film festival reviews

Today’s FilmFreeway Deadline: ENVIRONMENTAL Film & Screenplay Festival

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A festival designed to showcase the best of new environmentally themed films (shorts, features) and screenplays (shorts, features, TV pilots) from around the world. We accept any genre (animation, comedy, experimental, horror etc.) as long as it has an underlying environmental thematic. We seek to advance public understanding of the environment through the power of film and storytelling; which is why this festival has been created.

Submit via FilmFreeway:

Awards & Prizes

We will perform a winning Environmental screenplay(s) at our festival every single month using professional actors. Then we send the writer a video of the performance reading.

We will showcase a festival every month using our flagship FEEDBACK Film Festival format. All festival dates are private screenings with the same Audience FEEDBACK videos made for the short & feature films, and recorded script readings performed by professional actors for the screenplays. This is our way of showing community over distance so everyone around the world can experience our Audience Feedback videos.

Recent Testimonial:

I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt appreciation for the remarkable experience I had at the Environmental Film & Screenplay Festival.

The entire event was impeccably organized, and the selection of films and screenplays presented was not only enlightening but also inspiring. It was evident that each piece was chosen for its powerful message and its potential to provoke thought and stimulate discussion regarding our environment and sustainability.

What truly stood out to me was the audience engagement. The feedback and reactions during the screenings were profound, reflecting a diverse audience deeply invested in environmental issues. This interactive aspect of the festival enriched the experience, providing invaluable insights and fostering a community spirit that was truly special.

  • K. Jacobs

Watch Today’s Film Festival: DOC Festival – Best of SOCIETY Films – June 21/22 event

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Go to the Daily Film Festival Platform http://www.wildsound.ca and sign up for the free 7 day trial to watch a new and original festival every single day.

Go to the festival page directly and watch dozens of films:
https://www.wildsound.ca/todays-film-festival/

Watch the Festival HERE: https://www.wildsound.ca/todays-film-festival/videos/june-21-society-docs

See the Full Lineup of Films:

IN THE GREY WILD, 16min,. USA
Directed by Nili Yosha
Youth experiencing homelessness write a song with Gabriel Kahane, Creative Chair of the Oregon Symphony and perform it with the entire 75 person Oregon Symphony Orchestra. The performance was at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on April 15, 2023.

http://outsidetheframe.org/

Watch the Audience Feedback Video:
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-grey

CANADA’S UNCHECKED RACISM, 6min., Canada
Directed by Zoe Davidson
Growing up as a non-white Canadian, you experience racism every day. What makes Toronto’s racism so unique, is that you almost don’t notice it.

https://www.zoeahdavidson.com/

Watch the Audience Feedback Video:
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-canadas-unchecked-racism

REMEMBERING CHINESE BACHELORS, 13min,. Canada
Directed by Daniel Chen
Canada’s 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act was a dark period in Canadian history. It lasted almost a quarter century and had a devastating impact on one community: the Chinese. Even after the law was repealed in 1947, the impact continued for years. This documentary explores the story of a group of Chinese for whom.

Watch the Audience Feedback Video:
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-remembering

SOMETHING CHANGED IN THE ROOM, 15min,. USA
Directed by David Stubbs
Something Changed in the Room is the story of how music therapy helps patients with Parkinson’s Disease and Dementia transcend their condition, improving their daily lives.

Watch the Audience Feedback Video:
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-something-changed-in-the-room

MAKE A MOVE, 20min., USA
Directed by Dalia Caudle
Make A Move is a docuseries about a national and international speed chess tournament with players from all walks of life and different levels of experience.

http://www.makeamovela.org/
https://www.instagram.com/make.a.move.la/

Watch the Audience Feedback Video:
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-make-a-move

Today’s FilmFreeway Deadline: THRILLER/SUSPENSE Film Festival

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The monthly festival that showcases the best of Thriller/Suspense Genre Stories and Films from around the world.

THRILLER festivals occur 12 times a year in Toronto & Los Angeles. Go to the website for information on the next events.

Submit to the Festival via FilmFreeway:

This is a HYBRID film festival with live screenings for the audience feedback video you will receive, plus an optional virtual 2nd showcase to enhance the film’s exposure. Festival also conducts blog and podcast interviews with the filmmaker. We have also started a filmmaker’s WhatsApp group with over 100 joined to date to chat about next project and make contacts etc….

With THRILLER screenplays and films, there will always be a market. This is a genre that will always be popular. Agents and producers are always looking for the next great writer and the next great filmmakers who tell great THRILLER stories. So if that is you, we will showcase your script or short film and make sure the right people see your work.

All festival dates have been moved to private screenings with the same Audience FEEDBACK videos made for the short & feature films, and recorded script readings performed by professional actors for the screenplays. This is our way of showing community over distance so everyone around the world can experience our Audience Feedback videos.

Submit your film or story and get it showcased at the Festival.

Screenplay Festival occurs monthly.

Awards & Prizes

The #1 Thriller/Suspense Festival and Contest in the World today!

– 0ffers screenwriters, novelists and storytellers at all levels the fantastic opportunity to hear their stories read aloud using TOP PROFESSIONAL ACTORS (see below for recent performance readings).

– Offers filmmakers to get their works showcased at a sold out Film Festival. Then the filmmaker will receive and audience reaction video on their film.

– One of the best places in the world for the writers to sell their script and/or obtain and agent.

NEW Showcase: Submit your FEATURE FILM and receive an audience feedback promotional/testimonial video of your film. Great video to use to get into more festivals and/or promote your film. All submissions receive feedback on their film no matter what.

Rules & Terms

Accept only films and screenplays that fit into the Thriller/Suspense Genre.

WATCH Winning Thriller Screenplay and Story Readings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HaH-7HJqsw&list=PL-0CVDAfvxiq66NCYK5WkUt3GK7f9e05-

WATCH Audience FEEDBACK Film Festival Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2dqDJcQNpY&list=PL-0CVDAfvxir6Bsb1MUKQmvsa-CIyc5kW

MUSIC Shorts Festival – June 13/14 event

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Go to the Daily Film Festival Platform http://www.wildsound.ca and sign up for the free 7 day trial to watch a new and original festival every single day.

Go to the festival page directly and watch dozens of films:
https://www.wildsound.ca/todays-film-festival/

Watch the Festival HERE:

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/june-13-musical-shorts

See the Full Lineup of Films:

HEART WORN OUT & AGAINST THE WALL, 6min., Romania
Directed by Izabella Sandra Alda, Ovidiu Claudiu Moldovan
This short “Heart Worn Out & Against The Wall” is a short movie about loneliness and fear. Fear of losing a loved one, of being superficial, of being unlovable. About the struggles of filling a void that can never be filled and mannerisms used to cope with these feelings. About wanting affection but not being able to deal with human interactions. About feeling disconnected, but never allowing this to be seen, and thus, constantly having to deal with the inauthenticity.

https://www.facebook.com/midoristarsmidore

https://www.instagram.com/midoristars/

THE SEED, 3min., Spain
Directed by Màriam Zelaia
The artist Sandra Sangiao is gestated in an earthen incubator to end up being born brighter than ever and captivate us with her sweet and powerful voice

https://www.sandrasangiao.com/

CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso – BAÑO MARÍA, 10min., USA
Directed by Brian Kazez
A full day of touring and lows through Buenos Aires. There’s weed, pills, alcohol, and various moods. Euphoria, dancing, public bathrooms, afters, another after, fights, kisses, another after, more touring, more lows, hallucinations, bodies damaged by the course of the night. In just over 10 minutes, CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso navigate through the underworld of Buenos Aires’s nightlife in this short film.

https://www.ca7rielypacoamoroso.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ca7rielypacoamoroso

EARTHLOVE, 6min., Sweden
Directed by Felicia Konrad, Johan Haugen
EarthLove is a poetic music/dance film with 6 dancers, filmed in the city of Malmö, south of Sweden. “There’s a revolution that needs to happen and it starts from inside each one of us. We need to wake up and fall in love with Earth. We’ve been homo sapiens for a long time. Now it’s time to become homo conscious.” Thich Nhat Hanh

http://www.istillliveinwater.com/
https://www.facebook.com/www.istillliveinwater.com
https://www.instagram.com/feliciavoiceperformer

Feature Film Review: ARMERALD. South Korea LGBTQ+ Film

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Synopsis:

19 year olds NOMOU, ZINGER AIR, HOSU, SEEK each have personal stories related to their aerophobia which doesn’t allow them to get on flights. In their efforts to overcome their fear, they meet SUPER TALLER, their aerophobia therapist also with the ability to teleport. He offers one person who finds the most beautiful emerald a teleport to anywhere of their choice. With a time-limit of only a month, who will win the race towards a teleport and what kind of growth will they go through on the journey?

Directed by Lee Guiom

Review by Victoria Angelique:

The futuristic film ARMERALD by director Lee Guiam is a psychedelic trip that is full of special effects combined with music videos. The opening scene pulls the audience right in with a challenge utilizing award worthy effects to give the characters that are afraid of flying a chance to learn how to teleport.

A futuristic vibe is given from the very first frame of a bulky airplane flying through the clouds. The plane is not of this world, but seems like a mixture of dystopian and innovative technology. This continues when Super Teller is introduced, his costume and stylized nails appear like he came from another planet. The other characters having normal props, such as contemporary cell phones, makes the film seem like only within the teleportation facility is the world different.

The songs and dance sequences sets the film apart, further confusing the audience as it seems to force the narrative into random music videos. It gives the illusion of trying to decipher what is real for the characters and what is in their minds, as if the entire feature could be elaborate daydreams of people desperately needing to escape reality.

READY PLAYER ONE meets NOW YOU SEE ME with touches of ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW is the best way to describe ARMERALD. The competition for the emerald follows the clichéd trope of destroying spirits and relationships with the desperate desire for humanity to win. Super Taller puts Nomou, Zinger Air, Hosu and Seek through countless mind games, yet their friendship prevails. They eventually learn what the true meaning of the emerald is, able to retain the true treasure in each of their lives.

Short Film Review: WE ARE STARDUST: THE INTERCONNECTION OF ALL THINGS

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Synopsis:

What connects all things on this beautiful and unique planet we call home? Can we reach deep into our collective universal past to understand that everything is carefully intertwined and dependent on everything else? Filmmaker Barb Barton presents a visually stunning and thought-provoking journey into the origin and interconnection of all things. This documentary short film is designed to inspire the viewer to see their place in life through a different lens and focus not on what separates but connects us. Can a broader view help us heal our relationships with nature and each other?

Review by Victoria Angelique:

Director Barb Barton created a visually captivating film that is a cinematic masterpiece. The soothing narration of Ruelaine Stokes takes the audience on the journey throughout time and space to prove the film’s thesis that all life on Earth came from stardust. It’s told in a way that feels like it’s something from a fairy tale, making the concept easy to understand through a familiar trope. 

This film has fantastic graphics, combining computer graphics with a compilation of real photographs to create a stunning environment. This film really should be shown in an immersive theater as it is not only a scientific film, but a beautiful work of art. One of the most stunning graphics is when the filmmaker takes a woman lying on Earth to zooming out to the furthest region telescopes can possibly go in the universe, far beyond our solar system, before zooming back down to Earth and through the woman’s eye. This really drives the point home that all life is interconnected to stardust.

This is a historical and scientific film that really shows how miraculous life on Earth is by depicting how everything is truly connected in the grand design from the universe. Barton shows that not only human life was created from stardust, but how all the elements and creatures on Earth were created from dust. It gives a full understanding of the phrase spoken at funerals, “from dust to dust”. 

This amazing work of art should be shown in the NASA tourist centers. It’s written in a way that people of all ages could understand and it doesn’t contradict religious opinions to be controversial. The scientific descriptions combined with the elements gives a deep understanding of how life on Earth was created.

Project Links

Film Review: HIT-GIRL: A Kick-Ass Christmas Story. Directed by Kevin Barile

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Synopsis:

Mindy McCready is home alone on Christmas Eve when a gang of criminals invade her house looking for a stolen package. Mindy deals with them directly as her alter-ego, HIT-GIRL.

https://www.instagram.com/barilliant_action

Review by Andie Karvelis:

Marvel Cinematic Universe or the MCU has become synonymous with blockbuster action films. It put a ( well deserved ) spotlight on Superheroes and Anti-Heroes giving them a household name. Which makes me ridiculously happy because I am one of those geeky chicks that loved the comics. So to see your favorite characters come to life on screen ( and done RIGHT ) makes you as giddy as a little kid at Christmastime.


That is exactly how I felt watching this film. Kevin Barile wrote and designed the action sequences on Hit Girl – A Kick-Ass Christmas Story and it does not disappoint! As a matter of fact, this is done so flawlessly you could very well be watching a Disney Plus Christmas special. Yeah Disney, you heard me.


Kevin Barile was incredibly clever in the way he wrote this, designed the action sequences, and the cast and crew he chose. Plus he did all this in just 4 weeks. Are you paying attention, Disney? You should be. Robert Steven Brown was the Stunt Coordinator on this and what a team he and Kevin make! They are absolute pro’s. The stunt choreography was so seamless with the camerawork that it sold each and every hit, fall, flip, gunshot and kick. These guys knew where to slow down a hit to the face and add that bit of comedy. Even with the talent of Kevin and Robert calling the shots, you still need a fantastic stunt team. Check! They got that. Each and every stunt performer was beyond amazing, including Sammie Nicol who was Hit Girl’s stunt double. They didn’t shy away from some of the more difficult stunt work like a fire stunt and a high fall. Pretty. Dang. Amazing.


This film is more than just great stunts though. Tony Diaz handled the Cinematography and it’s just beautiful, then again… it IS Tony Diaz doing the visual effects and cinematography so of course it’s gonna be gorgeous. They captured the essence of what a Marvel Kick-Ass film is. Robert Dill is pure genius as Tax Man. So many times his delivery had me laughing out loud and I loved the “refrigerator” scene. His stunt work was equally as brilliant. Angie Estevao is a natural on camera, you immediately adore her and she did an exceptional job in this.

There is definitely magic with this group of filmmakers and I, for one, can’t wait to see what they will do next.

Directed by Kevin Barile

DOP: Tony Diaz

Sound Designer: Francois Blaignan

Original Music: Hayley Rosenthal

Starring: Angie Estevao, Robert Dill

Short Film Review: THE WINDOW WASHER. Comedy

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Synopsis:

When a young couple quarrel in a cafe, the window washer decides to get in on the action.

Review by Andie Karvelis:

We’ve all had an experience where we’ve been in our favorite coffee house and witnessed a couple having an argument. Awwwkwaaaard. You want to look at them, but don’t want to look at them and you can’t help but overhear everything. When the window washer also happens to be a mime, it’s an opportunity too good to pass up. For the mime.

Written, directed and Produced by Robert Tartell. The Window Washer is a comedy where our lovely mime, played by Heba Toulan, just can’t help but get involved in the argument on the other side of the glass. As you can imagine, pandemonium ensues..

The cinematography is really gorgeous, thanks to Carlos Felipe Garcia. Especially the work he achieved in not getting reflections in the glass. Clever sound design by Macleod Williams with cafe chatter and the music by #Uppbeat fit this piece so well.


The Window Washer tells a fun and complete story all within 7 minutes.

Film Review: SEDUCTIVE DEVOTION. Directed by Destin Gerek

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SEDUCTIVE DEVOTION, 7min,. USA
Directed by Destin Gerek
In a society where narratives of male perpetrators and harm inflicted upon women prevail, “Seductive Devotion” emerges as a powerful experimental short film presenting an inspiring alternative. Through captivating imagery and a stirring poetic voiceover, the film portrays a positive model of how a man can profoundly and healingly show up for a woman. It challenges societal norms and redefines love, intimacy, and relationships, highlighting the transformative energy between souls. “Seductive Devotion” celebrates vulnerability, courage, empathy, strength, receptivity, and grace, igniting a yearning for the level of committed desire depicted on screen. In a time marked by mistrust and division, this visually arresting and emotionally resonant film offers a refreshing perspective on the healing power of love and understanding, fostering positive change in our perception and engagement in intimate relationships.

http://seductivedevotion.com/
https://instagram.com/destingerek

Review by Victoria Angelique:

The intense poetry coupled with the brilliant cinematography invokes feelings of intrusion and intimacy in the film SEDUCTIVE DEVOTION. Attention is grabbed instantly through the opening shot, which only builds with the score and the romantic, breathy recitation of the spoken prose. The entire film feels like a moment stuck in time, repeating over and over as the viewer witnesses the extraordinary chemistry between the love artists, Elie Prana and Destin Gerek.

The entire nature of the prose gives the feeling of witnessing a private, almost forbidden nature of the couple. Writer and Director Destin Gerek is brilliant as his shots and poetry touch the soul of a woman’s heart, speaking what many women long to hear from their significant others. It leaves the heart racing when seeing how the man worships his lover as if she’s his entire world. It’s not just about sex, but the desires of each other to create an epic romance by imbedding each other into the other’s spirit.

SEDUCTIVE DEVOTION feels as if it belongs with the classics, as Gerek is not afraid of judgement from his words and film, but using them to touch others soul to soul. The shots and wardrobe gives the feeling of an epic romance from ages long past. The film exudes beauty within every frame.

The film draws from several pop culture references, while still remaining on its own. It’s a beautiful work of art and the desire to know this couples entire story allows imaginations to run wild. The fact that the world is witnessing a small glimpse of what couples usually leave private aids to the feeling of the remarkable short.

Watch the Audience Feedback Video:

Film Review: EIGHT OF SWORDS. Directed by Patricia Downey

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EIGHT OF SWORDS, 19min., UK, Drama
Directed by Patricia Downey
Set in Belfast, in an ordinary house, in an ordinary street – it could be your street or next door. Helena from Poland and locals Patsy and Eva fight for survival under the rein of Russian Human traffickers.

Review by Victoria Olson:

The film, EIGHT OF SWORDS, gives an inside look at the world of human trafficking from the perspective of the women who’ve been victimized to the point that they’ve become numb to the harsh realities of their world. Director Patricia Downey did a wonderful job at depicting the coldness of a subject many artists refuse to capture in ways that feel realistic. This film was nuanced, showing the reasons each of the women became involved in trafficking drugs and sex while still portraying them as human beings that can easily hide amongst the general public without anyone suspecting that something might be wrong behind closed doors.

The leader of this particular operation, Patsy, at first glance appears cold and callous. She’s merely doing what it takes to survive so that her daughter is not killed in Cairo. This is something she proves when she’s willing to kill Helena to protect her own child. Helena is quite the opposite, protecting her own son but wanting to go to the police to be done with this world.

This film also has an important aspect that anyone addicted to social media and desperate for fame should see as it portrays the real dangers behind apps such as TikTok. Olivia should have had a bright future, but she trusted who she met online and ends up in a would where she might never see her family again as she’s trafficked to different parts of the world. This is something many individuals, particularly adolescents, should see because it puts the scenario into a real world situation that is understandable and frightening rather than just words that often fall on deaf ears.

Downey used a brilliant technique of not using a score, making this film feel more like a documentary rather than a narrative. This method is a way that will stick with the viewer as they witness what the world is like from the victims and that it is not an easy situation to walk away from to get help.

Human trafficking is a relevant topic discussed on social media platforms and in the news media on how to end it and who’s involved, when a film like EIGHT OF SWORDS shows that it would be difficult to discern who truly is involved as the victims can blend in with the rest of the society. This film can bring further discussion on the travesty that is drug and sex trafficking so that perhaps one day it can be put in the past as a moment of the world’s dark past.

Watch the Audience Feedback Video: