Film Festivals

Filmmaker Daniel W. Smith (CALAMITY & MERCY)

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CALAMITY & MERCY, 98min., USA
Directed by Daniel W Smith
Calamity and Mercy is a feature length documentary film detailing the stories of individual Ukrainian refugees submerged in the chaos of battle, fleeing war, and integrating into new cultures, along with the NGOs and efforts in place to assist the incoming migrants.

https://www.facebook.com/calamityandmercy/
https://www.instagram.com/calamityandmercy

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I lived in Japan for two years as a kid, then as a US service member, I deployed to Bosnia, Iraq, Horn of Africa, and Germany. I saw how war and conflict make it hard for civilians to survive both during and in post war periods. When Russia invaded Ukraine I saw the documentary as a document of witness. Something that could be a voice for the refugees and perhaps influence people to support them regain their homelands.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It has been about 2 years. We filmed the interviews in the late Spring of 2022. It was self funded so I had to go slow after the filming to work through Post Production.

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

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

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was happy to see the audience understood and appreciated what I was trying to express.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
2008 thru 2014. I attended the Berlinale Film Festival a few times and realized I wanted to create films on a human scale. That is ordinary people dealing with extraordinary situations. I didn’t want superpowers, or angelic presences helping them as much as their own effort and assistance from others.I retired from the military, finished a contractor job at US Africa Command in Germany and used the GI Bill to attend film school.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
It’s a five way tie between, The Searchers, Lawrence of Arabia, the Seven Samurai, Two Women, and Casablanca.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Distribution and streaming. Perhaps production grants/loans.

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

10. What is your favorite meal?
Steak with a nice salad.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
A documentary about Afghan refugees. In particular those who served with US or NATO and were left behind. They are being hunted down by the Taliban. A second project is about Disinformation campaign strategy and tactics used by Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah.

Filmmaker Ruben Rodas (BEFORE DAWN)

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BEFORE DAWN, 15min., USA
Directed by Ruben Rodas
“A top hit-man gets caught in the middle of a betrayal scheme within his contractors”

http://www.rodasruben.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ruben.rodas.144
https://www.instagram.com/rubenrodas/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I simply love the Thriller/crime/suspense genre and it’s been a while since I made a film like that, so it thought it was time to do a new one LOL

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

Well technically this short if part of a 8 episode micro-series, so the micro-series I wrote it back in 2010, but I got to re-write and fine tuned the scripts on 2020, and start shooting all episodes; now when is was time to shoot “Before Dawn” I shoot it over 3 days and took about 3 months of post-production just because there is some really awesome high end CGI on it so that took extra time to have it done; so overall I’ll say the whole thing just for this film was extended over a 6months between pre-pro, shooting and post.

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

Captivating awesome!

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

I had some challenging sound recording issues to overcome, there were some technical issues with the recorded audio that I didn’t realize until I was in the editing room and it was upsetting as it was extra challenging to fix and that added extra time/$$ to the project that wasn’t planned for it.

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

It was certainly humbling and flattering; I’m glad people liked it and enjoyed the film.

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

Once I finish the script and I had it read by some of the main actors, I knew we have something solid and needed to shoot ASAP hehehe

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

That’s among the most difficult questions I always get asked so I never really know lol I mean I have seen so many movies several times but at this point I may say probably “Jerry McGuire”; I don’t know there is an element there in that movie that hit home for me.

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 believe that if the festivals are actively inviting and including Producers/Investors as well as production companies to participate in the festivals and connect with the filmmakers and help them to further push their careers by helping the filmmakers to make possible their next projects.

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

I love FilmFeeway I find it to be a great platform for submitting projects to festivals

10. What is your favorite meal?

My favorite meal is really one specific that my Mom cooks for me LOL you won’t really find it on a menu of a restaurant nor belong to a certain culinary culture so.. but If I have to described I guess it will be a kind of “beef schnitzel with a white cheesy rice” 🙂

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

I’m developing 2 feature films, (1) it’s a action/thriller packed along the lines of “24 meet mission impossible” and (2) it’s a very funny Time travel Buddy/RomCom Comedy

Submit to the CRIME/MYSTERY Film Festival:

Filmmaker Sarah London (A PRAYER FOR MY FATHER)

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A PRAYER FOR MY FATHER, 10min., USA
Directed by Sarah London
Decades after she and her late father found an unspeakable horror in the woods, Lola receives a package of his ashes, and along with it the ghost of their shared trauma.

https://instagram.com/aprayerformyfather

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
My childhood was a horror story.

Generational trauma had a chokehold on my family while growing up. Drugs, alcohol, mental illness, bank robbing, depression, narcissism… we had it all.

I grew up in a cat piss stained trailer, where every night was about survival. Survival from a paranoid schizophrenic mother, played to the backdrop of the lower class Northern California countryside. When there wasn’t food in the kitchen, I was thankful for the plentiful fruit orchards near my home… peaches, cherries and walnuts filled my stomach while my mother lay drunkenly passed out in the bathtub.

My only escape was my father. His weekend visitation rights were the only days I looked forward to. We’d trek the rolling hills and forests of upper San Francisco, filling up on diner food as we drove. He’d sit by the campfire, his marijuana smoke molding with the camp smoke as I eagerly listened to his Bigfoot stories.

But as much as I loved my father, he had a dark side, too. But his trauma was internal, sad and quiet. It was creeping and subtle.

I take an unusual amount of pride in the generational trauma he passed onto me. And this film is an homage to him and his struggles.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Two years! Self funding a film means things happen in chunks as you save money.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Money! HA. That aside, everything went beautifully. The cast and crew consisted mainly of my friends. When your friends are used to your art, they’re fully onboard with exactly what you’re looking for and how to get that vision up and running. We also shot the first half in a public park in Sherman Oaks with a 2 ton grip truck in the parking lot. So you could say the guerilla aspect of the film was very real and stress-inducing, but we made it happen.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Very moving. I was really pleased that everyone caught onto the story. As a filmmaker, we’re always worried that an audience isn’t going to understand a story. You try and do everything you can to prevent that (I added subtitles because I was paranoid that some of the dialogue was too fast and unclear). The audience reactions lifted that worry!

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I moved to LA with a script in hand about my real life bank robbing grandfather. It was a feature script I had been working on since I was 20. So probably late teens.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
According to my mom: The Brave Little Toaster
According to my dad: ET
According to me: The Fifth Element

I really wanted to give a swanky auteur answer, but those are my truths. But movies that influence my filmmaking: Tree of Life and The VVitch.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
This is a great question. I’ve been experiencing a lot of scammy film festivals lately and yours is definitely the top three best I’ve experienced yet. The audience reaction video was fantastic. It made me feel like an actual audience was watching my film. I realize not all festivals are capable of doing an in-person theatrical release for the public, especially after the pandemic. I suppose if I had to add something: I’ve found that when festivals share my film / film poster / excerpts / events regarding my film on Instagram, it really helps for me to share those posts to reach my film friends.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
FilmFreeway is great. I wish the platform would weed out the scammier festivals but I realize that’s difficult to do. But other than that, it’s great!

10. What is your favorite meal?
McDonald’s french fries.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I’m trying to find someone to assist in helping me write this script about my bank robbing grandfather! If you know anyone, send them my way!

Submit to the HORROR Underground Film Festival:

Filmmaker Jerrod D. Brito (HORNED)

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HORNED, 4min,. USA
Directed by Jerrod D Brito
When a cocky cam boy jokingly live-streams a creepypasta dare, he inadvertently summons an ancient demon who craves more than just his soul.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Funny story. I attended Dan Savage’s HUMP Film Festival, a traveling film fest that features short films of an adult nature, and though they had many diverse films, I didn’t see any strictly horror movies. I felt there might be an opportunity there, so I tried to come up with a way to merge horror—my signature genre—with sex. I just started jotting notes and tried to find a way to combine them both, but be fair to both, too, and then I added a little humor. Those were the ingredients for “Horned.” But I really wanted to make sure it stood alone as a horror story, with a beginning, middle, and end, and as much character development as I could squeeze into a short in under five minutes of length. So I cut it two ways—a more explicit version for HUMP with thirty more seconds of content and a better punchline to the film (it was selected, by the way—it tours this fall), and the somewhat censored version we were lucky enough to screen at Horror Underground.

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

This probably took about four years to get off the ground. I wrote it, but didn’t really have the means to make it at the time. Then, in around 2022, I felt like my film career wasn’t going anywhere, so I tried to think of how I wanted to “go out” if this was the end, and decided to have some fun and do something risky and weird. Go out with a bang, so to speak. I got my producer, Erin Delaney, on board—we used to work together at a well-known company that broadcast adult content—and a few other frequent collaborators, and everything just fell into place. Once we cast it, it was a matter of waiting a few months until everyone’s schedules lined up, and we shot it in one night. After that, I edited it fairly quickly (found footage is easier, I find), and it was finished by the end of 2023.

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

Hmmm… “Sexy Horror.”

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

I think that’s a toss-up between the casting process and the location not working out at the last minute, but both ended up working out in the end.

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

I was frickin’ thrilled! I think it can be very difficult to connect with an audience, but they seemed to pick up on everything I tried to put in there, so that felt really good. Overall, they seemed disturbed by it, but still laughed at the parts that were meant to be humorous. I think that’s a gift Sam Raimi has, and that’s what I strived for. So the fact that they reacted to the humor and the horror was a great feeling. It was sooooo good to hear, and I immediately showed it to my producer and makeup person, and they were equally thrilled.

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

Unofficially, probably three-years-old. I wanted to act, and forced my cousins into being stage plays I directed in the living room, and I wrote and drew shitty little comic books. Everything was there to point me in the direction of film. Officially, though, when I found out that I COULD become a filmmaker, and it wasn’t just for people in New York or L.A., but indie film was for everybody, I was about 19.

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

I’m going to guess “Batman Returns.”

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’m not really sure. What you offer is great and unique, and one of the best experiences I’ve had in festivals. If there was a way to tie in agents or managers watching the winners, that would be huge, too, but I don’t know the likelihood of that. I know there’s a lot that goes into festivals as it is, and I love what you’re already doing.

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

I like FilmFreeway. It keeps track of everything and makes it easy to sort through submissions, wins, losses, etc., I dig it.

10. What is your favorite meal?

A Chicago Deep Dish style pizza with extra cheese and that chunky tomato sauce on top. I don’t care what anyone says, it’s a whole damn meal.

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

Lots! I’m co-developing a cryptid fantasy horror feature called “The Hairy Ones” with my frequent co-conspirators, Aaron Whitrock and Timothy Navarro, and I have a list of short films I’d like to get off the ground this year, too. I also wrote a demonic possession short called “A Dance With the Devil,” directed by Jake Byrd (“Adalynn”) that’s in the late stages of post and set to roll out this year, and I have a six-issue graphic novel that I’m dying to get out there, but I’m still looking for just the right artist to draw it. I’m also looking for others to collaborate with and networking every week, always looking for something new to try. I’ll write, they can make the movie, then we’ll either succeed or fail together. I just love the process and always excited to do something new.

Submit to the HORROR Underground Film Festival:

Filmmaker Kaitlyn Leach (CONSERVINNG MOUNTAINS)

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CONSERVING MOUNTAINS, 10min., USA
Directed by Kaitlyn Leach
An educational short documentary discussing some of the wildlife conservation efforts happening around the state of West Virginia. Throughout the film you will listen to a local DNR Assistant Chief, Wildlife Biologist, and Park Rangers talk about West Virginia’s varying wildlife. The specialists will further talk about the local wildlife’s importance to our ecosystems, and the conservation projects they work on to help ensure their protection and educate the public about them.

https://www.wildkat-media.com/conserving-mountains
https://www.instagram.com/wildkat_media/

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

I was motivated to make this film because I grew up in West Virginia and I wanted to share the beauty I grew up knowing with others.

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

All together it took me five months to complete this film. The idea was pitched and approved in April. Everything was booked and planned out in May then the film was shot in June. Editing, foley production and music production all took place in July and August.

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

Local efforts

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

Film time. This was my final project for my masters and we were restricted on how many days we could film. So it was difficult to be able to find several of the animals to film in the wild by myself.

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

I was excited to see that quite a few people seemed to really enjoy my film.

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

I realized I wanted to make films after the first short film I made in my photography undergrad.

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

The film I have seen most in my life is Jurassic Park.

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

Help filmmakers connect with other filmmakers.

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

I really enjoyed my experience with this platform.

10. What is your favorite meal?

My favorite meal is pasta.

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

I am currently researching and planning to make a film on pollinators and their dwindling numbers. Especially our night time pollinators such as moths and bats.

Submit to the ENVIRONMENTAL Film Festival:

Filmmaker Tor Kristoffersen (DIRECT ACTION)

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DIRECT ACTION, 13min., UK
Directed by Tor Kristoffersen
A teenage environmentalist leads a protest
against a coal mine, setting her on a collision course
with her father, the police and courts.

https://www.instagram.com/torkistoffersen/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

A few things – the first is obviously the climate crisis, which is pretty much the backdrop (in some way) for all the scripts I write – having this unprecedented and existential issue staring us in the face, which we’re not really dealing with has always motivated me to try and tackle it in some small way and I think fictional stories are a very important way of doing that. In England we’ve got a government which after making some good noises about Net Zero has started giving the green light for more coal mines and oil fields, while at the same time introducing some draconian laws making peaceful protest virtually illegal and giving some pretty hefty sentences to climate protesters which is pretty alarming. Most climate protesters don’t want to go out and start marching down streets (you can trust me on that) but they’re pretty well informed on the science – indeed the ones I know are some of the most educated people in our society such as doctors and scientists so it’s quite alarming when we start locking these people up for trying to raise awareness of the subject. I totally appreciate that their tactics can divide the room but the reason they’re doing this is because we’re ignoring the problem.

The other main issue I was interested in was how a lot of young females were being dealt with (particularly by the press in the UK) for taking part in these protests — basically how they were being branded as ‘fanatical’ and that reminded me of the suffragette movement. We look back on that with selective amnesia in the UK, Emily Pankhurst and the woman who fought for their rights are now rightly celebrated but at the time they were horribly vilified and they had to use some pretty hard core tactics which are never mentioned. A lot of women were imprisoned for simply wanting rights and I found there to be an interesting parallel here. So out of that (and a few women I have met) Emily Phliips was born – I then really liked the idea that her mum had played a role in activism but her dad saw work opportunities in the mine – this enabled me to bring the other side I wanted to explore as well – which is the struggle a lot of people have with paying the bills and how lack of political leadership makes the transition away from fossil fuels very real and economically scary for a lot of people. These are themes I was able to explore more in the feature but they’re touched on very lightly here.

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

Probably just under a year – I was lucky in the sense that I’d written a feature already – so a lot of the character work was there. It was then a case of writing a script that touched on a small part of what’s in the feature but didn’t try to do too much as the canvas is obviously so much smaller and I don’t think you should try and squeeze stuff in. Once that was in place we obviously had to make it and it was a fairly large short, in terms of logistics so there was a fair amount to organise. I was lucky that a lot of people helped me in getting it made.

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

Wow that’s hard – Environmental justice.

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

It was quite an ambitious short in terms of scale – there’s lots of moving parts with the protest, police and court so that was quite to pull together in terms of organisation – especially when you’re on such a tight budget.

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

It was great to see the reaction and I want to say thanks to everyone for taking the time to watch the film and share their thoughts. I felt they got it pretty spot on – it was also interesting to see the audience member who felt that Emily was affecting people’s lives negatively – in the UK the certain elements of the Government and the press are really anti these protesters. Obviously no one likes their lives being disrupted but the question is at what stage do we do something because as another viewer succinctly put it: this problem isn’t going away.

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

Quite early on – I remember seeing Lawrence of Arabia and a few other seminal films and just thinking I want to be involved in this somehow – I didn’t even know what was going on or the different roles at that stage just that these stories were amazing.

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

Hard to say – I’ve seen Lawrence a fair few – I watched Kes a load of times when I was younger as I was very affected by it. I’ve seen a few Kubrick, PT Anderson and Speilberg films multiple times. I also love Thrillers, so have seen Debra Grannicks Winter’s Bone and Tony Gilroys Michael Clayton multiple times – I think both of them are great.

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 think it’s been great – I’m looking to try and get a feature made so if you know anyone who likes stories based around climate then let me know!

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

It’s been really good to be honest. I remember many years ago finishing my first short and the process was very different – you had to print off individual applications and send a dvd – that was a lot of work so it’s great that it’s centralised now and a lot less wasteful.

10. What is your favorite meal?

This is hard and changes – I love so many different cuisines and the weather really affects what I fancy – I’m half Norwegian so potatoes should feature.

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

As I mentioned I’m trying to get a feature off the ground – there’s a feature connected to this and I’ve written a couple of thrillers and a TV pilot but it’s very hard – as I’m sure a lot of people can relate it’s difficult getting it out there which is why it’s great when you get a positive reaction from a festival like yours.

Submit to the ENVIRONMENTAL Film Festival:

Deadline Today: UNDER 5 Minute Film Festival (over 75 FIVE STAR REVIEWS)

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Submit your short film that’s 5 minutes or less and get it showcased at the FEEDBACK Short Film Festivals in Los Angeles and Toronto. A monthly film festival event!

Submit via FilmFreeway:

(NEW: Also accepting smartphone made films.)

ALSO submit a short screenplay that’s 5 pages or under and get it performed by professional actors at the Writing Festival. FULL FEEDBACK on all entries.

Festival occurs 10 times a year! And gives accepted films multiple options to showcase and promote your film.

1) Screening #1 where you will also obtain your audience feedback video (private screenings).
2) Screening #2 virtually on the streaming service WILDsound TV
3) Podcast interview at Film Festival Radio on ITunes
4) Blog interview promoting you and your film.

RECENT REVIEWS:

I love everything about this festival. This is my first time submitting my work as a filmmaker so I value feedback immensely. This festival has felt like a big hug. It’s made me feel encouraged and inspired. Thank you!
– J. Larraguivel

Because I as a filmmaker am so close to the film, It’s truly helpful to get fresh eyes & feedback on a film to know what and how others are receiving the film… what stood out for them and what could be improved upon…The people who gave feedback were positive and very helpful…
– S. Speliotis

Wowser. It feels so fulfilling to hear people commenting about and analyzing our documentary THE TRENT SAUCER, which won for Best Short Film. This is why we create films – to share with the wider world. Thank you for building this festival!
– D. Paull

Filmmaker Andre Leo (THE MIGRATION WEB)

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THE MIGRATION WEB, 10min., UK
Directed by Andre Leo
With the introduction of a spider from East Asia, the American people are frantically trying to figure out what to make of it’s arrival. For the spider it is just trying to build a new future for itself and live the American dream.

https://www.instagram.com/andreleo.films/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I became inspired by an article I read highlighting Andy Davis’s research surrounding the spiders shyness. I thought that it was so strange to hear someone describe a spider in such a delicate way especially because of the size of the Joros. After that I really just became interested in why we have this weird relationship with invasive species and thought it was a topic worth exploring.

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

This film took around 10 months to develop and create all together.

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

I would use the phrase “thought provoking” to describe my film. I hope anyone that watches it questions how we treat invasive species.

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

The biggest obstacle I faced was trying to capture the spiders in action. If you spend a day with them, most of the time they are really just sitting on their webs and waiting around for food to come.

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

I got a feeling of pride hearing good things about my film from people who I don’t know. I think it is really amazing to hear what others have to say and try to reach as many people as possible when you make a body of work you feel is important.

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

I realized I wanted to make films when I started taking a film class at around 16 years old. I took the class because I wanted an easy A but soon realized film was going to mean way more to me than just a passing grade in high school.

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

I have probably watched Nosferatu the most out of any film. It is an absolute classic and I just love the overall vibe of the film.

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 think that having a meet up for the filmmakers and other industry people would be very beneficial for the filmmakers that participated in the festival. It gives them a chance to get their names out there further than just showing their film.

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

FilmFreeway was very easy and straightforward to use. I like how you build your film’s profile to make it a smooth process submitting to multiple places.

10. What is your favorite meal?

My favorite meal is sushi.

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

I am currently in the development stages of a new film. It is a history / natural history documentary surrounding the topic of Bison in America.

Submit to the NY Science & Nature 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