic dimension without distorting it. Editing was especially demanding; I had to balance the presence of the dance and the music so that each would enhance the other.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I felt deeply grateful. Many viewers perceived the ritualistic and spiritual qualities we intended, and that confirmed for me that non-verbal expression really can cross borders and reach people directly.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
There wasn’t a single turning point. Performing Noh roles as an actor and assisting film directors on set gradually led me toward filmmaking. At the same time, I had long been exploring how to express the world seen through one’s “inner nature.” When I met the dancer Mizuki Gojo, I felt that filming her could allow mythic images—stories older than language—to be recreated through cinema.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
The Star Wars series. It’s thrilling entertainment, yet it also weaves together multiple cultural elements and even touches on Taoist philosophy. That blend has always fascinated me.
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Festivals that treat non-verbal, movement-based works with care are significant to me. Opportunities for dialogue with fellow directors, and guidance on distribution methods that preserve the integrity of the viewing experience, would be extremely valuable.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Very smooth and easy to use. For independent filmmakers working with small teams, the ability to connect with international festivals through a single platform is a major advantage.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Sushi, sukiyaki, tonkatsu.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
Yes. I’m currently preparing my first feature film. It will have a clearer narrative while maintaining a ritualistic and refined sensibility—what I call “ceremonial entertainment.” For the next project, I hope to expand the team and elevate the level of cinematography, costume design, music, and art direction to create a truly high-quality art film.
Prayer of the Sea, 6min., Germany Directed by Martin Gerigk A composer recounts a dream from his youth that inspired the slow movement of his first string quartet, Prayer of the Sea. The dream, depicting a peaceful dissolution into the sea and wind, symbolized his future death. Decades later, rediscovering a drawing from the quartet’s premiere – perfectly capturing the dream’s essence – revived its emotions. Now older, he reflects on the dream’s message: a serene acceptance of life’s inevitable end.
As a music composer, I occasionally dream of complete compositions. When I wake up, I simply write them down. When I was about 20 years old, I dreamt of such a piece for a string quartet. In the dream, I was standing in the surf of a cold sea, facing north. Then, I dissolved into the wind and the sea. It was clear that the dream symbolized my own death in the future. Yet, there was nothing sad about it; it felt good and liberating. It was like a vision, a gentle prophecy.
This led me to reflect: on one hand, I wanted to bring closure to the dream’s experience and sensation for myself; on the other, I hoped to make it emotionally tangible for others – a calm perspective on what lies ahead for us all. The calmness of a gentle passing, something we can only hope to experience one day.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
About one year.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Audiovisual elegy.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The technical merging of the photos and their subsequent animation.
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
Development and post-production.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
After that dream 30 years ago, I struggled repeatedly with making the film, as the subject of one’s own death is not an easy one. But at some point, I knew it was the right time and began to finish the film.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Star Wars…
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
You are already doing a great job in my opinion!
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Always positive.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Shakshuka.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
My current film project is called Spheres. This time an homage to life. It’s a poetic essay that drifts through a series of expanding spheres, each revealing a different layer of our shared reality, from the microscopic to the mythical. To me the new film is a breathing meditation designed to remind us of the wonders of our incomprehensibly beautiful world.
This was my college thesis, and my passion project I have been working on for several years. What motivated me was the characters I crafted along the way, and ths wonderful preformances the Voice actors gave to the characters.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It took me around 10-11 months of work.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Questionable Protagonists
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
My biggest challenge was making time on top of other classes. As a transfer student my senior year I was doing 3-4 animation classes on top of my Thesis. So time management was super hard when you have to do over hundreds of frames for different projects.
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
That’s difficult to say, as I love the whole process. But if I had to, I really enjoyed the pre-production, and the production. Once I get my idea I love to tweak and edit it. Polishing and getting all the assets and characters done. I want to say once I got the ok by my professor, I just ran off leash. Made tons of work for the pre-production book, as well as completing the backgrounds.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
When I was 8 I knew I wanted to do animation. Ever since I saw what people could create and produce, the amount if creativity and imagination used for an animated movie or a kid show. It always blew me away, and I want to be able to share my love for the medium the only way I know how. But animation.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Ohh.. That’s hard. I’d have to say “Sin City” or “Freeway”.
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
It has been a wonderful experience! I have been able to send my film and network with others. It was a great opportunity to connect with fellow artists.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Phò I can’t get enough! I could eat it for every meal.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
More passion projects. I am currently working on a pilot of this series. “The Town Without Laws: What Comes Around” its about the trio coming back home after a massacre only to be treated to karmic justice. I’m hoping with this film I will be able to explore the world, and show the brutality during the wildwest.
Once More, Like Rain Man, 15min., USA Directed by Sue Ann Pien ‘It’s up to you to make a future that has you in it…’ We follow Zoe (Martinez) and her dad, Gerry (Jones) in a ‘day in the life’ of an autistic actress running the gambit of stereotypes she has to deal with – and her dad’s battle in supporting her forging that path for herself – in a funny, frustrating, painful and sometimes triumphantly sarcastic kind of way.
I was tired of not wising myself or girls like me in media and wanted to do something about that.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It was a little over 2 1/2 years. I had the idea near the end of lockdowns in CA, because I wasn’t allowed to go back to high school in person – and it was very hard. My parents encouraged me, and helped me flush it out into a script. From the time we shared the script with producers Suzann Ellis and Darren Dean to shooting – and met and had Sue Ann Pien come of board to direct, it was almost a year to the date. Part of the delay was because of the strikes – but it was also meant we got such an amazing cast. Everyone was unemployed. We signed the SAG and DGA contracts – so were one of the only approved productions at the time.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Ice cream. I don’t know
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Casting Gerry. We went back and forth with Jason Segal’s people – who knows if he got to read it – and it was super cool to say that we were out to Jason Segal! – for like a month on whether he would be able to do it. Then word got out that the strike was ending. The best thing to happen was Matt Jones being available and willing to play Gerry. We didn’t get any rehearsal time before shooting – we met for the first time IRL 30 minutes before the first scene – so everyone was holding their breath on that first shot of day one – until Matt and I had the Batman scene. And we knew the suit fit.
5. There are 5 Stages of Filmmaking: 1) Development. 2) Pre-Production. 3) Production. 4) Post-Production. 5) Distribution.
What is your favorite stage of the process and why?
We haven’t done distribution yet, so not sure.
My favorite part was production. We had a very chill vibe on set – since about 40% of the cast and crew were autistic or living with a different disability, we had accommodations built in – which made it go much smoother than any set anyone had been on – even for the “normal’ people.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I kinda always wanted to. My siblings and I would make films together with our toys – and my sister would direct – and she was actually really good. Then I realized you get could get paid to do it – which was amazing.
One of the funniest things was when she made an homage to “Reservoir Dogs’ – just the song at the beginning since we weren’t allowed to watch the movie yet – she used Angry Birds plushies and our Girl Scout troop with the birds on sticks with a green screen. One time one of the birds feel out of the frame and she yelled CUT! That was fantastic just a little. Can we try it again with the bird in the frame?
But it was also my coping mechanism for being severely bullied in middle school for my autism.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Only one!? The Great Race. It’s a family tradition – especially the pie fight scene. The Nightmare Before Christmas – my sister memorized the entire movie before she could talk – and so did I. My siblings are also autistic, so my family ended up with a kind of code speak, in movie quotes for context. I didn’t realize that we did that until I was in like middle school.
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
I’m not sure. Every festival has been so unique.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Actually, really good. They made it a lot easier to find and submit to festivals. We’d have been totally lost without them.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Mac and cheese and chicken.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
We are in pre-production for the feature version of this film. And incredibly, everyone on the cast and crew are excited to come back!
Also developing a supernatural western, a sci-fi, and a complete animated universe. And working on my new original song. (I wrote the song Distant Goodbyes” that I sing in the film.
After being kidnapped and forced into a brutal assimilation camp where the English language is used as control, two teenage girls from different countries must find a way to escape, before they are stripped of their identity.
1. What motivated you to make this film?
I think from my personal experience being an actress and having to deal with cultural differences, how Hollywood wants you to lose your accent. That was the main thing for me and Mary when we wrote it.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you
to make this film?
We started writing in February this year and by the time we finished the script by the end of March, we started to look for the crew and fundraiser parties. Post-production wrapped up at the end of July.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Harsh Reality
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Definitely budget. This short was very independent. But I was extremely grateful that we found a team passionate about telling this story, and together we made it happen.
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
As a writer, I love the development part because it’s when you get to be so creative and imagine how this world is going to be. As an actress, I love being on set and trying different things in the scene. I like being there ready to play with my scene partner.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I’ve always wanted to create and tell stories since I was little, but when I decided that I wanted to do this professionally, I was 13, and I tried every possible way to convince my family to let me pursue this career.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Amélie directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I absolutely love that movie and I’ve probably seen it more than 100 times at this point.
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and otherfestivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
I am so happy Felipe (our director) recommended WildSound. I found you guys to be more than a festival, but a community ready to support artists.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your
experiences working on the festival platform site?
It has been easy and helpful so far. I love the way it’s very organized.
10. What is your favorite meal?
I am so cheesy, but I have to say Brazilian food.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
I’m co-writing this next short called Miss Porcelana, and it explores women in this beauty contest world. I’ll also gonna be starring in it.
The short, The Redemption of Faust, is a glorious, multi-faceted production – – a modern re-telling of the famous tale, Faust. Every frame is a feast for the eyes and ears. It is unrelentingly beautiful. The cinematography moves at a rapid pace, recounting the experience of the central figure, in this case a gifted photographer. Shots quickly flick back and forth from night to day, to city vistas, to extreme close ups of faces, to wide drone shots. Text is masterfully narrated and sung, and sets the structure of the piece.
Sound in the project is equally impressive, with stormy eruptions, stirring choral voices and soft orchestral strains. The atmosphere at the water’s edge is eerie, as whispers are layered with a fervent feminine voice.
There is a strong spiritual essence as the central figure is eventually redeemed, despite a checkered past. It is a clever convention to bring this classic tale of sin and eventual salvation into a more recent era.
What if we could be programmed, our circuitry overwritten, erasing any trace of humanity, or attempts to, and if we stray into uncertainty, a threat to the system, we will be targeted and upgraded to fit nicely back into the societal mode. And if that doesn’t work, lobotomy because the system must remain operational, but you don’t.
2. What genres would you say this story is in? Dystopian
3. How would you describe this story in two words? Alternate Reality
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life? I have seen a multitude of movies, and some I remember, some I don’t. And some will stay with me forever like the movie, The Listener with Tessa Thompson (2022). Do we really remember that we are human, and why does it hurt so damn much? Nobody seems to care about our pain, our suffering, our fears, loss, but someone does. And they are listening, letting us talk, connect, and solitude melts away, even if it is for a few minutes or so. And we remember that yes, we are human, and no, we are not alone.
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?) Again, I have found and listened to a multitude of songs, past and present. It takes a certain song to catch my ear, grip me tight, pull me into melody, vocals that drown out the noise, and one song in particular would be Mind over Matter (Acoustic) by PVRIS.
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel? Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
7. What motivated you to write this story? It’s routine. Get up. Go to work. Waste your time on mundane things. Go home. Eat dinner. Watch tv, or in my case, Apple TV. Sleep. Repeat. Again and again and again, almost as if I were a real cog in the machine. That doesn’t work for me, but I can’t seem to escape it. It’s almost like I’m programmed to be this way, but what if I want to pull away, tear out the circuitry, and make myself bleed and feel and remember that I am Human.
8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be? Seth MacFarlane
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Photography – People, Buildings, Dystopian/Abandoned Places
10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed? I saw that WILDsound was looking for dystopian stories, and this was one of my favorites that I had written. It needed a good home, so I submitted it to them.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers? Don’t let the world shut you down. I realized that I have been in a rut myself, barely writing, thinking, waiting for the world to burn down in civil war and World War III, but I’m wasting myself in doing that. I should be doing something, even if it is small, even if it is only known to me, so at least in the end, I can say, I created that.
In the quirky desert town of Grand River, conspiracy theories, old grudges, and government secrets collide in Un-Cognito, a satirical action-comedy with heart.
Glenn Rancher, a straight-laced FBI forensic accountant facing a terminal diagnosis, returns home to reconnect with his estranged daughter Emma, a competitive college archer. His ex-wife Julia, an Air Force general, urges him to make peace while he still can. But reconnecting with family becomes complicated when Glenn stumbles into a chaotic conspiracy led by a ragtag crew of local misfits operating under the viral alias “Un-Cognito.”
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
Un-Cognito follows a dad trying to make amends with his college aged daughter and ends up in a confusing, chaotic world of misguided militia and conspiracy kooks. It’s about found family, people connecting with people, whether blood ties or common need, we all need to find purpose and fulfilment in our relationships, although some relationship choices may be more flawed than others.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Action/comedy
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
I think audiences need to meet these characters. I like to think the right group of actors will bring life and connection to their world. It’s funny, fast paced and gives us a little hope.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Charismatically conspiratorial.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Not the easiest question to answer, and while I haven’t watched it in a while, probably Repo-Man.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Entering year three and the umteenth iteration.
7. How many stories have you written?
Twenty or so in various stages and formats. Theater, audio, short film scripts and full length.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I wanted to take a shot at the action comedy genre and I recently had my own health challenge and can now call myself a cancer survivor. facing uncertainty, going through treatments made me realize that I can’t do everything alone and needed to let people, specifically family in. I love my kids and my wife and this story helped me broach the loner mentality. That coupled with exploring how to conspiracies and ridiculous rumors spread, Today its internet, but before that every kid in the 80s heard that “Bubble Yum had spider eggs” …. no internet but coast to coast we all knew the story. Today, those conspiracies can manifest in things like QAnon and I wanted to poke at that.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
The biggest obstacle has been of my own making – too many characters, too many story lines, needing to cull the narratives in to an accessible story.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Collaborative creation! I love working with artists on theater projects, performance art, music and anything to showcase the brilliance inside us all.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
Feedback, learning and reading the responses from other entrants on their experience. You also provided some great ideas on how to market your own work as well as put fresh eyes on the projects.
In a galaxy choked by occupation, reluctant leader Sol hijacks a Galactic Union warship—sparking planetary uprisings and thrusting his fledgling resistance into a brutal war against a colonising force that will burn worlds to stay in control.
What is your screenplay about?
This screenplay is about Sol Muqawam, the burdened leader of a galactic rebellion, who leads a desperate mission to hijack a Union Dreadnought for its resources. What begins as a tactical heist transforms into a profound moral crisis when they discover the ship’s true cargo: hundreds of imprisoned civilians from a conquered world – Zaytoon, which is also Timor’s homeworld. Forced to confront his own traumatic past and the weight of his “savior” legend, Sol must choose between the strategic goals of his rebellion and the immediate, human cost of the war, ultimately reigniting his fight not for victory, but for redemption.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Science Fiction: The primary genre, featuring spaceships, railguns, plasma weapons, holograms, and a fully-realized galactic society.
Action: The script is packed with intense space dogfights, explosive boarding actions, and close-quarters combat.
War Drama: At its core, it’s a story about the costs of war, the burden of leadership, and the moral compromises made in a rebellion.
Space Western: Elements like the grizzled, morally-grey crew of a beat-up freighter, the “wanted man” leader, and the frontier-like setting of the asteroid belt give it a distinct Western feel.
3. Why should this screenplay be produced?
With everything that is happening in the world right now, I think my screenplay should be produced because it is a visceral, character-driven sci-fi epic that combines the spectacle of a blockbuster with the heart of a poignant war drama. I have looked at some of the key conflicts that are happening in the world and tried to create an epic that shows a grounded resistance movement against an almost impossible imperial occupation force. It offers:
High-Concept Appeal: A gritty “David vs. Goliath” spaceship hijack is a proven, marketable concept.
Diverse, Compelling Characters: The ensemble cast features distinct, memorable roles that allow multiple actors to shine, from the stoic leader and lethal enforcer to the witty pilot and untrustworthy rogue.
Social Relevance: The themes of resisting oppressive regimes, fighting for freedom, and the moral cost of war are timeless and resonant.
Franchise Potential: The rich universe, deep character backstories, and the open-ended conclusion lay a strong foundation for a potential film series or streaming show.
4. How would you describe the script in two words?
Gritty Opera
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Star Wars
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
About 1 year. I have a full-time job so I have been mainly working on the weekends.
7. How many stories have you written?
3 Scripts and 14 short stories.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
The resistance movements around the world opposing imperial occupation. I wanted to create an allegory based in space where planets represent countries or regions that are being occupied for their land and resources.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Time – I have only been writing for just over 1 year on and off. With a full-time day job it’s difficult to find the time and energy to write and complete the script. I have actually created a new version which is 50 pages long and much tighter.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Freedom
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I had positive feedback from my friends, colleagues and my fellow writers and decided it was time to enter a few competitions. The feedback has been good but would also like to have more!
Festival Reviews 