The First Night, 7min., Brazil
Directed by Gabriel Milessis Braga
After collapsing at the altar, Elise awakens inside an old church, and something inside her has changed. Guided by a mysterious man who seems to understand her condition, she begins to confront a new, terrifying hunger. The First Night is a gothic meditation on becoming, resistance, and the quiet seduction of darkness in our lifes.

https://www.instagram.com/thegabrielwars/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I’ve always wanted to make a vampire story that truly did justice to the genre, something that treated it with the same sense of reverence as a sacred myth. The First Night reimagines vampirism as a spiritual and psychological transformation, rather than a romantic cliché.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Around seven months. The film was developed and completed throughout two semesters of my film program, as part of several academic courses that came together into one cohesive project.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Convincing a real church to allow us to film a story about vampirism, and managing everything with a very limited student budget. It demanded creativity, negotiation, and a lot of patience.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
It was surreal and deeply rewarding, seeing people not only connect emotionally but also understand the message behind the film made all the effort worth it.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
As a child, I was always a dreamer with a vivid imagination. I wanted to be an astronaut, to land on other planets, and since I couldn’t do that, I began creating my own worlds and my own spaceship: my films.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Return of the Jedi. Many people know me by my artistic name, Gabriel Wars, because I’ve always been obsessed with Star Wars and its mythic sense of destiny.

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 and open dialogue between filmmakers. Festivals are not just screenings, they’re where new collaborations and creative communities begin.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experience been working on the festival platform site?
Very smooth and professional. FilmFreeway makes the whole submission and communication process organized and stress-free.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Brazilian barbecue without a doubt, especially picanha.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
Yes. I’m currently developing The Varginha Incident, a feature film inspired by one of the most documented UFO cases in history, a psychological and political thriller about fear, silence, and belief.

Olivia Millin “TTYL”, 3min. USA
Directed by Kevin Charge
Jpop Music Video shot in New York City’s Times Square

https://instagram.com/oliviaamillinn

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feed-back-olivia-millin-ttyl

Interview with Musician Olivia Millin:

1. What motivated you to make this film/music video?

I’ve always loved New York and have wanted to make a music video for a while there, I just never had the right song for it. Since K-pop is a big inspiration for me, I wanted to bring some of that choreographic imagery while leveraging my Japanese skills to make but with a bit of American flare. I thought TTYL gave that vibe,so I totally snatched up that opportunity.

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

It took me about 4 months. I worked with Tori Vincent in coming up with the choreography and then sharing it with the dancers who came up to speed pretty quickly. Most of the time, to be honest, was my learning the routine because I didn’t get the years of training my dance group had. The actual production took about 12 hours of shooting; some time in studio and a number of hours at Time Square. It took a few takes as there is some unpredictability with filming in public. Kids run across the set, spectators may step in during a shoot… that sort of thing. But all in all, it went pretty smoothly. Zane with Zane productions did a fantastic job!

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

Bye Toxicity!

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

Other than crowd control, being in heels for up to 4 hours and dancing in them. My feet were in shambles by the end of the music video, but I didn’t want to take any breaks to slow people down. Also, having filmed this on a public street, Inwas actually amazed at the number of people who wanted photo ops with me and the group. It was more flattering than an obstacle but it did slow us down a bit.

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

I was so honored! I loved hearing about certain elements of the video they appreciated. Listening to that feedback gave me some really valuable insight as to what viewers really appreciate, like the choreography for example, as well as the appreciated energy they perceived. That was my goal so I’m really happy it resonated so well.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make music videos?

Really- since I started writing music. I think music videos give that visual of a song where the artist has the control of delivering perception. It’s a complete package. After my first music video Be With Me, I was hooked. To add, Director Zane does a fantastic job with all his music videos and he is such a joy to work with.His professionalism is second to none and it doesn’t hurt that he is really funny! His sense of humor really kept my nerves at bay and made the whole process really fun. I wish I could more to be honest, but it’s an expensive endeavor!

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

I really enjoyed Suicide Squad. I love Margot Robbie and her portrayal of Harley Quinn. I thought the story was well written and her character ended up to be quite iconic. Coincidentally, my newest hyper fixation is Arcane. Did you know that the character, Jinx, was based off Harley Quinn?

8. What is your favorite meal?

Easily my mom’s beef Wellington. She makes it every Christmas and it’s always my favorite! She makes Gordon Ramsey’s version which has a bit of spin to the traditional. I love it!

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

Definitely a couple new albums; This Side of Me coming out before the year end and War of AI coming out next Spring! I may do another music video next year – budget permitting- so stay tuned and hopefully 2026 will present some pleasant surprises!

Dividing Line, 28min., Georgia
Directed by Mevlud Sabashvili
A woman finds the strength to leave an abusive relationship. A woman does not find the strength to leave an abusive relationship.

https://www.facebook.com/mevludi.sabashvili

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
– I was motivated by format first. I had the idea of making a film with a split frame that would show two different life-paths. When I settled on that idea, this particular story came to mind as a good fit for this format.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
– It took about 5-6 months. Actual filming took 7 days. The longest period was post-production. Tinkering with editing and due to the format of the film, many consideration had to be made in therms of color and sound, directing viewers attention to the necessary halves of the screen.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
– It’s okay.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
– As if many independent films with low budgets, lack of recourses sometimes showed it hand. As much as I don’t like to make excuses, I had to admit, have we had more recourses we could have made the film a bit more impactful. For example having more people in the frame, giving the story more social aspect. Having the ending actually take place during marathoc crowd, having real police cars and uniforms and so on. While technically it would’nt change much about core narrative, it would contribute to the film’s legitimacy as a narrative product.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was pleased for people to acknowledge our effort and desire to do something unique and interesting. Also underlining different interpretations of the narrative.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
– When I was about 11 years old I saw behind the scenes of Spider-Man 2 (2004). From that moment on I was more interested in how the films were made, more than films themselves.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
– While I can not pinpoint exact film from top of my head, but I think it will be a tie between Black Hawk Down, Spider-Man 2, Phone Booth and Inglorious Bastards.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
– At this point I don’t have any suggestions on this matter.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
– Great, no complaints.

10. What is your favorite meal?
– Kikliko – Crispy georgian toast of bread and eggs.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
– After directing few shorts, I am thinking about tackling a feature film. My desire is to make a film for the audiance to enjoy in the cinema. I am currently in the process of writing such project.

Surviving Alone: The Tale of Simone, 15min., UK
Directed by Claire Tomlinson
Simone is the last Greater Bamboo Lemur in Ranomafana, a protected rainforest in south-east Madagascar. After a happy start in life, surrounded by family, Simone finds herself alone, as members of her family disappear one by one. Three years on, and she’s still alone – a social animal, a primate, just like us; how has this isolation affected her mental state?

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I had a chance encounter with the lemur featured in my film whilst trekking in the rainforest during my honeymoon in Madagascar in 2022. Upon hearing that this lemur was the last of her species in the area, I was eager to find out more about her and felt that I just had to tell her story, which serves as a poignant reminder of how the global biodiversity crisis is affecting animals on a personal level.

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

Just over a year.

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

Emotional rollercoaster!

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

Rainforest conditions were challenging; not only did it often rain, but the humidity meant that cameras often steamed up on the inside, making filming impossible! We actually missed some fantastic shots because of this.

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

I was delighted to see how emotional the film made people.

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

After many years of being a wildlife photographer, I realised that the medium of film would allow me to tell compelling stories that could really reach people and make a difference.

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

Could be Jurassic Park or Back to the Future!

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 would be great to have the opportunity to attend training workshops with experts.

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

FilmFreeway is brilliant – it makes submitting to festivals so much easier.

10. What is your favorite meal?

This is a random question! I love a veggie lasagne followed by a tiramisu!

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

I am already working on a new film about beavers in the UK.

NIGHT SHIFT, 29min,. Ukraine
Directed by Megumi Lim
In the still hours of Kharkiv’s curfewed nights, a quiet resilience hums through its empty streets. Night Shift is a short film about people who work under the cover of darkness, navigating both routine and risk as Russia often attacks when residents try to sleep. Those who stay awake to work do so for the city’s survival. The film explores how nighttime in Ukraine’s second largest city has transformed because of war, its nightly hope that dawn will arrive quietly, and the human need to carry on.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I’ve been living in Ukraine since 2023, and that means just like many other Ukrainians, I’ve been living with curfew. People are prohibited from going outside after a certain time at night (the time varies depending on which region of Ukraine you live in). I think this is a forgotten or an unknown fact for people living outside of Ukraine, even if most know about the ongoing war.

During the earlier days of Russia’s invasion, night time was much more tense and scary- there was a greater sense of panic and fear – but after more than three years of war things have relaxed a little, although attacks have continued. Among many reasons, curfew is there to help air defense units move around more freely whenever there are attacks, it makes it easier for them to listen out for the deadly Shahed drones (which sound like mopeds) that swarm cities, and it also allows police to identify suspicious activity at night more easily. Talking about just these elements already show that nighttime has changed drastically because of war.

But as Russia’s invasion enters its fourth year, so many of those transformations have become a part of daily life and some aspects of it routine, even. I wanted to convey the absurdity of that, and to capture those mundane moments that play out even as the country continues its fight.

And because people are not allowed outside during curfew, I felt it was important to document even a snapshot of what nighttime looked like in a frontline city in Ukraine at this moment in history.

Also, before making this doc, I watched a few of Aki Kaurismaki’s films, and the protagonist was always someone in a blue-collared job – security guards, garbage collectors etc. – and I wanted to do a similar thing.

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

I began thinking about this idea around December 2024, when I had just quit my job covering news for broadcast clients to transition into documentary filmmaking. I told my co-director and producer Marian Prysiazhniuk about the idea and he loved it, and he started setting up access first to embed with police patrol. We initially thought of making the film in Kyiv, but we got a hard no from the authorities. They said there were things we simply were not allowed to know about or see at night. They suggested Kharkiv, which is Ukraine’s second largest city, and located close to the frontlines and the Russian border. We started filming in the beginning of March, and finished the film in July.

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

Eerie but hopeful

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

There were many moments that I wished I had captured but couldn’t because I don’t live in Kharkiv. I was also the only cinematographer so when the city came under a massive attack, I was in one place (in this instance, the gas station) but wished I could have captured what was happening at the pharmacy, or at the fire station, or other places I had featured in the film. My obsession with this made me want to keep going back, but I knew that even if I was at the right place at the right time (in terms of capturing an attack unfold while on site), my pharmacy protagonist for example, may not be on shift that night. I had to let go of these things and make myself finish the film at some point.

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

I was nervous because this was the first time the film received feedback from a non-Ukrainian audience. This film has so far premiered at the Kyiv International Short Film Festival. I was glad to hear that the audience appreciated how this specific war story was framed, and understood the juxtaposition between mundane and danger. It was also great to get feedback on the cinematography which was a challenge as almost the entire film was shot in low light, at night. Night Shift will travel to Berlin next, and I’m looking forward to getting more feedback outside of Ukraine.

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

I’ve been wanting to make films for a long time. I have felt a mismatch with the medium I was working with when I was in the TV news industry – I had to present the news in a nutshell, basically, condense the information into 2-3 minute video edits. These reports are important and do help to inform the audience, but I wanted to lean deeper into a kind of storytelling that lingered on something more abstract or not necessarily pegged to the latest news. I wanted to be able to create something more cinematic, which, often with news, you don’t have the luxury of time to do that.

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

Legally Blonde

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

Filmmaking costs a lot of money, especially when you are just starting out and have no prior work to prove your track record, so it’s of course harder to get grants or funding. I think one of the biggest obstacles for filmmakers to keep making film is the lack of budget. Festivals should introduce grant or funding opportunities even more, beyond the networking events, and to also connect promising filmmakers to useful contacts.

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

It has been amazing. It’s such a great platform to stay organized and have everything in one place.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I love a good bowl of spicy Sichuan tan tan noodles.

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

Yes, I’m working on my next film.

SILENT PULL, 11min., USA
Directed by Lamont Nathaniel Gibson
A Black queer man navigates unreciprocated intimacy and the emotional cost of longing, as systemic pressures push his vulnerabilities into transactional spaces.

https://www.instagram.com/direct_lng/

https://www.instagram.com/silent_pull

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

My motivation to make Silent Pull comes from different queer experiences I had in my life. Steve was based on a real person I knew and was an important part of my journey through education. I wanted to put on display black queer love in transactional space. Where income differences impose a dynamic that blocks the development of love.

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

Silent Pull was my graduate thesis film and it took two and a half years to complete. The insert shoot was a year after principal shoot was done and editing, color and sound design took place over an eight month period.

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

Black resistance

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

Money was the biggest obstacle for the film. My actors were willing to do the insert shoot pro bono to help me complete the film. I am so grateful to the crew and cast for helping me complete the film. It was made with love and support.

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

Joy that they are experiencing my film and can understand what I am doing hasn’t been done. I am using my education with my emotional intelligence to create queer black spaces that stand the test of time.

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

The inclination was there as a child growing up but I didn’t pursue it until I went back to school in my late twenty’s. I went on to have two associates degrees,a bachelors of fine arts and a masters in fine arts. Once I became educated I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

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

Spike LeeDo The Right Thing is a film I watch a lot because of its film history and what it speaks to during a time when people of color weren’t being treated fairly.

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

Work of mouth seems to be the best thing for my film. Being from Philadelphia and not having many connections outside of the city I know my film will only go as far as people who are programming are talking about it.

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

I’ve been a member of filmfreeway for around five years and it’s been a battle to get noticed. It also has been beneficial to creating an audience around the world so it doesn’t just live in Philadelphia.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I’m a big fan of salmon, mac and cheese I make from scratch but currently I am eating a lot of chipotle, double chicken.

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

I am working on my first feature documentary on some trauma that has happened during my time in school and how I preserved through filmmaking when life was crumbling around me.

SUGAR BEACH, 90min., USA
Directed by Noely Mendoza
Rosalyn, a wealthy and talented high school senior, grapples with immense grief after the loss of her brother in a surfing accident. The void left behind by his absence consumes her, and she begins a descent into addiction—alcohol becoming her solace as she numbs the pain and confusion. Amidst her downward spiral, she finds herself in a complex relationship with two other people, Isaac, and Emma. Drawn to the comfort and sweetness of their affection, the throuple provides a fleeting sense of escape, but Rosalyn’s internal struggle with grief and substance abuse complicates her search for self-love, growth, healing and identity.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
Zoe (writer / lead) brought me the script, and right away I was drawn to the heart of it. I loved the premise: young women boldly going after what they want even when the world tells them otherwise. It felt rebellious, alive, and necessary. I wanted to explore that hunger and that freedom on screen.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
All in, it took about five years. In a way, the film grew up with me, and I think you can feel that in the finished piece.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Everything was an obstacle. Making an independent film means constant challenges with money, time, resources, and even just getting people to believe in the vision. The hardest part was keeping the faith when things kept falling apart, and still pushing forward anyway. Perseverance became my daily practice.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I felt completely overwhelmed in the best way. It is such a vulnerable thing to put your work out there, and hearing that it resonated so strongly with people made me feel joy, relief, and a deep sense of connection.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
At 13 years old. I remember watching films and realizing they could shape how people see the world, and I knew then that this was what I wanted to dedicate my life to.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
The Fall by Tarsem Singh. Its visual poetry and emotional core have stayed with me for 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?
Support with barriers of entry would make a big difference, such as travel assistance, childcare, or more accessible networking opportunities. Festivals are such a lifeline for filmmakers, and making them easier to attend and participate in would open so many doors.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experience been working on the festival platform site?
It has been straightforward and reliable. The system makes the submission process feel manageable, which is huge for filmmakers juggling so many moving pieces.

10. What is your favorite meal?
A falafel wrap, simple, fresh, and full of flavor.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
Yes, I am working on The Sugar Beach Trilogy. The first film is complete, and now I am building toward the full arc of the trilogy. It is a deeply personal and ambitious project, and I am excited to keep expanding this world.