movies

Deadline Today: FANTASY/SCI-FI Film & Screenplay Festival (over 70 FIVE STAR Reviews!)

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

Submit via FilmFreeway:

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

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

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

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

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

Watch Today’s Film Festival: GHOST MOVING FLOWERS feature film – DOC Festival

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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/

Watch FILM: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/ghost-moving-flowers

DOC Festival – May 8/9 event

Documentary, Independent

GHOSTS MOVING FLOWING AND PHYSICAL MEDIUMSHIP, 60min., UK
Directed by Karl Fallon
This Ghostcircle film by Director Karl Fallon, is a thought provoking documentary about Physical Phenomena never captured before on film. The documentary is captures moments in time about modern day Physical Mediumship with Physical medium Patrick McNamara in which he explains that by providing the necessary conditions with people in a “Psychic Circle”, it will allow spirit entities the opportunity to move flowers in people’s hands. These Psychic or Physical Circles were demonstrated repeatedly and held in independent and reputedly haunted locations around the UK and Ireland. The film explores and captures the phenomena as he discusses the process around the demonstrations. All attendees were unknown to the medium and his team before turning up to see what they would get. The individual independent Psychic Circle sitters actually see and feel amazing phenomenon, and then give witness statements about that they experienced. See the strange and flower moving by the spirit entities with the sitters.

https://www.instagram.com/karl_fallon/

Watch the Audience Feedback Video:
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/ghosts-moving-audience-feedback

New York SCIENCE & NATURE Film & Screenplay Festival – Deadline Today

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New York SCIENCE & NATURE Film & Screenplay Festival – Deadline Today

NEW OPTION: Submit for a GUARANTEED Acceptance.

https://filmfreeway.com/NewYorkScienceNature

Monthly Festival designed to showcase the best of SCIENCE and NATURE films (shorts, features, web series) and screenplays (short, feature, TV) in the world.

Any film & screenplay with a science and/or nature thematic and plot is eligible to be showcased at this festival.

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FILM FESTIVAL:

We are proud to announce a FOUR tier festival set up of your accepted film at the festival. Two screenings of your film at our festival, plus two separate interviews.

Screening #1 will take place in NYC and will be a private screening for a select group of people. They will then go home after the festival and record their comments of your film. Then we turn those comments into our regular FEEDBACK Festival Video

Screening #2 takes place one time only (for FREE) VIRTUALLY for all to see on our online feed every single day. 365 festivals in 2022. Already these screenings are garnering an audience of 1000s each day.

So in the end you will have TWO showcases of your film and you’ll receive your audience feedback video a week before the Virtual Festival.

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.

SCREENPLAY FESTIVAL:

Winning screenplays performed by professional actors and made into a video each month. Film festival also occurs each month.

FULL FEEDBACK on all screenplay submissions. Film submissions can also request the committee’s feedback notes on their film.

Watch Today’s Film Festival: Best of INSPIRATIONAL Documentary Shorts

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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/

Watch FILM:

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/may-7-docs

See the Full Lineup of Films:

STORIES OF REPEAL & REUNION, 16min., Canada
Directed by Ky Kim
Canada’s 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act was a dark and unprecedented period in Canadian history. It is also a mostly forgotten period of Canadian history that lasted for almost a quarter century and had a devastating impact on one community: the Chinese. Even after the law was repealed in 1947, the trauma continued for years. Told through eye-witness testimony, this documentary explores the repercussions on families who were separated and forced to spend most of their lives an ocean apart. To this day, the pain and suffering of this period is reflected in the stories of its survivors. This is a lesser known part of Canadian history.

Watch the Audience Feedback Video:
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/stories-of-repeal-audience-feedback

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

Watch the Audience Feedback Video:
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/space-for-art-audience-feedback

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

http://rorqual-lefilm.com/

Watch the Audience Feedback Video:
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/rorqual-audience-feedback

Short Film Review: MANIFESTATION. Denmark. Dir. Danny Germansen

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Synopsis:

Manifestation is an semi-autobiographical art-house short film about a mentally ill person who takes revenge on society because he feels neglected by his family, the social system, the community around him, and Society in general. He was mentally abused as a kid and adult by a psychopathic father. The film draws parallels to the environmental issues of the present and to the white supremacy that created our capitalist society that we live in today. It’s a tale of a social outcast who suffered weltschmerz and lived a life of loneliness, alienation and isolation in a society that is emotionally desolated. During the 17-minute film, the viewer experiences a nihilistic view of the world from the social outcast’s point of view.

Review by Victoria Angelique:

Mental health is rarely depicted from inside the head of the individual suffering. MANIFESTATION gets into the head of the main character through a voice over and symbolism to show how this man has gotten to his breaking point. It begins with a text giving an analysis of the tortured soul by giving necessary background information that most films never give for complex characters.

Symbolism is quite strong throughout this short film. The use of a broken mirror to symbolize a fractured soul is quite strong. The affirmations in the man’s head are trying to make him feel like he is worth more than voices from his past echo within his brain. The idea that the masks that individuals wear prohibits them from seeing the pain of others, making everyone seem the same. Humanity is ignored, destroying the psyche of those who would like just one person to acknowledge their pain rather than utter harsh judgements.

The voice over portrays the invisible scars warring inside the man’s head. It’s reminiscent of the inner voice that everyone has at some point that people fight to silence the negative thoughts. Eventually for the abused and mentally ill, the negative thoughts often wins as the past begins to haunt the present. The inner conflict can break a soul to do the unthinkable in desperation and anger when the acknowledgement from one person could have stopped a tragedy.

This film by filmmaker Danny Germansen is a poignant reminder of what could make some commit mass murder. Rarely is a killer seen as a sympathetic character. This is a stark reminder of how brutal the fight against mental illness can really be when proper help cannot be attained.

Project Links

Deadline Today: HORROR Underground Film & Screenplay Festival

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Festival designed to expose and promote films and screenplays that work outside the system and break the boundaries in the horror genre. To bring a voice to the talented independent filmmakers & writers within the horror genre.

Submit to the Festival via FilmFreeway:

Submit your HORROR films and screenplays today to the festival.

Our mission is to promote screenplays, films and videos that dissent radically in form, technique, or content, and challenge and transcend commercial and audience expectations using the audience FEEDBACK festival format that the flagship festivals uses.

Film festival occurs with a private audience at least 6 times a year in Montreal and Los Angeles. Each accepted film received 2 festival screenings. Private cinema screening where they will receive their audience feedback video. And the virtual screening (4-6 weeks after) that is an industry showcase of the best HORROR films from around the world today.

Screenplay Festivals occur once a month. We perform a transcript script of the winners in a studio using professional Canadian actors and post them online for the entire world to see. (Great proof of concept video to use to promote your script.)

NOTE: Accepted works also get the opportunity to do two interviews: A blog interview and an ITunes Film Festival podcast interview.

Filmmaker Allexxis Youngs (PLEASE CLICK 2)

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PLEASE CLICK 2, 4min., USA
Directed by Allexxis Youngs
Two friends fight to keep their sanity after encountering a
mysterious video online, there is no escape but to become a part of the video.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Lol, this film was for a screenwriting class. We had to come up with 3 to 5 ideas. Me being a Reddit user and into the deep web stuff. I saw a story that made me think about human interactions with tech/media. And it just clicked, the response I got from my professor and classmates made me keep pushing to make this film. Everyone wanted answers and loved how universal it is through the audience and media format-wise.

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

Around two years I think, I started writing in my junior year second semester but started filming the first part in my senior year first semester. The 2nd part was filmed in my second semester. But for the second part, the editing wasn’t finished until a couple of months after I graduated.

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

Interactive and creepy.

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

There were a lot of obstacles; time, money, equipment, etc. But I guess the biggest at least for me was time, that’s why there are two parts. Originally I’ve written a script for a 30 – 50 min short film with more backstory and lore. But since I was shooting during school, I had to play around with it, gearing it more towards young adults. Making it into a TikTok horror short/backrooms video. If I had more time there’d be a lot more build-up and tension.

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

Happiness and excitement, I knew everyone would love the ending sequence because of how clever it was. I love that the audience was still able to feel the suspense and get some sort of creepy factor from it. I was scared that it wasn’t going to be scary enough. But seeing that the audience was freaked out and even reacted to the jumpscare made me excited.

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

To be honest, I don’t know, ever since I was a little girl my nose has always been a book, I was a part of book clubs, I had three different library cards, and my favorite place has always been a bookstore. But as I got older my love for storytelling transitioned into media; TV, film, YouTube, etc. This continued until I started theatre in high school. So when it was time for me to choose a career path I knew it was going to be something in the storytelling medium. I chose films over books because when I was really little before I was adopted. My biological mom and I would watch scary movies together. Those were some of the happiest memories with her. So I guess to answer the question I knew since I was little that I would make my films.

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

This is a hard question, I kind of have favorite films for different reasons. But I’d say any Adam Sandler movies, lol. I grew up on his movies, watching every single one, every week during family movie nights. I’ll even watch them on my own, I don’t know, it’s a good time. Particularly ‘Grown Ups’. It makes me nostalgic, and happy, but also ready for the future. You can never go wrong with one of his films.

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 guess the promo aspect, as a new and young filmmaker my name hasn’t been pushed out yet. Pushing not just the film but the filmmaker helps a lot with getting the new filmmaker more connections, awareness, and more along the journey. It’s hard navigating this industry, so giving a platform on not just my film but also myself will help build my following and bring more visibility to myself and not just the single film that has been accepted/won.

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

It’s easy and manageable, it’s all on one page and accessible. I like it because all I have to do is upload my films and just submit them to as many festivals as I want. It’ll keep track of everything so I never have to worry if I do something wrong. It also gives you info on the festival so the filmmaker knows if this is the right festival for their film. Very new/young filmmaker-friendly

10. What is your favorite meal?

Probably sushi, if I could afford it I’d eat it every day.

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

Yes, I’m working on making Please Click into a 30 – 50 short film this year. While also pushing for funding on one of my feature scripts, ‘You’re Invited’. Hoping to get it made in the next 3 years. With all of this, I’m still working on other sets. I’ve also been trying to get back into acting, hoping to land an indie feature role.

Submit to the UNDER 5 MINUTE Film Festival:

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: