film festival

Filmmaker Annekatrin Meyers (NARCISS)

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NARCISS, 6min., Germany
Directed by Annekatrin Meyers
Narciss, who falls in love with its own reflection, becomes consumed by self-love and finds its tragic end by turning into flowers.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Myths and ancient stories inspire me greatly because they are timeless and applicable to so many themes in our modern lives. I was already familiar with the story of Narcissus, but it wasn’t until I saw a painting in an exhibition depicting him surrounded by flowers as he dies on a meadow that I discovered Ovid’s Metamorphoses for myself – a true treasure trove of visual poetry.

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

For many years, I had the image in my head of flowers taking possession of a woman, but I never knew how to achieve it without special effects. Then I thought to myself: Why not do it the old-fashioned way, with stop-motion? From that realization, it only took a few months to implement. The most time-consuming part was ultimately obtaining the music rights. That took six months.

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

Sadly beautiful.

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

I mentioned earlier that obtaining the music rights was very demanding. The band was immediately enthusiastic about me using their music for the film, but communication with the German authority responsible for granting music rights proved to be very difficult and slow.

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

I was touched and incredibly happy that what I wanted to convey was communicated even without language. It’s so wonderful to receive direct feedback from real people. These feedback videos are a great gift.

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

In my art studies, I actually stumbled into film as a minor by chance. During that time, I interned as a director’s assistant on a well-known German crime series. That’s when I got a taste for it.

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

Gattaca by Andrew Nichols – my all time favourite movie.

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

Your festival is truly wonderful and unique because it’s so personal. Generally I would appreciate more personal contact with festivals when one is in the final selection. It often remains quite anonymous and you don’t know how many people or who exactly will get to see your films. For non-online festivals I would hope to be invited for the screening if my film is in the program.

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

The platform makes it significantly easier to submit films to festivals. Furthermore, I am always kept up to date on which festivals are currently accepting submissions. What definitely should be improved is the transparency of festivals that are on FilmFreeway.
For example one usually doesn’t know how big the audience is or under what conditions the films will be shown.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I believe no German could do without German bread. Of all the bakery specialties “Brezen” (pretzels) are my favorite. Although it’s not a dish just a food item it’s simply always a good choice

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

Of course 😉

Submit to the Experimental, Dance, Music Festival

Filmmaker Deb Ethier (EFFIGY HOUSE)

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EFFIGY HOUSE, 5min., Canada
Directed by Deb Ethier
A meditative journey through the surreal inner spaces of the filmmaker’s mind as passing images and thoughts overlap, yearning to coalesce into a concept.

https://rustybolttheatre.zyrosite.com/
https://www.facebook.com/rustybolttheatre

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

I had a basic and rather vague idea of rooms in the “house” of my mind; places where ideas for films dwelt, sometimes just on the periphery of my consciousness. By investigating these rooms, the film would materialize, almost in an interactive sort of way. I then created the rooms, not in any particular order. This was a very liberating approach as I didn’t follow a storyboard; the flow between scenes seemed to fall into place as I worked on the edit. The “wind” that blows through near the end is like an idea wafting through the mind that liberates other ideas. It is also a film about making films, and about past films I have made (which are always in the back of my mind, in the rooms of my Subconscious), so there are clips from my earlier films playing in some of the rooms, on walls or in cupboards…and even clips from this film itself tucked away in drawers.

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

It took about five months, but some of that was finding the right composer for the project.

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

Mysterious; compelling.

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

Oddly enough, it was finding just the right composer – I had tried some other avenues, but when I heard Diego’s sketches, I knew he had hit just the right complement to the visuals; ethereal, a bit dark but emotional.

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

I really loved experiencing the different reactions – some were exactly what I was thinking while making the film, so that was very gratifying. But it was also really interesting to see other reactions that were a bit different but equally valid; all part of the human experience when watching a film.

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

FilmFreeway has been my go-to since I started making films in 2016 (very late in life, as it happens).

It’s been an indispensable tool in my festival experience.

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

I’ve been toying with an idea that would work best in Super8…a whole new adventure!

Submit to the Experimental, Dance, Music Festival

Writer/Performers Gica Pucca and Constantin Augustinus Sieve (SAUDADE)

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SAUDADE, 6min., USA
Directed by Josie Hull
A dancer faces a ghost of her past and has to come out victorious to find her true self once again.

https://www.instagram.com/josie__hull/

Get to know writer/performers Gica Pucca and Constantin Augustinus Sieve:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

GICA: One night I was going through my drawer and I found a love letter from a past relationship. After reading all those words, my heart was divided in two. A part that wanted all those memories again and the other, that knew this was not quite possible. Maybe this is what old love letters do to you. I brought it to Constantin and said “I need to make a movie about this so I can understand this feeling.”

CONSTANTIN: I was curious to see how the emotional and intention of a love letter would express itself visually and physically. I couldn’t stop thinking about a duet between a girl and a ghost.

GICA: And then, we decided to explore how to navigate the rite of passage that follows the end of a love story, and give a name to the love that remains from it.

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

GICA: Saudade took around 5 months to be created

CONSTANTIN: Most time was spent in pre-production and rehearsals.

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

CONSTANTIN: Perilous

GICA: Longing

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

CONSTANTIN: A few weeks before our shooting date, we learned that our location was not available anymore. We tried to find a new one as fast as possible, but without any luck. A few days before shooting, Josie Hull came in clutch with the perfect location.

GICA: The chosen place was a dance school, which fits perfectly with our story of a girl who is learning how to dance alone.

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

GICA: I couldn’t stop smiling. It’s incredibly rewarding to see a story that we told resonating with an audience. Knowing that Saudade was able to translate the feeling of heartbreak. And I am so happy that they talked about the music! All because of Hideiki, our composer, who made an incredible job creating our original soundtrack for this piece.

CONSTANTIN: Hearing how the different aspects of the movie left a mark was a pretty exciting experience. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

GICA: We thank everyone for the eloquent words. Feedbacks are what gives us knowledge to improve our craft and I am glad that we could enjoy them with WILDsound..

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

GICA: Films are one of many ways of communicating with the world. I’ve always been fascinated in being able to imagine something and bring it to real life. And films had shown to be a magic tool for this. Acting was always what teleported me to other worlds and after that, I just could stop. I think the urge to make films comes from a need to tell what others couldn’t see.

CONSTANTIN: I am a very impatient person. So i grew weary of waiting on audition calls or other opportunities very quickly. I saw my director and producer friends working non-stop, while I was just waiting for the next person to call me in. I didn’t mind it, but I wanted more. I wanted to be busy doing what I love. Filmmaking was for sure a scary jump, but I have grown to really enjoy the process. Watching the idea grow from a thought to a movie is surprisingly mesmerizing.

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

CONSTANTIN: Not a film but a series: Avatar the last Airbender

GICA: Every year I do a marathon of Pirates of the Caribbean, so I would say the whole francize.

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

CONSTANTIN: I am impressed by the great options your festival is offering.

GICA: Visibility is key to a filmmaker’s success. I believe that this festival offers all of that and more. Audience feedback, movie reviews, podcasts, online screenings and interviews, like this one we are doing right now, should be more widely provided among other festivals as well.

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

GICA: So far FilmFreeway has shown to be a reliable and diverse platform for any filmmaker to submit their titles. The support and communication was clear and they always keep us up to date with the new festivals coming up.

10. What is your favorite meal?

GICA: An açaí bowl would make me so happy right now. It’s my favorite thing ever.

CONSTANTIN: Pizza by far! If I could eat one meal for the rest of my life, I would be totally content with Pizza.

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

CONSTANTIN: Yes, I am currently working on 3 new films and one of my past films I have acted in is currently doing their festival run.

GICA: 2 projects that I acted as a lead are entering the festival circuit this next month and more shooting dates are coming. Emotions are definitely running high!

Submit to the Experimental, Dance, Music Festival

Filmmaker Lea Esmaili (THE ART OF COMPETITION)

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THE ART OF COMPETITION, 2min., France
Directed by Lea Esmaili
Two souls driven by one same goal, can someone win ?

https://www.leaesmaili.com/
https://www.instagram.com/heyimleaaa/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I always like to ask myself questions and then an idea will come up. This time I asked myself if competition is real in Art, because Art is so subjective. And what is making us always see projecting on other competitions ? The dance field is particular where our physiques also have a major role in our career.

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

Duality and dance

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

I made this film with my own money and with my friends. I had no real budget. But I wanted it to look professional and demonstrate that with passion you can still make a good film.

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

Wow, I was sooo thrilled! It is my first time, so seeing people from across the globe talking about the message behind the film or the techniques that we used made me so so proud ! I also felt that the message behind my film was understood so that made me happy.

I think it would be Clockwork Orange.

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

I always had a foot in Art in general, but when I was 14 I fell in love with cinema, and since then I never stopped having this passion. It’s even growing more and more everyday. It really is my purpose in life!

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

I don’t really know yet I would have to look deep into the festivals, I’m still very new to this. Maybe some help fundings for the winners or new filmmakers ?

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

It’s amaaazing. So easy and informative to put your film on festivals, it’s great.

9. What is your favorite meal?

I love sushi ahah!

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

Yes for sure but maybe in a few months, now i’m focusing on my freelance career and my exhibition in Paris!

Submit to the Experimental, Dance, Music Festival

Filmmaker Steven Wright Clarkson (DISMISSING THE ENVELOPE)

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DISMISSING THE ENVELOPE, 10min., USA
Directed by Steven Wright Clarkson
A young girl enters the painting world of four prominent artists

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film? Really it started with my collaboration with classically trained tabla player Shreyas Iyer. After collaborating on an EP, I felt that the music had entered into a territory that was bigger than both of us. I decided on using “Dismissing the Envelope” as it was Shreyas’ favorite track and had more of an Indian Raga feel in form and length.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film? It was months to finish the EP. But once the music was completed, the idea to actually have a young girl enter the paintings in the art gallery came to me naturally. I thought to myself, what better way to dismiss everything we hold for granted in the world of art than to enter and spend time there. The film was extremely complicated as an AI project. It was actually five separate AI films edited together. The prompts took a long time to come up with, given the result I desired. I hope folks see this as a positive way to use AI. To have the individual as the visionary directing the program to produce exactly what the director hoped to accomplish.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film? Really, to find the right people to accomplish my vision.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video? Pure joy! So many fantastic film makers’, musicians’ and artists’ alike influenced who I am as a musician and film maker today. This was an incredible validation that you can make films that are completely outside the box and still be relevant in todays’ World.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films? I have always felt my music works best when put to film or video of some kind. I just finished a music video production class at Berklee and that certainly cemented that my creative talents, whether film or music, will always be intertwined.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life? Monty Python and the Holy Grail

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career? Just keep taking chances on the little guy. The artistic community can be a little daunting for someone just starting on their career.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site? It’s a great site — when I stumbled upon it and won my first award for “In the Beginning”, I knew it would be a partnership that would stand the test of time.

10. What is your favorite meal? Sashimi — I spent 6 months after graduating college teaching English in Japan.

11. What is next for you? A new film? — I continue to work on my music daily. I’m hoping to continue to create films and also I would love to work on a score for a film.

Submit your Film to the Festival via FilmFreeway:

Deadline Today: ACTION/ADVENTURE Film & Screenplay Festival

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A showcase of the best Action/Adventure Films and Screenplays from around the world.

Submit via FilmFreeway:

Festival takes place every single month online.

Film Festival will be showcased at the monthly virtual film festival.

Screenplay submissions offers writers at all levels the fantastic opportunity to hear their stories read aloud using professional actors. Full feedback on all submissions as well by our team of professional screenwriters.

We have created a hybrid festival with 4 tiers to enhance your film and your festival experience. All accepted films receive all four tier options:

Tier #1 – Your film plays at a private festival event where the audience will record their comments/reactions to your film on their camera or phone, then we edit them and send you a promotional video. No matter what you will receive a promotional video of your film of people commenting on your film.

Tier #2 (optional) – Your film plays on the Film Festival streaming service for 30 hours and invite a select industry audience to watch it. With this system, some films have already received a distribution deal as many platforms are looking for solid feature and short documentaries. We can not guarantee anything of course but this has been very helpful to many in the past. (see testimonials below)

Then (Tier #3) we will send you a list of questions to answer for our blog interview that will promote you and your film. Then after that (Tier #4) we will set up a podcast interview on our popular ITunes show where will we chat with you about the process of how the film was made.

Deadline Today: EXPERIMENTAL, DANCE, MUSIC Festival

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Festivals take place at various Cinemas in downtown Toronto, Canada, for the audience feedback video.

Submit via FilmFreeway:

NOTE: The festival has created a hybrid festival with 4 tiers to enhance your film and your festival experience. All accepted films receive all four tier options:

Tier #1 – Your film plays at either a public live event where we will record the audience reactions of your short or feature and then send you the feedback video. Or, it plays at a private festival event where the audience will record their comments/reactions to your film on their camera or phone, then we edit them and send you a promotional video. No matter what you will receive a promotional video of your film of people commenting on your film.

Tier #2 – We put up your film live on the Film Festival Streaming Service for 30 hours and invite a select industry audience to watch it. With this system, some films have already received a distribution deal as many platforms are looking for solid feature and short films. We can not guarantee anything of course but this has been very helpful to many in the past. (see testimonials below)

Then (Tier #3) we will send you a list of questions to answer for our blog interview that will promote you and your film. Then after that (Tier #4) we will set up a podcast interview on our popular ITunes show where will we chat with you about the process of how the film was made.

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Deadline Today: LGBTQ+ Toronto Film Festival

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This festival is designed to showcase the best of LGBTQ+ stories from around the world today! We accept screenplays (short, TV Pilot, feature) and short & feature films.

Submit via FilmFreeway:

Film Festivals:

Festivals occur every single month. We accept an assortment of shorts & feature films from around the world today monthly. We are proud to announce that we will be using the audience feedback format where all accepted films receive a video of people talking about their film at the festival. Excellent video to use for promotional purposes too. NOTE: To enhance the feedback video for the filmmakers, all festivals are held for a private selected audience only.

Screenplay Festivals:

We are proud to showcase 2-5 winning LGBTQ+ screenplays at our festival every single month!! Go to the site and watch the winning readings each month.

All entries receive full feedback from the industry. Accepted screenplays get their screenplays performed by professional actors.

One of North America’s leading gay destinations, Toronto has been holding Pride observances since the ’70s. The Pride parade draws more than 1.2 million spectators and participants annually, making it one of the top such draws in the world. The cinema is located in the Church & Wellesley area, where all of the Pride Events take place.

LGBTQ+ festivals occur 12 times a year. Go to the website for information on the next events.

All submissions receive feedback on their film no matter what.

Deadline Today: FEMALE FEEDBACK Film Festival

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The FEEDBACK Female Film Festival (FFFF) was created for women filmmakers and screenwriters. The goal is to showcase the best of female talent in film & TV from around the world.

Submit via FilmFreeway:\

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Film Festivals (short & feature) occurs 12 times a year (every month) in Los Angeles and Toronto.

Accepted films get their film screened at 2 festivals. The Audience Feedback Festival where you will receive a video of people’s reactions to your film. (Great asset to promote your movie). Plus, the Film Festival Streaming Service Festival where it will be seen by people in the industry and film fans.

Plus, each filmmaker gets the opportunity to do two interviews to further promote them and their work. A blog interview, and a podcast interview on the Film Festival ITunes show.

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Screenplay Readings also take place EVERY SINGLE MONTH.

Every submission received full feedback on their script from an industry professional. Winning scripts get their script performed by professional actors and make into a video for you.

Deadline Today: FANTASY/SCI-FI Film & Screenplay Festival

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FANTASY and SCI-FI Stories used to be a fringe market. Now they are in the mainstream now and forever as movies, television shows, and stories in fantasy/sci-fi are a gigantic multi-billion dollar market. This portion of the Film & Writing Festival serves the Fantasy and Sci-Fi filmmakers and writers from all over the world.

Submit via FilmFreeway:

This is a HYBRID film festiva (NOT an online festival) with live screenings for the audience feedback video you will receive, plus an optional virtual 2nd showcase to enhance the film’s exposure. Festival also conducts blog and podcast interviews with the filmmaker. We have also started a filmmaker’s WhatsApp group with over 100 joined to date to chat about next project and make contacts etc….

Get your script and story performed by professional actors at the Fantasy/Sci-Fi Festival. WINNING reading every single month!

Get your short or feature film showcased at the FEEDBACK Film Festival and get an audience video. Now a monthly festival taking place in either Chicago, Los Angeles, or Toronto

All festival dates have been updated to private screenings with the same Audience FEEDBACK videos made for the short & feature films, and recorded script readings performed by professional actors for the screenplays. This is our way of showing community over distance so everyone around the world can experience our Audience Feedback videos.

We specialize in showcasing Fantasy/Sci-Fi stories and making sure that when the work is ready, the writer will benefit by at least obtaining a solid agent.