Turning 38 Today: Evan Rachel Wood

p What’s nice about acting is that you’re not just left with yourself all the time, but you get to see the world through so many different people’s eyes. —– [on coming out as bisexual] I wanted to wait … to have enough years under my belt where people knew that it wasn’t a phase or anything and I wasn’t doing it for attention; this is a part of who I am, and I’m old enough to really know who I am by now.

Turning 36 Today: Hannah John-Kamen

Stunts are my favourite – I love it: the feeling, the adrenaline when all the cameras are rolling and everyone is watching and crowd round. ——— The idea of science fiction, mythology, and creating a world is my favourite thing. I do love the reality of dramas and playing that, but being able to start from scratch, to completely build the character and this world, I love that. —– I knew exactly what I wanted to do since I could remember. As a kid, if my friends came round after school for dinner, I’d put on shows; I’d write plays and charge the parents £1.50 for a ticket for sweetie money.

Turning 49 Today: Naomie Harris

Watch the best of new films from around the world today by signing up for the FREE 3-DAY trial going to http://www.wildsound.ca (Also on Roku, FireStick, and your Itune (app))

I haven’t been directed by a woman. I’d love to be; it would make a big difference. Often as an actress you can feel very alienated, especially if you are playing the female lead in a male-dominated cast and environment. It’s very hard to feel relaxed, to feel able to express yourself and to feel that you will be heard in that kind of environment. Film is such a male-dominated industry. There’s a lot of “who you know” in terms of how you get promoted. The whole way the business is constructed means there are just men at every level, which makes it really hard for women to get their feet in the door. Also, the way of working makes it very difficult for women to succeed in the business. It must be incredibly hard if you have children to navigate the hours. It’s business first and foremost in the US, and you’re a commodity. But I love their can-do mentality. They enjoy success and all the doors are open, no matter what you look like or where you’re from. It’s a big, hungry machine that constantly needs new talent to feed it, so everyone gets a chance. I’m sure my career would have petered out if I’d stayed in Britain; there’s just not enough work here. On the other hand, I love coming back and being normal.

Turning 53 Today: Idris Elba

Watch the best of new films from around the world today by signing up for the FREE 3-DAY trial going to http://www.wildsound.ca (Also on Roku, FireStick, and your Itune (app))

[on the differences between him and his character Stringer Bell from The Wire (2002)] Stringer is very calculating and he has to be for so many reasons. He will calculate the next steps, shipments, inventory, pays workers… all that. But the wicked part is that he can plan murders because that’s a part of his business. I’ll tell you, if I, Idris, had to contract for murders as part of my job, I couldn’t do it because I have a heart. I have no stomach for ordering other people’s deaths. Stringer just gets in there, orders the deed and bam… that’s it… it’s done and he doesn’t think twice about it. There’s no way I could be that cold. I’m also a more lively kid out there, doing stuff and I can’t just do one thing forever. Stringer is committed to his job and business so much so he doesn’t have much of a personal life so he’s more one dimensional. As for me I have a child, a life, thirst for travel, you know I’m curious… whereas Stringer is more interested in being the best business person and his interests don’t go further than that.

HIGHLIGHTS: September 2025 FEMALE Filmmakers Festival

A showcase of the best Female Films from around the world today!

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS:
Best Feature Film: METHOD TO MY MADNESS
Best Short Film: LISTEN TO THE UNIVERSE
Best Micro-Short: MISMATCH

METHOD TO MY MADNESS, 78min.
Directed by Behrang Mortazavian, Hoda Hamzehali
Kamand, a young videographer, is invited to a remote villa for a mysterious 24-hour film project. There, she meets two enigmatic women, Tina and Nazy, whose behavior grows increasingly manipulative and disturbing. As reality blurs with performance, Kamand is pulled into a psychological game with no clear way out.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-method-to-my-madness

MISMATCH, 2min., USA
Directed by Luna Lee
A seemingly ordinary matchstick, repeatedly dismissed and denied recognition as a military veteran, slowly ignites with emotion—until it finally flames up, revealing the true weight of the micro aggressions it endured.

https://www.instagram.com/lunaleeart

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-mismatch

LISTEN TO THE UNIVERSE, 27min., USA
Directed by Elizabeth Rosa Landau, Kimberly Arcand
NASA is famous for beautiful space images, but did you know you can listen to them? Go behind the scenes with the team that creates “sonifications,” translations of data into sound, and learn how meaningful they are to people who are blind or low-vision.

https://instagram.com/nasa

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-listen-to-the-universe

WINNERS: August 2025 COMEDY Festival

A showcase of the best COMEDY shorts in the world today.

AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Short Film: SUPPORT
Best Story: DETECTIVES & DRAGONS

Detectives & Dragons, 8min., Canada
Directed by Lucas Candelino, Benjamin Kostecki, Evan McDowell
A know-it-all detective is tasked with incriminating a murder suspect through a fantasy role-playing game by recreating the scenario of the killing. Tensions escalate when he goes off-script.

http://www.instagram.com/candelino.jpg

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-detectives-dragons

SUPPORT, 4min., USA
Directed by Amy Geist, Morgan Lester
A support group for people over thirty goes horribly awry…

https://www.instagram.com/amygeist_la

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-support

HIGHLIGHTS: August 2025 LGBTQ+ Film Festival

A showcase of the best LGBTQ+ films from around the world today.

AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Feature Film: SUGAR BEACH
Best Short Film: STEALING ASH
Best Direction: AT ARM’S LENGTH
Best Student Film: SILENT PULL
Best Documentary: CLOSE TO HOME
Best Story: HOUSEHOLD
Best Performances: REVENGE
Best Micro-Short: JIMBO: BIG TOP

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.

https://www.instagram.com/NONE

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-sugar-beach

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

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-silent-pull

Close to Home, 32min., USA
Directed by Whitney Skauge
Through the exploration of their personal and shared experiences, four young advocates imagine a world where access to safe, affordable, and reliable housing is not a privilege but an undeniable human right.

https://www.instagram.com/whitneyskauge/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-close-to-home

Household, 10min., Canada
Directed by Robbie Lemieux
A lonely young man struggles with his unusual living situation.

https://www.instagram.com/robbielemieux/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-household

Revenge, 19min., Brazil
Directed by Mari Penteado, Eduardo Campos
Virginia is a 43-year-old transgender woman who works as a community health agent in Guarulhos, Brazil. The film follows a day in her life, marked by the exhaustion of work, but also by meaningful encounters, dreams, and, above all, the need to live – and resist.

https://www.instagram.com/vinganca_curta

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-revenge

JIMBO: BIG TOP, 3min., USA
Directed by Brad Hammer

https://www.instagram.com/jimbothedragclown

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-jimbo-big-top

AT ARM’S LENGTH, 5min. USA
Directed by August Broussard
When a neurotic teen asks his best friend to break his arm for prescription meds, what starts as a twisted favor spirals into an absurd test of loyalty — with consequences neither of them is quite prepared for.

https://instagram.com/augustvbroussard

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-at-arm-s-length

STEALING ASH, 13min., USA
Directed by Frances Capel
After their best friend dies, four best friends plan a heist to steal their ashes and take them on a final joyride for the send off they deserve.

https://instagram.com/campyatc

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feeedback-stealing-ash