Turning 53 Today: Idris Elba

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[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

Deadline Today (Sept. 6th): PARANORMAL Short Story Festival

Submit on the festival page: https://fantasyscififestival.com/paranormal-short-story-festival/

A paranormal story is a work of fiction that explores phenomena and beings that are beyond the scope of scientific understanding. They include elements like ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches, and other entities that cannot be explained by the laws of nature. They can be set in the real world, but generally includes elements that defy scientific explanation.

Submit your Short Story to the Festival and we will automatically have it performed by a professional actor and turned into a promotional video for yourself.

UPCOMING SHORT STORY DEADLINES:

7th – LITERARY FICTION SHORT STORY

8th – CRIME SHORT STORY

9th – HISTORY SHORT STORY

10th – FAMILY SHORT STORY

11th – TRAVEL SHORT STORY

12th – FEMALE WRITERS SHORT STORY

13th – BIOGRAPHY SHORT STORY

WINNERS: August 2025 Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Thriller Festival

A showcase of the best of new films in the world today.

AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Feature Film: The Dark Following: Fragments of the Past
Short Film: Fare Share
Thriller Film: Dilemma
Direction: The Briefcase
Story: Emily’s Mountain
Sci-Fi Film: Justin T Nick of Time!

The Briefcase, 6min., USA
Directed by Valdis Pelenitsyn
What begins as a typical criminal job between old friends takes an unexpected twist, leading them into an unpredictable situation.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-the-briefcase

DILEMMA, 14min., USA
Directed by Trevan Jay Hiatt
Dilemma is a tense psychological thriller that delves into the consequences of a single, reckless decision. When high school friends find themselves trapped in a situation they can’t escape, panic sets in, and their once-close bond begins to fray. With each choice they make, the weight of their actions grows heavier, and the line between right and wrong blurs. Dilemma is a gripping exploration of guilt, fear, and where unexpected paths can lead us.

https://www.instagram.com/dilemma.film/

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

FARE SHARE, 26min., USA
Directed by Carlos Leos
On the surface, it’s just another rideshare. But as a weary driver picks up a silent, blood-covered passenger, what begins as awkward small talk unravels into a quiet confrontation with his own doubts, fears, and faith. With no answers from the woman in his backseat, and none from the universe he keeps questioning, the ride grows increasingly tense. Some fares are routine. This one carries a price.

https://www.instagram.com/actorcarlosleos/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-fare-share

Justin T Nick of Time!, 24min,. USA
Directed by Mike Reeping
Four heroes must stop the madman, Modeth, from completely taking over the world!

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-justin-t-the-knick-of-time

Emily’s Mountain, 22min., Israel
Directed by Tal Somech
Emily celebrates her 6th birthday on a magical trip with her family and is slowly exposed to the horrifying reality that her parents are trying to conceal from her using modern technology and entertainment systems.

https://www.costanza-films.com/emilys-mountain

The Dark Following: Fragments of the Past, 85min., UK
Directed by Toby Rawal
Imprisoned for possessing otherworldly abilities, the sole survivor of a mysterious disaster must face his past on a quest to stop the source of unlimited power falling into the wrong hands.’

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-the-dark-following

Turning 74 Today: Michael Keaton

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))

Decided to change his name when he began acting because there was already a Michael Douglas in movies and a Mike Douglas in broadcasting. While he uses a stage name, he has never legally changed his name to Michael Keaton. —— [on his decision not to reprise his role as Batman in Batman Forever (1995)] I was waiting in line for another movie and just kind of poked my head in . . . watched about 10 minutes. I saw enough to know that I made the right decision.

Turning 49 Today: Carice van Houten

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 don’t do method acting. If I play a farmer I’m not gonna spend 3 weeks on a chicken farm. That’s a bit too much for me. For Minoes (in which she played a cat in a woman’s body) I didn’t spend 3 weeks in a cat pound. —— To me, that’s not the most difficult thing. To transform. I don’t really see it happen. I don’t have the feeling I am transforming, really. I don’t believe you can get into somebody’s character but more that somebody comes in you. You just use yourself. In everything I play, I feel like it is me. I just say different things on different times and look different.

Turning 41 Today: Annabelle Wallis

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 think there’s an intelligence behind her lack of obviousness. In a way, she has more power that way, and if she had survived [giving] birth, she would have gone to become quite an incredible queen. (on Jane Seymour)