Pesticide, 7min,. USA Directed by Justin Graham An exterminator duels both late night insects and an overbearing car salesman.
Get to know the filmmaker:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
It started as an exercise for my thesis pre-production studio course. The added difficulty of writing our short scripts was that each character could only be allotted 6 lines total. I had already brainstormed the visual of an exterminator at night and wanted to transform that into a comedic/cynical take on workplaces. My producer finding the free location of a car dealership acted as the largest inspiration for planning images that would push this central theme.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I started brainstorming and creating script drafts during late August-early September 2024, initial production took place in November 2024, and post-production occurred throughout December 2024-August 2025.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Good Drink/Cyclical Cynicism
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The biggest obstacle was needing to completely rearrange our shooting schedule on the day due to mechanics still working in the garage when we arrived. Since we had 10 hours on a singular day to capture everything, my assistant director and crew went into overdrive. Their efficiency and professionalism saved the film. Completing the score additionally turned out to be another lengthy process.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
My projects have never really been seen and criticized beyond my peers, friends, instructors, and family. Being presented with the thoughts of others outside my close bubble was both very intriguing and helpful. Having more eyes and criticism on any product can only lead to a more refined result, so I genuinely appreciated the different perspectives.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
During my freshman year of high school, a few friends and I were given an assignment to recreate a scene from A Separate Peace. After that, we kept repeating the process of making our own original short videos. I decided that film school was the right path for me and continue to work on projects there.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Heat
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Having an in-person event is always a plus!
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Mostly positive with some small technical hiccups
10. What is your favorite meal?
Jack’s pizza
11. What is next for you? A new film?
I am in the process of completing post-production for my thesis film. I’ll be spending spring in LA for my final semester and hopefully find some sort of career path through that experience.
Emma, 11min., Canada Directed by Robert Bockstael Two women, associated through addiction are spiraling downwards. In a rare moment of clarity, nearing the end of their salvageable lives, Emma remembers a long-forgotten ‘secret stash’ of money she and her grandmother kept for an emergency. Embarking on a quest for this treasure – this perceived salvation – they find instead an offer of redemption.
Get to know director Robert Bockstael & producer Mike Caruso:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
Robert Bockstael: Michael contacted me and asked if I’d like to pitch a few script ideas to him as he was interested in producing a short film to submit to a festival in Montreal. He had an idea and would like to flesh it out. I came up with three scenarios based on his idea and pitched them to him. He liked the Emma storyline the best. I fleshed it out into a short script.
Then, he asked if I’d like to direct it! I agreed and he gathered the crew and the location etc. We shot it all in a weekend.
Mike Caruso: I was interested in producing a short film for the ACTRA Montreal Short Film Festival back in July 2023.
I contacted my friend Robert and asked him if he’d like to pitch a few script ideas to me. I had an idea in mind, wanted to see kind of stories he could come up with. Robert sent me 3 scenarios based on my idea. I liked the Emma storyline the best. As soon as I read it, I knew it had to be produced. It had to come to life on screen. This story had to be told. So, I asked him if he would direct. I believe the writer of a script is the best person to direct it, having the experience, since it came from their own vision. Robert agreed and I began to assemble the crew and source the location for the film It was difficult finding the right house to rent… luckily, I found one just in time!
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
RB: Shooting in three days. Postproduction – over a year. Michael knows the exact dates, but it was a lengthy process interrupted by lots of life events plus many issues with the initial edits. We were so glad to finally get a great editor on board, the amazing film maker Derek Price, who brought Emma across the finish line at the end of a long marathon!
MC: Jul 2023-Dec 2024 Shooting the film was the quickest part of the process. Post-production took an exceptionally long time, especially the editing. But in the end, we brought a rough cut to an amazing editor named Derek Price, who basically brought the film to it’s full potential
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
RB: Unforeseen redemption.
MC: Struggle/Hope
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
RB: The initial edits were unsatisfactory, and it wasn’t until we acquired a new editor did, we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Michael may want to add to this.
MC: Editing… After reviewing the raw footage, I acquired a rough cut from the initial editor, but it unable to bring across the screen all talent and hard work the actors had put into their performances and wasn’t telling the right story. That earlier version was extremely limited, to say the least. It was holding the film way back from what it really had to offer.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
RB: I was absolutely thrilled by the time and attention they took in analyzing all the various elements of the film – so very much appreciated!!
MC: I could tell they really analyzed the film. The comments about the way actors portrayed the character were spot-on. We appreciate all their time and attention to detail.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
RB: As a kid. Now, I have been doing it from both sides of the camera for four decades and I still feel as though I’m just getting started. The remarkable thing about it is that the learning process never ends.
MC: I always had a camera in my hands… When I was a kid, I would make stop-motion videos with my action figures. I would essentially create a scene using to-scale backgrounds and place the characters in various positions to capture each of their individual movements, an inch at a time. As I grew up, I’d bring my camcorder with me most of the time and document everyday life. At 18yrs old, I made a short film to submit to The Movie Network (TMN) in LA for a chance to win $1Million to turn it into a full-length feature. I rendered it to VHS and sent it off to LA in the mail. In my 20’s I attended the Toronto Film School and gained more experience.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
RB: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and/or The Princess Bride. Both brilliant, near perfect films.
MC: It’s hard to say which one film I’ve seen the most… there’s too many. I would say I was highly inspired by all the films from the 90’s.
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
RB: What you are doing is fantastic! The assistance in publicizing and promoting the film and its creators is priceless and the feedback from the audience is worth its weight in gold! Thank you so very much!
MC: For the winning filmmakers, the festival has met my expectations in terms of its ability to reach a wide array of people through its network and locations, as well as promoting the film even more through its various resources, including the extra options it provides.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
RB: Ask Michael this question. I think it is an amazing thing.
MC: It’s an excellent platform for filmmakers to connect with audiences and submit their films to festivals worldwide
10. What is your favorite meal?
RB: Steak frites, au point, in any small bistro in any large city in either France or Spain.
MC: Veal scaloppini and mashed potatoes with vegetables at an authentic Italian restaurant.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
RB: Michael and I have teamed up with a cinematographer here in Ottawa by the name of Sean Weekes. Every shot is a painting. We are a few days away from wrapping a short film, which is a meditation on finding joy in unexpected places when in the deepest throes of grief.
MC: Robert and I have joined forces again on our second film. At this time, we are working as an exceptionally talented cinematographer named Sean Weekes. I love collaborating with fellow artists who aren’t afraid of going the extra mile to get the rightshot. That’s Sean. We’re wrapping a short film right now which again, is emotionally powerful. I love making films that “tackle the issues” and present them through unconventional and unexpected ways
1) What is the theme of your poem?
How the creative process works, and how the different factors – inspiration, tradition, beauty and in particular melody – all work together and relate.
2) What motivated you to write this poem?
I had been reading into prosody and how to create rhythm in poetry at the time. As soon as I came up with the image of each of these different creative factors as Muses, working with Saturn, I started – and wrote it in blank verse. A few months later, I decided an Ode structure would work even better, given I was essentially praising Melody, and so I set to changing it all around, with more of an emphasis on formal polish. It came out to my liking, and I started sending it around for publication.
3) How long have you been writing poetry?
A number of years now – but more seriously this year. It’s a passion of mine.
4) If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
Either Shakespeare or William Blake – I think they both knew some pretty esoteric things, and it would be interesting to pick their brains.
5) What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
I thought the poem, with its rhythm, rhyme and cadences, would make for an interesting performance. I wasn’t wrong!
6) Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
I’ve been building a meta-poetic system and lecture series called ‘The Ladder of Poetryhttps://essentialpoetry.substack.com/p/introducing-the-ladder-of-poetry’ on my Essential Poetry substack, and work with artists to help them understand their unique creative drive and signature. So lots of my creativity, if it doesn’t flow into poetry, goes in that direction.
7) What is your passion in life?
Poetry and teaching (I’m an English teacher), and – through my Ladder of Poetry framework – teaching poetry! So if anyone reading this is interested in learning more, definitely reach out – I’d love to help you understand your own approach to creativity at a deep level.
—–
Let us sing, Muse, not of your treacled, honeyed lips,
from which the murmurously buzzing poet drinks,
launching a host strong some dozen-dozen ships
only to cry ‘Calypso!’ at the last and in her deep eyes sink;
nor of your distant sister, the pale Lady Memory,
who dwells in the skies above, concealed by her long,
dark and starry robe, who sees all and knows much
of the blind man she loves, the seeming-fathoms of his mysteries.
No, to the youngest of your line and least themed in song
we will bend our humble rhyme with earnest and loving touch.
See how lightly as a cloud she frolics upon and passes
the verdure of Elysium, blown as by a breeze that haunts
the highest mountains and stirs the pleasant grasses,
this our Melody, who with her playful, ever-graceful nature taunts
her sisters and the solemn tunings of their strange, uncanny thoughts
in bursts and fits of happy disruption; sometimes she feigns their manners
(favourite pastime of the youngest child), sometimes she hoards her laurels
to work into their tightened tresses, and with unfurling passion exhorts
them to forget their office, let down their hair, for once unscroll their banners,
and draws from them, if this fails, another bout of sisterly quarrels.
For oft she breaks (such is child-cunning) their sage, impassioned circle
peacocked with fanned arrays and ravishments of girly colours;
they, all-knowing, cease their chantless tracts and open up their oracle,
till she their warm and loving beams accepts with preening flutters,
and imbues them with her native touch, making solemn tresses gay again
which, trinket-trapped, swing now as once they did in the golden youth of childhood;
and softened are their magic tones which treat of her with human and with hearty laugh.
So all, unbeknown to mirthful Melody, approaches her gentle ken,
meeting the errant music of the wild but natural wood
or of such as he who sings, holding steadfast the crooked shepherd’s staff.
By the ancient farmhouse with its incense rich of oak and cedar chips
stands the winter-weathered sovereign of that line, high, oft-consulted Saturn,
in whose dread wave the fired and mutinous city of Atlantis smoking dipped
to learn the icy currents of his rage and the consequence of passion;
ah, but in her presence his aspect is changed and less of terror now,
almost softened are his eyes, as even old ocean must be when the long-labouring sun
pierces the cloudy confusion of night to join in hands with earth,
his patient child, again, and not so deep seem the furrows in his brow;
for awhile Hydra rests with Atlantis, all his troubles are done
and he can joy with his daughter his share of mirth.
So is Saturn and his noble train made mellow
and reminded of their human traces by the playful youth,
and all are linked, one to each and man to his captive fellow,
all in a line with the splendours of radiant truth:
impeccable beauty’s dress, storied tradition
and the purity of rhythm, a comb of honey rich
for the priestly poet to drink deep and gift
to the thirsting masses of his mission,
who cry out nightly for a higher pitch
to harmonise with and curb their errant drift
1. What is your short story about?
This short story was about my relationship with my mom and the way she
passed. I wanted to capture all the little moments I had with her, whether
it was in love or heartbreak, they were the moments that characterized our
relationship and they became emboldened in my memory.
2. What genres would you say this story is in?
This story was nonfiction, or realistic fiction. I probably dramatized some
aspects considering I was a bit younger when they took place, but to the
best of my ability I wrote from memory.
3. How would you describe this story in two words?
Emotional terrorism.
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?
I’ve watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower more than a dozen times.
There’s just something heartbreaking about Charlie confessing his best
friend killed himself and not admitting to being abused by his aunt. There
was so much that was said so plainly or not said at all that just twisted
something inside me.
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
I’ve probably played Mr. Brightside by The Killers an abnormally large
number of times through my life. The lyricism was so clever when I first
discovered it and the way the music splits if you listen through earbuds
just scratches an itch in the back of my head.
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?
Ah where to begin? I can’t say I could ever pick a single book because I
love reading and consume too many books to ever commit to one single
favorite. That said, the ones that stand out the most are the Good Girls
Guide to Murder books by Holly Jackson and Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom
by Leigh Bardugo. Beautiful writing and memorable plot twists and character
arcs.
7. What motivated you to write this story?
I wrote this story when I was missing my mom. Even as time passes, I find
myself trying to think of ways to honor her and her memory and I knew that
this would be a good way to do that. Writing helps me process my grief and
I’m glad I was able to do so in a healthy and creative way.
8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
I think I’d like to have dinner with Edgar Allen Poe or Mark Twain. They
were decisively two of the most renown writers in terms of short stories
and especially horror or macabre. I took a lot of inspiration in their work
and found their writing to be fascinating when I was still in school.
Personally picking their brains would be enlightening for sure.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I really love to read, I love watching movies, dancing, and my dog. Most of
the time I can be a workaholic, but in my free time, I’m usually cramming
in books or movies and cuddling with my German shepherd, Mikey. I do like
to dance whether it be a routine in a fitness class or just moving to a
good beat. Most of my hobbies revolve around being comfortable and relaxing
for sure.
10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?
Part of me wanted to have another work of mine published and experience
what it would be like to see it spoken and performed instead of written.
But another part of me wanted to know how people perceived my writing. What
does it sound like when someone else is reading it? Do my feelings come
across? Is this the way I intended my writing to be understood from an
outside perspective? I had to see it for myself and know what it would be
like.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Honestly, just write whatever is in your head. A weird phrase you thought
of but done even have a plot to put it in. A character without an
antagonist or even a problem. A complex plot that couldn’t possibly fit
within a word count maximum limit. Write it all, because inspiration will
keep feeding the more you listen to it. Your mind is a powerful thing and
giving in to it can create some amazing stories.
The poem explores justice, advocacy, and compassion — giving voice to the child whose story is often buried beneath legal arguments and adult conflicts. It reflects both the fragility and resilience of children caught between systems meant to protect them.
2) What motivated you to write this poem?
As a family lawyer and mediator, I have witnessed how children’s voices can sometimes be lost in the process. Intimate partner violence affects children deeply and leaves lasting effects. This poem was born from a desire to speak for them — to remind the world that behind every case file is a child longing to be heard.
3) How long have you been writing poetry?
I have been writing poetry since I was about ten years old, but I began publishing recently. Poetry has become my second vocation, a bridge between law, faith, and love.
4) If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
Maya Angelou. Her wisdom, courage, and cadence taught me that truth spoken with grace can move nations.
5) What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
I’m a writer, not an actor. I prefer to hear other people’s interpretations of my work. I wanted to hear the poem interpreted through another voice , to see how its emotional truths would resonate beyond the page. The idea of transforming advocacy into performance felt both healing and necessary.
6) Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc.?
Yes. In addition to poetry, I write children’s books and short stories. I have a few upcoming poetry collections such as Echoes from the Unseen and Who Else Cries in Silence. These poems examine global injustice and faith, while my children’s book Tell Me a Story, Grandma celebrates intergenerational love, faith, and storytelling.
7) What is your passion in life?
My passion is giving voice to the unseen, whether through advocacy in the courtroom or witness through poetry. I believe words can heal, illuminate, and restore our shared humanity. My passion is also leaving a lasting legacy of love, faith, and justice for my family.
POEM:
Justice, before you rule, Please hear me— not as counsel, but as one who has stood in that midnight kitchen through her words, through her trembling hands, fighting for Pêpê’s best interest— a child the law claims to protect,
yet leaves trembling. It is not enough when his hand explodes against her mother’s face, the sound sharp as a rifle crack, making the glass in its frame shiver. It is not enough when her cheek blooms red, then fades too fast for the lens to catch.
Pêpê—her mother’s pet name, whispered like a shield. At night she lies rigid in her bed, listening to her mother’s muffled whimpering, each sob a small surrender. She learns too early that comfort is dangerous, that silence is armour. I hear her in the pauses her mother cannot fill, in the way fear wraps itself around every word.
She is six. Only six— and already her eyes know how to measure a room, track his every move, clutch her mother’s skirt as though it’s the only thing anchoring her to safety. She memorises the path to the door, ready to run before she’s learned to ride a bike.
Do you know what it is to argue a case with your throat closing? To know that “best interest of the child” is not a theory, not a balance sheet, but a warm bed free from dread— and still watch the law lean to “access” and “parental rights” as if they outweigh a child’s right to breathe without fear?
He does not feed her. He does not clothe her. He does not keep her warm. Yet he claims the right to hold her, to call it love, to shape her into a silence that will last her life.
The mother is shamed as bitter if she speaks, while he— who punched a hole beside her face— walks away smiling. And Pêpê learns to fold herself into small spaces, to call fear normal, to believe this is what families are.
Justice— I see her years from now, laughing in a sunlit kitchen, her footsteps light, her nights free from dread. Your choice can make that real.
You are not deaf to her small voice asking:
“Do I have to go?”
Your gavel can crush— or shield.
Choose her.
Carve a future where Pêpê wakes to mornings of peace, where only her cereal crunches.
Great film festival and had the honor of being awarded Best Short Film for my short film “Routine” – it has helped so much that we were able to make a feature sequel called “Staycation” (now “Apocalypse Death Party” for distribution and on streaming platforms). Thank you so much!
Really cool hybrid festival. Great communication. I would definitely recommend this to any other filmmakers based on the feedback videos alone.
Submit to the Festival via FilmFreeway.
What an amazing festival! The feedback I received was extremely helpful, thoughtful, and detailed. I was honored that my short script, “Not My Secret to Tell” won the Thriller/Suspense Festival. It was wonderful to have the Best Scene from the screenplay performed by professional voice actors and I felt respected and engaged during the podcast interview. Really, this film festival is one you should enter! So much more than some others that are simply laurel factories.
Awesome festival, but what really sold me was the audience feedback videos they made. Great marketing material for the project! Would definitely recommend for indie filmmakers.
Great festival with many interesting events. Feedback from real people. Great communication and very fast. Thank you for giving opportunity to show our work to the world! Strongly recommend!
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? Through primatologist Dr. Patricia Wright and researcher, Alba Schielen, we witness Simone’s desperate bid for companionship, as she takes a bold step for survival. At last Simone is happy again, but is all as harmonious as it seems?
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 tell her story, which serves as a poignant reminder of how the global biodiversity crisis is affecting animals on a personal level.
Festival Reviews 