film reviews

Interview with Festival Director Kirill Proskura (MIND THE INDIE FILM FESTIVAL (MTIFF))

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Mind the Indie Film Festival is an independent international film festival. It was established with the idea to showcase the best indie films twice a year in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Our mission is to give filmmakers a chance to present their films, shine a light on the value of non-studio productions, and educate audiences of the quality and importance of independent cinema.

https://www.mtiff.org/

 Matthew Toffolo:What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Kirill Proskura: Mind the Indie Film Festival gives a platform for talented film artists, who create meaningful films that are worth seeing and sharing, but lack the backing of studios, expensive marketing campaigns or famous personas.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

You’d be able to see our selection of the best short and feature films, thought-provoking documentaries, high quality animation and student films from around the world.

What are the qualifications for the selected films?

They need to have a great story, great acting and great sound.

Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

I think so, yes. At the moment, the film festival scene worldwide is like a massive lottery, and productions with known cast and big P&A get a free pass to most festivals. So it comes to the point that independent filmmakers, who make great films outside of studios and companies with deep pockets, have little to no chance of getting their films screened anywhere.

That’s why it must become the job of festivals like Mind the Indie Film Festival to show audiences that there are great films and great stories told by people who have little to no money to make them.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

The motivation comes from the idea that we love great films, and as indie filmmakers ourselves we want to bring more awareness of independent films to the audience in Bulgaria. We feel this is a very important task, especially since most known festivals in Bulgaria go about screening new releases from Hollywood instead of independent films.

How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

It’s been really great. The platform is very straightforward and super easy to navigate. FilmFreeway is doing a great job with constant updates that help the filmmakers and festivals to get the best experience from it.

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

We would like to make Mind the Indie Film Festival the number one film festival to go to in Bulgaria. There are plans to grow further and ideas set in motion, but I can’t tell much about it yet. Follow us on social media to keep up to date with what we’re up to.

What film have you seen the most times in your life?

The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A great film is a great story.

How is the film scene in your city?

The film scene in Plovdiv is slowly growing, both in terms of film productions and the interest in indie cinema.

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

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Interview with Festival Director Jonny Mancini (FROSTBITE International Film Festival)

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FROSTBITE is an international online festival devoted to recognizing those who push the boundaries of what cinema can do, regardless of their budget or production quality.

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Matthew Toffolo:What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Jonny Mancini: Every single one of our judges and festival coordinators is a filmmaker, and know the difficulty of entering your film into bigger festivals to hopefully win awards. Submission prices are generally unaffordable, and even if they are not, indie films tend to not be selected more than bigger budget short films. Our goal as student filmmakers and future teachers of film is to create an environment where professionals, low-budget, and student filmmakers can receive recognition on an equal plane. We offer many different categories and awards, in support of uncommonly recognized genres such as dance film, action sports, and demo reels. We offer a wide range of other categories, and they grow every month as we open themed or genre categories offering unique awards. There are an endless amount of vital aspects which go into the creation of any film, and we offer as many awards as we can for each of these aspects which require a lot of effort on the filmmaker or animators part. We give out awards every month to films for everything from editing and cinematography to concept strength and dialogue design. These small essential details are what can set low-budget or student film far above films with a professional budget, and our jury aims to see they all get the recognition they deserve.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

Our festival is primarily online in order for us to keep up the pace with giving out awards and getting our winners screened as much and as soon as possible. We have only had local submitters in attendance to our monthly studio screenings, but we offer direct feedback to any of our selections who request it to get the most directly personal experience we can with them as a high pace online festival.

What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Our selections are determined by very specific criteria based on the effort put in by the filmmakers, and the innovative aspects of these underground films which inspire and push the boundaries of what cinema is. We look for things we have never seen before, and regardless of quality of equipment or budget, we look for films which show excellence in storytelling, dialogue, editing, and technique.

Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

As student filmmakers we work hard at our passions, and we have experienced first hand what festivals are looking for, as well as what kind of a message they look for in films. What it comes down to is most elite festivals do not consider films fairly based on the merit of their unique or innovative aspects; even some festivals who claim to do this often do not! Most of them look for emotional appeal, inspiring story, or professional camera technique. These methods for storytelling are wonderful, however, they are copies, and do not push the adaptation of cinema for the future.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

It is simple. We want to see unique films which deserve recognition, receive the recognition they deserve. Every filmmaker from every nation has a unique means to telling their stories, and we want to make sure the world looks at their awards, and gives them the consideration they deserve despite not having the quality of equipment of high budget films.

How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

Incredible, FilmFreeway has been our primary platform for receiving submitters and we have managed to receive a very even mix of professional, low-budget, and student films. This has made it easy for us to consider them for awards based on their unique merits.

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

We aim to see our festival giving out twice the awards, and bringing in professional filmmakers as judges every month. We want to have large theatre screenings for our winners, and promote them to an even more vast online film audience than we already do.

What film have you seen the most times in your life?

The Fifth Element (1997) by Luc Besson

In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A great film is simply one which makes a contribution to the development of cinema, and manifests a visceral experience for the viewer, as opposed to just images on a screen.

How is the film scene in your city?

Colorado Springs has often in the past been dubbed “Little Hollywood,” as it is gleaming with young indie filmmakers and innovators creating incredible projects. The city in right on the foothills of the rockies, and offers an immensely diverse filming environment from alien landscapes which feel far from earth, to jungles, and to deserts high with dunes.

 

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

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Interview with Danny Caprio (The Mediterranean Film Festival (MedFF))

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The Mediterranean Film Festival (MedFF) is an film festival that rewards every month the best for each category. Its objective is to promote independent films and emerging artists by making them competing with more established ones.

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Matthew Toffolo:What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Danny Caprio: The MEDFF was born to promote directors all over the world, the goal being to get in touch with productions, actors and artists in general, interested in realizing projects together. Until now we have always been able to enhance our members.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

The experience of this long year of festival has been very important. We had major artists from all over the world: Radha Mitchell, Jessica Cameron, Brooke Lewis and Alexandre Di Martini. The job was very difficult because we had more than 2500 members, of whom only 10/15% came to the final selections. The live event was held in Syracuse and rewarded the best choices from the public. 2018 will provide more surprises

What are the qualifications for the selected films?

I want to point out that it’s never easy to select a movie. Every filmmaker has its own style and we know from the MEDFF that in every movie there is also a piece of soul of the producer. The jury chooses on the basis of the different types of enrollment and evaluates the different aspects of cinematography.

Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

The cinema market is like a moon park. Each attraction has a certain number of viewers and most of the time these people follow the mass.

Many films fail to exit the festivals because they do not have adequate marketing support behind them. For this reason, MEDFF has partnered with iPitchTv to help filmmakers have a faster and cheaper marketing channel.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

It does not take much to find the right reasons. You become part of MEDFF only if you have great love for cinema.

How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

I love Filmfreeway, it has a nice method to submission

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

I hope in live TV

What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Shining! it is a MUST – it is a CULT

In one sentence, what makes a great film?

The actors

How is the film scene in your city?

Not so bad….we have unconventional movies, where i am the CEO, and we produce low budget movies.

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

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Interview with Festival Director Chris Velazquez (THE VIOLETTE FILM FESTIVAL)

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The Violette Film Festival is an Independent film festival that will be going on side by side with the CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC COMIC CON in MERCED,CA.

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Matthew Toffolo:What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Chris Velaquez: Our festival’s number one goal is to get exposure for film makers who might not have had the chance to show their work before, or first time film makers that do not have enough experience. Both professional and first timers alike have the opportunity to show their work and in the process get a festival under their belt to help them in the first step to building their craft and audience in the festival circuit.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

We plan on having screenings of all of the film entries selected as well as a few film premiers. The festival will be happening along side a Comic Con so not only will there be an audience attending the festival but attendees of the Comic Con have access to the festival as well. This way for the film makers their films have the potential of reaching more people. We also plan to have a guest speaker as well as guest celebrity award presenters including Julie Dolan of Star Wars Rebels and Steven Skyler of Power Rangers and more!

What are the qualifications for the selected films?

They need to be well thought out, put together as best as possible nu the film maker and most importantly they need to tell a story. For us it does not matter the type of camera or experience you have, it is how you tell your story and entertain an audience. If you are a good story teller and film maker it will show. We are looking for films as well as Fan Films for our fan film contest that have clean audio, a well put together story and something entertaining of the audience to enjoy.

Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

yes and no…Yes in a way because of the reason why we started this festival. As a film maker myself it was very hard to get in to my first festival. It seemed to me a lot of film festivals where, in my opinion, only selecting films from people that either A) had a backing such as money or a company putting up the film and or B) Had work that was known or had prerequisites for the film makers or films( Previous screenings at festivals, Film Students only, Film vs Digital, Budgets, Etc.) for first timers like me at the time, it was very hard to get in to a festival. That is why we created our festival…no Experience needed, if you are a great film maker it will show and we will accept your film.

With that said the part I think they do get a fair shake in is that once you get a film in to a film festival the opportunities are amazing. The networking, exposure and talent that is in the festivals is a great atmosphere for creative minds to get together and make the connections that will lead to amazing things.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

To give people a chance to live their dreams and show their work. For me film making is a passion in I love and I am thankful for being able to do what I love for a living and through this festival we can give other film makers a chance to show their work, get exposure and help them in the step to making their dreams come true and further their careers.

How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

It has been so easy and great. The selection process is so simple and when the submissions close the judging process is already set up and simple to use. I love this site and will be using film freeway for future festivals

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Currently we are contracted and sponsored by the awesome people at the California Republic Comic Con ( the event that is going on side by side with the festival) and we hope that by 2020 We will have an even bigger foot print and possibly just our own event. We are currently the largest film festival to come to our town and our goal is to some day reach the level of Sundance…of course that is a long ways away but its a dream.

What film have you seen the most times in your life?

That is a tough one, let me think…I think the answer to that would be…I don’t know for sure. I am a huge movie buff and I own a huge collection of films. I think it is safe to say for me the top four films I’ve seen the most would be Psycho, Edward Scissorhands, The Fifth Element and Star Wars a new hope.

In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A great film to me has the ability to transport an audience by visually telling a great story and giving them something they can enjoy over and over again with the feeling of you have never seen anything like it before.

How is the film scene in your city?

As of early 2017 it is starting to grow rapidly. Myself and other film makers in the city banded together to create films, we started to show them at local screenings and within some time we have been able to get new film makers to join us not only in our town but from out of the city as well.

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Chris Velazquez:

Born and raised in the central valley, Chris Velazquez has had a love for everything film from a very young age. He received his first camera when he was 5 years old and never looked back. He is an award winning film maker with close to 60 projects completed to date from music videos to short films. He is the co owner of Violette Films along side his wife Margarita. Chris is also currently working as the Violette Film Festival Director as well as Creating a Web series based on a short film that received high praise in 2016 called Chrono•Film that is set to start production in fall 2017. He lives in the central Valley with his wife Margarita and their Daughter Violette, whom their film company and festival are named after.

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

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Film Review: RESTLESS CREATURE: WENDY WHELAN (USA 2017) **

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Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

RESTLESS CREATURE WENDY WHELANDocumentary on the great American Ballerina Wendy Whelan.

Directors: Linda Saffire, Adam Schlesinger
Star: Wendy Whelan

Review by Gilbert Seah

The RESTLESS CREATURE of the film title stands for the title of the ballet, ballerina and NYC Ballet Company’s principal dancer, Wendy Whelan is performing or it could stand for her restless character as well, one that would never give up dancing. “If I don’t dance, I’d rather die,” Whelan says at one point during an interview in the film.

The film definitely centres on Whelan and she has a lot to say in it. It is a world of ballet and discipline, dance torture to the body and decadence. Perfectly sculptured bodies everywhere! This is not the world that most people are familiar with. The same saying applies to the film. It is strictly for ballet and dance aficionados. Those not in that world will hardly sympathize with Whelan’s complaints. And she can be quite the cry baby, going on and on about herself.

The film is all about Whelan. The film traces her dancing as a very young girl in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, then as a teenager on her own in New York and, finally, as a rising ballerina with the company. At the time of the making of the documentary Whelan is in her 40’s. She is dancing still and competing with dancers half her age. Her body cannot take it. In fact no body can be put to such strenuous exertion. Whelan is finally feeling it and her doctors and therapists are advising her to give her body a rest. But she wants to do this last dance.

Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger’s documentary looks good on the surface with candid interviews with Whelan and her contemporaries. But upon closer examination, the film just skims the surface on nits subject. Where are her parents from? Nothing is mentioned of her personal life. Does she ever have a boyfriend or girlfriend for that matter? The directors also make no attempt at trying to have the audience connect with their subject. They lay out Whelan bare, warts and all hoping that that the audience feels for her. Whether they succeed depends on the person concerned, but it does not work for me. I find it hard to feel for a person, talented or gifted though they may be, who is so involved in their own world, also is constantly praising themselves and not considering the rest of the world

Whelan has got all her attention and glory and it is time for her to give the younger dancers a chance at the stage. The film also does not really show her dancing at her prime. The film does contain a few show of her performances like “La Sonnambula” and “Symphony in Three Movements by George Balanchine and The Cage by Jerome Robbins. There should be more of Whelan’s performances that demonstrate how hard ballet is for the body. The climax of the film shows Whelan’s performance of RESTLESS CREATURE.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZOWVFr5yg0
 

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Interview with Festival Director Teddy Grouya (American Documentary Film Festival and Film Fund (AmDocs) )

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The American Documentary Film Festival and Film Fund (AmDocs) is one of the largest Docs only festivals in the United States, located near the media capital of Hollywood in beautiful Palm Springs. This unique event focuses on international films in both the short and feature categories as well as showcasing animation. In conjunction with the festival is the American Documentary Film Fund where U.S. filmmakers compete for start-up or finishing funds in order to complete their film masterpieces. AmDocs, seeing the bigger picture.

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Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Teddy Grouya: Our festival has been successful at pushing the boundaries and offering expanded exhibition opportunities for our filmmakers. For example, we were the first festival in the world to introduce a new formal alliance with other prominent events outside of North America. This alliance, the North
South Doc Network, gives filmmakers a chance to have their works screened at other festivals outside of their home country. AmDocs will share a select number of U.S. origin films in Latin America and Europe, guaranteed. In turn, our partner events get to curate films from their regions at AmDocs. Additionally, we pick a number of select films to participate in our local school district program catalog which complements academic curricula. We also screen AmDocs films throughout the year in our non-profit theatre thereby affording our filmmakers the opportunity to make a bit of revenue.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

For 2018 we will continue to push the boundaries offering a great experience for our filmmakers, industry guests and audience. We already were the first docs only festival in the world to require films to be exhibited in DCP. We want our filmmakers to have a completely enjoyable and successful experience. And while we cannot guarantee sales, those marks have been going up as the
festival continues to gain international acclaim.

What are the qualifications for the selected films?

We screen short docs (40 minutes or less), feature docs (41 minutes or more) and animated works. We are not premiere whores but we always like to discover and share new or recent works. Films cannot have screened at another event within a 70 mile radius. Also, if submitting to us and invited, we will want the filmmakers to pull their films from any internet service like youtube for a month before our festival. (It is not fair for the audience to pay a ticket to see said film if it is offered for free on the web.)

Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

If a festival or programmer is worth their salt, then know that the process is very complex and not always based on the quality of one’s work or story. There is a lot of frustration on filmmaker’s part when submitting their film(s)- we know as we are filmmakers, so we respect how tough the process is. Certainly there are instances where films are not viewed by festivals taking submissions or in many instances, you will see only a very few of submitted films accepted into a program because the festival has invited works from other sources. Of course, we program films from discovery at other festival events, but we can truly say that the majority of our films invited in any given year are
programmed from films submitted directly to us via submission platforms.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

Our motivations are simple and complex at the same time. We want to share with the world films that entertain as well as have great import. We realize that all of this is subjective in nature but believe that we are doing a good thing when we help build awareness on a subject without forcing it on our audience and industry guests. We want our filmmakers to be successful, to remember their
experience at AmDocs and to tell the world that this is one of their favorite, if not favorite, festival they have attended. Proudly, many testify to this.

How has your Film Freeway submission process been?

When FilmFreeway came onto the scene we felt we had to add them to our platform options for our filmmakers even though WAB was the main force in the submission business. Each year their number of submissions to AmDocs has increased by about double. We hope this trend continues though it may be a push as WAB’s numbers have concurrently gone down. We offer all submission platforms that we are aware of, trying not to play favorites. FilmFreeway clearly deserves accolades on a number of fronts. They were aggressive and hit the market running. Their acceptance and friendly solicitation of filmmakers has made them a worthy business opponent to WAB which has forced WAB to change their commission formula as well as their branding to be more filmmaker accessible- they are essentially rebirthing themselves as FilmFreeway. Whatever the course of these entities, FilmFreeway’s entry has improved the opportunities for filmmakers and that is what is most important.

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

By 2020 we hope to be acknowledged as one of the top events in the world for docs and animated works. Each year our reputation grows and by 2020 we want to have a full-fledged and respected film market for our filmmakers and industry insiders, a great place to meet and cut deals.

What film have you seen the most times in your life?

When Oliver Stone’s “JFK” came out over 20 years ago on PPV I must have seen it 20-30 times. I tend not want to see films more than once even though I have an extensive catalog. The complexity and editing of this film was mesmerizing. I am not saying this is necessarily my favorite film, but I learned more each time I saw which speaks volumes to its keeping my interest. Certainly, there are
many film favorites and each day that grows as I personally view over 1,600 docs and animated works every year. I fall in love with a good doc, will do whatever I can to share with other festival colleagues and industry friends.

In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A great film is made up of many great moments or one defining and memorable moment that sticks with you your entire life. As far as the process goes, it is vital outside of experimental works, to have a story that you can effect with solid structure. If you can do this you will succeed in making something someone or many people will want to see, no matter the subject.

How is the film scene in your city?

The film scene is Palm Springs (the California desert resort city not far from the mecca of Hollywood.) It’s famous for film festivals, appreciative audiences, weather and fun. One of our new mottos this year is, “Filmmakers Work Hard And Party Hard” and at AmDocs and Palm Springs you have the perfect combination to enjoy the fruits of your filmmaking labors.

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

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Interview with Festival Director Bob Cook (Central Florida Film Festival)

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Fun filled three day event in Ocoee, Florida (15 minutes from Disney World) over the Labor Day weekend (September 1-3, 2017). Networking opportunities, panel discussions, screenings on three screens, excellent award show with guest presenters. Hotel venue walking distance to theater venue. VIP cocktail party and brunch.

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Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Bob Cook: Networking! When filmmakers attend a festival they know where their current film is but where is their next project coming from. We have VIP networking events that matches writers, with directors, producers, and other craftsmen.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

We have festival screenings on three screens at the West Orange Cinemas and a Filmmaker Lounge right opposite the theater to meet and chat with others. We also have a stage area in a separate venue for panels and on Saturday a “Pitchfest” where filmmakers can give an “elevator pitch” to two accomplished Hollywood Producers. Let’s not forget our evening networking parties at our hotel venue the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Ocoee, Florida.

What are the qualifications for the selected films?

There are no set limitations to films that are accepted. There are ten categories including performance, camera work, sound, story/script, edit, production value, sound, pace & structure, lighting, and directing. Five initial judges watch each film and score each category 1-10. We look for films above the 70 mark our bar us usually 75. Scoring 75 gets you an “Official Selection” and your film is seen by five different judges (same scoring process except the high and low score are dropped). The top eight films move on to the final round where five additional judges screen the film (high and low dropped) and the accounting firm of Dave Cole, CPA and Associates tabulates the final scores and on the award night the five finalists and winner are announced. Categories include, Best Foreign Project, Documentary, Student Film (aka Paul Leder Award with a $2500 prize), Dramatic Short, Comedy Short, Feature, Florida Project and Audience Choice.

Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Not in our festival by the time the finals are announced fifteen different judges watch the film. I don’t know how the other festival do it but I take the no one watched my film out of the equation.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

Networking. We get to see our industry contacts each year and show them new filmmakers and at the same time pitch my own if I have a project. We bring in Producers, Directors, Distributors and other industry people that have been around since the video days.

How has your Film Freeway submission process been?

FilmFreeway has been so easy that we have dropped withoutabox altogether. Our judges love it because they can score online and I love it as they keep and accurate accounting daily. It’s relatively new and they are always coming up with new ways to connect filmmakers with a festival. You can even sell tickets through their site now.

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Our festival won’t change much as we have found the proper mix which filmmakers and industry people love. If anything I see the festival moving from Ocoee, Florida to Mount Dora which a bit more centrally located to the state.

What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Unfair question as there are a couple of films I always watch when I direct a film. If it’s character driven in a small space I watch JAWS. Three characters on a boat and the camera and actors always seemed to be moving. For ensemble work and action I study John Ford’s work FORT APACHE. Take a look at the shots with seven or eight people in the scene (frame). Each one is in perfect light. Those were the “good ol’ days.”

In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A good story told by an excellent storyteller.

How is the film scene in your city?

Hollywood will on occasion come to town to use Orlando as a location but the Indies are on their own in town. Not as much support as we would like which is another mission for the festival. Miami is a different story but at the festival this year we have several shorts and two really good features make by local filmmakers and support staff.

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

SUBMIT your TV PILOT Screenplay or TV SPEC Script
Voted #1 TV Contest in North America.		 Screenplay CONTESTSUBMIT your Short Screenplay or FEATURE Script
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Interview with Festival Director Mark Schwab (Diamond in the Rough Film Festival)

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Organized by independent film production company Diamond in the Rough Films, their 3rd annual film festival wants to highlight the TRULY independent film. Even if it is “rough around the edges” or just plain out there. The filmmakers who scrape and sweat to put a good movie together against all odds. They want films that take risks, not hollow 4K mirages.

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Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Mark Schwab: I hope it does a few things. 1. Gets their film some needed exposure and feedback, 2. Meeting other filmmakers attending the festival, 3. Meeting us at DITR Films and having us as a resource, 4. Provide them with distribution opportunities.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

A fun weekend of truly independent films (from short films and docs to feature films and docs) that you can’t see anywhere else (at least not easily) in a great theater with a big screen, digital projection and popcorn with real butter!

What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Mainly that it is something we haven’t really seen before. We don’t care much about budget or premiere status or even the year it was made. If it’s truly different and made with passion….it’ll get our attention.

Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Maybe a little bit. I think the big festivals (i.e. Sundance, Toronto, SXSW) take fewer risks in curating because they have massive overhead to cover. Ergo, a decent film with a “name” in it will get accepted over the awesome indie film with no names in it. But it’s ok….that’s what we are here for. 😉

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

To encourage filmmakers to keep making movies. To give them a chance to see their work on a big screen. And especially to expose audiences to movies outside their regular comfort zones.

How has your Film Freeway submission process been?

Just excellent. Very responsive to questions and their interface is literally one of the best I have ever seen. It makes you want to interact with it.

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

I’d really love to be able to afford more days of screenings to show even more films. I’d like to see it run for a week instead of just a weekend.

What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Wow…never really thought about it. I’m going to guess 2001: A Space Odyssey.

In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A great film is one that absorbs your visual and auditory senses fully while simultaneously engaging your soul.

How is the film scene in your city?

Unsettled. The South Bay Area used to be a major movie city but with rents/leases being so prohibitive it is difficult to keep a true art scene alive. Movie theaters are having a very tough time staying alive when developers are so greedy to turn them into offices or luxury condominiums.

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

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Interview with Festival Director Mark Brennan (Exit 6 Film Festival)

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Exit 6 Film Festival is an all-day celebration of short films taking place at multiple venues in the heart of Basingstoke, UK, including Vue Cinema and The Anvil.

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Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Mark Brennan: What we’re most proud of at Exit 6 is the community spirit generated on the day of the festival as all our selected filmmakers are invited to take part in an on-stage Q&A after their film has shown. The attending filmmakers not only have the oppportunity to share thoughts and experiences on the making of their film to fellow filmmakers, but they can also see exactly who it is they’d like to find in the bar after! Our festival is focussed on making the day all about the filmmakers that have worked so hard to get their project made. We appreciate each and every one and we love providing a welcoming, fun and sociable place for people to share their work. In addition to the festival itself, we also post weekly editorial content online, with interviews and articles covering a range of topics right across the filmmaking spectrum. From composers to concept designers to colourists, we aim to shine a light on every aspect of film production, especially promoting those artists working in independent film.

What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2017)?

With any luck almost exactly the same as everyone who attended last year! We had a fantastic time welcoming films and filmmakers from around the world, and we’ve been very humbled by the reviews on FilmFreeway since the event that show everyone who came had a great time too. Once again, we will have guest industry speakers throughout the day, covering topics such as crowdfunding and VR filmmaking. We have also added a venue that will host talks aimed at film-lovers rather than filmmakers, so that our programme is more inclusive to our local community.

What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Our main requirement is that the duration of the film is 15-minutes or less. We accept submissions of any genre as long as they meet the duration requirement and have also been completed since October 2015.

Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

The reason that we have a 15-minute limit on our submissions is that we have felt, as filmmakers ourselves, and film over that length will often struggle to get programmed – unless it’s absolutely superb and impossible not to pick. There’s a difficult balance festival programmers can face when choosing between the length of films versus the number of films they’re able to show in a given period of time. Of course, many will still accept the submission fees of hopfeul filmmakers, but we don’t think that’s fair on those who have had to raise the money to make their film in the first place. Festival runs are not cheap! That’s why we decided to be very clear from the beginning that films over 15-minutes would not be considered.

What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

Most of us are filmmakers ourselves, and have travelled a lot to other festivals around the country and the world. We’ve learned an awful lot from attending other festivals what we have enjoyed about some and enjoyed less so about others, and with no similar event near to our hometown, we wanted to create the kind of festival we’d normally have to travel hours to get to! Also, we know how much hard work goes into making a film and we really wanted to create a place where that work and those behind were really celebrated. We were already motivated by this leading up to our first festival last year, and that motivation has only been galvanised since having had that experience of hosting so many new filmmakers, many of whom we now consider friends, to do it all again this year. Everyone on the Exit 6 team is a volunteer.

How has your Film Freeway submission process been?

FilmFreeway was our platform of choice from day one. As mentioned before, many of us on the team are filmmakers so we have had experience in submitting films to other platforms in the past, but for us FilmFreeway is head and shoulders above all others. It’s friendlier to the filmmaker and it’s been great for us to use as a festival. We’re currently still open for submissions for 2017 and already our submissions have almost doubled from last year. We’re very proud to be listed in the FilmFreeway Top 100 Best Reviewed Festival list – last time I looked we were 14th!

Where do you see the festival by 2020?

By 2020 we would love to be showing feature flms as well as shorts, as well as hosting high-profile industry guests and judges. Exit 6 is currently a one day festival, but that’s something that could expand into a weekend or a few days. We’re very proud currently that the town has been very welcoming and encouraging of our event, and we’d very much like to continue that and make the festival something the whole town gets involved with and looks forward to each year.

What film have you seen the most times in your life?

There’s two answers to this. One is of my own choosing because I love it, and that’s Big Trouble in Little China. The other is not of my own choosing but because my 2-year old daughter insists on watching it 4 times a day, and that’s Wreck-It Ralph. Having said that, it is brilliant. Can’t wait for the sequel.

In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Kurt Russell.

How is the film scene in your city?

Better and growing now we’re here!

 

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 2 times a month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

SUBMIT your TV PILOT Screenplay or TV SPEC Script
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Film Review: AWAKENING THE ZODIAC (Canada 2017)

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Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

awakening the zodiacThe story follows a down-on-their-luck couple who discovers a serial killer’s film reels.

Director: Jonathan Wright
Writers: Jennifer Archer, Mike Horrigan
Stars: Shane West, Leslie Bibb, Matt Craven

Review by Gilbert Seah

The Zodiac killer, who threatened the San Francisco area was as famous as Jack the Ripper was in London, in the day which was not too long ago. Zodiac’s murders were accompanied by taunting letters to the police, along with evidence of the crimes. When Zodiac threatened to attack school busses, authorities had police cars follow the busses. But more important of all, Zodiac went further by accompanying his letters with ciphers, which he claimed contained clues to his identity. Zodiac is believed to have killed between 7 and 12 people in California between 1966 and 1971. The last Zodiac letter was received by police in 1974. This is where the film AWAKENING THE ZODIAC takes its inspiration.

Following history, police investigated over 2500 people but no one was ever arrested. One famous suspect was Editor Richard Gaiowski, and this person is referenced in the film.

It all begins when a down on their luck couple Mick Branson (Shane West) and Zoe (Leslie Bibb) discover a reel of what they think is the murderer’s tapes. This happens, when they pay for the contents of a storage locker, the owner of which defaulted on its contents after not paying the rental fees. This is a sorry excuse for the script, which never achieves the status of its source material. Mick and Zoe wish to split the $100,000 reward money with Harvey (Matt Craven) for what their think is relevant information on the Zodiac killer. Harvey is an encrypting expert and he can figure out the name of the killer since the killer’s name is supposed to be encrypted in his coded letters.

Mick, Zoe and Harvey investigate while the Zodiac killer strikes again. For all that the film is worth, director Wright’s film deteriorates into a slasher film in which it ends with the slasher, in this case the Zodiac killer, chasing after Zoe, running for dear life in the dark, while defending herself the best she can. There is nothing new in the climax of this film that has not been seen already in countless horror films.

The only fairly interesting thing about the story is the relationship of the couple. They are broke. Zoe keeps falling for Mick’s get rich quick schemes that either never work or are extremely dangerous. It is interesting to see how the couple have different reactions once disaster strikes. When the Zodiac killer appears for example, Zoe wants to to get out while Mick wishes to confront the killer head on with a baseball bat. Zoe is always mad at Mick but Mick can always calm her down with hints of sex. It is an interesting relationship, one which I am sure exists in many couples in which loser needs another loser in order to survive.

Harvey decrypts the code much too easily for comfort. If the police are unable to identify the Zodiac killer after investigating 2500 suspects, it is difficult to believe the killer’s identity compromised by the couple.

This is one of those weird films made in Canada based on American source material. The main leads are American while Craven is Canadian. The only well-known name in the cast is Stephen McHattie who plays the Zodiac killer.

As a thriller, AWAKENING THE ZODIAC is a pretty steady snooze.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0rtR2EQliE

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