Child’s Drawing, 8min., Taiwan Directed by David Liang Ever since the younger sister’s missing, the girl has been drowning in grief every night. However, she finds her younger sister’s drawing book tonight. When she opens it, she discovers that something terror in childish drawings.
I’ve always wanted to make a short film, but I kept putting it off due to time and budget limitations. During my vacation, I came up with a story that didn’t require much money and reached out to actor friends who were willing to help out for free—that’s how this film came together.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It took about one month in total, with lots of discussions about the story with the actors throughout the process.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
I’d say “contrast” and “contradiction”—cute children’s drawings are usually innocent, but here they contain something strange and scary, which creates a strong clash.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Probably the editing stage. I was always trying to get the pacing to feel just right.
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
My favorite stage is Development, because it’s where imagination and creativity can really run wild.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
When I was nine, I watched Jaws (directed by Steven Spielberg). I was absolutely terrified and didn’t dare watch it again. A few months later, I became curious about why it scared me so much, so I decided to watch it again properly. I ended up being completely drawn into the story, and that’s when I knew I wanted to make films myself.
7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
As mentioned above, Jaws (1975) is my all-time favorite movie.
8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
That’s a tough one since there are so many people I’d love to work with, but if I had to pick one, it would be James Wan (the director of The Conjuring & Insidious). I really admire his approach to directing horror films.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Probably steak.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
I’m currently working on a new horror short film related to an amusement park (that’s all I can share for now, sorry!).
Half Past, 20min., USA Directed by Jonas Fryer A group of con artists learn the importance of trust during a heist where everything goes wrong.
Get to know the filmmaker:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
I’ve been fascinated by the concept of non-linear narratives ever since the first time I watched films like Memento and Pulp Fiction, but for the longest time I could not come up with a good story in which this non-chronological structure felt like the right way to tell it. Finally, after doing a lot of personal work on confronting my own fears as well as meeting an incredible group of creatives, suddenly the story and feasibility of making Half Past became clear.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I originally came up with the loose story idea last year, but the actual process from development to finishing took about 10 months.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Forward, backward
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
It was a tie between time and money. We only had four shoot days and a small budget to film the entire project, but thanks to the unbelievable dedication, guidance, positivity, and patience of every member of this film’s cast and crew we were able to deliver a final product that was better than I could have ever imagined. I am eternally grateful to each and every one of them.
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
Production is and will always be my favorite stage. There are certainly a lot of stressful moments on set as you’re battling the clock to get all the shots you want, but production is also the most collaborative stage of filmmaking with your cast and crew as well as being the time in the process where you can be way too silly and have too much fun in wild locations with some amazing people.
I also have a soft spot for post-production as putting the assembly cut together is when you can start to see what ideas your film is trying to explore with the audience.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Films and television shows and just visual storytelling in general are always what brought my family together. Whether it was watching Avatar: The Last Airbender with my brother growing up or watching The Walking Dead with my dad every Sunday night, home always felt the most like home when I was watching an amazing story with loved ones and so I knew that if I could help to share that experience with other families then I had a duty to do so.
7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
Growing up, I put on the DVD for the Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius movie almost every day for a couple of years (thank you for being patient with me Mom!). Besides that, I can probably quote the entirety of Back to the Future at this point.
8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
Honestly, I just want to work with my Half Past crew again (I apologize if that response is too cliché). In all seriousness, from talent to camera to sound to lighting to all the incredible PAs, they were some of the most talented, thoughtful, and kind-hearted people I’ve ever worked with. Working on this project was one of the special things I’ve ever done on this planet and it’s all because of them.
I would also love to work with David Fincher at some point and learn how he moves the camera so smoothly!
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
My experience has been quite positive so far! The ability to filter for the festivals that are best suited for your particular film ensures that your film has the best chance of getting in front of the audiences that want to see it.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Ravioli. Also can’t go wrong with a bagel and lox.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
Priority one for me now is finding that bagel and lox. After that, I’ll be continuing my post-production freelancing while developing a film or two…
The theme of my poem is the concept of manufactured beauty presented as something to be aspired to despite how dangerous it can be not only physically but emotionally to young girls and other consumers.
2) What motivated you to write this poem?
My motivation was my complicated relationship I had with my body and me deconstructing my love of Barbies growing up. I had them long past my childhood and preteen years. As I grew older, suddenly Barbies became adults as opposed to adults playing the role of teenagers. I was using Barbies to act out adult situations I saw on television and trying to make sense of it.
3) How long have you been writing poetry?
I have been writing poetry since I was about ten years old. Ten years old was the age I decided to become a writer, and soon I was writing objectively bad poetry on top of short stories.
4) If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
If I could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), it would be Anne Frank.
5) What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
Part of me feels like words are waiting not only for the right person to tell their story, but to do it justice. Having work performed is telling the story that is too big for just the page to contain it, and poetry has that power just as much as scripts for plays and films do.
6) Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
I have written short stories, published a novella, am currently writing my first full novel, and attempted to write scripts. While I wasn’t the best I writing scripts, I enjoy reading them and plays.
7) What is your passion in life?
My passion is to tell stories. I have a voice–dry, often depressing, yet still clinging to hope and the belief that people have goodness in them–that I plan on sharing with the world soon.
Loqua: Blade of the King is a medieval war novel that explores the life and experiences of Loqua, a warrior facing loyalty, power, and the cost of leadership in a world on the brink of war. He has crushed every foe in the name of peace as the empire’s bravest general and the king’s right hand. The empire rules the world, except for one last land. In the south, the Revolution stands strong, their warriors fierce and their defiance unbroken. To conquer them is to unite the globe under a single banner. To fail is to see the empire’s dream collapse. As Loqua leads the empire’s greatest war yet, he will forge unexpected friendships, face bitter enemies, and be forced to decide how far he is willing to go to finish what he began. Victory will bring lasting peace, while defeat will end everything he has fought for.
2. What genres would you say this story is in?
The story is a fantasy medieval war and adventure novel, with strong emotional conflict and a focus on the bonds between friends and those you care for. While it features large-scale battles and political stakes, at its heart it explores how loyalty, friendship, and personal choices shape Loqua’s journey.
3. How would you describe this story in two words?
I would describe the story in two words: Honor and Sacrifice. These words reflect the choices Loqua faces, the bonds he forms, and the cost of duty and loyalty throughout his journey.
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?
The movie I’ve seen the most in my life is The Lord of the Rings. I’ve watched it many times because I enjoy the epic story, the world, and the adventure.
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
One song I’ve listened to the most in my life is “Stan” by Eminem. I’ve always been drawn to the storytelling in the song and the way it conveys intense emotion.
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?
My all-time favorite novel is Joan of Arc by Mark Twain. I’ve always been drawn to the way it portrays conviction and courage, especially when a character is standing against overwhelming odds.
7. What motivated you to write this story?
I was motivated by my creativity and my desire to create a story that makes others feel emotion, whether that emotion is anger, sadness, or happiness. I wanted to create something that could make people feel real human emotion from a story I imagined and brought to life.
8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
I would choose to have dinner with Jesus. As a Catholic, I would love the opportunity to listen to His wisdom and ask questions, learning from His perspective and teachings.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Apart from writing, I’m very passionate about going to the gym and staying physically disciplined. I also enjoy playing video games in my free time.
10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?
I decided to enter my story to be performed because I want to get my book out there and eventually see it published. Having it performed is a great way to share the story, gain publicity, and connect with a wider audience.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
My advice to other writers is to keep going no matter how long it takes. Even when motivation fades or challenges arise, don’t stop and don’t give up. Finishing your story is what matters most.
Reach for the Stars, 22min., Australia Directed by Dylan Randall After her mother’s passing, young Madeline is struggling with coming to terms with her grief. One night, when a small spacecraft crashes in her backyard, she meets B3R1, a stranded visitor from the stars.
Reach For the Stars is a project that I hold very close to my heart, as the idea came after the passing of my Grandad, and how my family and I dealt with the grief that followed. This moment in my life motivated me to create something that could be a light-hearted, wonder-filled adventure but with emotional undertones that helps us explore the idea of how different people deal with loss, and how that can be overcome. He was always a supporter with my films, much like my entire family, and the way that a writer can use their own personal experiences to carve a story was something that drew me to finally creating a story that carried this weight. I was also motivated and inspired by the wonderful work of the ‘Industrial Light and Magic’ studio and the puppets created for the original Star Wars, and I began to wonder how I could incorporate these techniques into my story. As soon as I knew I wanted to incorporate a robot, learning everything about how they used to do it became my everyday reading. Because I believe that stories are the windows to a world far beyond our reach, I wanted bring a shared experience of so many people to life with something that could not be tangible in our day to day life. This bridged the gap between reality and the wonderful make-believe and B3R1 acts as the emotional bridge for our audience to connect them to this story and to act as a sense of hope that people may need.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
The original idea formed in April of 2024, but I had other projects in production around then and I hadn’t fully finished the script yet. I then pushed back the completion of the script until Feb 2025 and from the moment I finished the script, I already had a cast picked out without even asking them. Pre-Production on the robot started in March as he was quite particular to build and needed all the time to make adjustments, do visual tests etc. Then we started Principle Photography in July and it took 5 shoot days in total. PostProduction took around 2 months, as it was mostly VFX work on the robot until our completion in September. In this time we also live recorded a majority of our score with the help of our composer, Lizzie, and some amazing musicians.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Wonder and Wholesome
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
B3R1, The Robot. He was a little tricky to get right. From the beginning of the filming process, I knew he was going to be a physical robot which was then digitally enhanced in post. It wasn’t until his creation began that I realised, due to his scale, and my lack of robotics knowledge, he was going to be a very basic shell, which would then be brought to life. I completed a VFX test which included using eye tracking on After Effects which was parented to his cartoon eyes so that the actor could do a physical performance which I could translate to digital movement. It looked good but it was not great. We jumped straight into production and I was still figuring him out, so we shot the actress first, and then moved onto B. Initially it was stopmotion, which we tried, and ultimately failed for the shots I was trying to create. He didn’t feel alive and it felt so disconnected. We scrapped the stop-motion 3 days into shooting, and we pulled out the fishing wire and off we went, B3R1 finally felt alive. It was a combination of our amazing puppeteer Daniel, and the help of the crew for more complex shots, which brought him to life, and in the end made B3R1 the easiest part of the shoot. The haze and fog machine was our real enemy.
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. PostProduction. Distribution.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
My favourite stage is a big tie between the Production stage and Post-Production stage. For my films, I include a lot of visual trickery that sometimes you cannot picture or see on set during production. For production, I love watching my stories come to life through peoples interpretations, watching scenes blend together and see the images I’ve had in my mind for months, finally fall in-front of my eyes. It is an honour to be able to be trusted by your closest friends to tell some of the most heartwarming to most crazy stories you’ve written. Post-Production is so much fun, as I have been a wiz at VFX for a long time, and every film I try something new, and even sometimes try a new form of art to include in my film. Reach for the Stars included many hand drawn animations, which was a first for me, and then my skills in AE come into affect when I had to bring these drawings to life in the film. Every creative process of the filmmaking journey is an incredibly fun one, and these are only two highlights of what makes film so special to me.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
For as long as I can remember. I can’t actually put my finger on the exact moment, but my father brought me up on all the old 80s films and I can just remember always wanting to try recreate every moment I saw. The Delorean disappearing in BTTF, the TARDIS in Dr Who, Gremlins, ET, Jaws, Indiana Jones. I could name every film that I have watched and wanted to try and recreate. Ever since then, every school project I tried to make it a film, every film I have made has been fun, trying something new each different time and learning something from the last. It’s been a blast and will continue to be a blast!
7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
Definitely Back to the Future!
8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
Honestly it would be to work under/work with Steven Spielberg or Christopher Nolan. Those two directors have shaped my filmmaking and just every film they have made is amazing. I am a Sci-Fi buff, so its to be said that these two had something to do with that!
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
I haven’t submitted a film since my feature I made in 2022, and it has been alright this time. I have had a few mixups with the larger more country hoping festivals where my film hasn’t uploaded so I missed the festival etc, but all round, this time has been great, and I have been able to be apart of so many amazing festivals around the world and the opportunity to show the team and I’s craftsmanship in filmmaking.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Can’t go wrong with Steak and Chips!
11. What is next for you? A new film?
Yes! A brand new film is currently in Principle Photography. After the adventures of using puppetry in Reach for the Stars, I thought I would extend my play and try building and creating my own set of puppets, to braces the high seas! It is coming along great and it is currently extremely fun to be shooting, the edit of this film is going to be very intense however super rewarding. There is nothing like trying your hand at something new and learning something along the way. I can’t spoil too much, but the adventures across the high seas are just getting started.
Feet Don’t Fail Me Now, 7min., USA Directed by Fuzhi Zhao The sun will erase your memory. If you don’t want to become nobody, you have to keep running.
Get to know the filmmaker:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
Part of this idea stemmed from the fear of the unknown, which is deeply embedded in human nature. We are scared of what we don’t know. The universe is so vast that it might not have a limit, and the ocean is so expansive that we only know a tiny portion of it, and nobody can tell you what death is like. There are countless things in the world that work this way. Just like us, my protagonist Noe can’t stop running away from “the Sun,” something that everybody on the planet fears because it will erase your memory quicker than death. Noe embraces the experience at the end, because she is small and the universe has more power over her. She can never outrun her fate. With acceptance comes peace and new experiences; she has never seen anything quite as strange and beautiful as “the Sun.”
Noe believes “the Sun” will be the end of everything for her. Is it actually true? The other half of the story is also my feelings about these “learned truths,” the things we are told to do or not to do, and if these “truths” serve a function. Noe’s stopping to look at “the Sun” is also her act of defiance.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I’ve had this idea for a few years. After revisiting this concept, it took me about three months, from the first draft to the edits, to make this film.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Dystopian haiku?
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Everything felt kinda stressful at the time, but now I think about it, it’s really not that bad. I guess one thing is communication. Coming from an animation background, I didn’t have much experience collaborating with a bunch of people. Talking to people about what’s in my head is still something I am practicing.
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
I love development because that’s where I can get crazy with my ideas, I can write stories and see them in my head, and then I wish other people could see it as I do. And then there is production, where I get to see the story slowly coming alive. It’s also chaotic in a way that requires you to come up with a solution on the spot when you have a problem, and I find some of the interesting things I’ve done are like that.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I’ve always been into drawings, and at some point in high school, I thought that it’d be cool if the drawings moved. And then I realized that behind the scenes of movies is not at all what we see as the audience. And that I can construct different realities than the one I know.
7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
Her by Spike Jonze
8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
Yuasa Masaaki
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
The festival platform site is easy to navigate.
10. What is next for you? A new film?
I’m working on a new project right now. It’s a retro-futuristic sci-fi about a scientist named Tommy trying to fix his ill Mother, who despises him.
1. What motivated you to make this film? – I had produced a few features prior to this, and figured it was time to try my hand at directing one of them. I knew it would be low budget—lower than most projects I had produced up to that point—so wanted to think of something contained and unique. SHIFT was born pretty quickly into that process: one room, security monitors, a potential murder. The rest of the world was colored in after that simple premise rose to the top.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film? – It took about two and half years. From script to screen, only about a year, but post we took our time. I think more independent films should take their time in post-production. Almost no one is really asking for it, so there’s no pressure to rush the film except for the pressure you put on yourself.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!? Hitchcock In-Skinny-Jeans.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film? – The security monitors! Everything on the monitors is practical—we used no screen replacement or VFX to create the effect. We shot the movie twice: silently with the monitors, cut those scenes together, and then played them back live in the room for the actors to react to on set. It was a real song and dance of piecing those together well enough to sell the action when actors leave the room and appear on the monitors. It works really well, almost too well, because no one asks about them and assume it’s really happening. But that was not the case!
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution. What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process? Post-Production. Everything up until that point is just potential. It’s when you really start to craft the film in post-production that get to write it one last time and adjust your story.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films? – Grade school. My parents took me to the movies to keep me quiet, I think, and from there I always wanted to learn how to make my own. And am now doing so.
7. What film have you seen the most times in your life? Starship Troopers and Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film? – Martin McDonagh.
9. Besides movie-making, what else are you passionate about? Reading and Magic: the Gathering.
10. What is your favorite meal? – Mexican.
11. What is next for you? A new film? – I’m primarily producing these days, with the occasional short thrown in. Directing another feature will manifest sometime in the future, but right now producing is where I’m focused.
Moving mandala what I started with a simple circle . I was interested what are the possibilites of such simple basic programme as Windows paint . First picture I named Q by case ,subconsciously or * upconsciously* ,later found in literature that Q is letter Qof in Jewish alphabet ,represent the Sun ,number 19 in Tarot .
What begins as a single yellow dot at the center of the frame slowly expands into a living mandala, growing piece by piece through color, symmetry, and repetition.
The film leans into asking what can be made from simplicity, and answering by building shapes and colors into movement. Yellow gives way to green, then to hot pink and purple, each color introduced as a new layer of thought. Shapes begin to stack, forming patterns that feel less like a kaleidoscope and more like a system building itself in real time.
The title Q carries a quiet weight. Echoing the letter “Qof” from the Hebrew alphabet, often tied to the sun and symbolic cycles. That connection reframes the piece, turning the mandala into something more than visual play. It becomes a kind of orbit, a slow meditation on repetition, energy, and transformation.
The electronic synth score grounds the experience in a distinctly 90s digital texture, matching the raw, Microsoft Paint-based aesthetic. It feels nostalgic without being ironic, embracing the visual language of early desktop art.
As the mandala evolves, it doesn’t just expand, it shifts. Mandalas open like doors, giving way to new configurations, new centers. Nothing stays fixed for long. Even the structure itself feels temporary, always on the verge of becoming something else. The final transition into a full red screen, pierced by a forming yellow beam, lands like both an ending and a reset, a return to origin with the memory of everything that came before.
Q 1 is a hypnotic synth in creation. It watches something come into being, not all at once, but gradually over time. Where color and shape carry meaning without ever needing to explain it.
At the outset of this gripping short, When Fighting Monsters, there is an astute onscreen quote of warning by Nietzsche – – to paraphrase, when attempts are made to fight evil, unjust deeds, you must to be careful that the darkness of revenge does not take you over, so much so that you are eventually just as corrupt as the original perpetrators. The actor playing the central figure convincingly portrays a character who falls into this dangerous psychological trap.
The screenplay makes use of pointed dialogue between characters where subtext is king. What is left unsaid is even more powerful than what is said, as the story unfolds. The main character attempts to control the narrative of innocence, but things start to close in on him.
Much of the film is engulfed in darkness, both physically and psychologically, with disconcerting nighttime scenes and emotional moments riddled by bitterness and anger. Swirling, eerie music and rhythms frame the highly dramatic moments. The warning off the top is prophetic, as revenge and madness come together with tragic results.
Festival Reviews 