Winning Story Movie from WILDsound Festival. Poetry by Lily Lejeune

Review by Julie C. Sheppard:

The Memory Thief is a striking short that is both meditative and action-packed. The narrator’s voice is gentle and compassionate yet also makes use of emphatic pausing and word emphasis for heightened effect. The screenplay is particularly stimulating as the main character goes through many stages of awareness and location changes, which are perceptively described in fine detail.

While the imagination is stimulated as the text takes you along for the ride, it is further assisted by a slideshow of numerous startling screens of photos and CGI imagery. These images often correspond to the text directly and sometimes are more subtle, which is highly satisfying. The screenplay is often linear and direct and, at other points, ethereal and dreamlike as the central figure often questions reality.

At times, there is a real sense of claustrophobia and nightmarish imprisonment while at other moments there is an escapism into nature, but then the action culminates into a bleak determination for mass destruction. After experiencing this stark but brilliantly stimulating piece, the viewer can breathe a sigh of relief as there is an awareness that an expansive, unfettered life is still available to us all.

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THALIA, a 6-year-old autistic girl, lives her happy days somewhat isolated from her peers. Her world changes when she receives an invitation that finally pulls her out of her familiar, safe comfort zone. This is how she meets Attila Halász, a special education teacher and karate master, and his inclusive developmental program based on karate. She also encounters a small, close-knit, accepting, and diverse community currently sharing their summer camp at HEGYEM „HEART CAMP”.

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Review by Andie Kay

Dojo Master / Sensei Attilla Halasz has a wonderful way of teaching students with intellectual disabilities martial arts, specifically Karate. He calls it “Inclusive Karate” and it’s just a whole lot of brilliance. Using colored wristbands and floor diagrams with shapes and numbers helps his students easily learn this ancient martial art.

I really loved that the filmmakers chose to shoot this in black and white. Kardly Palfai was the Cinematographer, Director, Producer and Editor and they really understood how to make black and white hold depth and texture. The camera work was equally as well done, giving the audience some marvelous close ups and nicely composed shots. The only drawback I noticed was the font choice for the film since it was a bit hard to read.

Musically this film was gorgeous. Aron IpsIcs was the Composer and he definitely understood the assignment. This is a feel good documentary that centers around Thalia, and watching her blossom as she tries I-Karate for the first time is just joyful. Beautiful film and definitely worth watching.

When a man grows tired of eating the same milk and cookies meal every day, he lets a mischievous deer into his house to tackle him for supper.

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Review by Julie C. Sheppard:

Milk And Cookies, a classic snack beloved by young and old, is the focus of this amusing and almost absurdist short. The central figure, with his shocking white unruly wig, enjoys his milk and cookies immensely and finds himself consuming them over and over again, shortly followed by a repeated hygiene routine. The directorial choice to reveal this series of events recurrently adds to the frenetic nature of the piece. It is the zany orchestral music under these almost mechanized actions that enhances the film’s humour.

The cinematography makes particularly good use of extreme close-ups, notably of the central figure’s teeth, which is of particular focus in the screenplay. The character’s ongoing desire for intense brushing after cookie eating takes on an almost OCD energy, which builds and builds. And yet, the viewer is privy to the fact that this cannot go on forever.

Enter the glitchy, super-imposed image of an alternate food source which, in turn, gives the sound designer plenty of motivation for some raucous effects. All in all, Milk And Cookies is primarily a comical romp, and it slyly suggests that variety, especially with food, truly is the spice of life.

A dance class for seniors in Catalonia decides to create an extraordinary show for the 93-year-old mother of their Paris-born dance teacher. Their journey to France to perform for her turns into a life-affirming, inspirational voyage of discovery.

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Review by Julie C. Sheppard:

DANCE: Generations is a heartfelt documentary which underscores the importance of living one’s dreams as a senior, when much of society focuses its energy and glory on the younger generation. Seeing seniors join in as dance performers, despite physical challenges that age often brings, is inspiring. The film does a superb job of letting the viewer hear about the excitement and stimulation that participation in dance provides for these people, with many intimate interviews.

The piece makes use of a variety of thoughtful filmic conventions, such as multi-split screens to show all dancers currently, as young adults and as children. This is highly effective given the other topic that the film addresses – – a historical investigation of refugee children during tumultuous times under Franco in the late 1930’s. Dance is not the only thing that these participants get to experience. Their group dance trip to France allows them to consider the dark history of the war and unearth some long-hidden family information.

Serious historical travesty aside, the overarching environment of the film is one of invigoration and joy, as the camera captures the various dance numbers beautifully. The attractive sparkly costumes, lively choreography, and catchy musical numbers, both locally and internationally famous, are thrilling to watch, the dancers giving their all in entertaining unison. The various narrators ground the film, almost as if a travelogue, and round it off as a well-considered look at this inspiring group of seniors.

A chaotic funeral service descends into scandal, confession, and absurdity as mourners battle to define the legacy of beloved teacher George Spelvin — proving it’s impossible to be completely urn-est about the dead.

Review by Julic C. Sheppard:

O’Bitch-uary is an engaging and somewhat sardonic look at the commentary about a deceased person by those attending a funeral. The setting of a classic wooden pew church and brightly coloured religious stained-glass windows is suitable for the theme of the piece, as are the occasional organ refrains, and the brief bursts of classical choral music as various characters are introduced.

The screenplay taps into many moments of humour, such as the hilarious introduction by the funeral director who runs “Grave Undertakings Funeral Home”, and whose slogan is “We burn ’em, You urn ’em”. The turn of events is surprising as the descriptions of those attending the funeral are far from universal — for some, the deceased was endearing, helpful, appreciative or sensual and, for others, he was a calculating troublemaker.

Although the piece is obviously satirical in many respects, it does reveal a universal truth that not one of us is perfect, and descriptions of us by others can vary widely. The cast members skillfully depict such distinct emotional impressions about the deceased, from fondness, attraction and admiration to outright visceral disdain. The cinematography is clear and naturalistic throughout, save for some slow-motion work with the topsy-turvy urn. The unifying presence of ashes from the urn eventually serves to pull the funeral attenders together, despite their wide range of views.