This festival now takes place every single month, giving filmmakers 4 tiers to showcase and promote their film (All accepted films get all four tiers). In-person public events also take place.
1) Screening #1 is held in Toronto or Los Angeles where you will also obtain your audience feedback video. 2) Screening #2 virtually on the Film Festival streaming service (optional) 3) Podcast interview on Film Festival Radio on ITunes 4) Blog interview promoting you and your film.
All festival dates have been promoted to private screenings with the same Audience FEEDBACK videos made for the short & feature films, and recorded script readings performed by professional actors for the screenplays. This is our way of showing community over distance so everyone around the world can experience our Audience Feedback videos.
Monthly Deadlines
Short Film Festival – Occurs once a month in Los Angeles and Toronto
Your film will get screened in front of a large, broad audience.
– We are a feedback festival and you will actually hear what the industry and film lovers think of your film.
NEW Showcase: Submit your FEATURE FILM and receive an audience feedback promotional/testimonial video of your film. Great video to use to get into more festivals and/or promote your film. All submissions receive the committee’s feedback notes on their film no matter what, as per their request.
Showcase of the best POLITICAL FILMS in the world today.
Audience Award Winners: Best Short Film: Fragments / Palestine Best Story: The Shadows Left Behind Best Direction: Da Terra Best Cinematography: Hempman vs. the State
Da Terra, 30min., Portugal Directed by Miguel Chichorro Emília Pedro e Fernanda Jorge revisit childhood memories to identify over 70 land parcels inherited from their father. As physical traces fade, memory and oral tradition become the only way to ‘see’ what is no longer visible. The film captures the emotional and cultural depth of the minifúndio system, revealing how memory sustains identity, heritage, and community in rural areas.
The Shadows Left Behind, 13min., Pakistan Directed by Aun Ul Haider Two twelve-year-old friends, Ali and Noor, share an unbreakable bond. Noor, an Afghan refugee, faces sudden deportation. Torn between loyalty and fear, Ali promises to see him off. But what remains is a farewell that echoes in silence, and a friendship lost to the shadows left behind.
Fragments / Palestine, 16min., Germany Directed by Samu Morys Cornelissen Through a montage of sound and pictures, “Fragments / Palestine” explores the silence of German media during the genocide in Gaza.
Hempman vs. the State, 28min., Finland Directed by Sampsa Huttunen Hempman vs. the State is a story of a man who wants to cultivate cannabis openly and without asking for permissions. Authorities are not in favour of his endeavour, and although the fields are blooming, many obstacles stand in the way of the harvest.
Stargate SG-13, 20min., USA Directed by Glen L. Wolfe This Stargate mission is anything but routine. SG-13 team is left marooned and in a fight for their lives. A missing DHD, signs of Gao’ulds and lurking Replicators all about. Who will be left? Will help arrive in time or is this the end?
Lisa responds to a newspaper advert to meet Sarah in a hotel room for a night. They meet and have a wonderful night that sadly uncovers that one was badly abused and the other is currently suffering serious mental and physical bullying from a partner. Will this allow them to bond? What will they do?
I’m very proud of this film and the work that the team put in to create it. A fantastic cast and crew allowed for some difficult issues to be highlighted in a setting of beauty. Lit in a way that is unique to highlight key emotions, this film is aimed at people who have been in a mentally or physically abusive relationship.
A showcase of the best FAMILY films in the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Short Film: PISHO Best Micro-Short: each note to a melody Best Story: WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN Best Direction: LONELY SEASON
each note to a melody, 1min,. USA Directed by Lindsey Morrison Grant The Creator’s digital rendering of a patchwork quilt is the primary image as it goes through a series of aesthetic changes of hue and value.to illustrate that each patch, thread, and stitch is integral to the whole. It concludes with a silhouette of a world map, followed by a view of Earth from outer space.
WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN, 36min., Argentina Directed by Ileana Andrea Gómez GAVINOSER VICTORIA DISCOVERS ALL THE TRUTH ABOUT HER FATHER ´S ROLE DURING THE LAST DICTATORSHIP IN ARGENTINA i http://www.cuandoyotevuelvaavercortometraje.blogspot.com/
Pisho, 16min., Pakistan Directed by Aun Ul Haider Journey of a seven-year-old girl, Ruqayya, on a mission to find her lost kitten. Suspecting her mother and neighbors, she embarks on a whimsical search. During her quest, Ruqayya stumbles upon a protest against a recent terrorist attack. Inspired by the demonstrators’ placards, she creates her own sign seeking help to find her missing kitten.
LONELY SEASON, 14min., Iran Directed by Hamid Reza Mahmoudi Mehrizi Farzaneh was a compassionate mother and a faithful wife. The life with love was going on, but unfortunately, her life was overshadowed by the shadow of darkness. While she was struggling with problems and circumstances, she accidentally found a secret that changed her life course completely….
A showcase of the best documentary short films in the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Feature Film: RICK NELSON: GUNTERSVILLE Best Short Film: AT THE EDGE OF SKIN Best Story: FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS Best Direction: ON TIPTOES
Rick Nelson: Guntersville, 60min., USA Directed by Kenny Scott Guffey This poignant documentary goes beyond the myth to explore iconic musician Rick Nelson’s final performance, from the people who were there when he rocked the stage that one last time.
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.
A showcase of the best new films from around the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Short Film: NEXT UP Best Visual Design: EMMA Best Performances: TREU (FAITHFUL) Best Music Video: TIMELESS: A SYMPHONY IN MOTION Best Direction: NIGHT SHIFT AT NED’S Best Documentary: CHICAGO CRIME Best Student Film: PESTICIDE Best Cinematography: INVINCIBLES Best Sound & Music: THE TENDER ONES WILL TRIUMPH
Emma, 11min., Canada Directed by Robert Bockstael Two women, associated through addiction are spiraling downwards. In a rare moment of clarity, nearing the end of their salvageable lives, Emma remembers a long-forgotten ‘secret stash’ of money she and her grandmother kept for an emergency. Embarking on a quest for this treasure – this perceived salvation – they find instead an offer of redemption.
Treu (Faithful), 15min., Germany Directed by Hansjoerg Thurn A woman wakes up in a bed she doesn’t know and seems to be trapped by a man twice her age. She tries to escape, but after a wild getaway, she saves herself back in the same house she escaped from. An older version of her speaks to her from a computer. Only then does she realize that she is suffering from Alzheimer’s and is actually the same age as the man who is her husband. She remembers the early years of their relationship, when they were both famous actors on stage. TREU depicts the disorientation of a woman with dementia and the mental imprisonment of her caring partner. This short film focuses on the suffering of the husband (Anthony Arndt) and his wife (Annika Kuhl) in a tense atmosphere. The film has already won awards at many festivals. This short film is also going on a charity tour of international cinemas.
Timeless : A Symphony in Motion, 5min., UK Directed by Susan Mey Lee Lim, Christina Teenz Tan, Samudra Kajal Saikia “Timeless : A Symphony in Motion”” is a captivating music video that seamlessly blends a live recording of the titular song with poignant animated overlays, creating a visual and auditory experience that resonates deeply with audiences. Filmed at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in April 2025, the video features the 82-member Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the extraordinary vocals of Tom Ball, a star from America’s Got Talent.
NEXT UP, 30min., UK Directed by Marion H von Loewenstern Juliette Mandeville and Tilly Anders, two actresses follow a call for an audition to London. Juliette is already a successful and well-known actress who, however, due to her age, is no longer offered good film roles. Tilly Anders on the other hand, is at the beginning of her career, she is very young, inexperienced and full of self-doubt. The director is a shady character driven by selfishness. Juliettes audition doesn’t go well . Tilly is overcome nervousness and flees from the theatre before it’s her turn. How will the two women deal with it and will their lives take a turn? In the style of a surreal dramedy, the story gives a socially critical insight into the entertainment industry, with its possible obstacles and difficulties.
Night Shift at Ned’s, 25min., USA Directed by Hagen Mattingly A seasoned waitress starts a new job at an overnight diner in the deep south, and learns new meaning to the term “customers from Hell.”
Chicago Crime, 19min., USA Directed by Marcus DiPaola Marcus DiPaola and Jermaine Kelly chase crime across Chicago, finding shocking differences between how police act in minority neighborhoods versus wealthy neighborhoods.
Invincibles, 25min., France Directed by Shane Rosilio This film is a dinner party behind closed doors. Hannah is hosting a dinner party at her house with her grandmother, her old school teacher, one of her classmates, and her brother, who lives with her. The classmate seems unaware of what he’s doing there, the school teacher tries to be as discreet as possible, and the brother keeps coughing. The atmosphere at dinner is heavy, as if everyone is superfluous, and the room is increasingly filled with unease…
THE TENDER ONES WILL TRIUMPH, 15min., Poland Directed by Francisco Bassignana A young Ukrainian girl live in Poland as immigrant. she received several calls from her mother but she doesn’t want to answer because she think that something bad is going on.
Festival Reviews 