DARK CIRCLES, 4min., USA
Directed by Suswana Chowdhury
“Dark Circles” is a surrealist short poetry film directed and produced by Suswana Chowdhury, and written by Jean-Sebastien Surena.

Get to know the writer Jean-Sebastien Surena & director Suswana Chowdhury:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Jean: Sometimes I write poems that I feel beg to be consumed in a different medium. This is a piece I’ve very seldom read out loud, and have never published anywhere. The moment it was written, I knew I wanted to visualize it in some way. I sat on it for a long time, as I don’t like to rush into projects that extend to mediums I’m not as well versed in. But once I started collaborating with Suswana on other projects, and saw the care with which she handles my work, I knew it was only a matter of time until I’d finally be able to bring this work onto the screen.

Suswana: After Jean and I made our first poetry film together, “Unbroken,” we were ready to make more. I’ve always been interested in creating interdisciplinary art as I grew up creating in all these separate mediums – theater, film, poetry, dance, photography – and I wanted to explore where and how these forms can intersect. “Dark Circles” was an opportunity to translate Jean’s beautiful poetic language into cinematic language and push the visual and sonic artistry further than we did with our first project.

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

Suswana: “Dark Circles” is part of a series of poems that from beginning to end take viewers on a journey through the protagonist’s battle with himself. Jean wrote this series in 2019, we did script breakdowns and started discussing visual language in 2021, filmed “Dark Circles” in 2022, and after taking a hiatus on the project, edited the film in 2024.

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

Jean: Intimate, Illuminating

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

Suswana: Because we took a bit of a break between when we shot the film and when we started editing, coming back to it after almost two years, I had these new ideas of what I wanted to do but was limited to the footage we shot. We didn’t have funding to film anything additional so I really had to go back and forth with our editor a few times before we figured out how to achieve my vision and really bring out the emotions I was going for.

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

Jean: My first thought upon hearing the feedback was “they get it.” Which was so important to me, because I know my words will always make more sense in my head than on paper. One of the challenges of a poet is conveying at least some of what you’re thinking to a reader/listener. And I’m grateful to have had an audience that gets it, and was moved by not just the words, but the entirety of our presentation.

Suswana: To be completely honest, I started tearing up after hearing the first person speak about the film. To know that the intentions of the project really came through and resonated with the audience made me feel like okay, I’m not crazy. Well, I am crazy, but it’s good crazy.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

Jean: I discovered a love for acting in my senior year of high school. Up until then, I was very set on a life of working in technology, but I took 12th grade Drama with Mr. Clarke, and it honestly radicalized me. My love of poetry came a couple years later, and at some point I made the decision that I wanted to prioritize that over all other creative endeavors. But I didn’t want to give up my love of theater, film, and other arts, so I decided I would experience it all through poetry. Creating “Unbroken” with Suswana was the first time I realized this aspiration wasn’t just a foolish dream, and “Dark Circles” has cemented for me that these art forms belong together, and that I can play a real role in that reality.

Suswana: I’ve always been a bookworm, still am a bookworm. Growing up, I tried my hand multiple times at writing short stories. But it was a peculiar thing, I actually kept writing screenplays and kept forming ideas through the lens of a camera. I was creating soundtracks to my daily life. It still wasn’t until my senior year of high school that it finally all clicked and I realized, oh wait, I can pursue filmmaking – and I did.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Jean: I’m not usually one for watching films more than once. The most recent exception was “Oppenheimer”, the only film I’ve gone to see twice while in theaters. When I was younger though, my sister and I would watch movies together every Saturday morning, and I’m sure I would be appalled if we were to go back and count the amount of times we made our way through “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” and “Cheetah Girls 2.” To be clear, I think my sister and I were both equally eager for all of those re-watches, so I cannot pin the blame on her alone.

Suswana: To continue the theme Jean started, my most watched movies are probably High School Musical, The Cheetah Girls (first one), Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, and The Mighty Ducks.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

Jean: I think something I’ve appreciated seeing from certain festivals is an emphasis on building a community between current and past filmmakers that have gone through the festival’s doors.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

Suswana: I love FilmFreeway. I’ve used FilmFreeway since I made my first short film. The submission process is always easy and it’s been a great platform to discover new festivals too.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Jean: Oxtail, rice and peas, and baked macaroni.

Suswana: Wings.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

Jean: Filmwise, looking to get “Dark Circles” before more eyes, and to raise funding for the larger project. Beyond that, I’m looking to really focus on writing more as the winter kicks off. I like giving myself intentional breaks from performances and projects to get back in tune with my pen, so that’s top of mind.

Suswana: Jean and I are hoping to continue screening “Dark Circles” at more festivals and at private screenings to raise funding interest in producing the full series. I am also working on some other episodic projects including a docuseries and an animated series, along with developing my first feature film.

HANDS, 7min., Portugal
Directed by Filipe Piteira
Hands are the connection and the path between the body and soul. The mode of search and self-knowledge, which is intuitive and sensorial, with them, discovering and transcending themselves. It is the receptive and restless mind that transforms hands into instruments of grace.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I’ve always found hands to be a beautiful part of our body. Moreover, they are more than mere physicality.

From a metaphysical perspective, they are symbols of the human potential to transcend the limits of matter and access the sublime. They connect the physical and spiritual worlds, shape the invisible and express the eternal through the ephemeral. So I wanted to illustrate the hands as a metaphysical component and how this invites us to reflect on the very nature of the human being as a meeting point between the tangible and the transcendent.

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

in Portugal make films is always very difficult and a huge challenge. Fortunately, I managed to bring together a group of professionals who saw potential in the project and who made it possible to set up all the production stages in a way that was viable in terms of costs, thus managing to create this film in a few months.

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

delicate and contemplative .

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

We had many hours of footage and it was difficult, but also challenging, to find the shots that best described the story

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

I liked the idea, it’s dynamic and genuine. It’s always good to receive criticism, good or bad, it helps us to evolve.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I’d say it was a gradual process over time, from when I was a child I just liked to watch, to starting to write and then wanting to put something on screen that came from my imagination.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

maybe – 8 1/2 by Federico Fellini

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

It could be good to be a mediator between filmmakers and production companies, so that they can have more opportunities and visibility in the film industry

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

It’s been very satisfactory. It’s a very complete and easy-to-understand platform that ends up being used not only by independent filmmakers but also by production companies.

It allows us to find the best options for each film and to follow the entire distribution process.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I love American food such as grilled cheese or crispy chicken

11. What is next for you? A new film?

The future is always uncertain but I would be happy if I could continue to explore transcendental narratives that simultaneously illustrate the anguish and vulnerability of human beings and their existence

AN ADVERT FOR ONE NIGHT, 15min,. UK
Directed by Graham Birch
Lisa responds to a newspaper advert to meet Sarah in a hotel room for a night. They meet and have a wonderful night that sadly uncovers that one was badly abused and the other is currently suffering serious mental and physical bullying from a partner. Will this allow them to bond? What will they do?

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

My friend was going through an abusive relationship at the time and it was terrifying. He was psychologically destroyed. So I flipped it to the more common female perspective as it is simply not acceptable. Domestic abuse isn’t just physical. It’s wider than that and destroys people.

I also wanted to highlight the dangers of getting drunk and thinking you are in control of a situation. I want people to watch the film and maybe question if they should go home with that person. Particularly when you are young and at a night club. I always tried not to let my friends go off alone (male or female) as there are people who are simply not good.

I also wanted to create a film of exquisite beauty and use the lighting to enhance everything. You’ll notice that the colours change in the film, sometimes suddenly, sometimes from scene to scene. Showing differing emotions and settings.

The actors were incredible and allowed us to really focus on the environment and lighting.

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

Very quickly! 4 months!

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

Powerful Revelations

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

Funding! It always is!

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

I was delighted. I felt that they understood my message and how I wanted the feel of the film to be. They were true to what I wanted to achieve and I’m very grateful to the reviewers for taking the time to watch the film and also to vote it as best short

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

Since I was very young. However, I only started in 2020 during the pandemic!

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Predator – I apologise but Arnie is my hero. When I was young I was bullied relentlessly and I looked at Arnie as my motivation to get through it.

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 opportunities would be great.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

Very good. I do feel that some festivals don’t take some submissions seriously but this festival has been amazing and very open with it’s entries.

10. What is your favourite meal?

Steak and Chips. Fillet steak though!

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I have 3 feature films and 3 other shorts that I need to get finished! All are powerful. A WW2 film in German occupied France. A Gen Z film about mental health. A thriller about women’s mental health.