CHANGE MAKERS: The Global Race to Save Our Seas, 14min., USA
Directed by Simone Kisiel
Advancements in the fishing industry have led to devastating consequences, not just for sea life being hunted to extinction, but for communities around the world who depend on the ocean’s bounty to survive.
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HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS, 95min., USA
Directed by Yuri Omar Shariff Williams, Nathan Cribari
In this participatory documentary, join Yuri and Rodney on a heartfelt mission as they, dressed as Santa’s helpers, traverse the diverse landscapes of every US state during the holidays. Their goal is to bring hope to families facing difficult circumstances, including those in animal shelters, homes with special needs, disabilities, and individuals battling life-threatening illnesses. From snow storms in remote landscapes to navigating the weathered side streets of major cities, these two men are committed to spreading holiday cheer by providing gifts and dedicating time to listen to the stories of those they encounter. Doors will open across America as Yuri and Rodney embark on a journey to bring hope during the holiday season.
https://www.instagram.com/hopefortheholidaysfilm/
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Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eKEkCgFa-I
She’s an emotionally damaged agent with a dilemma. Find a downed airman behind enemy lines, then decide whether to become his saviour or his assassin.
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Pathfinder Down is about the horrors of Totalitarianism, regardless of what political or religious dogma it cloaks itself in. It is also about the futility of war…even the victors emerge damaged.
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Watch the Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5kY5F_t0Go
“Memory is a poet, not a historian”
Martina’s poignant odyssey through fractured memories unearths wounds from former lovers, embodying abuse, deception, and death, in her quest for self-acceptance.
Official music video for “Closure” by Malcuth & Facutum (feat. Babi)
Directed by Faraz Alam
Stream “Closure” → https://fanlink.entervale.com/VALELPS001
“A mentally ill person feels neglected by society and takes revenge.”
“When life is meaningless and everything is hopeless, where do you go?”
Inspired by the life of Danny Germansen.
Manifestation is an semi-autobiographical art-house short film about a mentally ill person who takes revenge on society because he feels neglected by his family, the social system, the community around him, and Society in general. He was mentally abused as a kid and adult by a psychopathic father. The film draws parallels to the environmental issues of the present and to the white supremacy that created our capitalist society that we live in today. It’s a tale of a social outcast who suffered weltschmerz and lived a life of loneliness, alienation and isolation in a society that is emotionally desolated. During the 17-minute film, the viewer experiences a nihilistic view of the world from the social outcast’s point of view.
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Written & Directed by DANNY GERMANSEN
Starring: MAREK MAGIERECKI, MIKKEL W. KNUDSEN, BIANCA KLINGENBERG-DUPONT, SUZANA LUNGU
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PETEY POSSUM, 5min., USA
Directed by Sean Winslow
Oh no! It’s *enter name here* birthday and Petey’s running late! Follow him on his journey to make the party.
https://www.instagram.com/seanpwinslow
Get to know the filmmaker:
I like to write sketch comedy, so I was thinking about random funny ideas. I have a memory from my 6th birthday party at Chuck – E – Cheese of a TV above the stage showcasing Chuckie getting ready in quick clips before appearing in front of a bunch of screaming children riding a sugar high. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be funny if he was getting ready, but things kept going horribly wrong as each clip progressed?”. That’s where the idea started.
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CHANGE MAKERS: The Global Race to Save Our Seas, 14min., USA
Directed by Simone Kisiel
Advancements in the fishing industry have led to devastating consequences, not just for sea life being hunted to extinction, but for communities around the world who depend on the ocean’s bounty to survive.
https://www.facebook.com/MagicDogProductions
https://www.instagram.com/magicdogproductions/
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Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buP7_6XCNEg
Summary: After Nefret goes missing, it puts Mazim’s place in the war in doubt, but despite his family’s safety, he won’t leave without Nefret, which leads him to face horrifying consequences.
Get to know the writer:
My screenplay is about, thematically, the struggle of reconciliation. The protagonist, Mazim Al-Farouq, chooses to have he and his family (wife and son) remain in their home village of Zareda, despite the encroaching invaders. His extraordinary super power is also his vice as he cannot emotionally live without his steppe eagle, Nefret. In reality, he should leave and put his human family members first, but he refuses to abandon his avian companion. This decision indirectly results in the death of son, Mezut. The remainder of the script explores the fallout from this tragedy.
Mazim and his wife, Layla, along with Mazim’s close friend, Firadh, escape the village upon the invasion, but Mezut falls to the sword by the Sojan warlord. Mazim and Layla must now emotionally reconcile the damage done by their beloved son’s demise. And Mazim, alone, must reconcile the fact that he could have saved his son from death and himself from unbearable guilt. As Layla grows increasingly resentful of Mazim, blaming him for Mezut’s death, the couple grows emotionally apart. However, despite this falling out of love, they must pick themselves up and return to the village to bury their son so that his soul may find peace in the Field of Reeds, for only those buried can find their way out of the Underworld and into Paradise.
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DIRECT ACTION, 13min., UK
Directed by Tor Kristoffersen
A teenage environmentalist leads a protest
against a coal mine, setting her on a collision course
with her father, the police and courts.
https://www.instagram.com/torkistoffersen/
Get to know the filmmaker:
A few things – the first is obviously the climate crisis, which is pretty much the backdrop (in some way) for all the scripts I write – having this unprecedented and existential issue staring us in the face, which we’re not really dealing with has always motivated me to try and tackle it in some small way and I think fictional stories are a very important way of doing that. In England we’ve got a government which after making some good noises about Net Zero has started giving the green light for more coal mines and oil fields, while at the same time introducing some draconian laws making peaceful protest virtually illegal and giving some pretty hefty sentences to climate protesters which is pretty alarming. Most climate protesters don’t want to go out and start marching down streets (you can trust me on that) but they’re pretty well informed on the science – indeed the ones I know are some of the most educated people in our society such as doctors and scientists so it’s quite alarming when we start locking these people up for trying to raise awareness of the subject. I totally appreciate that their tactics can divide the room but the reason they’re doing this is because we’re ignoring the problem.
The other main issue I was interested in was how a lot of young females were being dealt with (particularly by the press in the UK) for taking part in these protests — basically how they were being branded as ‘fanatical’ and that reminded me of the suffragette movement. We look back on that with selective amnesia in the UK, Emily Pankhurst and the woman who fought for their rights are now rightly celebrated but at the time they were horribly vilified and they had to use some pretty hard core tactics which are never mentioned. A lot of women were imprisoned for simply wanting rights and I found there to be an interesting parallel here. So out of that (and a few women I have met) Emily Phliips was born – I then really liked the idea that her mum had played a role in activism but her dad saw work opportunities in the mine – this enabled me to bring the other side I wanted to explore as well – which is the struggle a lot of people have with paying the bills and how lack of political leadership makes the transition away from fossil fuels very real and economically scary for a lot of people. These are themes I was able to explore more in the feature but they’re touched on very lightly here.
BEFORE DAWN, 15min., USA
Directed by Ruben Rodas
A top hit-man gets caught in the middle of a betrayal scheme within his contractors
http://www.rodasruben.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ruben.rodas.144
https://www.instagram.com/rubenrodas/
Get to know the filmmaker:
I simply love the Thriller/crime/suspense genre and it’s been a while since I made a film like that, so it thought it was time to do a new one LOL
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Festival Reviews 