Submit your Romance & Relationships 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.
ReUniverse, 99min,. Greece Directed by Thodoris Vournas “The film ‘Re-Universe’ by Theodoros Vournas is a psychedelic science fiction journey with impressive visual effects, that intertwines personal exploration with cosmic concepts. A group of young people, faced with existential questions, find themselves entangled in a process of rebirth and reconnection with the universe. The film explores themes such as human relationships, identity, and humanity’s place in the infinite.”
ReUniverse, 99min,. Greece Directed by Thodoris Vournas “The film ‘Re-Universe’ by Theodoros Vournas is a psychedelic science fiction journey with impressive visual effects, that intertwines personal exploration with cosmic concepts. A group of young people, faced with existential questions, find themselves entangled in a process of rebirth and reconnection with the universe. The film explores themes such as human relationships, identity, and humanity’s place in the infinite.”
Tendon, 13min,. USA Directed by Jannik Ehret Recovering addict Rene sees a creature poison the city’s water supply and has to convince his skeptical sister and her no-nonsense boyfriend to stay away from the tap water.
I grew up in Germany from where Los Angeles always felt like a mythical place in another world. Through a street racing video game I was first introduced to the LA river; a concrete channel that splits Los Angeles in such a crude and inorganic way. At the time I thought it was an invention of the game designers. Why else would there be a perfect drag racing track going right through the city. Ten years later, when I first saw the LA river in person, I became enchanted by its otherworldly existence.
My parents are spiritual teachers. Witnessing their clashes with “the regular world” has forced me to contemplate the role of “the real” in our emotional lives. To an extent, the “real” is irrelevant if its effect is tangible. The fear we feel from the monster under the bed is happening regardless of the presence of the monster. With that in mind, people should treat the fears of others, no matter how otherworldly, with empathy. Tendon is the merging of my love of sci-fi, the LA river, the homelessness epidemic and my take on the deep seeded fear of not being believed.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I played around with the script for about five years. Once I landed on something I liked it only took about a month to get the project to the editing stage. Sound designing and composing was tricky since the film lives between genres but after another 4 months the project was done.
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..
Memories of the Future, 5min., Japan Directed by Keishi Suenaga In 2094, Earth is ravaged by environmental devastation. Yuki Okita, selected as the operator of the “Dimensional Vibration Cannon” -an advanced time machine- at the Central Advanced Vision Institute of Cutting-edge Operations (CAVICO), faces a bleak future. The cannon can send data to the past to change the future.
Minister of the Missing, 10min., UK Directed by Jane Sanger In a dystopian world after a major devastating event a totalitarian regime is trying to kill off any older people on flimsy excuses.
The Middleground, 16min., Nigeria Directed by Olumide Kuti In this faith-based supernatural drama, Joromi finds herself trapped in a void between life and death, but she refuses to transition. With years of unanswered prayers and relentless suffering, she demands an audience with the one being who has remained silent through it all—God.
GIFT, 19min., USA Directed by Graham Northrup A young man escapes through the woods with his barely-conscious sister. Pursued by a warlord and his ruthless tracker, he must prevent her from falling into their hands again. But they will stop at nothing to control her unique gift.
Akashic Spheres, 11min., USA Directed by James Scott Mystical orbs hold the power to control the multiverse are being sought by dark forces who plan to use them for evil. Captain Everest must find them first to save mankind.
Anomie, 24min., Iran Directed by Reza Javanshir A middle-aged man drives his car to an abandoned hospital. The man’s behavior shows that he has made an appointment with someone. He enters there and closes his eyes with a blindfold according to the appointment he made. A man comes to him and knocks him unconscious by injecting him with an ampoule. Every time he regains consciousness, he sees ghosts of little girls, and then he is knocked unconscious again by the same man by injecting him with ampoule.
bunker.net, 6min., Austria Directed by Patrick Seidl, John Whitehand A bunker is more interesting for the students than the gymnastics lesson in school. But strange things are happening there.
The FEEDBACK Female Film Festival (FFFF) was created for women filmmakers and screenwriters. The goal is to showcase the best of female talent in film & TV from around the world.
Deadline Today to submit via FilmFreeway. 86 FIVE Star Reviews!
Film Festival (short & feature) occurs 12 times a year (every month) in Los Angeles and Toronto.
Accepted films get their films screened at 2 festivals. The Audience Feedback Festival, where you will receive a video of people’s reactions to your film. (Great asset to promote your movie.) Plus, the Film Festival Streaming Service Festival, where it will be seen by people in the industry and film fans.
We give each film and filmmaker their audience feedback video. An example is this year’s Oscar winner for Best Short Film, which played at our festival, I’m Not a Robot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vApv7P3j3yM
With that, it’s a great promotion for your film and it helps you get into other festivals.
Plus, each filmmaker gets the opportunity to do two interviews to further promote them and their work. A blog interview and a podcast interview on the Film Festival iTunes show.
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Screenplay readings also take place EVERY SINGLE MONTH.
Every submission received full feedback on their script from an industry professional. Winning scripts get their script performed by professional actors and made into a video for you.
Adam Kirley is one of the best stunt performers in the world today. He has performed in over 60 films in the last 16 years, including: Iron Man 3, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, X-Men: First Class, Terminator Salvation, and Munich. He was Daniel Craig’s stunt double in the landmark James Bond movie “Casino Royale”. He is also a Screen Actors Guild and World Stunt Award winner.
Interview with Adam Kirley:
Matthew Toffolo: The action/comedy “Grimsby” is currently playing at a a theater near you. What can we expect to see? How was your working experience doing stunts on that film?
Adam Kirley: Grimsby is a mix of a Bond/Bourne action mixed in a Sacha Baron Cohen comedy film. It was a challenge to do believable gritty action without loosing the SBC comedy elements.
MT: Have you suffered a lot of injuries doing stunts? If so, what has been your worst injury?
AK: Unfortunately its the nature of our game. You can reduce the risk as much as possible but there will always be an element of risk that remains. I have had the usual cuts and bruises that most performers receive on a daily basis. My more serious injuries include: 6 knee surgeries, 1 shoulder reconstruction, and a broken back. These actually weren’t caused by a big accident just years of wear and tear.
MT: You’ve done stunts on over 60 films in the last 16 years alone. Do you have a favorite experience? What film are you most proud of?
AK: I think my proudest moment as a stunt performer would have to be working on Casino royale stunt doubling for James Bond. The Bond movies are such iconic action films with so much history its quite an honour to be a part of.
PHOTO: Adam jumps from crane to crane in the opening scene in Casino Royale:
MT: What does a Stunt Coordinator do on set?
AK: On Set the stunt coordinator basically choreographs the stunt team to perform the scene. The job of the stunt coordinator starts well before the shoot day, we have to look at the script, and with the director design the action required. Then we assemble a team that is best suited to perform the action.
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MT: Has there been a stunt that you love to perform that you haven’t performed yet?
AK: I have been very fortunate over my career to perform a wide range of stunts so really don’t have an outstanding stunt I wish I could do.
MT: How did you get into the stunt performer game? Was there extensive training involved?
AK: My beginnings were on a traveling stunt show. I performed the human torch & human cannon for 2 years then I did my training to join the British Stunt register which consisted in getting to a high level (Instructor) in 6 different disciplines. I did Swimming, Scuba diving, Judo, Fencing, Trampolining and Gymnastics and had to get my Actors Equity card also. This training is just to get you to a level of fitness and show you have the aptitude to learn new skills. The real training begins when you start working on set with the more experienced stunt performers and coordinators.
PHOTO: Adam jumps off a cliff with another performer and a car:
MT: Where do you see the future of green-screen stunt performing in the motion pictures?
AK: Green-screen sets seem to be increasing on every production I work on. I think its mainly used to reduce costs on set builds and give the director the creative freedom to change things in post Production. It doesn’t really change our job a great deal it just makes it a little boring staring at green walls all day.
MT: What’s the biggest high risk stunt you’ve performed to date?
AK: I think the most dangerous stunts I have ever performed would have to be the ones on Casino Royale. I was one of the doubles for Bond so was kept very busy. I was one of the guys that jump from crane to crane for the opening sequence and I also got to drive the Aston Martin DBS that climaxed with a crash at 85mph that ended up being a world record. (see slide show of this stunt below)
MT: Have you done a lot of stunt driving? What type of training does one have to do to become a stunt driver?
AK: When I was about 8 years old I wanted to be a racing driver and after doing a few years of karting, it became very expensive so unfortunately it wasn’t an option. Then when I was 17 I started out in stunts doing traveling shows for 2 years. It was an auto stunt show so was a great place to learn stunt driving. I then went away and practiced a lot and picked up small stunt driving jobs that built my reputation. Its quite a long process becoming a stunt driver.
MT: Do you have a stunt performer mentor?
AK: My mentor was my Step-Father (Steve Griffin) who is a stunt coordinator and a 2nd unit director. He was very helpful showing me how the industry worked in my early days and still offers me great advice.
PHOTO Slide Show: Adam does a car stunt. (Don’t ever try this!)
____ Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the DAILY Film Festival held online and in downtown Toronto on Thursday’s of every single month. Go to http://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.
Very impressed with the table read of ‘Auberon’s Last Chance’. Far more professional than other’s I’ve seen. Full marks to all at the Toronto Festival!
Spiritual and religious stories are narratives that convey spiritual and religious themes, and can be found in sacred texts, oral traditions, and personal experiences.
3 options to submit: 1st chapter. full novel. performance reading.
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
Submit your DRAMA 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.
Self discovery, healing from trauma and beating the ubiquitous “imposter syndrome”. It is a comedic and sometimes horrific, plant medicine fueled, spiritual journey of self awareness for 3 diverse yet troubled Americans where they emerge victorious and more god-like.
It is a prescient story that reminds viewers of the importance and power of Mexican culture. It also represents a very different story for gay and trans people. One is battling depression and PTSD due to police abuse, and the other, impostor syndrome. Conditions that are the most prevalent mental health challenges today. They are both battling for self-love instead of societal abuse (which does happen). It also reinforces the importance of plant medicines for healing our minds and spirits, which is experiencing more mainstream acceptance. Many cities in America and across the globe are realizing the life-changing healing properties of Psilocybin and Ayahuasca and are legalizing them for use in healing depression and PTSD.
3. How would you describe this script in two words?
Self Love
4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
The Wizard of Oz because it’s about an individual’s spiritual journey towards enlightenment. I read a book that covered the back story on L. Frank Baum’s inspirations for the Wizard of OZ and how the author created the story as an allegory for Buddhism. The yellow brick road was written as a metaphor for an individual’s “golden path” to enlightenment. I love the character development and the world-building. Also love how the story totally immerses you and takes you on an unexpected journey. I feel Pueblo is similar in structure. Basically, the hero’s journey.
5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
So the seed of the story happened about 10 years ago. I had written many notes over that period. The time to write the actual screenplay took about 3 months. It was after a day trip to the ruins of Ek Balam near Cancun Mexico. My best friend and I planned to go visit the ruins but after many unexpected events getting there we felt like we went through some kind of 5th dimensional portal where time and space didn’t exist. Weed aka “The Devil’s Lettuce” was involved so that helped but going through the jungle was many levels of surreal, kind of like Dorothy when she goes into that nightmare forest. We saw so many strange things and once we got to the ruins it had just closed so we never got to see them but the small town adjacent to the ruins was also creepy and a bit of a time portal and we couldn’t find a way out for a bit. Add to this while on the way driving through the jungle on a one lane highway, my best friend shared a story of a past-life regression he had where he saw that he was a Mexican peasant that died a miserable death as an alcoholic. Needless to say, my creative juices started imagining a story that incorporated this wild experience and my favorite ancient culture – the Mayans with their rich mythologies.
6. How many stories have you written?
I have 4 features. 1 is titled The Cuban American Dream, which coincidentally just placed as a top 10 finalist in Screencraft family Contest on the same day I received the email for this win. I also have 2 short film screenplays and 4 TV pilots with 2 pilots having 2 episodes completed. 2 published children’s books (Harper Collins) for ages 3-8 about nutrition and coping with fear. Finally, I am currently pitching a fictional spiritual adventure manuscript that explores benevolent beings from across the galaxy and the Universe written for Middle Grade to Young Adults. It’s kind of like a prequel to The Little Prince.
7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
So I have a list of stories that I am constantly developing, and I factor in current events and the zeitgeist of our time on whether I complete one screenplay over another. With the current trend of authoritarian governments using LGBT+ individuals and immigrants as scapegoats to gain support, I felt this specific story needed to be born now. It is a story of two LGBT individuals who are successful financially and not battling any of the issues we see in most LGBT+ films (coming out, abuse, etc). They are battling for a full and absolute, unconditional self-love. The other main character, Jahari, who is a heterosexual male, is best friends with Wallace, a gay man, which mirrors a normal situation where many heterosexual males have at least one gay friendship. Jahari is trying to achieve the “American Dream”, battling his materialistic, money-hungry ego that mirrors the psyche of most Americans today. Most films show a female with a gay best friend. I wanted to break stereotypes across the board, especially with Odys, who is a gorgeous, dynamic Trans woman who passes for a biological woman. She owns her own business and is thriving, but her only demon is herself.
The other social issue I wanted to shine a spotlight on was Mexican culture and its many contributions to society today. It seems to be a focus point for our current President Trump to attack and characterize them as rapists and evil people as well as going after trans individuals. I wanted to honor the Mexican culture. To remind Americans that the Mayan civilization was highly sophisticated, making advances in mathematics, agriculture, astronomy and architecture that lasted for over 3000 years and left many contributions to our society today. They invented the number zero, cultivated cacao (chocolate) as a food source, and their calendar was more accurate than the European one at the time. Their cities were more populous and sophisticated than Europe’s largest capital cities. The only thing they didn’t have were guns. That and immunity to foreign diseases ultimately led to their downfall. Being an archaeologist who has studied their rich culture for decades, I used the Mayan Hero Twin Myth as a structure for Pueblo. Our main characters are led down the same path as the Hero Twins in the Mayan underworld (Xibalba) where they are tested in underground houses inside a subterranean cavern system and eventually come out more god-like. Pueblo is essentially like Disney’s Coco, a homage to Aztec and Mayan culture and how their lessons can be applied to modern people of today. I wanted people to remember the importance of Mexico and its fallen empire as a mirror to the United States, which seems to be an empire in decline.
8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Not many. Like I said, I have a lifetime of research on the subject of the Maya so that really helped make sure I was getting their story right. I also hired Rhys Ernst, a trans producer of HBO’s Transparent, for a sensitivity read to make sure the trans character was correct in every way, and he added a few notes that improved Odys overall. Being a gay man myself, I didn’t need help getting Wallace right.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Anthropology and Archaeology. I’ve done a few digs in Egypt and Bosnia and am a freelance journalist for Popular Archaeology magazine. History overall fascinates me because as they say the past is prologue and we are destined to repeat the same mistakes until we learn the lessons of our past. History is a rich repository for fascinating myths and stories.
10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
To be honest, there aren’t many LGBT focused screenplay festivals out there, so you came up in my Coverfly feed, and I really love Toronto, so an alarm bell went off to enter.
11. What movie have you watched the most times in your life?
Come to think of it, it’s a tie between The Fifth Element and The Wizard of OZ.
