Author: festreviews

Watch the CHICAGO Festival Shorts (in case you missed it)

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Watch the festival NOW for the next 48 hours by signing up for the FREE 3-DAY trial using the link, or go to http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch today’s Festival:  https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/watch-the-chicago-festival-shorts

Yellow Dress, 4min., UK
Directed by Raph Isadora Seymour
What is she doing? Trying to make a garden? Trying to make something…and who or what is trying to stop her? Crude stop-motion makes startling and poetic images and tells a story of resilience and the desire for happiness for both the hero and the villain of the piece.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-yellow-dress

Gravity Bound, 3min., USA
Directed by Frankie Lasley
The Man on the Moon is bound to the moon by his job; controlling the tides on Earth with a magical box of gravity. His quiet days are spent longing after a Shooting Star, who is bound to forever orbit him from a distance.

https://www.instagram.com/gravityboundfilm

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-gravity-bound

STIGMA, 30min., Tunisia
Directed by Dali Mansour
During the Covid-19 lockdown, “Stigma” explores the emotional impact on Bochra, a young woman living alone in France. Through webcam exchanges with her parents in Tunisia, Bochra struggles with painful memories and a dark past. Confronted with solitude in her Parisian apartment, she faces shadows of her past, gradually revealing a deeply buried trauma. The film delves into themes of resilience, the importance of family bonds, and the quest for self in an isolated world, leading to a poignant revelation.

https://www.instagram.com/stigmashortfilm/
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-stigma



BREAKROOM, 15min., USA
Directed by Ian Wang
A offbeat genre-bending comedy where mundane office tensions often unravel into something far more unsettling.

https://www.instagram.com/redlotusentertainment/
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-breakroom


BLANCA, 7min., USA
Directed by Carlos Grana
During a coup in 1948, Peru’s First Lady must drive her maid and wounded chauffeur to the hospital down a treacherous road in the Andes.

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


Three S3conds, 16min., USA
Directed by Diana Shield
Arlo, a 17 year old boy struggles to open up and express himself to his counselor. He is haunted by his past actions due to his inability to control his rage and anger issues.

https://www.instagram.com/galacticbutterflyfilms

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-three-seconds

Today’s Podcast: EP. 1560: Rick E. Cutts (Stratagem The Movie)

festreviews poetry

Stratagem The Movie, 111min.,
Directed by Rick E. Cutts
Rellik and his girlfriend Nosaer witness a crime and are immediately on the run as they try and elude a killer who seems to always be one step ahead of them. Will they escape can they escape? Follow along as Rellik and Nosaer try and escape a killer and even more important who is behind all the carnage?

http://www.icikill.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

I was motivated to make this film after it seemed like all the doors kept closing on me when I tried to get someone to make it for me. John Schramm that I spoke to from Kinolime and he is the one who told me that I should direct the movie and after he put the bug in my ear I went forward with learning how to direct and produce a movie myself.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

I started the idea almost 5 years ago. Then I wrote the book next the screenplay. We finished filming March of 2025 and all the editing was completed by May of 2025

How would you describe your film in two words!?

Action / Thriller

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

The biggest obstacle I faced in completing the film was probably some of the people not showing up on time and having to navigate around missing actors and filling in with other parts.

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

My initial reaction with the audience feed back was yes yes yes that’s exactly what I wanted them to say. They spoke on the volume to low which is what I wanted because I wanted people to lean in to really listen on purpose. I wanted the movie to mimic real life. We can’t make out all the words sometimes in real life but we know what’s going on.

Subscribe to the podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/

https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

Today’s Writing Deadlines: August 8, 2025

festreviews writing and film festival, writing festival

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

CRIME Short Story Contest (automatic acceptance)
https://crimemysteryfestival.com/crime-short-story-contest/

Submit your CRIME short story to the festival here, and we will automatically have it performed by a professional actor and turned into a promotional video for yourself.

Accept only stories that fit into the CRIME genre. A mystery story is a type of fiction that involves a crime or other event that remains a mystery until the end of the story. The main character, often a detective, works to solve the mystery by: Finding clues, Examining motives, Identifying suspects, and Using logical deduction.

ACTION/ADVENTURE Novel Festival:
https://actionadventurefestival.ca/actionadventure-novel-festival/

Get FULL FEEDBACK on either the 1st chapter or entire novel book from our committee of Professional Writers, and Writing Consultants. Get your novel performed by a professional actor at the festival.

NEW OPTION: Or, just submit for an actor performance reading transcript of your novel (any 5 pages of your book). Great way to promote the sales of your book if you’re already published. (see examples on the video playlist below)

ENVIRONMENTAL Screenplay Festival:
https://environmentalfestival.com/environmenal-screenplay-festival/

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

Deadline for FANTASY/SCI-FI Film & Screenplay Festival:

August 2025 ROMANCE/RELATIONSHIPS Festival Testimonials.

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Submit via FilmFreeway. Deadline Today:

It was very cool to hear people’s thoughts and reactions after seeing the film. It’s so valuable as a storyteller and a unique perk of the festival.

This is a unique festival that gives valuable feedback from different audience members. This is a very original concept for a film festival. The feedback is then edited into a video and sent to the filmmaker. Each person gives his/her view or response to your film- on camera. This is a fresh contrast to getting a review from a professional writer/reviewer/critic. You will actually get direct feedback from a hybrid of people who have seen your film. It is as if you have just left a screening of your film and are getting 10 different people’s reaction to your film. Very unique, original concept for a festival and valuable to the filmmaker, who is used to reading professional reviews. The communication is excellent. Highly recommend this festival. Professional in every department.

A well run, well organized festival with really cool really niche focus. Our team was proud to be a part of it.

For all of you thousands of miles away who talk about my film HER LAST FAREWELL (UN ADIEU) in such a touching, relevant, sincere way, it’s huge and it moves me deeply. The emotion that emerges from the film is nicely shared and the script invites reflection : what more could I ask for. This video feedback will remain a rare, original and valuable testimony to my work. Thank you Toronto 🙂 ! (I hope the Google translation is OK because my english is very bad).

Turning 44 Today: Meagan Good

festreviews Happy Birthday

QUOTES:

I love creme liner because I have lash extensions and sometimes the liquid liner can get into the lashes. It’s also easier to guide. I can create straighter lines with it.

When I was growing up, I lived in a neighborhood that was largely Latino and I thought I was Latino!

The beauty of having short hair is that I actually can wash and style it at home!

Make sure your desire to do what you’re aspiring to do is deeper than just fame and being a celebrity.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0328709/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm#:~:text=I%20use%20bath,1%20more

Turning 88 Today: Dustin Hoffman

festreviews Happy Birthday

QUOTES:

  • You go to the cinema and you realize you’re watching the third act. There is no first or second act. There is this massive film-making where you spend this incredible amount of money and play right to the demographic. You can tell how much money the film is going to make by how it does on the first weekend. The whole culture is in the crap house. It’s not just true in the movies, it’s also true in the theater.

I got into acting so that I could meet girls. Pretty girls came later. First, I wanted to start off with someone with two legs, who’d smile at me and look soft.

We all believe what we read. I read how Tom Cruise and I were two big egos holding up shooting. I know that isn’t true – but if I wasn’t making a movie with him and I just picked up the paper, I’d believe it. That’s interesting, isn’t it?