A showcase of the best from the STYLE, EXPERIMENTAL, FASHION festival.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Short Film: FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS Best Direction: ALEPH
FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS, 27min. 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.
ALEPH, 29min,. Brazil Directed by Joao Butoh To live or not to live in the shadow of a society. Can politics, religion and ethnicity force you to live up to established standards? What is the price of your happiness? Live your life or live the life that others attribute to you?
A showcase of the best European Films in the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Short Film: TOY Best Story: KAZBEGI Best Micro-Short: KINOKARENINA Best New Media Film: Retrato (Portrait) Best Visual Design: GLASOUT
Kazbegi, 5min., Slovakia Directed by Yakiv Antypenko Set to a traditional folk song recorded live at a Georgian wedding, this short documentary immerses viewers in the natural and cultural rhythm of the Kazbegi region. With no narration, the film focuses on the detailed sound design and visual atmosphere — where every insect and breeze plays like an instrument in a living orchestra.
TOY, 11min., Greece Directed by Natasha Smyrnaiou New Years Eve. Nikos is looking for a New Year’s gift for his godchild in a toy store with a strange salesman. During his stay there, he evoked memories of his own childhood. He finally gets a toy, but not what he thinks..
KINOKARENINA, 1min,. Ukraine Directed by Andrii Makarchenko She really wanted their wedding day to last forever. But… Dedicated to Jean Cocteau and Leo Tolstoy.
Retrato (Portrait), 1min., Spain Directed by Ignacio Rodó Your portrait can capture you. You decide how to shine in it.
Audience Awards: Best Short Film: MELODRAMA Best Direction: SIZWE Best Peformances: QUANTUM CAUSALITY CONUNDRUM Best Story: Don’t pretend you didn’t see me Best Micro-Short: THE PRISONER
THE PRISONER, 1min., India Directed by Allabhya Ghosh Life is confined to a ten-foot-by-ten-foot room. That’s the norm in the suburbs now.
Don’t pretend you didn’t see me, 1min., Argentina Directed by Jimmy Alejandro Castro Zambrano The narration of the experiences of a blind person who moves through the city.
MELODRAMA, 34min., Italy Directed by Giuseppe De Vuono Rebecca Reveal, a promising designer, lives with her husband in an old farmhouse lost in the middle of the countryside. She is a beautiful woman, visionary and devoted to the art world, he a paranoid and egocentric man. They seem the picture of the perfect family, but both are hiding a secret that will push them beyond their limits.
Sizwe, 28min., South Africa Directed by Ayanda Makayi The story of a young, deaf Xhosa girl, overcoming adversity in the height of lockdown to save her gogo (grandmother).
Quantum Causality Conundrum, 2min., USA Directed by Aki Aitos While walking back to a college campus, Emma and Lila delve into the nuances of quantum mechanics and causality, balancing profound curiosity with the practical need to get to class on time.
Question & answer session after the festival screening with filmmakers from the August 14, 2025 festival at the Carlton Cinemas, in downtown Toronto, Canada.
Conversation with directors: – Josh Holliday Hammerstone Meets Woofstock – Filmmakers of Crabsassin
Hammerstone Meets Woofstock, 20min., Canada Directed by Josh Holliday A film that straddles the line between narrative and documentary, landing squarely on comedy. Steve Hammerstone is a small town radio host and big time buffoon, who’s sent to explore Woofstock: North America’s largest festival for dogs.
Best Film: Crabsassin Best Micro-Short: Brush Me Funniest Film: Douche Canoe Best Performances: Hammerstone Meets Woofstock Best Direction: A Fair Sister Best Relationship Film: Red Plump Tomatoes Best Story: Dangle the Cat Best Twist Film: The Surgical Treatment Best New Media Film: B.I.
SEE THE LINEUP OF FILMS:
DANGLE THE CAT, 13min., Ireland Directed by Niall Reynolds 3 thieves are chased into a messy situation, involving 2 cat thieves, an unhappy couple, a con man and yes… A cat.
The Surgical Treatment, 5min., USA Directed by David Gray A satirical observation of the advertising business through the aspect of the pre-production process. A funny perspective on treatments and what it might be like if another industry had to go through what directors. producers and creative people go through on every project in the process of bringing something to life. In this case, literally.
B.I., 15min., Australia Directed by Stuart Morley A businessman’s battle with Artificial Intelligence.
Douche Canoe, 2min., USA Directed by Craig Melville Brother Mouth presents ‘Douche Canoe’, a music video that satirizes the greedy, environmentally destructive elites who can’t tell their mouths from their derrières.
Hammerstone Meets Woofstock, 20min., Canada Directed by Josh Holliday A film that straddles the line between narrative and documentary, landing squarely on comedy. Steve Hammerstone is a small town radio host and big time buffoon, who’s sent to explore Woofstock: North America’s largest festival for dogs.
Crabsassin, 1min., Canada Directed by Studio S222 (14 students) A stormy night at the docks, a killer is out for his target…
A Fair Sister, 8min., USA Directed by Matt LaCorte Two sisters meet for lunch and share secrets.
RED PLUMP TOMATOES, 13min., USA Directed by Nick Wilson After moving in with his young and successful girlfriend Tara, Desmond has found himself in a bit of rut. Experiencing feelings of insecurity towards himself and his personal relationships, he is beckoned to attend a meeting by a close friend, Nympho-Nick, in order to tackle these harmful thoughts.
Brush me, 2min., Austria Directed by Nikolaus Jantsch In a bustling bathroom, amidst the chaos of everyday life, two toothbrushes, find themselves drawn to each other. “Brush me” is a heartwarming tale of love, loss, and the resilience of the toothbrush spirit.
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Batman Beyond: Return of the JokerDirected by Curt Geda
Screenplay by Paul Dini
Story by Paul Dini Glen Murakami Bruce Timm
Based on DC Comics characters
. It is the third film in the DC Animated Universe and is based on the animated series Batman Beyond while also serving as a continuation of and resolving plot points from Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. The film features the DC Comics Batmen Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) and Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle), as they try to unravel the mysterious return of the former’s archenemy, the Joker (Mark Hamill), preparing a climactic showdown with the villain.
The film was heavily censored following the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and WB’s objection to its content, causing its release to be delayed from Halloween 2000 to December 12, 2000. Subsequently, the PG-13 uncut version was released on DVD on April 23, 2002.
Starring: Will Friedle Kevin Conroy Mark Hamill Angie Harmon Melissa Joan Hart
Production companies: Warner Bros. Family Entertainment Warner Bros. Animation
Release dates: December 12, 2000 (NR cut version) April 23, 2002 (PG-13 uncut version)
Watch the best of new films from around the world today by signing up for the FREE 3-DAY trial going tohttp://www.wildsound.ca (Also on Roku, FireStick, and your Itune (app))
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, 92min., Directed by Des McAnuff
Live-Action/Animation
The film follows Rocky and Bullwinkle, who are enlisting their help by a young rookie FBI agent Karen Sympathy to stop Boris, Natasha and Fearless Leader from taking over the United States.
Released on June 30, 2000, the film underperformed at the box office, grossing $35.1 million worldwide against its $76 million budget.[2] It also received mixed reviews from critics, with criticisms toward its writing, plot and humor, while praising the performances, visual effects and faithfulness to its source material.
Starring: Rene Russo Jason Alexander Randy Quaid Kel Mitchell Kenan Thompson Piper Perabo Robert De Niro
Cinematography Thomas E. Ackerman
Edited by Dennis Virkler
Music by Mark Mothersbaugh
Production Companies: TriBeCa Productions Jay Ward Productions Capella International KC Medien
Release date: June 30, 2000 Running time: 92 minutes
Budget: $76 million Box office: $35.1 million
TOP 5 Movie Reviews:
Roger Clarke Independent (UK)
It’s quite clever and quite cute, in a 10-minute-joke-stretched-into-a-feature kind of way.
While the movie continually teeters on the brink of abject corniness, it never quite topples off. And it doesn’t hurt to have Robert De Niro, Rene Russo and Jason Alexander camping it up as cartoon villains come to life.
Community, Celebration, Conversation, Chores; these are the key themes of this experimental documentary. Four days of shopping for Thanksgiving dinner as well as the meal itself are
the ostensible subject of this film. Community is reflected in the interaction with people while shopping as well as the camaraderie of the dinner quests. The quotidian nature of these tasks is subverted by the abstract camerawork and narrative structure, offering the viewer a new perspective on both. The vertical orientation of the film reaffirms looking ahead as we follow the trajectory and shape of the shopping cart moving down the narrow aisles, as well as following the gaze of the filmmaker as he walks forward.
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.
The Action/Crime/Mystery Film & Screenplay Festival is definitely worth your time! They provide invaluable resources for filmmakers, and they also are very helpful while recognizing your work. I recommend.
Festival Reviews 