In 2020, the world seemed to be on the brink. A global pandemic raged, wildfires scorched the earth, and anxieties soared. Yet, amidst this turmoil, a spark of hope ignited: NASA astronauts returned to space aboard SpaceX’s CrewDragon, the first mission of its kind in nearly a decade. This inspiring event, against the backdrop of a world in crisis, gave birth to “Cosmic Rhapsody.”
Review by Julie C. Sheppard:
This stirring short, Cosmic Rhapsody: A Symphony for our Planet, gives the viewer a truncated yet eloquent look at the epic project of the same title, unveiled in May 2025.
The poignant voice of the narrator explaining the project is particularly melodic, passionately recounting notable challenges of humanity such as natural disasters and a global pandemic, and our incredible resilience and adaptability.
A combination of video depictions of disasters on Earth and striking outer space shots reveal a balance between terrestrial and extra terrestrial. In turn, this ties in well with the sci-fi storyline of the project that strives to connect life on Earth with the positive use of AI and its potential to help various forms of human life to survive and thrive, even outside of our planet.
The display of orchestral and choral performances of this project is simply breathtaking and shows that humans are indeed capable of incredible creativity — a capability that can take us to soaring heights.
Gay relationships are messy. Let’s be real—between the swipe-left culture, hookup apps on every corner, and the glorification of open relationships, monogamy gets treated like some dusty relic from the past. But why should queer couples chain themselves to “traditional” rules that weren’t even made for us? Who actually wants to settle for a relationship that feels like a straight, invented by straights, cookie-cutter cage dressed up as commitment?
Short film Johnny Be Good is a thoughtful exploration of a gay couple within a culture of open relationships. Through stirring and often edgy narration, the story unfolds as a gay man finds himself desperately enamored with another.
The film opens with a spirited gay bar scene. The sexy wardrobe, the upbeat synth music and the dim, smoky air with disco ball shards of light really capture the passion and excitement of happy, flirtatious gay men having a blast. As the film plays out, gorgeous slow-motion montages of the two main characters spending quality moments together seemingly reveal their genuine feelings for one another.
The screenplay is brilliant in its rapid segway to misery and revenge. The dizzying camera work and biting on screen text show the inner workings of the lead’s feelings of hurt and betrayal, and the desire for vengeance. This film underscores the human need for connection, but it proves that this can mean different things to different people – – in this case, in gay relationships – – which makes the film all the more nuanced and sophisticated.
In a dystopian future where families are torn apart, a mother is granted one annual reunion with a digital simulation of her child — a fragile ritual that tests the limits of memory and love.
Review by Andie Kay:
Writer/Director Teresa Garza brings us this sci-fi short film that is very Black Mirror-esque. Our memories are so precious to us, they remind us of good and bad times and even can bring us serenity in a turbulent world.
The story was engaging and drops you right into a very tense, uncomfortable situation. Teresa provided a great twist at the end but if you don’t read the summary prior to watching the film, you might be a little confused. I just wish we were given a set-up of what and why the Family Services Division was abducting people.
Casting for this was amazing, every actor did such a wonderful job. They were believable, organic and it drew the viewer into the story even more. The way the filmmakers incorporated the computerized voice over was fantastic and brought in a sense of reality, like this could actually happen.
Jorge Palomo handled the score, editing and cinematography for the film and the music was a wonderful addition. The cinematography was really well done and the work with special effects added a seamless futuristic element.
The animated short Jurassic Ward cleverly mimics elements of the films from the Jurassic World franchise, with a wickedly funny edge. The visuals are colourful, textured and expressive and adeptly capture amplified human conditions such as the temper tantrum by the boy patient, and the biting sarcasm and sheer exhaustion of the resourceful, wish granting character, whilst showcasing the stellar work of the talented voice artists. The frenetic energy of the film is breathtaking, and the zany, high octane musical score does not disappoint. Worth noting are the various hospital areas that are defined with cheeky, hilarious signage.
The student creators of this college production are off to an excellent start in their chosen profession. This romp rivals any production by a major studio. The dinosaur has a terrifying energy that drives the piece the second it appears onscreen, as any of the creatures in the Jurassic World series, but with a somehow endearing, dog-like comedic essence.
When struggling creative Christopher Nolan is dumped by his girlfriend upon her discovery that he is not the legendary director of films such as Oppenheimer and Interstellar, he decides to prove himself by staging a play adaptation of The Dark Knight. “The Christopher Nolan Experience” captures the behind-the-scenes efforts leading up to this anticipated disaster.
The feature film, THE CHRISTOPHER NOLAN EXPERIENCE, is an easy to watch comedy that is shot in the style of THE OFFICE. It’s familiar, but makes it quicker to know the characters and each of their unique personalities. For this awkward assembly, this mock documentary style makes the story more realistic as the characters fumble around, while still trying to win the affections of a girl who is simply not interested in anyone that is not famous.
Sophie Lee is a clichéd trope. She is a groupie, chasing after what she thinks are famous men without ever questioning why they would be on dating apps or even knowing what these men look like in real life. She’s either not that bright or a gold digger that doesn’t care enough to look up the pictures of the men she meets for dates. She is first introduced meeting Chris, who has the same name as the famous film director, and later actually thinks she is dating Leonardo DiCaprio. She never once stops to look up the Leo that she is dating to see that the man is conning her.
This concept plays into the trope of the film, the desperation of those living in Los Angeles. The fame seekers and the groupies alike, as Sophie Lee is the example of a groupie that will sleep with anyone as long as they are famous, there are also the ego driven wannabe actors that take advantage of a playwright and director just trying to make it. Anyone that is working in the arts has met these people, the ones that treat others like they are doormats and it’s often the nicest people that take the kicks.
This film is a mix of a fan film, giving tribute to Christoper Nolan, and a satire, as it makes fun of all the people that those working in the visual arts come across. It’s light humor, making it nice to watch at the end of a long week.
The feature Blue Asian is a dramatic masterpiece. It touches on multiple elements – sex, love, trauma, and the challenges of an immigrant family from China, now living in Vancouver.
The performances of the cast members are achingly brave, notably the daughter and her parents. They are able to convey such depth of pain and betrayal. They waver between profound love and concern for one another, with contempt and disgust.
The director’s eye is incredibly observant, capturing tiny moments of contemplative silence, in amongst large bursts of ferocious passion and moments of angst. Sensual scenes are particularly evocative and sexy, enhanced by a luminous lighting. A rotating camera often shows these scenes upside down, as the viewer becomes a close-up voyeur.
Jazzy refrains underscore much of the film, with a muted trumpet taking the lead and heightening the action. The sound design is intense, as every little moment is clearly picked up, such as echoing footsteps, a piercing cat’s meow and rickety squeals of city transit.
The screenplay taps into heartbreaking moments, especially when a family dinner displays fragility, insults and violence. The title Blue Asian is well chosen – – underlying sadness permeates this film about the struggles of Chinese immigrants unsure of their place in Canadian society and the bluish hue in numerous scenes highlights this dramatic melancholy.
Director Statement
Blue Asian’s semi-autobiographical inspiration rests in colour blue’s connotation, which is sadness. The Sad Asian depicts a period in my life where trust between my mother and I was gone, and where the sliver of hope for the trust to come back seemed impossible to manifest. But Family is always important. In Blue Asian, a mother refuses for her daughter to be an artist. An upset daughter then runs away from her mother and her family altogether. In her daughter’s absence, this mother then reflects upon her past immigration decision to Vancouver, Canada. Was immigration to Canada worth it? Her husband beside her feels helpless to her needs and pleas, and turns violent. Tightening the family bond is a fight. Even Art’s function – film’s function – in bringing all broken-minded characters back together – is questioned in the film.
Blue Asian-the Sad Asian-unravels a key issue of the immigrant. Though the immigration can turn family members into savages against one another, the yearning for family, freedom, and togetherness never disappears.
Blue Asian seeks to ignite concern and empathy in the hearts of those looking to go past a future of domestic violence, cultural alienation, mental illness, and immigration challenges. If the freedom of the immigrant is a joke, then we all have something to grieve over and change.
Interior decorator Alice and college professor George have been married for fourteen years. They raise a son and a daughter together, and they are happily married in others’ eyes. One night, Alice waits at home for George to get back from work. What she gets is not only her husband, but also the news that he is going to leave them for an affair. The trivia of marriage life has used up all their passion; love burns into cinders in just a blink. And George is not sure about what is to come.
Review by Julie C. Sheppard:
The short film Cinders is a heart-rending story of communication breakdown. Off the top, the film uses a long silence of one the characters, the husband George, to make his eventual admission of infidelity even more dramatic and revelatory. He does not speak for over a minute of screentime with a one-sided conversation on the part of the wife, Alice. In advance of his first words, Alice’s lines and actions give clues to the husband’s reasoning for leaving her, such as her micromanaging him.
When dialogue between them finally starts and George admits to the affair, you get the sense that important topics have never been expressed between them before, such as acknowledgement of their sexual incompatibility, and the fact that Alice seems unaware of some of the things that have bothered him, like her lack of passion and playfulness, and her always trying to take care of him in a parent-child type of way.
The setting of the lovely residential home shows the external trappings of a together, well-heeled household. Both characters are neatly dressed and things seem tidy and organized. But looks are obviously deceiving. Even her admission that she always wanted to go to France, a place that George plans to take his new lover, shows how tuned out he is about his wife desires, and it seems like a fact that she has never told him before.
Other than evening crickets, there are no other sounds under the action, which gives this emotionally painful short verisimilitude. The camera work also mirrors this true-to-life essence, with the pace and editing being very deliberate. The use of these elements in a slow, methodic way matches the tone of the couple’s relationship, one that is obviously suffering from a lack of connection that, in turn, leads the husband astray.
A rock star bound by a devil’s pact drifts toward oblivion, haunted by forever regrets. Across the veil, a fallen angel mourns lost grace. Each seeks redemption—and in that search, confronts what they truly are, and what they might yet become.
This short film by Iwata Sam was inspired by the true events of Kurt Cobain’s untimely death with the names slightly altered due to legal reasons. Nirvana’s music has touched the lives of so many of us and Iwata Sam has given us a story that is intriguing and thought provoking. What would you do to fulfill your dreams? Would you make a deal with the devil?
I appreciated the attention to detail in the set dressing and the nod to Nirvana’s logo as graffiti on a wall. The cinematography was absolutely stunning, thank you Mark Kenfield. It had this beautiful, haunting quality about it that fit the storyline so incredibly well. There were several great practical effects, as well as the creative beauty in the text screen overlays.
One of the things that I adored was the casting. Andrew Steel as “Kurt” and Kym Jackson as “Courtney” – pardon me, “Lucy” was incredible. Their performances really captured the essence of both characters and the way they played off one another was simply spellbinding. Andrew also wrote and performed a couple of original songs within the film, so that was even more impressive.
This film serves as a cautionary tale but also one that would urge anyone who is experiencing depression, suicidal thoughts or substance dependancy to reach out for help. It reminds us all that we aren’t alone in our struggles.
The Call is a powerful documentary that breaks the silence around firefighter mental health, offering an unflinching look at the trauma, PTSD, and suicide crisis facing first responders. Through raw interviews, real-life stories, and behind-the-scenes access to firehouses in New Mexico, the film explores the emotional toll of a profession associated with bravery, but rarely with vulnerability.
There are several words that come to mind to describe this film. Beautiful is the first. I’m not just talking about Charlie English’s cinematography that was gorgeous but the emotion, the honesty and candor that these firefighters had during their interviews. We toss around the word “hero” a lot, and these men and women are absolutely heroes but that word also leads to a misconception that you are unfazed by trauma.
Mental health support systems to process repeated trauma exposure is necessary for these amazing individuals. The statistics of suicide in firefighters was staggering and this film gives you a deeper understanding of what they go through mentally, physically and emotionally. It also was incredibly inspiring to see the programs that have been created and the firefighters/EMS embracing them. Talking about mental health is massively important.
Laura Boyd Owen and Charlie English produced and directed this incredible film and they really went above and beyond. It’s educational, inspiring, and the programs they highlighted in this film made talking about emotional issues approachable. The Fire that Burns Within, Skulls for Hope and the Yellow Rose Campaign are all amazing resources and the men and women behind their inception are just incredible.
Honestly, I loved everything about this film. From the music that was sheer perfection to the wonderful color by Erin Turney in the cinematography. This film was beautifully done. Thank you Laura and Charlie, and thank you to all the EMS and firefighters around the globe.
This hand drawn animated film is based on the classic song If I Were a Carpenter and sung by the great Bobby Darin. How can love conquer the social divide? This film is a tender slightly tongue in cheek story of how love can transform us and ultimately bridge our differences.
Review by Victoria Angelique:
The music video, IF I WERE A CARPENTER, utilizes a long lost art style to animate the lyrics and bring new life to this 1966 song written by Tim Harden and sung by Bobby Darin. It’s quite rare to see hand drawn animation anymore, much less in the form of pencil sketches. It worked for this particular song, not only to give it the vintage feeling, but to add another layer of symbolism to the lyrics.
The lyrics are heavy about the carpenter longing for a woman that looks like a lady. He’s insecure, wondering if she would want a man that works with his hands. Each frame of the film being drawn with pencil emphasizes the importance of crafts that involve developing unique skills that are appreciated much more if they are done by hand. It brings a new level of respect for the carpenter that longs for his own family.
The animated video and the corresponding lyrics have strong family themes. A carpenter dreams of marrying a lady, but his insecurities make him wonder if she would want to marry a tradesman. He knows he could make her happy and make her emotionally rich by being a devoted husband. The second he sees the lady, he pictures her as a mother and wants to be the man that can provide a living for her so that they can raise a family.
This music video has a timeless feeling. It asks the questions about what one looks for in a spouse and a partner to raise a family with, while allowing minor insecurities to hold them back. It gives into daydreams, allowing the carpenter to fantasize about what his life would be like if he could marry this beautiful lady.
Festival Reviews 