The Protection Agency, 6min., USA
Directed by Patrick Bates
Aliens invade! It’s up to an elite team to win back the Earth.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I was a big fan of shows like MANNIX and THE INVADERS, both of which are back on TV on nostalgia networks. I liked the mid-century modern groove and so I went after that.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
A couple of weeks. It was actually longer as the space invaders met with a TV network to promote a new series called FUNNIEST INVASION FAILS but it was getting a little weird with the current state of the world.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
I struggle with Parkinson’s so routine movements like clicking a mouse can suddenly be over taken with rapid-fire clicking. I would open to many apps on my screen. Trying to close the app by. clicking quit or the red dot would become monnumental quests. Itt was like playing basketball with hundreds of balls all missing the basket.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was a little nervoius about the reaction to it being AI based. One of the things that has held me back in my 54 years of creative endeavors is seeing the final product come to fruition. I’ve won many screenplay awards over the years but to date only one was produced and that was a fifteen-minute web series pilot. I viewed AI as the vehicle to present the story that I otherwise couldn’t tell. I told my son what I was doing with AI apps and his comment was ‘you’re draining a lot of water.’ I try to keep in mind it’s just a tool. Desktop publishing didn’t stop books from being printed. People still paint and draw, Music is still written. Movies didn’t destroy live theatre and television hasn’t destroyed movies. It’s just another venue for creativity. Technology changes and we adapt. Having argued all that, I did not turn the script over to generative AI. This was a story I had sketched out and used the tool to make that idea live.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
When I was thirteen and got my first Super-Eight camera and projector. The neighborhood became my back lot and my friends my actors. We’d shoot dozens of films then have an awards ceremony for best performances and most popular film. My cousin worked at a movie theatre at the time and he’d bring home posters we’d based films on. We made Tales from the Crypt, Dillinger, and The Godfather all from the posters, without ever seeing the films, and all in 3 minutes and 30 seconds at 18 frames per second. We made one based on THE CAR, but called it THE BIKE after we all went to the movies.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Shawshank. At one time it would have been Rio Bravo.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Just keep doing what you’re doing. Stories want to be told. You provide the audience for them to be seen.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
I was part of it when it was without a box. Then life came along and my career shifted. I got into writing short crime fiction. Now I’m retired and there are apps for everything. The site has made it easy to be a part of the community again.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Chicken strips, onion rings and a slaw or a salad.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I have a one-act musical I’ve written and a while back I did a documentary about my quest to bring my musical about Typhoid Mary to the stage. It’s a little LES MIS/MOMMA MIA/MUSIC MA-ish. I’ve noticed some festival are vehemently oppossed to AI. Others are more welcoming to the story and not the process. I’ve also found fests that are strictly AI. Know your audience.

THE FINAL MISSION, 17min., USA
Directed by Winston James
Three unruly friends on the run from the law try to find out who among them may have provided secret information to law enforcement.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
At the time I wanted to make a film that was of current events and suspenseful. And we were constantly hearing and seeing in the news about violence, gangs and law enforcement. So from that came the motivation to write a suspense film in the crime genre.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Five years. This was mostly due to a long pickup shoot which was two years after the original shoot when editing was almost complete. The pickup shoot was the standoff which we believed and realized would be best to end the film. Then after the pickup shoot that’s when full post production began besides just editing. It included music, sound effects, color correction, voice overs, original song, special fx, credit listing, a teaser, and so much more. The budget for post-production kept fluctuating as it was the funds that I earned from my real job to get professionals to complete the film. So there were post gaps of weeks or months at times. Also, there was a major project that I produced with another company which I was obligated to work on which took about a year to complete and which culminated with a concert presentation overseas. But actually, the time away from the film was good because when I got back to finishing up the film it’s as though I could better see the big picture in the story and production, and fresh ideas and a boost of new creative energy came to me that wasn’t there previously which greatly helped to properly finalize the film.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The budget in post production and some other unrelated responsibilities.

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?
Production

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Shortly before I left the teaching field I realized that it would be fun to audition for a low budget feature in my neighborhood at the time in which the ad was posted at a local store. I got a small part but saw that the director was new and appeared not to know much about filmmaking or production. I was able to assist and help him in multiple ways including camera angles since I was a video and media major in school, and he was glad for the suggestions. Including me offering to shoot still photos and behind the scenes video shorts on set which he never thought was needed. Now before production was done, I read the full screenplay and advised him that I can no longer take the part because of some of the vulgar language and things that my character does in the story. And as a schoolteacher at the time I could have eventually wound up getting fired for being publicly seen like that. He understood, and fortunately my few scenes weren’t shot yet and I also decided to just fully leave the production at that point. About a year later I saw a big ad on a van for the film and that’s when I realized that I can also do the same thing since I was able to help him with production. At that point I started to study the craft through books, videos and directors’ commentaries, and then realized that filmmaking is what I’m really interested in doing.

7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
‘Taxi Driver.’ But then also ‘Coming To America,’ since I also enjoy comedy.

8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
James Cameron

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
The experience has been nice. The platform is simple, interactive, easy to use and keeps me well informed.

10. What is your favorite meal?
I don’t have a favorite meal, but chicken, fish and pasta are always nice.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I have some screenplays written and ready, but when or if they’ll go into production hasn’t been decided yet.

THE HUNTED, 23min., USA
Directed by Josh Harum
A suspense thriller set in the world of doomsday preppers. John, a devoted follower, joins Gary, a conspiracy theorist Youtube personality, to establish an off-the-grid commune called the ‘True Way.’ When nothing changes in the world, John’s commitment to the cause wavers, leading to betrayal, paranoia, and finally a fatal confrontation.

https://instagram.com/joshherumdp

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

– I really wanted to make a thriller because I hadn’t done one yet. I started writing around the idea of a hunter who appears to be pursuing a deer but is actually hunting a man. The question is, why? That’s when I started thinking about placing the story in a doomsday prepper community. I have relatives that deeply believe in conspiracy theories, which has caused significant division in my family. As a director, I wanted to present both sides without bias, avoiding labeling one side as wrong or stupid, while also showing the struggles and conflicts it can cause between loved ones. With that said I had a decade of the information, lingo, systems, likes and dislikes regarding a niche community that is growing year by year.

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

– One month of writing, one month of seeking financing, one month of pre-production, a three-day shoot at the property with a fifteen-person crew, one pickup day with a splinter crew, and six months of post-production. So around nine months total.

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

– BLIND TRUST

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

– Finances not allowing for more production days. Not enough time.

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

– I think it was the first time I’ve been able to hear a review of my films longer than a sentence, so I really enjoyed it.
My initial reaction was just excitement about all the positive feedback they offered.

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

– I started in still photography at age 14 but it wasn’t until I was living in China in 2014, at age 23, when I upgraded to a new DSLR that had 1080p video capability. I made a twenty minute documentary that won three awards at the Suzhou International Film Fest, earning me $800 USD. After that, I never looked back.

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

– Probably The Matrix. I was 10 years old when it was released and watched it when it came out on VHS and DVD. I was probably too young for it but I think I watched it over 25 times in the following five years.

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

– The Hunted was submitted to over thirty-five festivals which cost nearly $3000 and it only screened at five. I really wish every single festival jury would provide a one-to-two-sentence reason for not accepting a film. That way filmmakers can learn what they need to work on and pursue for their next film to be more widely accepted.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Filmfreeway is simple and I have used it for every one of my short-films going back a decade now.

10. What is your favorite meal?
A turkish dish called Manti, my mom made for my birthdays as a kid.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I just launched a commercial and film studio, www.currentcine.com, where we produce both documentary and narrative films.
I have been working on a coming of age feature length script for 2024-2025. Now I have a solid draft so I hope to find financing for it and direct my first feature.

Peace Wilderness Man, 35min., Australia
Directed by Tim Millard
An Australian war veterans journey from trauma to inner peace in Norways remote Arctic Circle.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

About four or five years ago my wife and I went on a Wim Hof–style expedition in the Snowy Mountains in Australia — a few days in the wilderness doing breathwork and cold exposure. One of the guides was an ex-soldier. He was calm, engaging, but we could maybe tell he was carrying something beneath the surface. We connected with him and really valued his leadership, but we left feeling there was more to his story.
Six months to a year later I saw him posting on social media from the Arctic Circle. That landscape — vast, stripped back, almost empty — felt like the perfect place to explore who he really was. It felt like a blank canvas. I reached out to him about filming something together, and he was open to it. From there, we started planning.

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

I first reached out to Lex, the subject, in August 2023. Northern Norway was about to head into deep winter and filming in that environment on a small budget without a crew just wasn’t realistic. So we waited.
We locked in April 2024, when there was enough daylight to actually work. I spent eight days in Alta filming in temperatures between -4°C and -14°C. It was challenging, but that was part of it. The Arctic landscape I’d imagined — quiet, remote, almost overwhelming in its scale — became the backdrop to his story exactly as I’d hoped.

Post-production wrapped around September/October 2024, so from first contact to final cut, just over a year.

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

Intimate. Unfiltered.

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

Honestly, this stage now.
Making the film was the first goal — to create something that held together and genuinely worked. When it started receiving recognition from festivals, that was really validating, and satisfying.

But once it’s finished, you’re faced with a different challenge: what next? Distribution, strategy, getting it in front of the right audiences — that’s a completely different skillset. I’m working completely independently so navigating that side of things has probably been the most challenging part. It’s pushed me into unfamiliar territory.

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?

Production. Every time.

I like being out on location, being active, having to make decisions in the moment. You can plan all you want, but once you’re there, you’re responding to reality — the weather, the light, the mood, the unexpected. Collaborating under that kind of pressure to get the best possible outcome, that’s the part of the whole process I most look forward to.

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

Since I was a kid. Star Wars, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark — watching them over and over on VHS. I loved the miniatures, the practical effects, the fact that whole worlds were being built. That’s where it started.

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

It would be those 80’s movies again, Indiana Jones, Jaws, the Star Wars trilogy. I watched those over and over growing up. Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places, America Werewolf in London..
As you get older it’s harder to watch anything that many times, but Goodfellas has had a good crack.

8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?

I like to collaborate with people who are down to earth, enthusiastic, and generous with their ideas and time.
To work with people who have real experience and reach — who’ve built something substantial in this industry — would be incredible too and I’d welcome that opportunity.

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

Really positive. Discovering FilmFreeway actually removed the final hurdle for me in committing to the production. Knowing that festivals around the world were accessible through one platform made the whole process of submitting far less daunting.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Big fan of Indian food. A good curry, plenty of spice, naan on the side — I’m happy.

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

This film needs to run its course first, but I’m already working on the next project. The goal is to develop the next one with a clear pathway to distribution or broadcast from the outset, and to collaborate with experienced partners who can help bring it to the widest possible audience.

THE SEA, 10min., Canada
Diercted by Son Roberts
This experimental short film is a “Jazz Monologue” presented by an elusive oracle. Through rage and reflection, incendiary prose and inspirational poetry, he reminds us of the legacy of lies that define our human journey. And he insists that we embrace the redemptive power of truth, from generation to generation.

https://www.instagram.com/thesonroberts/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I came on board because our co-producer and the writer of the monologue, Frank Francis, is a long time friend and collaborator. My admiration for Frank, and our collective efforts to tell relevant stories about human rights and social justice lit the fire for this project.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you
to make this film? About 18 months.

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

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

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?
Shooting and post-production are tied for my favourites.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I started making motion pictures in high school, pursued the art form in commercial work for decades. Now, it is my primary focus..

7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
The Third Man

8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
Charlize Theron, Ethan Hawke, Sean Penn, Hailee Steinfeld, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mahershala Ali, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Masanobu Takayanagi, Jomo Fray.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Excellent. FF offers a Seamless, professional and wide reaching portal.

10. What is your favourite meal?
Pretty much anything my girlfriend cooks.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
Two music videos and a music documentary are in post-production. A short film and feature film are in Development.

CONFESSIONS OF A SWEDISH MAN, 94min., Sweden
Directed by Hampus Linder
In 2019, a Swedish single father and self-proclaimed feminist travels to an anti- feminist men’s retreat in Denmark. He asks himself why such gatherings are needed as he tries to understand the anger and discovers loneliness and longing. Being so close, with so many men, is unfamiliar to him and a simple question evolves into a personal crisis. He questions his identity, how to raise his son, and the relationship to his own father. A 6-year journey down the rabbit hole of the so-called “manosphere” has begun and it leads him to a fundamental reflection:

http://www.nordicfactoryfilm.se/

https://www.instagram.com/confessionsofaswedishman/

Get to know Producer Helene Granqvist:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

My curiosity about clashing ideas when it comes to views on masculinity in society today.

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

Six long years!

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

Self-disclosing and humorous.

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

Facing my own fears as a man.

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?

The ending of the editing, when unpredictable dimensions of the story falls in to place.

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

When as a child, I myself was captured by the power of cinematic storytelling

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

Confessions of a Swedish man 🙂 or Riders of the lost Ark.

8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?

Gustaf Skarsgård, due to his engagement for peace.

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

Good.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Daal.

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

A documentary about Peace work.

CAUGHT, 8min., USA
Directed by Kevan Doyle
Caught is a short documentary filmed in Sri Lanka that explores how building economies around recycling can inspire sustainable change in developing communities. Directed by Kevan Doyle, the film was featured in his TEDx talk after the organizer was so moved by its message, she insisted it be shared with the audience. Caught is a hopeful portrait of how local action can spark global impact—turning ocean waste into opportunity.

https://www.kevandoyle.com/caught

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I was really motivated to create something I genuinely cared about. I grew up by the ocean, so the environment has always been a big part of my life. This film felt like an opportunity to highlight a real solution, showing how one organization is tackling the climate crisis in a meaningful way, especially in developing countries.

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

The project came together over a few months. I spent about a week shooting in Sri Lanka, and then around three months in post-production shaping the story.

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

Inspiring change.

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

Filming in Sri Lanka, especially out on the water, was definitely the biggest challenge. Shooting on fishing boats and in the ocean is always a bit difficult. Also the language barrier was challenging. I didn’t have the budget for a translator on set so had to make due. You always just have to adapt and keep pushing forward.

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

It honestly meant a lot. Hearing people connect with the film and say kind things was something I hadn’t really experienced before, so it was a really rewarding moment.

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

I realized it when I was 18 in my first film class. It just clicked. I felt like my brain worked well in that space, and I’d always loved movies. After that, I went all in working with production companies and eventually buying my own camera at 22 and starting to create on my own.

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

Probably The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It’s just one of those films you can watch over and over. I love the sense of adventure and what it represents.

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 the most valuable part is connection. Being able to meet other filmmakers, especially people further along in their careers, is huge. There’s no clear roadmap in this industry, so having more opportunities to connect, learn, and navigate it together would be really impactful.

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

It’s been a useful platform overall, but it can feel a bit disconnected at times. Sometimes it’s hard to know if your film is really being seen or just passed over quickly. That said, it’s still one of the main ways to get your work out there.

10. What is your favorite meal?

A really good breakfast burrito.

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

I’m currently working on a docuseries focused on music. It’s inspired by shows like Chef’s Table and Parts Unknown, but centered around artists and culture. We’re shooting the pilot soon, in Norway, and I’m really excited about where it could go.

WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER: THE WISDOM OF AGING, 50min., USA
Directed by Don Scioli
Who Wants to Live Forever, the Wisdom of Aging is a one hour documentary film about the myths, facts and contradictions in the never-ending battle for both longevity and healthy aging, produced by Zan Media. The filmmakers behind this movie offer no conclusions but suggest each viewer examine the information and decide for themselves whether living longer is a good thing or a bad thing. Is real progress being made in the field of healthy aging? Are folks being taken advantage of in the quest to remain young – and how? Who are the charlatans? Is aging actually a disease or a natural, degenerative process? How much longer would you actually live if the diseases associated with aging are cured? What is the real role of diet and exercise in aging? What is the difference between lifespan and healthspan?

http://www.aginginc.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
Immortality has always been one of mankind’s most interesting topics and living under the hill where The Buck Institute for Aging is located, I thought it would be a good topic to explore. We’ve come so far in aging research in the last decades that I thought an examination of the many theories of aging would be interesting. Also, we seem to equate aging with mortality and religion and death together and this would be an attempt to exam them.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
S3veral month os research on the topic of aging them several months of shooting to get all the experts on camera. Then several months of editing a complex story together. Docs are much harder to editing then theatrical as there you have a script. With docs, you write as you cut.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Getting the right experts was a challenge with their busy schedules as well as separating the bogus theories with the true ones.

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?

I like all the phases as each one comes with its own set of challenges and creative input. I like the actual filming probably the most but editing is great because you have to work with what you have. That gets reaqlly creative.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
When I got into The University of Southern California’s Cinema School

7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
A Clockwork Orange

8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
Clint Eastwood

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Very good, quick and easy with lots of feedback.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Breakfast

11. What is next for you? A new film?
Getting my TV series, WHAT’S IT WORTH in syndication and selling my theatrical script of John Milton’s Paradise Lost.

Low Roar – Field of Dreams, 4min., Ireland
Directed by Kim Saarinen
“Today I’ll be remembered
Tomorrow just a dream
It’s not what it seems”

https://www.instagram.com/lowroar/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I was motivated to make this film because Low Roar’s last album was released posthumously, so the music video was made without the singer. The subject matter was therefore special and touching for me.

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

The realization came quite quickly. The idea came suddenly and I asked my dancer friend to join me in the filming. We filmed for about an hour with her. It took me about two hours to edit.

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

Fragmented dream

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

There were no major obstacles during production.

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

It was quite fun to watch people’s reactions to the video and what interpretations they made of what they saw.

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

I was 15 years old when I realized I wanted to make films.

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

I don’t really have time to watch movies, but when I was younger I watched a lot of Star Wars – Episode 4. When I was young, I also watched a lot of art films from different countries.

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 you are doing a really good job now, so unfortunately I have nothing to add to this.

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

I think FilmFreeway has worked really well. The ease of use and clarity is a big plus.

10. What is your favorite meal?

My favorite dish is baked feta pasta.

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

I’m currently working on new music videos for clients around the world, promoting my upcoming poetry photography exhibition, and starting to work on scripts for new films. All the best, Kim

Hello, 4min., UK
Directed by Sebastian Roberts
A man keeps receiving strange phone calls from a supernatural presence whilst waiting at a bus stop.

https://www.instagram.com/sebastianroberts2/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I took some time away from filmmaking, and when I decided to come back, I was very conscious about doing it in a sustainable, practical way. Instead of jumping into something ambitious, I wanted to make a contained, execution-focused short that I could bring from concept to completion. That’s what motivated me to make Hello. It was also a chance to retrace my creative roots and reconnect with the kind of horror that first shaped my taste, particularly the influence of J-horror. In that sense, the film works both as a proof of concept and a creative reset.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I wrote it around 2012–2013 under the title Boo. It sat with me for years, and in 2024 I found it was the right project to pull off the shelf and develop properly. From there, the actual production was very focused, efficient and smooth. We shot the film in three days, and post-production wrapped in September 2025. So while it took a while, the finished film came out better than I expected, so I’m proud of that.

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

Oh fuck…

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Post-production was the biggest obstacle. I wasn’t supposed to edit the film, but when our editor ran into hardware problems and funding fell through, I had to take over. Going from director to editor is challenging because you lose that outside perspective and start second-guessing the film in new ways. On top of that, the VFX compositing ran into some issues of its own which required bringing in compositors on Fiverr and finishing a good portion of the work myself. It was a very hands-on, problem-solving-heavy post workflow.

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?

Production, big time. Being on set and finally seeing the idea turn into something tangible is still the most rewarding part for me. We could’ve shot the film in a day, but we decided to prioritise quality over speed. I’ve been on projects where everything had to be rushed, and led to having too little coverage in post. I wanted to avoid making the same mistakes.
The extra breathing room paid off. We got strong material, plus we also came up with new shots along the way. Like the opening with the dripping blood and the drone shots.

On top of that, the atmosphere on set was great. Crina’s makeup and the practical effects were fantastic, and seeing all of those elements come together was exactly why production is my favourite. Above all everyone was great to collaborate with, great vibes, great people.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I’ve always loved movies, but I realised I wanted to make them when I saw The Mask of Zorro in the cinema. Before that, I was mostly drawn to animated films, especially from the Disney Renaissance. Zorro was the first live-action film that really grabbed me. It struck a chord, showed me what was possible with storytelling, performance, and spectacle, and flipped a switch in my head from just loving movies to wanting to make them.

7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
I’ve watched more horror films than any other genre, but if I had to pick one it would be The Dark Knight. That said, in terms of rewatching my favourites and influence, a lot of the films I revisit tend to be horror. Like the original Ring, Ju-on, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Ghostwatch, Host, and Threads. Those are the kinds of films I keep coming back to, either for inspiration or to study how they build atmosphere and tension.

8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
That’s a tough one, because there are a lot of people I’d love to collaborate with. Staying in the horror space, I’d be thrilled to work with actors like Danielle Harris, Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Lauren LaVera, and Neve Campbell, etc. People whose work I grew up watching and who’ve helped define the genre. On the craft side, I’d also love to collaborate with the team behind the Terrifier films, especially their SFX and practical effects crew. That kind of hands-on, effects-driven filmmaking is really inspirational. And more broadly, I’m always open to jumping into projects that are doing interesting things in horror, say if something like IT: Welcome to Derry ever came calling, I’d absolutely jump at the opportunity.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
It’s been a helpful experience so far, especially with the Gold subscription. FilmFreeway makes it easy to submit, track statuses, and keep an eye on upcoming deadlines, so it’s become my go-to platform for managing the festival run.

10. What is your favorite meal?
A homemade ragù with pasta. I was in Bologna last year and had the best ragù I’ve ever tasted.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I’ve started pre-production on Corpse, my next short horror. I’m also developing a feature-length adaptation of Hello, which will expand on the short. So it’s pretty much about building on this momentum and getting the next projects moving.