When the fourth wall breaks, a young filmmaker must find his inner creative confidence and take control of his story before it takes control of the world around him.
Review by Victoria Angelique
The path filmmakers take isn’t an easy one, particularly when strong personalities enter the picture, which is depicted in HERO’S JOURNEY. Artists are typically quiet and just want to get their vision completed in the least continuous way possible. The majority of creative people are like the protagonist, Cal, as he bites his tongue to let Tommy override his vision.
Cal is the epitome of most independent filmmakers. He wants to complete his film, but Tommy is calling the shots and no one wants to call out his ego. Tommy is the egoistical actor that projects his own insecurities onto Cal and the Stuntman to dominate the set. When Tommy is finally called out for his behavior, he tries to silence Cal by reversing the script to accuse the filmmaker of doing everything that Tommy has done since the beginning of the shoot.
Once everything goes quiet, Cal is able to focus as he attempts to rewrite the story to appease Tommy’s massive ego. This is the moment in the short film when the mind of an artist literally comes to life. If anyone doesn’t understand the way filmmaking or artistry works, this would be the film to watch. Cal’s characters literally come out to meet him as they play out the story in front of him. This is how most stories come to life for writers, they can see and hear their characters as if they are standing directly in front of them, just like Cal’s characters.
It is this moment that gives Cal the ability to fight for his story and fire Tommy. He knows his characters better than the egotistical actor that claims to have connections, when really Tommy simply doesn’t not want to be called out for his atrocious behavior. Cal is able to fight for the story he envisioned because his characters are people that he knows and loves. He created them and the only way his film will be a product he’s happy with will be if the vision reflects his story.
This short film is about a comedian getting super frustrated because his comedy career stinks! So he decides to do some crazy violent stuff. It is a scripted fictional comedy, but it is based on the anger, depression, and anxiety I’ve seen first hand from my unsuccessful comedian friends. (Don’t try what you see in this film at home)
Review by Andie Kay:
Comedians have it rough. Endless open mic nights, workshopping material, writing then re-writing and there’s always someone in an audience who makes it their personal mission to destroy your set by heckling you. Being a stand up comic is difficult on so many levels.
Everyone has a different idea of what is funny and as a comic you have to find your niche.
2 Comedians Trying to Go Viral was written, directed, edited and starred Alden Skeadas. This character driven story shines a light on the anger, frustration and depression that so many comics go through trying to create a break and how far they are willing to go to get one. The film’s soundtrack was provided by a midi library from 1983 with some really nice cinematography from Nathan Paul Szoch. The story is dealing with some wonderfully honest issues and pursuing them in an over the top way.
This is a film that can’t be pigeon-holed into a single category, it’s not strictly a comedy, it’s more of a thoughtful dramedy.
CARDBOARD, 23min., USA Directed by Diana Densmore A neglected young girl builds a cardboard time machine and runs away to the future only to find her adult self in the throes of depression, as the two connect they remind each other of the joy of loving oneself.
1. What motivated you to make this film? Alice Prime, the lead actress, had been bugging me to make something with her and my daughter in it for years. So I was trying to write something that would allow them to play opposite each other. The subject matter comes from my own struggles with mental health.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film? four or five years… I guess Alice Prime (the lead actress) and I started talking about it, and then a year later, I wrote the first draft. Probably, a year after that, we had a shooting script, and we went into pre-production and production in earnest. By the time we were through the whole post-process, it was another year.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!? The process of making it? Chathartic chaos. The final project? sweet sci-fi.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film? The rest of life is happening at the same time.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video? It’s nice to hear that people connected with the themes and appreciated the film.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films? As a kid, my siblings and I would put on plays and make videos. I’m a child of the 80s, so camcorders were just taking off. But I don’t think I really thought about it as a ‘real job’ until I was in college and had to pick a major. Although at that time I thought I wanted to “Be” a screenwriter. Now, I’ve just sort of accepted that I’m a person who does a lot of creative things.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life? Goonies, Shawshank Redemption, and Run Lola Run are all tied.
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 really enjoy seeing the film with the audience, so I like in person screenings where I can attend and engage with the viewer.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site? Great
10. What is your favorite meal? In the winter? I like a big pot roast. In the summer? a large salad with a light dressing.
11. What is next for you? A new film? I’m always working on the next film. I also enjoy painting, poetry, and other forms of writing and art. Keep your eye on www.flusshausfilms.com to follow our work.
XY, 12min., USA Directed by Stephen Fleet A repressed convenience store clerk named Y and a trans cam girl named X have their lives tragically intersect at a bleak strip mall in today’s America. A country where identity is regulated and guns are not.
Get to know filmmaker Stephen Fleet & Actor/Co-writer JL Perkel
1. What motivated you to make this film?
I (Stephan Fleet) had just come out as queer at the Age of 43. My life was taking a huge turn and I was doing some research into queer culture when I came across the Club Q shooting in Colorado. I started thinking about the juxtapositions of my old life as a closeted “Cis-het” white male who grew up in the 90s. All my oppression and anger. At the same time, I had made some wonderful friends in the trans community and all I saw was truth and joy. People who just wanted to live their lives. XY became a study contrasting the two. Really trying to examine just how we get to such horrific violence and what it means to the innocent.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I started developing the film in late 2023. The script came together in the first half of 2024. The missing ingredient was the great JL Perkel, who came in not just as the lead actress, but as a co-writer who helped me really dive into the trans perspective authentically. We filmed in July of 2024 and finished in January of 2025.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Thought Provoking.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Filming in Los Angeles! It’s hard and very expensive!
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Pleasantly surprised at everyone spot on analysis and understanding of the nuances. Their genuine appreciation for our hard work was humbling.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
JL and I both agree – when we were both we tots!
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
For me: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen by Terry Gilliam. For JL – The Little Mermaid.
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 is always top of the list!
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Filmfreeway is great and easy!
10. What is your favorite meal?
Sushi for both of us!
11. What is next for you? A new film?
Definitely a new film. Right now I (Stephan) am the lead VFX Supervisor on a TV show for Amazon and we are finishing up to air in April. After that I plan on developing, drumming up the financing for, and making an indie feature. JL and I also film a lot of micro shorts!
Shanaya’s Path follows the intimate journey of Shanaya, a young person from Darjeeling who identifies as a woman and dreams of transitioning despite immense social and familial resistance. Since gender norms are rigid and visibility for trans people is scarce in her home town, Shanaya leaves for New Delhi, but her desire to become her true self is met with hostility, shame, and fear.
1. What motivated you to make this film?
I am very interested in how a person can change. I underwent a period of deep change at the end of 2019 and it lasted a few years. These were fundamental changes where I questioned what had been the status quo of my own life and personality up to that point. I have often admired transgender people for their ability and energy to fundamentally change their whole world despite immense resistance, which is much deeper than the changes I made in my own life. Transgender people are the bravest people I know.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
About 5 years.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Deep, moving.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
There was a moment when the project was at the point of collapse when Covid-19 broke out. International travel was severely hampered and close public contact prohibited, which the project depended upon.
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 love being in India and have been there so many times, I have lost count. India is always so full of energy, beautiful and horrific at the same time, and I can’t help myself recording it, so my favourite filmmaking process is Production, at least when it comes to India.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
In 2019 I was on my way to Lumbini to take photos for an NGO there. I was planning to stop in Delhi and then take the train. I met Shanaya at that time and listened to her story. I immediately realised that I wanted to record her amazing story, but I also knew that photos would not do it justice. So I started filming.
7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
I have no idea but I like to revisit film sequences, usually for the interplay of music and picture. There are some sequences that move me to tears every time.
8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
I would like to shoot a music video with Marwan Pablo, a rapper from Cairo.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Pretty good platform and keeps everything in one place.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Dal Tadka with garlic Naan and Masala Chai.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
I am planning a new big project in India which may go in production this year, otherwise next year. The title is: “Ganga – A Sacred Journey Of Rebirth”. There is a (small) change it may still change.
A Knighter’s Tale, 81min., Ireland Directed by Barney Edwards Deeply in debt and abandoned by his backer, hemmed in by storms and further twarted by a global pandemic, world champion motorcyclist David Knight must cut a path to his lifelong dream of racing in that deadliest of races: The Dakar.
Get to know producer Róisín Clarke:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
We met David and were inspired by his drive, commitment to the sport and his passion for life.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Two and a half years
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Relentless perseverance
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Financing
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Delighted to see genuine joy on their faces and in their voices.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
When my best friend heroically battled Breast Cancer in a way that was unfathomable to me and I wanted to do something to honour her fight. I knew that filming a documentary about her journey was the only way to do it justice.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Juno
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
A recent film festival had a whatsapp group for the award nominees. It created a great feeling of inclusivity and connectedness between the film makers leading up to and after the festival itself.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
FilmFreeway has worked great to date. There are a wide variety of festivals to enter and reminders if you want to track closing dates. Very happy with it.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Steak and veggies!
11. What is next for you? A new film?
Two doc features and a horror feature both to hopefully film this year.
In the wake of a mysterious family death, a couple’s night of mourning is interrupted by a strange delivery containing an antique dollhouse and a terrifying tale about its lone occupant.
What motivated you to make this film?
I grew up as a “latchkey kid” of the 1980s and immersed myself in horror movies and short terror tales. A big fan of “Point Horror” tales from Scholastic, including Slumber Party by Christopher Pike and Twisted by R.L. Stine, I also consumed short-form terror tales on the small and big screens, including titles such as Creepshow, The Twilight Zone, Tales from the Darkside, and Tales from the Crypt. This lifelong interest in the macabre shaped my creative voice. Under the pen name “JC Bratton”—a tribute to my paternal great-grandmother—I crafted a series of short terror tales that paid homage to the authors I respected. I founded Blue Milk Publishing, LLC, as a small horror press to release these stories. One title in particular, Dollhouse—a “story-within-a-story” about three Japanese dolls—sold over 1,500 copies. I secured a seed investment to bring a portion of this tale to life. I went with the story of “Buffy,” the doll that torments a young couple, Mike and Amber.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Well, the intention was to eventually take my stories to the big screen. So, I’d say about 3 years (I have a busy day job… I am working on my Doctorate… So, you can say that my time is limited!). The adapted screenplay took about a week. Pre-production took about 2 months. However, the actual filming took only two days!
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Playful terror
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?The production team, actors, and crew were amazing! The biggest challenge was getting this ready in time for the large genre festivals. We made it happen, though! And, I am proud to say that we did very, very well in the film festival circuit!
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 actually like post-production, where editing is involved. I think if I had made film my career, I would have chosen to become an editor.
When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Well, my intention for writing my short stories was to see them eventually hit the small or big screens!
What film have you seen the most times in your life?
The original Star Wars (“A New Hope”).
In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
Definitely Lucasfilm! From what I hear, they may be interested in doing horror soon…?
You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
It’s been really good! It’s a very easy way to submit our work to festivals around the globe!
What is your favorite meal?Probably breakfast. I am all about going to Starbucks in the morning. What is next for you? A new film?
Well, I am working on my Doctorate. My experience making a movie in the indie film industry has become a potential dissertation topic. I would love to make a feature-length version of Dollhouse or maybe more shorts about the other dolls, Muffy & Duffy!
GINNY’S ENTERPRISE, 18min., Canada Directed by Suzanne Marie Moreau She boldly goes where no girl has ever been allowed before! How a young Star Trek fan foils her family’s restrictive roles for girls by becoming the Captain of her own starship.
Get to know the filmmaker:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
I was motivated by my own coming of age experiences as a girl growing up in the sixties Cold War at a time when gender roles were strictly enforced by a generation traumatised by war. This origin story is a version of my own loss of innocence and a stark recognition of truth as an enigma. It is a reckoning of how I coped with injustice and intergenerational, complex trauma over a lifetime – like Ginny does in the film, at times inappropriately. The film is very meta. It’s a path towards forgiveness of self and others, and of healing. It’s how I found a way, through storytelling,to those who may have experienced their own version of trauma, to offer a glimmer of hope.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Ginny’s Enterprise was one of several short screenplays I began writing in 2019. The screenplay was selected by Toronto and Montreal film festivals, and became a festival finalist in Vancouver, New York, Vienna and Paris, France in 2021. After launching my first short film, Blood Buddies (2022), I began pre-production in summer 2022 and wrapped filming in October that year. Ginny’s Enterprise completed post-production and made its debut in film festivals in early 2023.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Female empowerment.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Emotionally, there was a sudden death in the family of one cast member, to whom the film is dedicated. Practically, scheduling over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend made it tricky to have the same crew members in the same roles on each day of the three-day shoot. It made for a very large crew and continuity issues, but we pulled it off in true indy fashion. I’m so grateful for the compounding of riches in the amazing work of the art department, the cinematographer, and the entire cast and crew.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was so gratified to hear that the reviewers completely understood the film! Theirs were such succinct and insightful expressions of their thoughts, they gave so much credibility to the film. It was lovely that they appreciated the two time periods and the attention to detail in creating them through set dec, costumes, hair and makeup. As a relatively new filmmaker, I tend to second-guess my ability as a visual storyteller, but this response smashed those doubts. It is also great to see that the experiences I had so long ago still have relevance, and timeless issues that resonate with young adults today.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Perhaps since the time I tried to ‘direct’ my mother on her Super8 to film my age 6 skipping prowess! Fast forward to post-retirement and craving a creative outlet – independent filmmaking presented itself as a way to incorporate writing and photography – as a visual artist I had limited myself to physical painting and photography. Smartphones and social media were the first steps towards an electronic medium, then immersion in screenplay writing, then a mentorship course on filmmaking, which led to the realisation that the best way to have my scripts produced was to make them myself – and voila!
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
There are so many films! The one that was broadcast on repeat every year in the 60’s was “The Wizard of Oz” so that’s the first film I saw multiple times on the B&W TV. But on viewing the 1989 50th anniversary DVD, I was shocked to see that Oz is in Technicolor! Second most frequent was “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” which I saw on my first date (to which I snuck out) at age 13, and 4 more times in theatres during its original release in 1969. Both films have bold, adventurous female leads as does the original Star Trek series aired in 1967. It’s made me realise that female presence and stories are so important to be told on screens so girls and women can see themselves as more than a second fiddle to men and boys.
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 most thrilling aspect of my film festival experience is in-person screening in a theatre with a big screen and surround sound. As a filmmaker I travel to festivals that screen my films – I’ve been fortunate enough to do so in Los Angeles, Toronto and Victoria. To be able to meet and mingle with other filmmakers and fans is the best. Industry panels, presentations, masterclasses and networking events are also a fantastic way to find connections to further independent filmmaking or to break into industry filmmaking. I was honoured to be invited to a panel of filmmakers at one Toronto festival in front of a live audience with real time interaction – it was wonderful! However, it is a major undertaking for the festival and if there’s any way to emulate that experience over distances it would be most welcome!
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
I’ve submitted several of my films through FilmFreeway since 2021 and found it to be a very effective and easy way to navigate the festival circuit.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Any meal shared with my family and friends is my favourite.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
I am currently editing my first exploratory, documentary short film, which I shot over the last year. I have several narrative live action film scripts ready for pre-production, and a feature and series in development. I continue to write!
My mother was adopted and never met her biological mother. I think it hurt her. This film envisions what that encounter would have been like had it happened.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Two years.
3. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
On-set obstacles, but that always happens.
4. 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, of course! I live to be on set!
5. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Six years old.
6. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
GOODFELLAS or GHOSTBUSTERS.
7. In a perfect world, who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
Eva Victor!
8. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How have your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Great! l love FilmFreeway!
9. What is your favorite meal?
Steak, rare.
10. What is next for you? A new film?
My team and I have another short film titled REUNION that we are expanding into a feature; we will shoot that film summer 2026!
A reclusive woman is drawn into a waking nightmare when she is stalked by a deranged lunatic, who is convinced that she holds the key to his twisted redemption.
1. What motivated you to make this film? – After the last film I co-directed with EE Tallent, Bad Chemistry, screened at a local festival, we noticed the audience responding more to the comedic moments over the heavier material. Our lead actress, Alex, suggested making a film based on something silly, like the extended car warranty meme, and the story evolved from there as we co-wrote the film.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film? The idea spawned on 10/25/2025 and we finished post Dotted Line on July 9th, 2026.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!? Big characters.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film? Shooting with no focus puller.
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? Being that I usually edit, color, and do sound design in addition to cinematography, the production and post-production are pretty evenly matched for me.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films? Ever since I can remember.
7. What film have you seen the most times in your life? Hard to say but it could be The Shining, Christine, Its a Wonderful Life.
8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film? I’m working with them now, which is fantastic, but if I could add some more perhaps Ari Aster.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site? Super easy.
10. What is your favorite meal? I probably said this last time, but a rib-eye with a wedge salad. Then a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie in a skillet with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream resting on top.
11. What is next for you? A new film? Yes, a new film! It’s called “Method” and I can’t wait to get started. I’ll be returning with my team and co-directing with EE Tallent again. Method is a sequel, not-sequel, to my 2020 film Gary, or at least it takes place in the same universe. I co-wrote Method with my buddy Juan Lee who lives in Brooklyn, who is also the co-writer of Gary.
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