Author: festreviews

Watch Today’s FREE Film Festival: UNDER 5 Minute Film Festival

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FREE festival starts at 8pm EST tonight at http://www.wildsound.ca/browse

Watch the festival here:  https://www.wildsound.ca/events/under-5-minute-film-festival

L’anniversaire, 4min., France
Directed by Thibault Mombellet
En rentrant chez lui, Julien découvre que ses amis lui ont organisé un anniversaries surprise pour ses quarante ans. Il est ravi, mais sa soirée tourne rapidement au cauchemar. Un traumatisme d’enfance refait surface et Julien met à point d’honneur à souffler ses bougies magiques… Y parviendra-t-il ?

https://www.instagram.com/rteebw/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-lanniversaire

Can you hear me?, 2min., USA
Directed by Ramiyah Brooks
After losing his mother, a young boy searches for answers in his role of her passing.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-can-you-hear-me

The Perfect Shot, 1min., Germany
Directed by Niklas Leifert
Self-styled marketing guru Martin Muffin rushes through the final beats of his branding photo masterclass—so he can finally craft his own perfect shot. Most students stick to the recipe. Béatrice frames things her own way.

https://www.instagram.com/niklasleifert

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-the-perfect-shot

3 MINUTOS, 5min., USA
Directed by Douglas Ryan
Under the time pressure of a potentially life changing test, a young couple unexpectedly takes a quick but meaningful look at their past, present and potential future.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-3-minutes

Junky Monkey, 3min., Japan
Directed by Hirohisa Nakano Magy
A man in Tokyo, desperate, wondering around , running through busy Tokyo scape and finally meet this guy to get something that he couldn’t resist which is…..

https://www.instagram.com/jovijova_official/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-junky-monkey

FINAL CUT, 5min., USA
Directed by Tom Varisco
A humble cottage. A delusional actor. A final fight for control.

https://www.instagram.com/tomvariscodesigns

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-final-cut

Right Beside You, 3min., USA
Directed by Annie Windsland
The night before her cousin’s wedding—to her ex—Isabel hides away, desperate to escape. But Liam, her fiercely loyal best friend, follows her, and something shifts. Their laughter fades. A glance lingers. A touch lasts too long. Unspoken truths press between them—until reality slams back in.

https://www.instagram.com/annewindsland

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-right-beside-you

L’oeil des sables, 2min., France
Directed by Florian Lejal
In ancient Egypt, a scribe witnesses a strange apparition: visitors from another time. Shocked, he draws them on papyrus, capturing the mystery. Now on display in a museum, this drawing continues to intrigue, leaving visitors with an unsolved enigma.

https://www.instagram.com/lllflowlll/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-loeil-des-sables

LEVELS, 2min., Canada
Directed by Phuong Vu
Trapped in an elevator with a wanted individual, a timid office worker reveals his true identity as a skilled fighter, protecting a briefcase that holds more than just paperwork.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-levels

Today’s Writing Deadlines: August 2, 2025

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Submit to these exciting festivals today. Festivals that offer feedback from the industry, plus performance videos.

FANTASY/SCI-FI Short Story Festival:
https://fantasyscififestival.com/fantasy-sci-fi-short-story-festival/

Submit your FANTASY/SCI-FI Short Story to the Festival have it performed by a professional actor and turned into a promotional video.

ESSAY Writing Contest (everyone wins):
https://novelwritingfestival.com/essay-writing-contest-everyone-wins/

Get your ESSAY performed by a professional actor and made into a video. Accept essays from 500 to 5000 words.

FEMALE Writers Screenplay Festival:
https://femalefilmfestival.com/

This festival has a guaranteed 4-tier set up for each accepted script. (No matter what, all screenplays submitted receive FULL FEEDBACK on their work.)
1) Full Feedback on your script
2) Actors performance video reading of your script
3) Blog interview promotion.
4) Podcast interview on the Film Festival ITunes show

WHAT IS A RED HERRING? (Film & TV Terms and Story Devices)

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Watch the best of SHORT FILMS from around the world today. A library of over 500 award winning films: http://www.wildsound.ca (Plus, watch a new and original festival every single day.)

Submit your film or screenplay to the WILDsound Festival today: https://filmfreeway.com/WILDsoundFilmandWritingFestival

What is a Red Herring in storytelling?

A red herring is a device that is used to mislead or distract the viewer from the real answer or conclusion. Simply said – it’s a false clue. And it takes people’s attention away from the central point being considered.

A classic example is a detective or mystery series where the viewer tries to figure out who the murderer is. The attention is focussed on an individual who could be the murderer. As we emotionally involve ourselves with that person and assume they are the in fact the killer, we are distracted and the real murderer is left alone.

Or, there is a “turncoat” or “rat” in a government building. Someone who is leaking information to the enemies. As everyone attempts to figure out who the “rat” is, we are introduced to a scenario where circumstantial evidence tells the audience that a certain individual is the rat! But they are not the rat, and while we are distracted, the real person keeps getting away with it.

Where did the term “red herring” come from?

False leads started to become known as “Red Herrings” in the early 1800s when an English journalist named William Cobbett used the term to compare the media’s premature reporting of Napoleon’s defeat to the practice of using smelly fish to distract hound dogs from chasing rabbits.

While Cobbett gets credit for the term, storytellers have been using false leads to surprise audiences since the beginning of time.

Famous red herring moments in film and TV.

Alfred Hitchcock was the master of using “red herrings” in most of his films. The best and most popular example is his 1960 horror/thriller film PSYCHO.

The entire first act of the film is about Marion Crane stealing money from her boss. The audience is wrapped into this heist for over 30 minutes. But that is an entire distraction from what is really the bigger question: What is really going on at the Bates Motel?

Hitchcock also uses music in his films as red herring devices. Screeches of violin noise, or intense bass instruments playing to emotionally put viewers on high alert. Only to have the situation be safe for the main character and distract the audience away from the real conflict.

—–

Red Herrings are even used in children’s movies. A great example is the 2013 smash hit FROZEN.

The main plot is that the only way Anna can be stopped from turning into ice, is to have an “act of true love”. Almost the entire audience assumes that Anna must get Prince Hans to kiss her – because, as we’ve learned in previous Disney films, true love’s kiss solves everything!

But, Hans isn’t Anna’s true love at all. He’s actually the VILLAIN of the film.

And, Red Herring #2 – it’s not about a romantic true love. Anna thaws out because the real act of true love was her sacrificing herself to save her sister! Anna and Elsa’s love was the actual TRUE LOVE of the film.

——

Other famous red herrings are”

– “THE USUAL SUSPECTS” (1995) (Verbal’s testimony and the entire plot of the film.)

– “THE SIXTH SENSE” (1999) (the “dead people” problem)

– “CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016) (The Winter Soldier)

– “GET OUT” (2017) (racism is the real enemy)

TV Series are loaded with red herrings:

The trend of viewing has definitely moved to the “binge watching TV series” experience. Most of us, if we’re being honest with ourselves, have and can watch an entire season of a television show in one sitting. So to keep the viewers engaged, and to keep them moving to the next episode, red herrings are used time and time again no matter what the genre is.

BREAKING BAD is considered the most popular and well regarded series from the last 25 years. It had modest success on the AMC network with is first premiered, but when they put the show it on Netflix, the popularity of the show blew up. Why? Because people couldn’t get enough of the plotting. This show is the masterclass of the red herring!

A few examples:

– Hank’s investigation of Heisenberg

– The Ricin cigarette

– The Poisoning of Brock

– The Train Robbery

– The “Box Cutter” incident

– The Pink Teddy Bear

– The State Motto of New Hampshire

– Walt’s bullet hole reflection

All moments and devices used to distract the audience from what is REALLY the going on!

And don’t get me started on Better Call Saul! That’s another video……

August 2025 FEMALE Feedback Festival (5 Star) Testimonials

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Deadline Today to submit via FilmFreeway. 86 FIVE Star Reviews!

This festival was very supportive of my work. I enjoyed the interview a lot

I have nothing but positive things to say! LOVE getting the feedback videos; the audience members who are interviewed give well thought out and reasoned critiques and it’s so gratifying to hear the way your work is resonating with others. Plus the interview opportunities are a tremendous bonus. Thanks for screening BLOOD IS THICKER!

I love this festival because it offers so many opportunities for the director, it is really original like no other. Thank you for the award to our The finger and the moon, we are very happy. Thank you for the feedback and thanks to all the people who have spent words on our film. Great!!!

A very positive experience overall. I was delighted with some very insightful feedback on “The Birthday List” and love that this festival supports female writers. Highly recommend! Thank you.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it was really wonderful getting the feedback. Nice to hear unfiltered responses to the work. The organizers are super on it, very communicative. It’s a cool experience.

Our team appreciate that such heart-warming festival does exist. The important thing is to get direct feedback from audiences, and the FFFF built this bridge, we heard a lot of encouraging words from our audiences and we are so grateful about that. Thank you FFFF 🙂

Watch Signals – Timothy Connon and the pier, 20min., USA, Sports/Drama

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Sign up for the FREE 3-day trial to watch the film and 450+ award winning films.

Watch Film Here:  https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/watch-signals-timothy-connon-and-the-pier

Timothy Connor died on a spring break weekend in a car crash in 1967.
56 years later, he finally gets to the pier.

Directed by Rod Saez Chavez

https://instagram.com/cintamanifilms

https://instagram.com/rodasaezchavez

Watch BEFORE DAWN, 15min., USA, Crime/Thriller (new film on the platform)

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Sign up for the FREE 3-day trial to watch the film and 450+ award winning films.

Watch Film Here:  https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/watch-before-dawn

“A top hit-man gets caught in the middle of a betrayal scheme within his contractors”

Directed by Ruben Rodas

Cast: Jack Jack Mulcahy, Vlada Roslyakova, Lorenzo Pozzan, Jon Crefeld

https://www.instagram.com/rubenrodas/

Watch NIGHT OF SIX CENTURES, 7min., Israel, Experimental/Music (new film on the platform)

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Sign up for the FREE 3-day trial to watch the film and 450+ award winning films.

Watch Film Here: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/watch-night-of-six-centuries

The time machine has been created. It is used to rescue innocent people. The first is a girl sentenced to stake by inquisition.

Director and Starring: Alina Lebedeva

Producer and Screenwriter: Freddy Romm

Co-Director: Ivetta Ilina

Watch THE MORGUE, 1min., Iran, Horror/Experimental (new film on the platform)

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Sign up for the FREE 3-day trial to watch the film and 450+ award winning films.

Watch Film Here:  https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/the-morgue

A zombie girl comes out of the morgue and is horrified by the image of the movie The Ring on the TV. (Real voices of ghosts are used in this movie)

Directed by Majid Farzolahi

https://www.instagram.com/majidfarzolahi

Watch Today’s FREE Festival: Best of DANCE DOCUMENTARIES Festival

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FREE festival starts at 8pm EST tonight at http://www.wildsound.ca/browse

Watch the festival here: https://www.wildsound.ca/events/best-of-dance-documentaries-festival

DANCE OF THE DAKINIS, 28min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Lindsay Gilmour
The film focuses on the empowerment of female monastics and the innovation of gender roles in Vajrayana Buddhism. The film has two frameworks: an outer framework that focuses on rising status of Tibetan nuns in previously male dominated religious structures, and an inner framework that focuses on the inner state of the dancer. The film delves into how ancient rituals adapt in shifting political and cultural landscapes and how the roles of women evolve and develop in this framework.

BENJAMIN FELIKSDAL, The Life Story of a Dutch Dance Master, 45min. Ballet
Directed by Roland Gaedtgens, Robin Lionhar van Zutphen
The inspiring journey of Benjamin Feliksdal began in a humble yet determined manner. At the tender age of just six, he discovered his calling in the world of dance. His talent quickly caught the attention of none other than Sonja Gaskell, an iconic figure in the Dutch dance scene. Under her tutelage, Benjamin blossomed into a talented dancer with a passion for expression and movement.

https://www.instagram.com/roland_gaedtgens/