A solitary figure at an empty bar, CIA clinical and forensic psychologist, Dr. John Flemington, is planning to visit his girlfriend in Mexico when he is pressured by mysterious underground operatives to join them on a secret mission. He really doesn’t have a choice.
I took 3 months off after graduating with my doctorate in clinical psychology in the summer of 2022. I was wanting to be creative again and challenged myself to direct a short film and do this as thoroughly and professionally as possible (i.e.., form a production company, pay everyone involved, produce, direct, have great sound, compose the music). Having appeared in many shorts as an actor prior to becoming a psychologist I felt both confident and intimated by the process. As a writer, I thought I had a good idea and knew that the difference between backing myself and making the short versus keeping the idea in my head was simply courage – couraage to exercise the confidence to put my idea out there into the world. I also love the spy genre and James Bond, in addition to the spin off creative series we have been seeing with the Mandalorian, Boba Fett. Inspired by Jon Favreau’s passion for alternate universes, I thought it would be fun to explore an alternate Bond Universe, combined with an X-Files style genre. Bonding was born.
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Charlie and Lily are cousins, roomates, and best friends trying to embrace the spooky season with a horror movie marathon. Are they just high? Or is their paranoia legit?
When two besties get together to do a PJ party and horror movie marathon, things don’t quite go as planned. We can all relate to this story, you’re watching a scary movie and suddenly you start hearing EVERY weird sound in your house. It’s unnerving. You start wondering if it’s your imagination or if there really is a zombie in your friend’s antique trunk. True story, and no, I did NOT let her open the trunk to show me there was nothing inside. That’s horror movie no-no number 1.
Nicole Coulou and Caitlin Burdi portray the two lead characters, Charlie and Lily, and their on camera rapport is sensational. You can just tell these two are great friends. They are also really great writers. The screenplay was written by Nicole and Cailtin and I am so thrilled to see women writing in the horror genre. They knew how to craft a story and build suspense but also make it very funny by giving the audience a twist on the horror movie tropes. Skyler Pinkerton was the director, cinematographer and editor and his talents along with Nicole andCaitlin’s really make this film shine.
The unique short film, THE SLATE, is nothing that would be expected from the title. The setup is a woman, Molly Harris, in front of a camera as she’s about to record an audition for a potential role. The expectation is a film about how stressful it is to take the right take for the audition, the twist is that this film isn’t about the audition at all but the toxic relationship between Molly and Lucas as a fight begins to unfold.
The film, directed by Katherine Connor Duff, uses one long shot as Molly walks in and out of frame. Lucas is never seen, though he is definitely heard as the film continues throughout a stressful ride through the eyes of Molly. The subtext of the dialogue is what drives the story. This is not a happy couple. It begins with Molly turning off Lucas’s video game, causing her significant other to throw a temper tantrum as he is determined to bring her down and make her feel insecure in her acting. It’s also clear that the behavior was inherited from Lucas’s mother as he constantly brings her up and Molly quips she’s always having a “last birthday”.
This narrative short is an artful depiction of what emotional abuse sounds like behind closed doors, with a subtle notion that the behavior is inherited from a parent. Lucas is the stereotypical momma’s boy, using an isolated event and the threat of going to his mother in order to keep Molly in line. He belittles her to the point of tears and then orders her to apologize for simply wanting his support. Never seeing Lucas almost makes it seem like his words are directed at anyone that has ever been the victim of a narcissist. His abuse is so prevalent that it takes Molly a few seconds to even remember her name in order to slate her audition.
The lack of the score makes THE SLATE even more triggering as every word that Lucas utters feels like a personal stab. It’s clear he’s always been this way and Molly walks on glass around him, especially since something as simple as turning off a video game caused the emotional abuse to be inflicted. It makes the film almost a PSA for verbal abuse as the audience feels helpless to get Molly out of her venomous relationship, while also not wanting to cross Lucas.
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CLOWN CORNER, 15min., Australia Directed by Stephen Richardson A fun-filled ‘slice of life’ mockumentary that reveals the hidden world of the Clown People for the first time.
ON SUNDAYS, 8min., Brazil Directed by Olavo Junior Domingos, an elderly man with fragile health, follows his solitary routine on a Sunday afternoon, until he receives a visit from a love from the past.
MIDWEST ICE AGE!, 8min,. USA Directed by Douglas J. Corcoran A Midwest man faces challenges as he realizes his dream of creating an ice carving company that produces spectacular art while helping to bring communities closer together.
MALCRIADA // IMPOLITE, 7min., Argentina Directed by Florencia Calcagno ESP// Magalí se sumerge en un viaje astral para aprender a valerse por sí misma. “Malcriada” forma parte de la trilogía “Amor Animal”, junto a “Otro Hermano” y “Reina”. En esta serie, se abordan distintas facetas del amor y la soledad encarnado en tres mujeres distintas, cada una representada por un animal totémico.
DEAR DAUGHTER, 7min., USA Directed by Rob Underhill, Vanessa Neff A mother’s tribute to her daughter and a reflection on how the love for her evolved throughout the years.
WHO KILLED MR. MOSS?, 26min., Australia Directed by Ben Whimpey In a world of 10-13 year-old children, who all have cars, jobs, motives, fancy hats and handlebar moustaches, we meet Detective Donahue, a cool yet daring protagonist, who solves classic crimes of the jazz era. In this classic ‘who dun it?’ Donohue committed by a cast of dangerous bad guys. But Donahue isn’t a badge-wearing, donut-eating police detective. She’s a lock-picking, pipe-smoking private investigator. If the job pays, she’ll take it. In this episode Mr Moss has been murdered and she needs to work out who from all the suspicious subjects in the mansion did the dirty deed.
SOPIROCOS, CUCURINOS AND PIRICUACOS, 6min., Argentina Directed by Ileana Andrea Gomez Gavinoser SOPIROCOS, CUCURINOS AND PIRICUACOS COME AND GO
FROM KHOVRINO, 8min,. Russia Directed by Daria Elena Dashunina At night in Moscow a little girl Dana is rushing home through dark alleyways. She’s being chased by a suspicious-looking man. hen he finally catches up with her, it turns out he wants to make a gift for a girl, about which she had dreamed of for many years. But their meeting prepares surprises. The thriller develops into a social drama and both become victims.
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WOULD’VE, COULD’VE, SHOULD’VE, 10min., USA Directed by Nick Sansone A young woman returns to her hometown in order to testify against the former teacher that groomed her. Inspired by true events.
STORK, 31min., USA Directed by Khiray Tyrell Richards A woman must navigate an anti-abortion America after her surrogate family reneges on their agreement.
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THE HYPOCRITE, 27min., USA Directed by Amie Noel Engerbretson “The Hypocrite” delves into a critical discourse that is resonating with individuals across various spheres. In the context of climate advocacy, the film examines the inherent contradiction between personal actions and systemic efforts. The story is masterfully woven through the perspective of a professional skier, confronting the complex interplay between advocating for change and relying on fossil fuels for athletic pursuits. The film aspires to foster unity and collaboration within the outdoor community, transcending perceived hypocrisy and feelings of not fitting in. It aims to dismantle the culture of individual blame and guilt, focusing instead on the systemic shifts required to pave the way for a sustainable future. By erasing the boundaries that label individuals as hypocrites, the narrative invites viewers to recognize the urgent need for collective action and change. amieenoel@me.com
SITTING IN THE FIRE, 78min., USA Directed by Alec Goldberg, Boston Wang ‘Sitting in the Fire’ examines the spillover effect of rehabilitation programs in prison, on gun violence prevention in communities. Born and raised in Richmond, California to a single mother, Vaughn Miles fell into the dangers of his environment at an early age. After being sentenced to life in prison for murder at twenty years old, it took Vaughn Miles years before his transformation. alec@decadelosangeles.com
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FAMILY Festival – Drama Shorts Showcase – March 24/25 event
METAVERSE, 10min., Spain Directed by Rodrigo Canet Criado Year 2033. Adam is boxing through his virtual reality headset until he leaves the coverage area in an over-digitized and controlled world. Then, his senses connects him to a different and perhaps lasting reality.
L´IRA TUA, 17min., Germany Directed by Claudio D´Attis During the 2nd World War in South Italy, the farmer Celestino escapes with the americans, leaving alone his lover Grazia against an invisible enemy…
SECOND NOZZE IN DRESDEN, 18min., Italy Directed by Claudio D´Attis Dresden XVIII century. Masks were a social decoration in the ancient times, masks actually are a social distance obligation. After her big love Emilio Guarini (an important duke from Apulia, South of Italy), Miss Maria Paladini wants to stay at home… Her two sisters with the help of father Luis will find for her a new husband: the good looking prince of Spain…
SPIRIT OF SWEETNESS, 18min., Poland Directed by Malgorzata Szyszka, Ma?gorzata Arszennik My dear children, this is the sweetest, most colorful and at the same time the truest of all fairy tales ever created and which you will hear in a moment. Do not believe adults when they say that fairy tales lie also do not believe that grandfather and grandmother get bored on autumn-winter evenings and come up with uncreated stories that they later tell their children.
THE FOREST OF THE HONEY BEES, 20min., France Directed by Erwan Le Gal Isabelle is a violinist-beekeeper in the Ouessant island. She protect her bees and she inspire her daughter with stories and legend about honey bees….
showcase of the best of black and white movies and screenplays in the modern era!
Festival will occur every single month.
BLACK & WHITE Film Festival VIRTUAL Events occurs once a month on the WILDsound Streaming Service.
All film submissions are FREE. Opportunity to have your film showcased on the popular streaming service for 48 hours.
(Other opportunities to garner a distribution deal with the company and have your film showcased always on the streaming service.)
This festival was created to celebrate the black and white aesthetics as a specific, peculiar and unique kind of artistic expression on film and video.
It also intends to showcase screenplays that the author visions is in B & W.
The image capture in the digital technology is born with colors but the artist’s intuition often urges for the black and white production. This proves the newness and interest in an aesthetic that can only be communicated through black and white.
A BEAUTIFUL LIFE, 15min,. USA Directed by Zsolt Kormendy Two detectives investigate a mysterious kidnapping in Vác, Hungary. One of them is relentlessly being pursued by a malevolent dark figure that will stop at nothing to undermine the case and his life.
My friend Norbert, who played Tomi in the film, and I wanted to film an action scene over the holidays. After riffing ideas off one another, we started talking about why these two characters were fighting. This steam rolled and before we knew it we had 20 pages of script, a cinematographer, team, and supporting cast along for the ride!
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Well, actually, I was living in NYC, and I the concept of the story began in early December 2022, while brainstorming with Norbert via video chats. I went to visit my family in Hungary for the holidays, and we had very limited time, so we shot and filmed it within 3 days. I had started writing the script 5 days before the shoot on a train ride (that’s like my secret place to write… long train rides in the countryside of Eastern Europe), and finalized the script only the night before shooting. We had to get it done by the 9th of January, because I was flying back to NYC on the 11th.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Mental Demons
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
As this was my first production, the biggest obstacle was battling my own self doubts that the cast and crew would be willing to put up with me and my ideas, especially as a first time director. There were language barrier issues and personality differences, too. But amazingly, everyone got to include their own ideas, and this turned out to be the most rewarding aspect of the shoot: that no one wanted to leave on the last day, because we all had so much fun making the film! I kinda got choked up seeing everyone so happy and proud, it was really special for me.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I felt seen, because this story is very personal and comes from my own internal struggles with mental health, self doubts, and inner critic battles. Hearing the reviews from people I don’t know, is incredibly heart warming.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I actually never thought I’d make a film. I knew I wanted to act and be a part of films, but you know as an actor, there seems to be a lot of waiting around to hear back from productions if we got a role or not. And the constant searching for roles that I would like to play. Eventually, I realized there was a piece of me who was yearning to tell a story that I knew about and thought would be important to share that only I could tell.
So though, I have played on ideas as a kid, writing stories for school assignments, journaling, and whatever. I’d say clear day that I decided I wanted to make my own film was when I finished my Meisner Technique training at Maggie Flanigan Studio. I suddenly felt like I had all the skills to do just that, and that would be the next logical step. So I did! And with the help of Norbert and Mark, the cinematographer/editor, and the rest of the team we did!!
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
I got sick for a week, where I couldn’t really get out of bed. So, I watched the only film I had on my hard drive, because I was in a place without internet. I watched Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel maybe 7-10 times. I paused the movie in almost every scene to read the fine print on every document and absorbed every detail. It’s amazing how specific his films are. Everything on the screen is serving a purpose, nothing is extra or superfluous. I like that.
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 you’re doing a great job offering what you are offering! Maybe cash awards or like sponsored gift cards to support our future projects.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Great.
10. What is your favorite meal?
It’s a classic Hungarian dish, Marha Pörkölt nokedlivel, or in English its kind of like Beef Stew with dumplings, but it’s made with paprika… a lot of it’
11. What is next for you? A new film?
I have three ideas competing in my mind. I’m working on adapting a fantasy book I grew up reading. That’s a looooonnngg term project. The next one I’d like to make, as a working title its called Unconditional Love, and will build off the themes of A Beautiful Life. I’ll be utilizing Norbert in the Lead role again, and making it into a full feature film. The third is a dystopian episodic 7 min series of action and mystery.
Festival Reviews 