PODCASTS

Today’s Podcast: Filmmaker Ally May (THE ABIDING)

festreviews PODCASTS

The Abiding, 11min., USA
Directed by Ally May
A lonely woman reminieces about the three great loves of her life while she decides if trying again is a risk worth taking.

https://writerdirectorallymay.com/

https://www.instagram.com/allymay/?hl=en

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
Honestly, my motivation was/is to take every opportunity to develop as a director. I was at a festival, I had a room, a crew and actors, so I put it together really fast and shot it.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I wrote the script several years ago and had it sitting in my computer. Then I got the bright idea to shoot in about a month before we did. So, realistically, about a month.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Intimate, mature.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The biggest obstacle was blocking the scenes. We did not have access to the hotel room until the day we shot, so had no time to plan out blocking.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
The first woman was very sterile, it seemed like she hadn’t watched it and was just reading text. The other two that gave feedback seemed very genuine and thoughtful.

Subscribe to the podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/

https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundp

Today’s Podcast: Screenwriter Andrew Conlyn (HIGH GROUND)

festreviews PODCASTS

Watch best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1057hMo7JU

Get to know the writer:

What is your screenplay about?

High Ground is a dramatic, near-future story set in climate-ravaged Miami. Gloria Tejeda, a brilliant, physically disabled architect, becomes an unexpected hero. As rising seas and political polarization threaten lives and values, her fight against societal judgment, and radical extremists transforms her from a misunderstood figure into a national symbol of strength, vulnerability, and moral courage.

What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Drama, with elements of Science Fiction, Social Commentary, and Thriller. It delves into abstruse disability issues and touches on Romance and Political Satire.

Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

High Ground is a blend of personal and planetary crisis, addressing timely issues of climate change, misinformation, overcoming disabilities, and extremism. Gloria is emotionally insecure and physically limited, yet her internal and external challenges bring out inner strength. Her journey is inspiring, cinematic, and relevant. The story delivers suspense, emotional weight, visual spectacle, and a message of hope in a divided world. It is a story that needs to be told.

Subscribe to the podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/

https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundp

Actors Podcast: Actor/Stunt Performer Diana Gheorghe (CRISIS POINT)

festreviews PODCASTS

Crisis Point, 3min., Romania
Directed by Valentin Raileanu
As a result of resource depletion, a virus outbreak stripping the afflicted of what makes them human and finally, war, humanity’s sovereignty has fallen. In dwindling numbers, the survivors have been driven out of their homes in the search for safety, while a former soldier travels through the toxic environment in search of a cure.

https://www.instagram.com/vali_stunt

Get to know actor Diana Gheorghe

What motivated you to make this film?
Valentin Raileanu, a talented and successful stuntman, fight choreographer, camera operator, and my mentor in this wonderful field, has always had a passion for filmmaking and a wealth of insane ideas to bring to life. This passion led him to explore the subtleties of being a film director. When he proposed the idea of a post-apocalyptic short to me, I immediately knew we had to do it. I fell in love with the concept of showcasing a violent and harsh reality as a consequence of human recklessness. It was also a great opportunity for me to put my newly learned stunt skills to the test. Since I was young, I’ve loved acting and dreamed of participating in film festivals with my own projects. Even though this isn’t our first project together, it is the first one we’re submitting to festivals.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Approximately 10 weeks in total, give or take a few days. Pre-production lasted 5 weeks (for choreography, camera rehearsal, and preview), followed by 1 week of shooting, and another 4 weeks for post-production (editing and FX).

Subscribe to the podcast:

Tweets by wildsoundpod

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/

https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

Today’s Podcast: Producer Jay Stinnett (Bill W Conscious Contact)

festreviews PODCASTS

Bill W Conscious Contact, 58min, USA

Directed by Kevin Hanlon

Conscious Contact explores the personal spiritual quest of Bill W and his thirst for transcendence.

www.instagram.com/billwconsciouscontent

http://www.billwconsciouscontact.com/

Subscribe to the podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/

https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundp

Today’s Podcast: Filmmaker Emmitt Thrower (DANCING WITH WAVES)

festreviews PODCASTS

Dancing With Waves, 29min., USA

Directed by Emmitt Thrower

Tammi Judge, the founder of a transformative dance program, leads young dancers on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth, using the power of movement to heal, inspire, and change their lives forever.

Watch Emmitt’s other short film, DISABLED ARTIST SHOWCASE: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/watch-disabled-artist-showcase

https://www.instagram.com/truth_thrower

Subscribe to the podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/

https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

Today’s Podcast: Filmmaker Abo Fall & DP Neela Yamini (ROUTINE)

festreviews PODCASTS

Routine, 5min., Canada

Directed by Abo Fall

Meet Benedicte, a happy young woman living in a beautiful, heavenly garden where she doesn’t have a single worry in the world. She loves to wander around, lay on the grass and simply live in the moment.

https://www.instagram.com/souhafall/

What motivated you to make this film?

 

In an ironic way, I think I was trying to get out of a routine myself. It had been a minute since I made any short film or even attempted to finish old scripts. I started feeling trapped in the 9 to 5 life and saw that, unless I made the effort to pursue my passion despite the obvious obstacles, the current life I’m living would be it forever. It pushed me to get out of my comfort zone and make things happen. We filmed this short film with an iphone and a very restricted budget.

 

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

 

I’ll say about 4 months. The main issue was that I work in Nunavik but wanted to shoot the short film in Montreal. So, there was a moment where I had everything ready from the script to finding the right team but had to wait for the occasion to fly back to Montreal and finally get to shooting. But once I was on site, things went fast. We shot the entire script in 3 weeks, mainly because we had to work around everyone’s availability. And then I spent about 2 months with Vincent Loiselle-Latour, who worked on the sound engineering and Julien Ferland who worked on the score, to create an atmosphere for the film that we would all be satisfied with.

 

How would you describe your film in two words!?

 

”Literally me”

 

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

 

Time! There was never enough time and, as I said, I work in Nunavik. I had to shoot everything before it was time for me to go back and I had exactly 3 weeks !

 

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

 

I was thrilled the entire time! I really loved one of the critic’s comment, when he said the movie inspired him to want to go make movies himself, that’s what’s up ! That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. Hopefully the story pushes more people to want to try something new and get out of their own ”Routine”!

 

Subscribe to the podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/

https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

Today’s Podcast: Travis Limoge (FIELD REPORT | FLACK FAMILY FARM)

festreviews PODCASTS

FIELD REPORT | FLACK FAMILY FARM, 15min., USA
Directed by Travis Limoge
Nestled in the hills of Enosburg Falls, Vermont Flack Family Farm has been contributing to the vibrance of their community through their symbiotic work in the soil for nearly a half a century.

https://www.instagram.com/underblkflag/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-field-report

What motivated you to make this film?
As a Chef I have spent the last decade of my career dedicated to researching and implementing community based solutions to the industrial food complex. I have made many impactful relationships with farmers who are working hard to revitalize their local food sheds and felt inspired to share their stories as the majority of the documentaries currently available on food and food production are either glossy or focused on a specific problem rather than demonstrating the collaboration between farmer, soil, and community, the struggles they face and the actions of resilience they take on a daily basis.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
We had a good idea of the message we were trying to relay in the film and when we set out on the farm to shoot the story unfolded chronologically as we were working hand in hand from harvest to production of the fermented products, when we got to post it was quick work as we were smitten with the story we had captured, all told the whole film from start to finish took a month.

How would you describe your film in two words!?
Thought Provoking

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The organic nature of the production didn’t really come with obstacles, just lessons, Flack Family Farm welcomed us in and took the reins, we just followed along.

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
It was wonderful to receive feedback from the audience, it was touching that they were able to really connect with the message and the feedback let us know that we had captured the story we were trying to tell.

Subscribe to the podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/

https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

Today’s Podcast: Filmmaker Gary Alvarez (SWEET DREAMS)

festreviews PODCASTS

Sweet Dreams, 34min., USA

Directed by Gary Alvarez

Set in the near future when most people can no longer dream, “Sweet Dreams” follows the story of Esperanza, a young woman who’s excited to be a mom for the first time. Weeks before the baby is due, her partner Kiké goes missing. As she searches for him and her savings dwindle, she comes across an opportunity to make some quick money: surrogate dreaming, a new technological advancement which allows her to sell the dreams of her unborn child through a dreamcatcher clinic. After a trial run, Esperanza begins to suspect that the clinic is somehow connected to Kiké’s disappearance.

https://www.instagram.com/sweetdreams_film/

What motivated you to make this film?
A conversation I had with my wife when she was about 6 months pregnant with our son, Sol. We discovered that he was dreaming in the womb and that idea blew my mind! I thought it would make a good story and I started writing the script later that night.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
3 years and 5 months.

How would you describe your film in two words!?
Must watch!

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Post-production: from false starts on VFX to losing an AE to scheduling sound design and raising funds to pay for all of it! 

Subscribe to the podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/

https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

Podcast: Filmmaker Soudabeh Moradian & Editor Shon Hedges (THE MERMAID)

festreviews PODCASTS

THE MERMAID, 105min., USA
Directed by Soudabeh Moradian
A mysterious girl is saved from drowning by a fragmented family living in a desolate beach house. Her strange relationship with them becomes intimate and complex until everything reaches to a point of no return.

https://www.instagram.com/themermaidmovie/

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?
The Mermaid was born out of a personal urgency to explore the psychological aftermath of trauma—particularly when it’s silenced or dismissed. I wanted to create a space for a character who’s constantly gaslit, both by her inner world and the people around her, and to blur the line between dream and reality. It’s a reflection on emotional abuse, xenophobia, and isolation, wrapped in the aesthetics of psychological horror.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It took more than three years from the initial concept to the final cut. Development and writing were fairly quick, but production and especially post-production were long and complicated—partly due to budget constraints and doing so much of the work myself.

How would you describe your film in two words!?
Hauntingly intimate.

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Financing and post-production. I wore multiple hats—writer, director, producer, editor —and managing everything independently while teaching full-time at Syracuse University was incredibly draining. There were moments I truly thought it wouldn’t get finished.

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
It was surreal and deeply moving. Hearing people connect to the emotional undercurrents, even if they interpreted things differently, made me feel like the risks I took paid off.

Subscribe to the podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/

https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

Podcast: Filmmaker/Actor Law Artis (LAW’S WORLD: LIPSTICK BANDIT)

festreviews PODCASTS

Law’s World: Lipstick Bandit, 13min., USA
Directed by Law Artis
“A sassy pansexual sex blogger prepares for a high-profile house tour, but his plans are derailed by his narcissistic bestie, determined to retrieve something she claims is irreplaceable.”

http://lawartis.com/
https://instagram.com/laws_world

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

I grew up watching so many tv shows and as a performer I wanted to create something I’ve never seen. I wanted to mix my love of reality tv, web series, and film into my own version of a proof of concept film for my web film series I wrote. It;s time for a plus size, poc, to lead a comedy film series and why not me!

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

This was a one year process. I am a graduate of School of Visual Arts as a Film Directing Grad Program. I wrote the script in the summer of 2024, and started preproduction winter of 2024, and was in post production by early spring 2025.

How would you describe your film in two words!?

Fabulously Iconic.

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Biggest obstacle for any indie filmmaker/creative; where is the money coming from?

Subscribe to the podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/

https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod