W. MULBERRY ST., 18min., USA Directed by Michael Donaldson A paranoid driver gets caught in a time loop on her way to a high school reunion.
Get to know the filmmaker:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
“Change” was the driving theme of this short film, and the paranoia of trying but failing to change. This was really thematically compelling to me and inspired me to make the short film.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
This short took about 2 years from the start of pre-production to watching the final cut.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Road rage.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
One of the biggest obstacles was during pre-production. We spent several weeks looking for locations to film, and felt it was a miracle when we finally found what we needed. Even then, once we were actually on location filming, we ran into obstacles. Location scouting and management are definitely skills I still need to work on.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was really pleased to see that the audience members who provided feedback for my film understood the themes of the short, and that they were entertained.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I realized I wanted to make films when I was in high school.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Pulp Fiction
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
I don’t think I have any suggestions for wildsound, this festival has already gone above and beyond other festivals I’ve experienced in terms of supporting and promoting its filmmakers.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
I found the festival platform site to be very easy to navigate and overall enjoyed using it.
10. What is your favorite meal?
My favorite meal is probably Mexican food, beef fajitas with rice and beans.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
I’m in the middle of post-production on another short film, and I am slowly starting pre-production on a feature.
THE LAST RECKONING, 102min., Canada Directed by Garnet Campbell A prestigious attorney colludes with his impulsive brother to hide a manslaughter, but when an innocent is charged, their plans spiral out of control, leading to moral reckoning and inevitable judgment.
Interview with Filmmakers Garnet Campbell & Grant Gladish
1. What motivated you to make this film?
GRANT: In the 90s, Garnet and I worked on a lot of short movies together. We had always aspired to make features. After 1998, I turned my back on the dream because it wasn’t the level-playing field that is now. I worked in various non-film fields, but Garnet pursued education, filmmaking education. I did, however, keep writing screenplays. I had written six feature films by January, 2024. Garnet had co-produced and co-directed a feature film (for which I’d provided a rewrite). Then in February, 2024, I learned that my two younger kids were going to Japan for six weeks (without me) and that I’d be home alone. I had no FT work at the time and yet, after a few calls, suspected that I might get access to some limited funds. So… I called up Garnet and said: “Let’s make a movie!” Then we rushed to get ready to shoot and be done before my kids returned in April from their extended Spring Break trip. I knew that I wasn’t going to rush one of my other five, previous feature screenplays, so I started searching public domain theatre plays for quick and easy, already proven, source material. I found two short-plays, THE FIRST & THE LAST, 1919, by John Galsworthy, and THE RECKONING, 1922, by Percival Wilde. Either was too short for a feature, but I liked them both so I dove-tailed them into one story and then added cinematic filler and some contemporizing. That is also how we derived our title, from both those originals: “The Last” + “Reckoning” to honour both public domain works. GARNET: I was motivated by a desire to help Grant. He had a need (to fill roles) and I wanted to be there as his right-hand man and take on the duties necessary, whatever those might be. It just ended up being “director.”
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
GRANT: It took one week to find the public domain materials (January, 2024); it took three weeks to come up with a rough draft of our screenplay; it took two more weeks to get that script to final draft by the end of February. It took two more weeks to get it to a shooting script in March, 2024. Preproduction simultaneously started in late February, including casting and calls to find a producer and director. Casting slowly moved forward but no director or producer could be found. Garnet and I then determined to produce and direct the film ourselves. Lead and supporting actors were cast and first table-read-through was 15 March, 2024. Scripts were issued and memorization assigned. Rehearsals began. Crew assembled and smaller roles filled. Production design started late and our amazing Production Designer, Irene Korzh, pulled many rabbits out of her hat. Grant helped a lot with set decoration. By 03 April, 2024 we were ready. That first day we did a “dress rehearsal” with actors and crew running through the whole screenplay in the day, and we shot 5-hours at night. (1st day was only a ½ day of shooting). The next day we did a complex set-up day at a future location. Preparing an abandoned house with a day of lighting and set dec preparation. After THAT day, we did seven (7) days of consecutive shooting. We wrapped on April 11th. We shot two days in Graham’s house location, two days in John Grace’s barber location, two days in Katarina’s house location, and one day doing small scenes and pick ups around the city of Vancouver. In those 8½ days, we did 7½ of shooting in Steveston and Vancouver. So we shot the film in 7½ days, had 5-weeks of pre-production and 5-weeks of development. From “Let’s make a movie,” to the movie is “in the can,” it was twelve (12) weeks.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
GRANT: Romantic thriller OR slow-burning.
GARNET: visceral, introspective
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?0
GRANT: The feeling of isolation and the feeling that we were in over our heads. This was my first feature film and I’d stepped away from making short movies for 25-years; I was WAY out of practice and a lot had changed with casting procedures, equipment, contracts, best practice policies and procedures… ahh… the internet! Almost everything was different from what I’d done in the mid-90s. So a steep and intimidating learning curve was ahead of me and Garnet was very busy running a film school Spring Break camp so by about 1-month from shooting I had a strong sense that I’d “bitten off more than I could chew.” I felt as if there was no one that I could really lean on. I did a lot of praying in those days! LOL Literally, it was a miracle that this film was ever started, let alone finished.
GARNET: Keeping the team unified, keeping a cohesive vision. Shot lists, and other things only take filmmakers so far. But you really have to understand people. So know your team. Avoid surprises, when you’re moving fast. Focus on building trust based on more explicit agreements of terms, expectations and definitions.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
GRANT: It’s not our first round of feedback; we had really fantastic feedback from a live audience in Tbilisi, Georgia, where our film was screened and where we’d won “Best Feature Film.” In both cases, my thoughts were: “Wow! They really got the film.” I know that THE LAST RECKONING is not JURASSIC PARK or JAWS or THE BOURNE IDENTITY; it is a very niche picture. I knew what going into this. I know it’s not for everyone. However, when you find and hear from people who watched it and get it and find the symbolism, the irony, the themes and found satisfaction in the pay-off and surprises, then … that’s a very rewarding outcome.
GARNET: I loved it. We want more of those recorded reactions. We know that it resonates with a certain kind of people, and just finding more of those people and hearing from more of them.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
GRANT: August, 1991. I was lying awake on my bed at sunset and was listening to the whole A side of a music album. As I lay there, I envisioned a story. I saw it unfold like a film. After the first half of the record album played, I flipped it and listened to the B side. The rest of the movie-in-my-head played out before my imagination. I even saw the poster, the marketing, the line ups. I saw the selling ‘angle’ of the film, and what we would pitch to audiences to encourage them to see the film. I saw the controversy and the debate of talk show folk interviewing and discussing the themes of the film. And all that film lined up so perfectly with the lyrics and mood of the music album, that I saw it being like a script, almost like a sober, seriously toned musical movie script. And then I sat up: “What is this? Why did I see all of this?” I couldn’t sleep right away after that summer night and reconciled with it that this is what I was supposed to do. I testified of this to a few other close fiends and family. Then… before I knew it, I was quitting my part time jobs, applying to universities and focusing on how the vision of making movies would be achieved. I flew out West and embarked upon my dream in Fall of 1991. (But I had largely quit on the dream and turned my back on it in 1998). It sat dormant until December, 2023, when I stood in for a student project that Garnet was producing; I stood in front of a green screen and riffed on an idea (and improvisational performance in an empty room with Garnet on camera). This was made and THIS “primed the well” of the passion and the lost dream, to pick up where I’d left off and start working on the actor craft again, to start thinking about a seventh screenplay too.
GARNET: When I was 16-years old; I used my dad’s 8mm film camera to make a comedy with my friend, Robert, who was dressed up in a toga; it was called THE HISTORY OF THE OLYMPICS.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life? GRANT: Some of my favourites, I’ve rewatched many times: KAFKA, 1991 (Soderbergh); FALLING DOWN, 1993 (Schumacher); L’AVVENTURA, 1960 (Antonioni); UCHÔTEN HOTERU, 2006 (Mitani San); NOBODY KNOWS, 2004 (Koreeda San); LATE SPRING, 1949 (Ozu San); NOT ONE LESS, 1999 (Zhang); FRANTIC, 1988 (Polanski); CHINATOWN, 1974 (Polanski); THE INSIDER, 1999 (Mann); SCHINDLER’S LIST, 1993 (Spielberg); BOURNE IDENTITY, 2002 (Liman); THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, 2011 (Fincher); and ISLE OF DOGS, 2018 (Anderson).
GARNET: THE MATRIX, 1999 (Wachowski + Wachoswksi); ROCKY, 1976 (Avildsen); GLADIATOR, 2000 (Scott); and BRAVEHEART, 1995 (Gibson).
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career? GRANT: After a year of submitting to festivals, and experiencing the gambit of all the little quirks of each, I’d say, here are my suggestions, even if they are not realistic… a./ Adopt some form of standardization to create a meaningful set of definitions, practices, and expectations. (For example, some stress the quarter-final, semi-final, finalist approach and some the selection, nomination approach and there seems to be much inconsistency about what they mean from festival to festival. FilmFreeway, the hub for all festivals, should defined and almost police those progressive level toward awards so that they mean the same to everyone no matter where they are); b./ Have FilmFreeway insist or necessitate that what a festival states on their “About” page is what they deliver. Some say Festival and some say On-Line. Those are really two different things. Specifically define them and don’t permit a festival to call themselves a festival and then they only release one’s selected film online. And if they advertise festival and then, after you pay and register, switch to “Sorry, online only this year,” then an automatic refund should be offered and that festival should be called out for deceptive practices. Don’t advertise what you don’t do. Nobody likes to be strung along. c./ Encourage festivals to offer audience feedback. I’d say, that bonafide, spontaneous, spur of the moment audience feedback is just as valuable (if not more) than receiving laurels. But don’t offer audience feedback as a ‘cash-cow,’ meaning merely as a means for generating more cash capital for the festival. Make it legitimate. Have BTS camera operators at the doors of festivals recording audience reactions as they exit and have the audience member authorize the filmmakers to use that recording for future publicity and PR. d./ FilmFreeway needs to police how wins and nominations are publicly recorded. It is nice to get a “Congratulations!” email and a laurel from the festival but filmmakers need more if it’s an IMDb reporting festival. Filmmakers need public proof. Back in the day, it was an article or a bi-line in a trade journal. Nowadays, it’s a website with a publication. This is proof, and it’s often the kind of proof that a filmmaker needs to creditably certify to IMDb that the nomination or win is legitimate. We went through a lot of trouble with one festival that was remiss in reporting a nomination; it is not their practice. But why? IMDb allows films to show nominations. Don’t advertise that you’re an IMDb festival when only Winners are given the time of day. e./ A nice show of legitimacy is to have winners films and names printed in a trade journal, something neutral and universal, that can be accessed even as an archive. Don’t just put it on your website, but put it in a trade journal, like VARIETY of HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. FilmFreeway could work with those trade journals to have a section, even if just like classifieds in the old newspapers, that shows Winners in festivals.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site? GRANT: A lot of what I think about this is already in question 8, as I see the correlation between festivals and how you come to relate to them via FilmFreeway. But… I’d really like to see FilmFreeway partition their festivals more deliberately between bonafide festivals, that exhibit film by projecting it into a physically shared room for an emotionally shared experience — versus online “festivals” that really just stream your film to an unknown number of viewers who typically watch your picture alone at home. Those just are not equal in value. Don’t treat them like they are. They each have their own merit and their own drawbacks. Just treat them separately. And FilmFreeway, have festivals clearly show which ones project in stereo and which ones project in 5.1 surround audio. The specifications for projection should be told right out of the gate, as they say. Not after your film is selected.
10. What is your favourite meal?
GRANT: 1ST: Authentic Indian Curry (chicken or chickpea). 2ND. Authentic Ramen and nigiri sushi; 3RD: steak and potatoes with steamed veggies.
GARNET: 1ST: Steak and potatoes. 2ND: Authentic Indian Curry; 3RD: Mexican
11. What is next for you? A new film?
GRANT: I am writing a graphic novel for e-publishing that will have an artist hand-paint over eighty (80) illustrations for the book. This is a foundational IP launch before trying to raise money for the motion picture. But before that picture gets made, I’m writing a thriller, that is more action based. I want to make that in Vancouver and British Columbia too. I have a script needing a rewrite and I’d like to shoot that in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. Whichever gets the funding first. Eventually, I’d like to do a co-production with a Japanese filmmaking team. I don’t, however, disclose IP prematurely.
GARNET: I don’t know. I am interested in exploring the AI workflow.
GARDEN VALLEY, 28min., USA Directed by Manuel Navarro Inspired by the horrific Mann family murders of spring 1988, Garden Valley follows two friends lost in a haze of hard rock, reckless choices, drugs, and volatile romance. Set against the bleak landscape of the Garden Valley trailer park on San Antonio’s Southside, the story unfolds over one fateful day—April 14, 1988—when their lives descend into chaos, obsession, and the lingering psychological shadows of violence.
Rediscovering Iron Maiden’s debut album… listening to the songs over and over, recalling tales and stories of my youth regarding the Mann Murders in San Antonio, TX back in 1988.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
3 years
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Innocence Loss
4. What was the greatest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Post-Production, Editing
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
Development. Really enjoyed researching, interviewing, discussion among friends and family.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
When I Developed a film production program at the community college I worked at the time.
7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
Lawerence of Arabia
8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
Sean Baker
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experience been working on the festival platform site?
Excellent
10. What is your favorite meal?
Chicken Chop Suey
11. What is next for you? A new film?
Working on pre-production on our next short film, Gasman
DOBRINA, 5min., Germany Directed by Hannes Rall Lotte Reiniger meets Sergio Leone in this animated short, where desire burns as bright as the desert sun. 22 awards, 6 Academy Award Qualifying Festivals, over 250 festivals (and counting) total.
Get to know the filmmaker:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
My fascination for the music and the love of the works of Lotte Reiniger and Serghio Leone.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
About 3 years, on and off.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Spaghetti Carmen
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
To find the time to do it.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Happy to hear that our intentions matvched exctly what the audience stated about the film, mission accomplished. It was delightful to hear that the unconventional stylistic approach ws much welcomed.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Round bout the age of 20-22.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Maybe the James Bond film “On her Majesty’s Secret Service”, the one with George Lazenby.
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Networking and building connections.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Very good, excellent, easy to use platform.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Possibly Osso Buco (Italian dish).
11. What is next for you? A new film?
Yes, several are in the works: “Eictches, Firies and a Storm” (adapted loosely from Shakespare), “Tells Tod” (Tell’s Death”), co-directed wuith my brother, an nimted poem adaptation and 3 more projects.
THE SNAKE, 5min., Canada Directed by Elizabeth Lewis The film is based on an Aesop Fable about a woman who takes pity on what she believes is a helpless snake. When the snake recovers from her care, the results are deadly. The visuals reflect the lively soul music which contrasts with the looming deadly climax.
Get to know the filmmaker:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
Loved the song and thought it had great possibilities for humour while still expressing a deeper message.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
About six months
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Entertaining and lively
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Dealing with the technical aspects. I live far from my tech person.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
At first I was of course flattered that they liked the film and they all seemed to have a smile on their face. I was also glad that none of them gave away any of the gags and plot points “spoilers” . Thank you for that.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I was in my twenties when I first started animating. And I have always loved stories and telling stories.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
I obsessively watch films over and over to the point that I memorize every line. Recently, though, I have been obsessed with Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
I think that you are doing a great job and I am so appreciative and grateful that you provide such insightful recorded feedback. One thing that concerns me about all the festivals is this. Is AI in any way used in the selection process? If it is , I would like to know about it.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
FilmFreeway is incredible. It is so easy to promote and submit films. I have been a member for many years and the odd time I have had a problem, it was dealt with immediately and solved.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Chinese food.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
I only start a new film when I love with the concept, usually a song. I have also written several screenplays for live action. So my next project could be either animation or a script.
LOUDER THAN LATER, 5min., USA Directed by Matt Jenkins The film follows Mara and Juno as they try to save their favorite punk bar, The Rusty Needle, only to discover that the real enemy isn’t a villain; it’s apathy. Their fight becomes a funny reminder of what it means to care loudly in a world that is too comfortable being quiet.
“Louder Than Later” is my attempt to bottle the chaotic joy of being young, loud, and convinced your favorite dive bar is the center of the universe. Growing up, I was shaped equally by the punk scene and the kind of fast, clever dialogue that makes everyday conversations feel like verbal ping-pong. This movie is where those two influences finally meet.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It took six months.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Punk fast
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
My biggest obstacle was finding a bar that had the look I wanted that would be available when I planned to film.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was thrilled that the first and third person who spoke seemed to enjoy the movie. That was what we were aiming for.
I was a little disappointed the second person who spoke didn’t seem to get the movie and thought it was a part of a larger sketch comedy program. She said it was “choppy.” I intentionally made abrupt and quick edits to emulate the rough edge punk music scene and especially the no wave film scene that was prevalent in New York City during the early punk years. Now I didn’t expect people to go “Oh that reminds me of no wave filmmaking” but I wanted the audience to feel the rough edge scene that early punk was.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I never didn’t realize I wanted to make movies I have always wanted to make them.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
“The Adventures of El Frenetico and Go-Girl” and “Red Victoria.”
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
You guys do a great job.
9. You submitted to the festival via Film Freeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Film Freeway works. It might help to further develop the search tools.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Ice cream.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
Yes! We are in preproduction for our next short movie tentatively titled “Split the Well.” It’s about an Oklahoma oil man who is confronted by two women who each claim to be his daughter and they want their inheritance now!
Duck & Cover, 4min., USA Directed by Vincent Truman Safety in schools has never been more important. Follow these easy instructions and make your education more fun than ever!
Get to know the filmmaker:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
Answer: “Duck & Cover” started as a ten-minute piece at a festival outside Portland, Oregon. I was so enthralled with the writing and performance that I tracked down the writer, Meg Wiles, and actor, Gabby Bosso, and basically begged them to let me turn it into a film. It was too good to just disappear into the creative ether.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Answer: Meg Wiles and I corresponded for a few months, throwing drafts back and forth to each other as we whittled the ten-minute stage piece down to a four-minute film. Once we agreed on the final product, it took about a month to gather Gabby and the crew into a rented classroom. So, short answer: four months.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Answer: Duck, cover.
4. What was the greatest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Answer: renting the classroom. The paperwork took about as long as it took to shoot the film.
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
Answer: Development. Bouncing drafts of the film back and forth with the original author was a study in diplomacy, respect and desire to create something unique.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Answer: I used to do a lot of theater (directing, acting, writing, blah blah blah). As live and immediate as theater is, it does not last beyond the curtain call. I wanted more permanence.
7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
Answer: The Great Race, a (now) obscure broad and very silly comedy with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.
8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
Answer: Larry David or Christopher Guest.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experience been working on the festival platform site?
Answer: it gives a lot of good experience in getting rejected.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Answer: somewhere between unagi/sushi and hot dogs from Costco.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
Answer: I just finished what I think is a wonderful piece called Sex Doll, again starring Gabby Bosso, and am in the process of getting it rejected from various festivals worldwide.
My Proudest Moment, 5min., Australia Directed by Imbi Männik This independent micro-short documentary captures interviews with two trailblazers changing the narrative discourse in the area of disability in Australia, Tim Cahalan and Joanne Hatchard, through the sharing of their ‘proudest moment’.
Get to know the filmmaker:
1. What motivated you to make this film? It first arose when I saw Tim Cahalan’s inspiring social media post “still one of my proudest moments” referencing his 2019 visit to Parliament House, Canberra Australia to raise awareness of being a victim to the Government’s robodebt scheme – Tim expands on this in the film and I’m so grateful & humbled that he, as well as other interviewee Joanne Hatchard, said yes and trusted me to share their stories. Joanne is an absolute powerhouse– I wanted to interview her from the moment I saw her present at an online conference about autistic females – her positive energy and laugh is infectious – you can feel it through the screen.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film? Being a micro-film it was a relatively quick turnaround. Thanks to the editors William & Dale, being timely and dedicated, we finished within a couple of weeks after shooting. Pre-planning, storyboarding & location scouting was several hours, shooting half a day, followed by over 8 hours editing. The portrait artist Ralph (who also happens to be my dad) drew Tim & Joanne in the film within a couple of hours of meeting them – so we were able to film the artist drawing them on same day shooting the interviews – a tight shooting schedule but we got it all done within half a day.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!? Authentically joyful.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film? Getting the editing ‘knives out’ and cutting back the film footage to under 5 minutes – both interviewees shared amazing insights and stories and there were so many gold nuggets…it was so hard to choose which parts to cut!
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video? I was absolutely floored by the positivity and beautiful film critiquing of the audience– thank you to those 3 audience members who went to the effort to record your insightful comments. What a cool experience it was to have an indie microfilm made in little old Adelaide South Australia be viewed & critiqued by an audience at a Festival in the US/Canada!
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films? Over 8 years ago when I first made a little film on my mobile phone for a local film festival.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life? Jim Henson’s ‘The Labryrinth’ (with David Bowie & Jennifer Connelly) – a children’s classic!
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career? If there’s any way to further assist with mentoring, education, support and funding for emerging indie filmmakers.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site? I’ve learned so much from using FilmFreeway for the first time over the course of this year – it’s a great platform for becoming acquainted with film festivals not only locally but around the world, networking and getting your work seen out there – including finding festivals that will support & spotlight emerging indie filmmakers (particularly if your film has an extremely low budget!).
10. What is your favorite meal? I love the fresh local seafood in South Australia – anything with prawns or lobster in it!
11. What is next for you? A new film? Hopefully this time next year I’ve made another documentary, interviewed a few more trailblazers; shining a light on inclusivity, disABILITY, resilience and overcoming adversity (already have some ideas brewing!).
1. What motivated you to make this film? This started as a small proof of concept for a bigger film I want to make, originally around 15 to 20 minutes. I first imagined it as a kind of poetry film, but the more I sit with it, the more I see it becoming a narrative short.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take? I wrote the script and showed it to my friends. They liked it, so we just went for it and shot the whole thing in a friend’s studio in a single day. All in all it was about three days of work, counting prep and post.
3. How would you describe your film in two words? Sleep paralysis.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film? Since I live with sleep paralysis myself, the hardest part was actually getting myself to write about it in the first place, and then to start collecting those first impressions on Pinterest for a moodboard.
5. What were your initial reactions to the audience feedback video? It was really nice to see people getting pulled in and finding it gripping, especially for a film that’s only a minute long. And it was fascinating to hear what people read into it.
6. When did you realize you wanted to make films? I started studying at 19, but back then I still had other goals. My real fire for film was lit about two years ago by a very good friend of mine. He and I are actually shooting a feature right now that we’ve split into six short films.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life? Probably something like the Bourne movies, Johnny English, or Lammbock (a German comedy).
8. What other elements of the festival experience could we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help further your career? Honestly, I was already really happy with how friendly and professional the festival was. These video feedbacks are a lovely touch and worth their weight in gold. I haven’t come across that at other festivals.
9. How was your experience working on FilmFreeway? Very smooth and uncomplicated.
10. What is your favorite meal? Just a relaxed breakfast with fresh rolls a friend of mine bakes himself.
11. What is next for you? A new film? Alongside the six short films we’re shooting right now, I’ve written a script for a dark action comedy. It’ll be a 25-minute film that we’re planning to shoot in November. It’s inspired by films like Bourne, Johnny English, and The Naked Gun – and it’ll have some horror elements too.
