A 14-year-old girl with an experimental neural implant can access the entirety of human knowledge with her mind, but every ‘download’ costs her a piece of her past. While hiding in plain sight from the shadowy corporation that created her, she must decide how much of herself she is willing to forget to save the people she loves.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Shawn Devlin
Allie; Hannah Ehman
Greg: Sean Ballantyne
Leigh: Val Cole

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?
The Memory Tax is about a 14-year-old girl named Allie Gordon who has an experimental neural implant that allows her to access the entirety of human knowledge directly through her mind. But every time she uses that ability, she pays a price: she loses a piece of her own memory.

At its heart, the story is about a teenage girl who can know almost anything except how much of herself she is losing. While she and her mother try to hide from the corporation that created the implant, Allie is forced to decide whether saving the people around her is worth sacrificing pieces of her own past. The pilot’s logline captures that central dilemma: Allie can access all human knowledge, but every “download” costs her part of her past.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
The script falls under science fiction drama, fantasy/sci-fi thriller, and coming-of-age suspense.

It also has elements of medical sci-fi, corporate conspiracy, family drama, and young adult psychological drama. The science fiction concept drives the story, but the emotional core is very human: memory, identity, adolescence, sacrifice, and the fear of becoming something other than yourself.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
I would clarify that The Memory Tax is actually written as a one-hour television pilot, although I believe the concept is cinematic enough to work in a visual medium.

It should be produced because it has a strong, immediately understandable science-fiction hook with deep emotional consequences. The central idea involves a teenage girl who can access unlimited knowledge but loses her memories every time she does is both high-concept and character-driven.

The story also speaks to modern anxieties about technology, identity, artificial intelligence, medical ethics, corporate ownership, and the cost of constant access to information. But instead of telling that story through machines or institutions alone, it filters everything through a vulnerable teenage girl who simply wants to live a normal life.

That gives the project both genre appeal and emotional accessibility.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Costly knowledge.

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
E.T. is one of the films I’ve returned to the most. I’ve always admired how it takes a science-fiction premise and grounds it in childhood, loneliness, friendship, and family. That is something I tried to bring into The Memory Tax. The genre concept matters, but the emotional experience of the child at the center matters even more.

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I have been working on The Memory Tax for the past few months through multiple drafts and revisions.

The script began with the central concept of a girl who could access unlimited knowledge, but it evolved into something more emotional and character-driven once I focused on the price she pays for that gift. The more I worked on it, the more the story became about memory, identity, family, and the danger of treating a child like a piece of technology.

7. How many stories have you written?
I have written three television pilots, including The Memory Tax, Chameleon, and The Holmes Enigma.

My writing often explores ordinary people placed under extraordinary pressure, especially when larger systems like legal, technological, institutional, or corporate collide with personal identity and moral choice.

8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I was motivated by the question: What if unlimited knowledge came at the cost of personal memory?

That idea immediately felt emotional to me. We live in a world where information is constantly available, but I wanted to push that idea into a more personal and dangerous place. For Allie, knowledge is not just power. It is a temptation. It can save someone’s life, solve a problem, or expose the truth, but every time she uses it, she risks losing part of who she is.

I was also drawn to the mother-daughter relationship. Leigh is not simply trying to control Allie; she is trying to protect her from a gift that is also destroying her. That emotional tension became one of the main reasons I wanted to tell the story.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
The biggest obstacle was balancing the science-fiction concept with the emotional reality of a teenage girl’s life.

It would have been easy to make the story only about the technology, the implant, or the corporation behind it. But the script became stronger when I focused on Allie as a child trying to fit in, make friends, protect people, and understand why being extraordinary feels so lonely.

Another challenge was making the “memory tax” feel personal and painful. The audience needed to understand that Allie is not just suffering headaches or technical side effects. She is losing parts of her childhood, her relationships, and her sense of self.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Apart from writing, I am passionate about law, public service, community involvement, and stories that examine how people respond when systems fail them.

My legal background has shaped the way I think about power, responsibility, evidence, institutions, and moral consequences. I am also deeply involved in my local community, which has given me a strong appreciation for families, small-town dynamics, and the quiet pressures people carry beneath the surface.

Those interests often find their way into my writing.

11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I entered the Fantasy Sci-Fi Festival because The Memory Tax felt like a strong fit for a festival that recognizes genre stories with imagination, emotional stakes, and speculative ideas.

The script is science fiction, but it is also about a young girl trying to survive the consequences of something adults created. That combination of high-concept storytelling and emotional drama seemed well suited for a fantasy/sci-fi audience.

The initial feedback was meaningful because it showed that the concept was connecting. At the same time, I took the constructive notes seriously. Feedback is valuable when it helps you see where the script can become clearer, sharper, and more emotionally powerful. I used that process to continue refining Allie’s journey, the rules of the implant, and the emotional cost of each choice she makes.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Sean Ballantyne
Spike: Geoff Mays
Andrei: Shawn Devlin
Nadine: Elizabeth Rose Morriss

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?
A professionally trained chef stuck in a dead-end diner job gets a shot at culinary stardom when he’s chosen as a wildcard contestant in a prestigious fine dining competition. As he rises through the ranks, he must confront his self-doubt and the truth he’s been hiding about where he comes from.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Drama, with elements of comedy and ensemble-driven storytelling.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
It fits in a space that is currently underserved. Character-driven, mid-budget stories with a clear hook.

The culinary competition world provides a built-in engine and audience familiarity, while the execution focuses on grounded, performance-driven storytelling. It is contained enough to be produced efficiently, while still offering scale through the competition setting.

It also offers strong ensemble roles, which creates multiple opportunities from a casting standpoint. From a business perspective, it is the kind of film that can travel well across festivals, streaming platforms, and word-of-mouth audiences who connect with character-first storytelling.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Earned belonging.

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
It is probably a tossup between Sister Act and Beauty & the Beast. Sister Act is a film I grew up revisiting, and it balances comedy, character, and transformation in a way that still holds up. It commits fully to its premise, and that is something I really respect as a storyteller. B&B is just a goldmine as far as narrative storytelling, moving music and sweeping visuals. I can’t get enough of that film.

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
This version of the script came together over the past year, but the idea itself has been with me much longer. It evolved as I refined the tone and focused on what the story actually needed.

7. How many stories have you written?
This is my first feature-length screenplay, and I am currently developing two additional feature ideas. Most of my previous work has been in filmmaking, so this project represents a shift into long-form narrative writing.

8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
It came from a personal place. I connected with the feeling of having the training and the passion, but still questioning whether you belong in bigger spaces. Writing this was a way to explore that mindset in an honest and grounded way.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Finding the right writing style for the story.

I spent a lot of time studying scripts I admire, especially how they handle pacing and structure. At one point I was trying to mirror those styles too closely. The breakthrough came when I focused on applying those techniques without losing my own voice. Once that clicked, the script became much more consistent.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Filmmaking. I run a production company and create documentary and narrative-driven video work, often for nonprofits and organizations. Storytelling through film is really where everything connects for me.

11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I entered to see how the script would resonate outside of my own circle.

The feedback was encouraging, especially in how it recognized the ensemble and the tone of the story. It also reinforced areas I have been actively refining, which made it feel like I am on the right track.

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?
When Lizzie Franks, a gorgeous African-American paraplegic, is fired from her job at a company she helped start and her fiance dumps her, she joins The Iron Maiden, a women-only gym to find a reason to go on. But Brandon Wickie, the brilliant, ultra-wealthy owner of the gym kidnaps her. He uses a unique nannite technology he’s invented to assemble his ideal mate from the body parts of women bodybuilders he kidnaps from his gym and he attaches Lizzie’s head to his creation. Meanwhile, Mathew Tran, a Chicago detective, is hot on Brandon’s trail as he tries to discover who has been kidnapping women bodybuilders and who killed George Johnson, the husband of one of the women and also a Chicago Detective. The movie culminates in a fight to the death between Lizzie and Brandon, both of whom have super-human strength and healing powers due to the nannites in their veins. Lizzie, in her unfamiliar body, must find a new inner strength and push herself beyond her limits to save herself and Detective Tran.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Horror/thriller

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
The simplest answer is because it will be a money-maker if it’s done right. It can be made as a low-budget horror film, which are extremely popular worldwide. It can also be produced as a high budget superhero origin story with A-list actors such as Zandaya as Lizzy Franks and Michael Cera as Brandon Wickie. It could also be the first in a series of movies following Lizzie’s adventures, it could be turned into one or a series of graphic novels, and it would make a great animated film or series.

In addition, it has a multi-racial cast of quirky characters, its heroine is uniquely different from any other superhero or female movie lead, the world of female bodybuilding is an unusual environment, and it combines humor with mystery, intense action and a bit of grisly horror, so it will keep an audience emotionally engaged and guessing about what comes next.

Finally, it explores important topics such as the danger of tech-bros with too much money (looking at you, Bezos and Musk), the dangers and benefits of AI-based technology, and female empowerment, so it’s more engaging than if it were just a whiz-bang popcorn movie.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Unique thrillride

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Impossible to narrow it to just one. My favorite genres are science fiction and horror, and I’ve watched hundreds of those.

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Over 5 years.

7. How many stories have you written?
Hundreds

8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
It wasn’t any one thing, no big aha moment. It evolved out of the idea of how advances in AI and biology will make it possible in the not very distant future for humans and machines to become physically and mentally intertwined. I then wondered how an extreme change in body image would affect someone psychologically, especially if the change occurred suddenly and against the person’s will, as it does with Lizzie. The success of movies like The Substance indicates I’m not the only one who finds that idea fascinating.

I think Lizzie came about because I wanted a protagonist who is facing as many obstacles as possible. Disgracefully, in our society black women have the most difficulty socially and economically of all major population groups, so I made Lizzie black. But I also wanted to explore how her physical identity would affect her behavior, which is why I made her a physically weak paraplegic who ends up with an extraordinarily powerful body.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
I’m still facing them. Are the characters complex and interesting enough? Do they each have their own unique voice? Does each scene compel the audience to want to know what comes next? Will an audience be satisfied with the ending? Will A-list actors want to live as my characters, say their words, feel their feelings, face their challenges?

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I’ve been a professional actor all my life, so I love good movies, such as Interstellar, TV series such as Your Friends and Neighbors and plays, including anything by Tom Stoppard. I’m a musician and play fiddle, mandolin and guitar. I love drinking a little wine and jamming with my pals. And I’m an avid golfer. I love walking the course on a beautiful summer day with my golf buddies.

11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
This festival is a perfect fit for The Body Builder, so it was a no-brainer to enter. I’m very pleased that I’ll get to be part of your podcast and that you’re seriously considering my work for recognition.

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?

In 1947 a 19-year-old female genius is rejected for every job she applies to.

She gets recruited into a covert military program working alongside peaceful alien refugees.

When a test flight goes wrong, she’s the only one who can save the two men, including the one who spent months harassing her.

She learns the hard way that in order to get respect, she first has to give it.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Soft Sci-Fi and Drama.

The alien and technology are just the hooks.

It’s really about the characters.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

I like to see the underdog succeed.

Mary is the smartest but has very few social skills.

She is hated by her professors who wouldn’t write favorable reference letters.

No one would hire her, until the army looks for smart people who are overlooked.

When she meets the aliens, she finds people who understand her, and she can learn from.

Then she has the biggest challenge of her life, being assigned the task to save the man who’d been harassing her.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

Reluctant hero.

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

I tend not to watch films a second time; however, the original Star Wars trilogy is probably the exception.

I watched every “making of” documentary I could, and then the digital releases when they came out.

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

The script is based on my Earth’s Secret Alliance book series.

I began writing about five years ago during Covid.

7. How many stories have you written?

There are six stories in the Earth’s Secret Alliance franchise.

Five are written as live action, while the sixth is expected to be a children’s animated series.

8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

We need more positive sci-fi.

I was getting tired of sci-fi that stressed me out, worst case scenario after worst case scenario, cliffhanger after cliffhanger.

I wanted to write a story that my brother and other parents could watch with their families, and the kids wouldn’t be scared after.

I write stories where the underdog is a valuable part of the team, and they work together to save lives.

They are based on my books which sold almost 14,000 copies so far.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

I wrote my books with the screenplay in mind, so it’s mostly formatting. I had to put the character names before dialogue and had to decide if a thought became a look, an action, dialogue, or a voice-over. The rest is a lot of formatting.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

I enjoy watching other stories on the big screen and on TV.

Unfortunately, there are less and less shows that I’m interested in watching.

11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

I was looking for a way to hear the script performed by real actors. Wild Sound’s Best Scene offered what I needed and was perfect. I hope that more people will get a chance to enjoy it.

Trapped in a basement after an apocalyptic earthquake, a grieving wife fights off a horde of parasitic monsters, unaware that her God-fearing husband has already decided her fate.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Geoff Mays
Caroline: Hannah Ehman
Parker: Sean Ballantyne

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?

“Consumed” is a marital drama wrapped in an apocalyptic sci-fi cloak. Think “Kramer Vs. Kramer Vs. The Walking Dead”. The story has its fair share of scares and gore, but in the end, it’s about how difficult marriage can be when two people grow apart. Especially if one of them has become a religious nut-case.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Definitely science fiction and horror, with a little bit of action and mystery thrown in for good measure. But the heart is a classic husband and wife drama.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

There are three unique things about my screenplay. Firstly, it features only two people (well, three if you count the last few pages). Secondly, it all takes place in one location, the basement of a collapsed building. Thirdly, and most importantly, it’s told in real time. With the right team handling its execution, “Consumed” would be an amazing theatrical experience.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

“Gut punching.”

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

“Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”. When I worked at my friend’s comic book store (the legendary Parts Unknown in Greensboro, NC), we had a TV in the back for showing genre cartoons and movies. I got into a habit of watching “Roger Rabbit”, sometimes just a chunk, during every shift I was working. That was probably three times a week, for about two years… do the math! It’s not my favorite movie of all time, but even after all that viewing, it’s still fun to watch.

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

The first version took about five months. And then the revisions were usually many months apart, but completed fairly quickly.

7. How many stories have you written?

As of now, I’ve got ten completed screenplays under my belt. Eight of them written solely by me, two of them were completed with a friend.

8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

My friend, the producer Curt Chatham, told me that a new screenwriter usually doesn’t break in with a $200 million VFX-heavy script. He told me to make it as a small as possible. If I could write something with two people in a room, something cost efficient, that would be optimal. The nanosecond he told me this, the scenario popped into my head. And off I went.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

It was very difficult finding the rhythm. Just two people, in one room, in real time? That’s not easy to make interesting. I had to not only find the right spots in which to place some action, or a struggle, or a threat, but I had to make sure the dialog wasn’t lame too.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

My pets. Physical media. My long-suffering wife Suzie. Sushi. Comic books. Hiking. Cherry soda. Preventing democracy from dying.

11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

Horror Underground has been around a while, and they’ve received lots of positive feedback on FilmFreeway. The festival seems to really care about the people making the art that they submit. As for the feedback, it was very thorough and well-presented. My scripts aren’t written in stone yet… If someone has a good idea or critique that will make them better, I’m all ears!

Rachel Murphy, a successful lawyer determined to make partner at her firm, represents her husband Carter’s tech compan in a lawsuit against his former partner while balancing her own intense work load and professional pressures. Their marriage is put to the test when Carter unexpectedly serves Rachel divorce papers, accusing her of prioritizing her career over their relationship, and the two begin a contentious legal separation while still working together professionally.

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?

A successful attorney on the verge of making partner is forced by her prenup to represent her own husband in their divorce, sparking a scandal that threatens her career.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Romantic Comedy-Drama

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

Divorce is a very relatable topic for many people. This movie asks, “How do you know if a marriage is beyond repair? When does reconciliation deserve a chance?”

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

Relevant. Heartfelt.

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

The Princess Bride (Sterling), Pride and Prejudice (Katrina)

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

Nearly four years.

7. How many stories have you written?

This is our first complete story written together. Sterling has written a few others, but this is the first feature for both of us.

8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

Katrina is a divorce attorney. Sterling spent seven years editing unscripted television. Before we got married, when we were discussing our own prenup, things got a little strained. To break the tension, Sterling joked, “If we ever do get divorced, will you represent me?” We both laughed, and almost immediately we knew that we had a good premise for a story. We decided to write the screenplay as a fun couple’s activity – combining Katrina’s legal background with Sterling’s filmmaking chops.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

Time. When you’ve been working on something for so long, it’s easy to get tired/bored and want to move on to something new. Sterling is really good at doing just a little bit each day.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Katrina is actively working as a divorce and custody attorney. She loves to knit, sew, and spend time with friends and family. Sterling likes to draw, exorcise, and teaches a free, neighborhood karate class.

11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

We wanted to enter a festival that was specific to the genre of our screenplay. Finding a romance-specific screenplay festival seemed like the perfect fit for Love, Your Lawyer. We actually ended up with two rounds of feedback. The first one wasn’t very good, and it appeared that the reader didn’t understand English very well since they couldn’t tell what game was being played in the Poker Scene. To your festival’s credit, when we complained, they set us up with a different reader, free of charge, who was very helpful and gave us a winning evaluation. We even added a scene based on the notes we got back from the second reader.

After surviving what seems to be a terrorist attack on an airplane, a woman must go under the radar as she stumbles on something much larger.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Sean Ballantyne
Server: Geoff Mays
Armida: Val Cole

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?

It’s about a retired US Army elite unit soldier who finds herself caught up in a staged terrorist attack and decides it’s her duty to reveal the conspiracy against impossible odds.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

It’s a cat and mouse thriller, but there’s enough action in it that it can fall into that category as well. I used “Three Days of the Condor” as a template, but there’s more action in this than Condor.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

This may not break ground artistically, but it has all the elements of a classic genre movie. Certainly, the conspiracy theory element will make people think. If made well, it is one of those movies you’ll love watching over and over.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

Enjoyably intense.

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

French Connection

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

About three years.

7. How many stories have you written?

23 features, 1 limited-series, 6 shorts, 1 pilot, 1 treatment, three short stories.

8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

I’m fascinated by conspiracy theories. They provide great scenarios that really work as movies. The conspiracy in this screenplay will be recognizable, for sure.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

Trying to get the technical details down. Some answers are easy to find, others take a lot of digging. The hope is to get it right so that the action has credibility.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

I really love music, although I’m not an accomplished musician.

I enjoy learning favorite songs on an instrument and then trying to figure out what makes them work. Like storytelling, keeping music simple is the best thing you can do.

11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

I like that the festival focuses on crime, mystery and action specifically. Heavy dramas are often given awards because they seem to be the best and most important work. But genre films are just as difficult to do well and can have, frankly, the same artistic and emotional impact. I always appreciate the feedback. It’s well-thought out and encouraging, which is
always appreciated.

Struggling with the trauma from a childhood tragedy, Lee Derry drinks and battles his way through loneliness and guilt. One night, he is invited to board a legendary but mysterious mega yacht for an article. The yacht has a history, and a reputation that the public is starving to find out. But, there is something lurking in the darkness of the lower decks.

Get to know the writer:

What is your screenplay about?

A grief-stricken journalist is lured aboard a superyacht and discovers he is the last surviving host of an ancient cosmic bloodline, hunted by a rogue demigod who is behind his family’s deaths.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Sci-Fantasy/Thriller/Action .

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

Entertaining watch to a casual viewer, more entertaining to the cosmic action viewer. Commercial hook with cinematic scale.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

Bad Ass.

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

Snatch by Guy Ritchie

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

1 year

7. How many stories have you written?

25

8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

Boredom from rewatching same action/ horror films. Wanted something new.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

Initially wrote this as a book series for me. Realized I can adapt my own worlds but new I had to write the ending to set up the next film. Struggled with where the cut off would be best.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Sports, Theatre and creating YouTube videos.

11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

Friends and colleagues have submitted films and scripts before. They really appreciated the feedback and I can say from my end that I defiently needed and absorbed the great feedback I received.

Watch the festival 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/best-of-black-shorts-festival-may-2026

THE SIXTH STAGE, 20min., USA
Directed by Devin Nikki Thomas
The Sixth Stage (Grief) is a psychological drama exploring the emotional fallout of loss and the seductive illusion of control.

SENSE, 12min., USA
Directed by Noah Terrance Greene
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland where water is the last resource, a blind swordsman with heightened senses becomes the reluctant protector of a desperate young man, forcing them both to fight for survival and hope.

https://www.instagram.com/sensethesisfilm

THE WORKPLACE Web Series EP. 3, 8min., USA
Directed by Devin Nikki Thomas, Aaron A. Robinson
S1Ep3 of Sketchlings the Sketch Comedy Series “The Workplace” finds Nikki as a new hire at an organization unlike anything she’s ever experienced

http://www.sketchlingscomedy.com/

Who are you?, 3min., Hungary
Directed by Luzi Santos

“Sincerely, Your Father”, 5min., USA
Directed by Cortez Mack, James Lett III
An inspirational story about four father expressing the sentiments of their hearts to the children

A Dance Away tells the story of Ava, a college dancer who breaks her ankle during a performance a few months prior. Still traumatized and scared to go back on stage, her best friend, Riley, gives her a strange necklace, which mysteriously transports her into a realm. From there, she meets three dancers who give her a dance away.

Project Links

•  Website
•  Instagram

Review by Andie Kay:

Writer/Director Maxwell Gilbert brings to life a wonderful story of facing your fears through friendship and the help of your personal totems. This short film immediately draws you in with some beautiful cinematography and very creative camera work, giving you different perspectives and a clever use of depth of field. Layla Khan-Hickman was responsible for the artistry behind the camera.

I really appreciated that the film makers did not go with the stereotypical dancer physique for the leading role. It’s easy to see that Amy Bush is a graceful and talented dancer who knows her craft. Plus I liked the rapport among the cast, it was believable they were all part of this dance troupe.

The practical effects and lighting really helped sell the illusion of the totem dancers, and I especially loved the mirroring dance and how it helped Amy’s character regain her confidence. All of the dancers were so very amazing. If there was one thing I wished I could tweak, it would be the sound at the beginning. It was supposed to be muffled, but I wish it gradually grew in volume once they were all backstage so you definitely knew it was an intentional choice.