Film Festivals

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: 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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Watch Today’s Film Festivals – Spain Feature Film Day

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Go to the Daily Film Festival Platform http://www.wildsound.ca and sign up for the free 7 day trial to watch a new and original festival every single day.

Go to the festival page directly and watch dozens of films:
https://www.wildsound.ca/todays-film-festival/

Festival #1 – ACTION/ADVENTURE – I’LL CRUSH Y’ALL, 92min., Spain
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/27th-i-ll-crush-y-all


Directed by Kike Narcea
Nuthead is getting finally free from jail, so he wants to become a good cityzen. Suddenly his father dies and leaves him alone, leading to a short period of time where a bunch of different people arrives to Nuthead´s home with bizarre intentions. He has the same willing for each one, to crush´em all.

https://www.instagram.com/kikenarcea

Festival #2 – DRAMA – SNAPSHOTS, 85min., Spain

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/27th-snapshots


Directed by Miguel Ángel Mengó
Snapshots reflects twelve dialogues without beginning or end, held between twenty-four characters, inhabitants of the outskirts of a city, at some point in their lives, always marked by incommunication and time lost in the era of access to information and immediacy.

https://www.miguelangelmengo.com/instant%C3%A1neas/
https://www.facebook.com/Instant%C3%A1neas-890634344397316/
https://www.instagram.com/mv.audiovisuales

Deadline Today: ROMANCE & RELATIONSHIPS Festival

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Submit your ROMANCE or RELATIONSHIP Film or Screenplay to the festival today.

This is a HYBRID film 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….

Submit via FilmFreeway:

Get your short or feature film showcased at the private festival with the sole purpose of getting the filmmaker an audience feedback promotional video.

– NEW OPTION: Submit for a guaranteed acceptance.

– 8 Film Festival events a year.

– Filmmaker also receives a chance to talk about their film on the Film Festival ITunes Podcast and also do a blog interview.

– All accepted films receive an audience reaction video of how they felt about your film.

Then you can use that video to promote your film to get into more festivals and obtain a distribution deal.

Romance Screenplay Festival happens monthly.

– Full feedback given on all submissions by industry professionals.

– Winners get their script performed by professional actors and made into a video for them.

– Winners also get to talk about their work and script on the Film Festival ITunes Podcast.

Filmmaker Roberta Pia De Angelis (THE TWO SPINSTERS)

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THE TWO SPINSTERS, 9min., Italy
Directed by Ugo Lanzotti, Roberta Pia De Angelis
Two ladies have been living together for many years. One of them, Maria, has to face an old family hostility for having chosen to live love…

https://www.instagram.com/roberta_de_angelis

Get to know filmmaker Roberta Pia De Angelis:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

This film was born as a final project at our university last year. What we wanted to tell was a homosexual story but in a different way. What motivated us to write this story, as it has been written, was to show how love has no age or gender. However, as in most cases, it is not always easy to follow your heart and feelings, especially when the people you loved most during your life did not support you in your choices.

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

A few months, during which the whole troupe concentrated on the entire process, each of us on their role, paying attention to the distribution already during the pre-production and production phases.

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

Gentle, familiar, and different… Let me add a third one, please 🙂

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

The biggest obstacle for us was trying our best to write such a sensitive topic, avoiding falling into cliché.

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

I got very excited, thinking back to all the teamwork carried out in recent months, especially, seeing the appreciation the public has given.

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

Well, telling the truth I realized that I would like to work in the film industry when I was sixteen and worked as an extra on the set of an international series TV that was filmed in Naples (here in Italy), in my hometown. This experience made me think back to the old good days when I was a child and used to spend a lot of time in front of a TV, wondering how films or TV programs were made.

So, I think it’s something that comes from far away, from my curiosity, and from the fact that my grandparents owned a little movie theatre in the district where I was born.

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

Of course, the ones of the most famous directors in the past and present days (not all of them, obviously), but my biggest love is Agnès Varda. So, I have watched all of her filmography and also decided to write my final thesis for the bachelor’s degree about her person and her Art.

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, for example, making masterclasses with professionals to review the writing scripts, the direction, and the production of a long/short film, and increasing the distribution opportunities as much as possible.

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

Actually, great! It’s a very useful platform if you do not have enough money to contact a distribution company. In this way, you can distribute your film on your own.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Telling the truth, I do not have a favorite meal but obviously, I’m deeply in love with the food culture of my own country, with the Italian cuisine.

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

At the moment, I’m finishing my studies (of course on film-making), but I’d like to go abroad and specialize in film production and distribution and then come back here to Italy and do something in my own country, in the Italian film industry.

Filmmaker Alexander Ku (THE CAPTIVE)

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THE CAPTIVE, 15min., Australia
Directed by Alexander Ku
Two men Simon and Dennis meet online for a real time hook-up. What happens blurs the lines between desire and manipulation, as events fold into a dangerous baiting struggle.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

The inspiration behind ‘The Captive’ stemmed from my curiosity to delve into the complexities of the male psyche, exploring themes of loss, desire, anger, and violence. Rather than solely focusing on traditional depictions of male camaraderie, I was driven to unravel the intricate layers of homosocial bonds shared between emotionally conflicted men. Central to this exploration were universal issues such as loneliness, anxiety, mental health, sexuality, and the nuanced dynamics of consent, including the often overlooked ‘me too’ aspect among men.

Moreover, I sought to reimagine the Psychological Drama genre by infusing it with European Expressionist influences. Through the integration of metaphors and symbolism, I aimed to evoke subtext and subjectivity, challenging viewers to engage with the film on both conscious and subconscious levels.

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

The journey of creating this film spanned several stages over a six-month period.

Initially, I spent approximately two weeks brainstorming the concept and crafting the pitch deck. Once the project received approval, I had a tight two-week timeframe to develop the screenplay, iterating through approximately eight drafts to refine the narrative.

Moving into production, we allocated four days for casting and auditions to assemble the right talent. The studio shoot took place over a concise two-and-a-half day period, ensuring efficiency without compromising quality, with an additional six hours dedicated to exterior scenes.

Post-production involved meticulous attention to detail. Editing the footage took approximately ten hours to refine pacing and narrative flow. Subsequently, we dedicated around five days to color grading, enhancing visual aesthetics to align with the film’s thematic elements.

The music composition phase allowed the composer two months to craft a score that elevated the viewer’s experience. Finally, sound design received approximately five days of dedicated attention to ensure immersive auditory elements.

Overall, each stage was meticulously planned and executed to bring our vision to life.

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

Intense, Introspection

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

The biggest obstacle I faced in completing this film was securing financing. When an educational institution came on board to support the project, I had to adjust my screenplay to align with their standards and expectations. This included toning down explicit language and sex scenes to ensure the film complied with the institution’s guidelines without compromising its artistic integrity.

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

It was gratifying to hear the audience’s reactions to my film and to know that they understood the themes, story structure, shifts in focus, perspective, and genre, as well as the subtexts. I appreciated that they recognised the aesthetic choices I made with cinematography and colour palette, set design, voice-over, performances, and music. Knowing that they were emotionally involved while watching the film made me happy.

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

I realised that I wanted to make films after watching Patrice Leconte’s film ‘Monsieur Hire’ as a school student. Despite initially pursuing studies in ballet, psychology, and education at universities, I eventually attended film school.

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

The film I’ve seen the most in my life is Eric Rohmer’s ‘Boyfriends and Girlfriends (L’Amie de mon amie).’ It’s a very charming and delightful 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 believe this festival excelled in promoting filmmaking and marketing the films. It’s essential for filmmakers to share their work and make it accessible to audiences.

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

FilmFreeway, as the festival platform, has been good and friendly to navigate.

10. What is your favorite meal?

My favourite meal is a bowl of fresh fruit salad consisting of mango, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, and kiwi. It’s light and refreshing.

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

Besides teaching at a college, I am currently in post-production for a documentary feature film, and I’m also in the process of developing a feature drama.

Filmmaker Maclovia G Martel (SPACE FOR ART)

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SPACE FOR ART, 15min., USA
Directed by Maclovia G Martel
Space for Art is an extraordinary documentary film on the power of hope, courage, and healing. Featuring astronatut, and artist, Nicole Stott the film follows her on perhaps her most important mission of uniting a planetary community of children through the awe and wonder of space exploration and the healing power of art. Meet some of the young children who are wise beyond their years.

https://www.spaceforartfoundation.org/space-for-art-film

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

This had all of the great ingredients for a remarkable story.

Space is sexy. Everybody loves an astronaut.

But for me healing children through art, completely grabbed my heart.

This is a story that was certainly worth telling!

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

This film took a year and a half to complete. This is a long time for a documentary short.

But for us it was important to get this right.

The film is global, which is a great part of the story, but adds to the challenge of the story as well.

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

Healing Power

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

We wanted the audience to appreciate the power of healing for children.

But we also wanted to tell the story of a remarkable start-up no-profit organization.

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

Tremendous satisfaction that a story that we struggled to get right, seemed liked it was clearly understood and deeply appreciated. We felt like all of the hardwork was fully redeemed.

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

I was speaking to astronaut Nicole Stott, and she humbly was explaining the purpose of her new mission in life.

Because she was so down to earth and so humble it took me about 20 minutes to appreciate how beautiful and impactful her initiative really was.

I begged her to trust me to try to capture this remarkable initiative and this remarkable story.

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

I have seen “Die Hard” the most.

But I have recently been touched deeply by the documentary “Wild Life.”

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

We were super satisfied. We always are open to cross social media leverage!

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

Of the entire film project, this was probably the most efficient experience!

10. What is your favorite meal?

Foreign, exotic and spicy

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

We are looking at doing a documentary short on the California desert flower superbloom

Filmmaker Hugo Hebbe (RORQUAL)

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RORQUAL, 43min., France
Directed by Hugo Hebbe
Have you ever wondered what creatures might be hiding in the Mediterranean?

http://rorqual-lefilm.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
This is my very first film as a director. Making this film was therefore a real challenge and a dream to achieve for me. I was fortunate enough to encounter the Rorqual (the animal in the film) several times before deciding to make a documentary about it. It was these encounters with it that pushed me to make this film. It was the best way for me to pay tribute to this fascinating creature and to the work of the WWF.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It took me a total of two years from the concept of the film, through shooting, writing, post-production, and finally to its release.

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

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The biggest obstacle I faced in completing this film was my seasickness, which made filming at sea extremely challenging. Additionally, as this was my first film, I often found myself questioning and doubting my decisions during the production process. Despite these challenges, I was able to learn a great deal, which significantly enriched my experience and growth as a filmmaker.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Seeing the audience’s reactions in the feedback video was incredibly moving. Hearing our work compared to that of National Geographic was probably one of the finest compliments I could receive. It reaffirmed the impact and quality of our visuals and storytelling. I am also very pleased to see that the audience appreciated the film so much. Their positive feedback is both heartening and motivating as we continue to pursue our passion for filmmaking and environmental storytelling.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I realized I wanted to make films from a very young age. I had always dreamed of encountering the wild animals that inhabit our planet. I watched a lot of films, like “Oceans” by Jacques Perrin, and it was this passion that sparked my dream to become a filmmaker. The desire to tell stories about the natural world and its magnificent creatures drove me towards this path.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
The film I’ve seen the most in my life is “Interstellar.” I’m deeply influenced by its mysterious, musical, and contemplative aspects, and I strive to bring these qualities into my own films, particularly in the genre of wildlife documentaries. I aim to infuse this touch of mystery and contemplation into the stories I tell about the natural world, blending emotional narratives with the awe-inspiring visuals of animal life to evoke a deep sense of wonder and introspection in the audience.

8. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Submitting to the festival via FilmFreeway was a straightforward and intuitive experience. The platform was easy to navigate, which made the process of submitting my film quite smooth.

9. What is your favorite meal?
French Fries

10. What is next for you? A new film?
Following the success of my first film in collaboration with WWF, we have launched the production of a second film, which is even more ambitious. This new project aims to build on the achievements of the first and expand our exploration of critical environmental themes, using a deeper, more comprehensive approach to storytelling and visual presentation.

Filmmaker Elisabetta Zavoli (THE FISHERMAN, THE ALIEN, THE SEA)

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THE FISHERMAN, THE ALIEN, THE SEA, 9min,. Italy
Directed by Elisabetta Zavoli
In June 2023, the population of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) boomed unexpectedly in the Goro lagoon, Delta of Po River, Italy. Here, amidst the alarmed but inactive shouting of the entire community, a young fourth-generation fisherman, Alessio Tagliati, leader of a small cooperative of clams farmers that has lost all their production to the blue crabs’ voracity, faces this new environmental challenge by reviving a traditional sustainable fishing technique his grandfather taught him and by following what the sea taught him: being ready to adapt to an environment that continuously change, thus showing a tremendous spirit of resilience in the face of the collapsing of his world.

http://www.elisabettazavoli.com/
https://www.facebook.com/elisabetta.zavoli
https://twitter.com/elizavola
https://www.instagram.com/elizavola/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I’m a freelance documentary photographer and filmmaker. In 2023, I investigated the invasion of alien species Atlantic blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in the Mediterranean Sea thanks to the support of the National Geographic Society – Storytelling Grant. One of the outputs was a short film telling the impacts of the blue crabs invasion.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I made this short film from July to October 2023, when I met Alessio Tagliati, the young fisherman, whose approach was the perfect subject for telling a positive story of human resilience and care for the environment.

3. How would you describe your film in two words?
Sea, Hope

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The biggest challenge was to find the ideal weather conditions to support the narrative.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I think the audience got the right message from my short film and this makes me very happy and accomplished.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
The short film was one of the outputs I have to produce for the National Geographic Society – Storytelling Grant but until July 2023 I haven’t found yet the right subject for telling the story. When I found him, the story unfolded in front of my eyes.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
The Piano by Jane Campion

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 live screening events where filmmakers can meet the audience are always the best!

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
My experience was very good and FilmFreeway was very well organised.

10. What is your favorite meal?
I’m vegetarian, so any dish based on vegetables and fruits.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I hope to be able to follow up the blue crabs invasion crisis in the lagoon and see how the whole community reacts.