Two intertwined stories of cause, and effect. A story highlighting the deep-rooted issues of silence, complicity, negligence, and unchecked cruelty that lead to a vicious cycle of violence doomed to repeat itself.
Get to know Producer Mark Hulsewe:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
I am tired of witnessing endless school shootings with leaders and politicians not acknowledging why this is happening. Kids and teenagers brutally humiliate and abuse each other with it being dismissed as kids being kids or boys will be boys.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Five years
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Inconvenient truth
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Finding a school that would allow us to replicate a shooting on property
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
Right now seeking distribution because I am seeing the impact it has having on audiences.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
When Covid shut the world down
7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
Inception
8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
Selena Gomez due to her stance on mental health advocacy
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Positive
10. What is your favorite meal?
Baked potato soup
11. What is next for you? A new film?
Turning this short into a feature or TV series. Also creating a documentary exposing Columbine High School for it’s brutal environment that created the conditions for the most infamous school shooting in history.
A delightful blend of adventure and emotional depth, reminiscent of films like “Finding Nemo,” where the bond between characters drives the narrative through perilous waters. I thought of “The Shape of Water” as well, with its unique exploration of relationships between humans and extraordinary creatures, creating a sense of wonder and connection. Additionally, “A Monster Calls” came to mind, as it beautifully intertwines fantastical elements
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
The screenplay is about Gilly, a decades old, extremely intelligent Giant Pacific Octopus who lives in the Mermaid’s Cave in Oahu where she has been gifted an information hub by her marine biologist friend. As time passes, Gilly enhances her ability to shape shift and learns how to communicate. In present day, she saves a government agent who is drowning in the ocean. Their relationship is at the center of the character driven story which unfolds like a chaotic, humorous, fast paced rollercoaster. It climaxes with Gilly and her new found friends saving the Arizona Memorial from attack from North Korea’s marine biology program.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
My story fits the following genres: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Thriller, Comedy, with slight traces of Horror. It is suitable for all ages. It can be animated, use live actors, or be a combination of both.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
I have received extremely positive feedback from multiple industry evaluators. I will use the review by the International Screenwriters’ Association to answer this question. “The project presents a distinctive blend of science fiction and emotional drama, anchored by the unlikely relationship between Slip, a disillusioned former agent, and an intelligent, shapeshifting octopus named Gilly. Their connection provides both the narrative’s emotional center and its conceptual novelty, exploring trust, survival, and empathy in an unconventional yet interesting context.
The tone operates in a deliberately hybrid register, merging high-concept science fiction with a light, often self-aware humor. In its best moments, this tonal elasticity creates a sense of discovery and curiosity, it allows for levity in scenes that might otherwise risk melodrama. The concept itself, an intelligent, shapeshifting octopus that engages with humanity, is imaginative and commercially distinctive, particularly in a cinematic landscape with familiar properties. What makes it notable is not simply its novelty but its potential for visual and tonal contrast, the serene oceanic imagery juxtaposed with covert operations, and the organic intelligence of a sea creature contrasted with human technology.
Overall, this screenplay’s originality and emotional core position it as a distinctive and engaging piece with strong cinematic potential.”
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Summer Blockbuster.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Three Amigos or Jesus Christ Superstar.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I began in the fall of 2024 and have made some changes based on feedback that has strengthened my product in the areas of formatting, character depth and a more complete and satisfying ending, the last of which I just recently included. I visited Hawaii in December of 2024 to help me with creativity and authenticity. In late December, I completed and copyrighted my screenplay.
7. How many stories have you written?
In university, I wrote two plays, I Meet My Creator and The Man Who Hated Everything, both comedies, both sellouts. The Man Who hated Everything received an award for best play. Over the past five years, I have written The Octopus’s Garden and The Dreamcatcher of Rehoboth Beach, a character driven historical fantasy. Both are in screenplay and novel format. The Dreamcatcher was number 3 in Fantasy on Coverfly’s Red List in October of 2022.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I watched My Octopus Teacher and a National Geographic documentary on octopuses. I then imagined an octopus who is decades old and highly intelligent. My original concept was to write a horror screenplay based on a scene where the octopus visits a sushi bar and destroys the place after seeing octopus sushi being served. I was telling my golf friends about the idea since they loved The Dreamcatcher, and they sent me some pictures that motivated the characters Slip and Admiral Hess. The picture of Admiral Hess changed my approach to a fast-paced comedy. Adding a baby to the sushi scene and a bug riddled robot dog provided tools for comedic moments. I also wanted to leverage some of Leo Gorcey’s, aka Slip Mahoney’s, creative use of language, which I instilled in Alana. There are other references to comedies of the past scattered through. That is how I settled on the name Gilly. I made her clumsy enough to earn that name. It is funny and warm that she loves those old comedy shows.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Proof reading is hard work.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I like nature, golf, sports, delicious food and trying to find the humor in everything.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
. I enjoyed the YouTube reading and would like to explore that some more, perhaps picking a more robust scene and developing a visual for Gilly.
When a troubled teen’s wish to make everyone disappear comes true, she risks losing them permanently and must rely on an unlikely ally to save her town – the school bully.
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
It’s about a teenage girl who gets bullied at school and is in a very dark place at the beginning of the story. She gets in a fight with her mother and in the heat of the moment, she wishes everyone would disappear. Little does she know that her wish instantly becomes true. She has to navigate through her new world and come to terms with herself and the other people in her life before she can move on.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
coming of age, fantasy, drama
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
I think a lot of young people can relate to the feelings of isolationism, grief, and trauma early in life that this movie presents. The lead character also deals with a lot of loneliness. Sometimes that loneliness is desired and wanted and sometimes it makes her wish for someone to be with her. It shows that our feelings are changing on a daily basis and don’t evolve in a neat linear pattern. I think ultimately what this movie expresses is that having these feelings is normal and takes time to sort out. Hope is around the corner even in our darkest hour.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
resilience, perseverance
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
In recent history, I’ve seen “Whiplash” the most. It’s a master class in the writing and performing of an antagonist who is dynamic and rich in character. And the way that the protagonist meets the moment at the end of the movie is chef’s kiss.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I’ve been working on it since the end of June 2025
7. How many stories have you written?
Besides this one, I’ve written a TV pilot for a sci-fi medical comedy, I’ve also written a couple horror features, and I just finished a Christmas rom com feature that I hope to either sell or produce one day.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
For me, this story represents the feelings of being lonely and isolated when you’re surrounded by lots of people. It’s about the duality of wanting to be alone and wishing you weren’t so isolated from others. That’s something I’ve felt a lot when I was at college away from home. I didn’t go through the same traumas and loss as the protagonist, but the feelings were very similar.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
I think writing in the tone of a younger generation was a challenge. I haven’t been a teenager for quite some time, so writing like one is not easy. Also, I don’t want to get caught up in the latest lingo because when that lingo goes out of style, so too will my dialogue become dated.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I’ve recently got into improv acting and I absolutely love it. I’ve been fortunate to meet a lot of people who are passionate about it. I used to act in plays as a teen, but I find improv to be very unique and different than scripted acting. I’m sharing a moment with someone else on stage that I will never replicate again, and I find that to be very special. And if I’m not performing well, I have someone else with me who can help me out. And if we both don’t do well, then maybe we can laugh about it afterwards. No matter anyone’s skill level, you can always find something to enjoy when you’re doing improv.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I just liked the ability to have a professional recording of one of my scenes. I think the feedback was helpful and I appreciate it.
Inspired by the Great Fire of Chicago 1871 following the investigation of Mrs O’Leary, a woman the newspapers blamed for starting the fire that spread all the way to Lincoln Park.
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
My screenplay is about Catherine O’Leary, the Irish milkmaid unjustly accused of starting Chicago’s “Great Fire” of 1871. As she fights to clear her name, she discovers the true culprit of the fire and faces an agonizing choice.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Historical fiction; thriller.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
“Mrs. O’Leary” should be made into a movie because it’s about a 19th-century “cancel culture” that 21st-century audiences would recognize. The story transcends region and period. “Mrs. O’Leary” is set 155 years ago, and yet the Chicago world of 1871 isn’t so diffrent from our own — a world where vulnerable people are “othered” due to their homeland or accent and where they can wither under stronger forces that are determined to cast blame for a social problem.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Hot Time.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
“It’s A Wonderful Life”
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Shy of a year.
7. How many stories have you written?
About 20; features, pilots, and shorts.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
Over the phone in early 2025, my mother read a brief selection about Catherine O’Leary in a book about “bad days in history” (Oct. 8, 1871, real bad day in Chicago). Without sounding too dramatic, my imagination ignited immediately, and I saw Mrs. O’Leary as a cinematic protagonist. I saw drama: a woman who suffers through no fault of her own. As I researched and then reimagined her story, I added a thriller element: Mrs. O’Leary didn’t start the fire… but somebody did! In my screenplay, I give Catherine O’Leary voice that she never had in life.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
I faced the challenge of sifting through volumes of contemporary and modern texts about Mrs. O’Leary, and the fire, to locate gems that I would use for a 100-page script.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Animal welfare. My cat.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I was influenced to enter because the festival offered feedback and then a promotional best-scene video. The feedback I received for “Mrs. O’Leary” was excellent: specific and actionable. The promotional best-scene video is terrific, a compelling read by talented voiceover actors against a backdrop of visually engaging graphics.
A single mother and her teenage daughter living on the south shore of Long Island. Fighting each other to be seen. Living in the conflict of oppression and dominance. Both fighting to win, both will end up losing.
This 30 minute dramatic television pilot explores the dysfunctionality between families and the unhealthy cycle of narcissistic abuse which can cause psychopathy. It follows Danielle, portrayed by April Audia, a single mother raising her teenage daughter Melody, portrayed by Chelsea Mart, on the south shore of Long Island, New York.
Writers and directors, Cat Torres and April Audia give us an inside look into several interpersonally unhealthy relationships and the difficulty it is to navigate them. The concept for this pilot is a strong one but it is also a slippery slope when dealing with these issues not to take things too far. You want to be able to empathize with these characters and I really wish there was a “save the cat” moment to be able to do that. I have to admit, April Audia not only did a wonderful job acting but she also has a great singing voice. She was the lead vocalist on the opening song with music written by Michael Haddad. Michelle Debellis who portrays Hailey also had a very organic, believable presence on camera.
Cinematographer Danilo Hernandez gave us a gorgeous TV pilot, with several creative camera angles and stellar lighting. Sound wise, I really wish the filmmakers recorded the priest’s voice over in the same room as the actors to have everything consistent. The original music for this was chosen exceedingly well, Daniel Barrera and Michael Haddad did a wonderful job on that.
Of all people exotic dancers understand money can’t buy happiness. So where does it come from? This question sets Robin on a personal journey that takes her deep inside her desires and across the country; encountering hurricanes and personal loss of people she thought were just clients and coworkers. These events cause her to accept some hard truths not only about herself, but also about her industry.
Get to know the filmmaker:
What motivated you to make this film?
This story needed to be told to help remove the stigma from exotic dancing. Not everyone who dances is doing it as a side hustle to prostitution or to scam men out of thousands of dollars. We are performers in every sense of the word; we are here to entertain people in our magical world where problems and inhibitions are left at the door. Strippers are perfectly capable sales professionals who capitalize on gender roles while exploiting society’s natural appetite for the female body and attention. Because of our job we are comfortable with nakedness and naturally shy away from honesty for the safety of ourselves and our families. This is out of the norm and incredibly intriguing to the outsiders, therefore my goal was to bring in outsiders and help them understand exotic dancers because I feel that if we all just took the time to listen to one another we would be able to grow closer and stronger.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I started pre-production in May of 2020 and finished post-production June of 2025; 5 years and 1 month.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Unhinged….Raw
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
I might be my biggest obstacle. Being a post production crew of 1 there was no one to be accountable to, no one was waiting on me to finish my part so they could do theirs. No investors asking for an update or pressuring me to provide a return on their investment. There was just me and the commitment I made to myself that everyday I’d do something to progress my film forward, one step everyday toward my goal.
Harry Roseman has produced a number of major commissioned public sculptures. His “Subway Wall” sculpture is displayed at the Wall Street subway station in New York City. And “Curtain Wall”, his 600 feet sculpture is displayed at the JFK airport in NYC (if you’ve been to this airport, you’ve seen this sculpture.)
Now entering his 80s, Harry is dabbling into filmmaking and he is filming his everyday errands and turning it into art.
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.
Former wrestler, turned writer/director Marcus Nel-Jamal Hamm, talks about this journey from working on the Independent festival circuit in the early 2000s with John Cena and Randy Orton, when Rocky Johnson (Dwayne’s dad) was their coach. He remembers Rocky taking him aside and saying that he’s only be a B player wrestler because he’s only 6’1 and is too small.
He then talks about how the WWE will NEVER unionize.
Triggered 2.0, 22min,. USA
Directed by Mario Ricardo Rodriguez, Marcus Nel-Jamal Hamm
A diabolical madman known as The Director 2.0, with a vendetta against Wolverine, plots a way to take his powers and use him as a distraction as he enacts his ultimate means of destroying all superpowered beings, by pitting him against his one ally, Blade, in a fight to the death. Lucas Bishop must find a way to break free of his control so he can save his friends and the rest of humanity.
Conversation with award-winning screenwriter Roberto Roy Nylund (BLOOD RED), about the film he’s watched the most times in his life: CADDYSHACK
The film really has a great behind-the-scenes story to tell, as director Harold Ramis completely changed the original screenplay setup in post-production and remade the film with the footage he had. Remakable.
Summary: Researching transfusion therapy on different blood groups, something goes completely wrong when the test subjects start mutating and transforming into Zombie like creatures.
Get to know the writer:
What is your screenplay about?
A day in the life of a biotech firm takes center stage in Blood Red as we travel from floor to floor, department to department, meeting the teams that comprise Edgewater Laboratories and their sometimes adversarial motivations.
Edgewater’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Ruby Beck, is the inventor of a synthetic blood she’s named Ichor for the mythical golden fluid that ran in the veins of the gods. Ruby explains to an audience of investors gathered at the company’s headquarters that every two seconds, someone needs blood due to injury or disease.
Imagine a limitless supply of healthy blood in every hospital, school, military unit, and remote location. No more relying on donations. No more chance of contamination. No more delays in supply or delivery.
Three floors below, eight patients are halfway through the final trials of Ichor in the aftermath of a violent protest against the ethics of artificial blood that has put the entire company on edge. But today, something is different. Sabotage of the Ichor infusion is affecting each patient differently with horrifying results.
The day begins with routine patient observation and nerves around hosting the company’s first investor conference before spiraling out of control as we root for Ruby, fighting for her life from floor to floor while trying to unwind the conspiracy threatening her creation.
Ruby must reconcile if her creation is the pinnacle of healthcare or a threat to humanity.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Horror / Thriller
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Horror remains one of the few genres that’s arguably still best experienced in the theater with a crowd to share in the frights, jump scares, and wild reactions to what’s on the screen. Safety in numbers!
An old man crosses the boundless Kazakh steppe, driving alone. Haunted by memories of a lost love, he stops by Bartogay Lake, flowers in hand. But as he tries to step out, his car door refuses to open, trapping him between past and present.
1. What motivated you to make this film? It was made from opportunity, I was in Kazakhstan for another project and seeing the country I couldn’t miss this chance.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film? Scattered 5 weeks 2 weeks for the script 1 day of filming 1 week of editing 1 week of music 2 days of color grading 2 days of VFX 1 day of master and finalisation
3. How would you describe your film in two words!? Melancholic hope
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film? Actually none, for once everything was smooth and all stars were aligned.
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution. I hate Prepro 100% I feel happy when filming and in post-production.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process? Color Grading
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films? Since I was a kid and my father had this big VHS camera. Loved to use it and edit with two VCR players
7. What film have you seen the most times in your life? So many I love martial arts movie so sorry for the not indie list 😀 Yes, Madam Bloodsport Armour of God II ( Jackie Chan ) The intouchable Home Alone Gremlins
8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film? As a dop – Roger Deakins as an actress – Keke Palmer, Angela Bassett as an actor – Jackie Chan, Alex Lawther as a production company – A24
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site? It’s easy but there’s so many fake festival than it takes hardwork to submit to the right one
10. What is your favorite meal? Plain pasta with butter and cheese Entrecôte with french fries and a massive bowl of ramen from Tsujita
11. What is next for you? A new film? 2 years ago I answered that I had a documentary about dance and a tv series Well the documentary is almost over I have another one filming and writing the tv series as we speak !
Festival Reviews 