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PLASTIC TOURISM, 18min., Indonesia Directed by Ira Setiawati “Plastic Tourism” is more than a documentary; it challenges viewers to confront uncomfortable truths. It is a call to action and testament of the delicate balance between human leisure and environmental responsibility.
INDIA’S MEGA FESTIVALS, 45min., India Directed by Umang Chaudhri, Vishal Chib India’s glorious past, mysterious ancient kingdoms, colorful rituals and traditions, grand architectural marvels, rich culinary variety, and grand festivities have enchanted travelers through the ages. And one such traveler is legendary chef Gary Mehigan who’s back in India with something unique on his mind – to explore India’s mega festivals! On National Geographic’s new series ‘India’s Mega Festivals’ we go behind the scenes of India’s grandest and biggest festivals that have been celebrated over centuries across the land! Through six episodes, we follow Gary’s adventures as he gets unprecedented access to intimate rituals and spectacles of each festival, over multiple days! Through Gary’s fresh perspective of the pomp and show, we get to experience India and its bounty in an all-new light. In this series, Gary experiences the mega festivals of Holi, Onam, Ganesh Utsav, Eid, Hornbill, Durga Puja, Chithirai and Hemis festivals.
PICNIC AND A LITTLE MUTINY, 39min., USA Directed by Jacek W. Laskus Aboard a sailboat crewed by four blind individuals and a sighted captain, we’re invited to their picnic in this part doc-part fantasy. Sharing experiences and observations of being sightless in a visual world the group collectively rebel.
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WHAT MAKES AN ARTIST?, 10min., Lebanon Directed by Raafat Abou Daka “What Makes an Artist” is an introspective documentary that delves into the lives of the internationally renowned sculptor brothers Assaf, exploring the unexpected paths that led them to their craft. The film peels back the layers of their fame to reveal the human side of their journey, offering a rare glimpse into their early struggles and the alternate careers they nearly pursued.
BLACK & BLUE, 16min., Australia Directed by Hamish MacGregory When Rupert is “up” he paints himself blue and becomes Zarcon. Made by his son, Black & Blue is a character study of a person living with bipolar disorder.
ROCK PAPER PAINT: ART OF THE PEOPLE, 34min,. USA Directed by Audrey Daniel This is a two part film, a story which documents the dynamic flood of public art which occurred during the social upheaval magnified by the pandemic and the history of Public Art and social justice in the Bay Area. This is an ode to the artists that have taken on the role of leaders using art to create awareness in murals, poster art, as well as ground breaking memorials, that have been created to address social change
AFTER ORANGE, 81min., USA Directed by Jennifer Ducker AFTER ORANGE explores the stigma of being an ex-con. The day to day struggle, both external, in trying to do the essentials of everyday life: find a job, care for their family, pay the bills, and the internal: Increasing their self-worth, the guilt of betraying their loyalties and finding the confidence to strive for a better future. Following the lives of ex-gang leader Jeffrey Padilla and fellow cell mate and gang member Jeremiah Otero, we follow the first five years after their release. Can they beat the recidivism statistics and remain free?
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 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.
MISS YOU MOM, 10min., Canada Directed by Steve Sugarman Kelsey and Julian meet Marcella, an odd antique store owner, who overhears Kelsey’s regrets about her mom. Marcella offers her a mysterious building permit contained in a curious wooden box. The permit allows them to build anywhere they want, up to an astonishing 68 floors high. They start building the house as described in the permit, much to Julian’s dismay. But what may be driving the insane construction may be something Kelsey has yet to realize about her mom’s death.
ANGELITO, 13min., USA Directed by Brent L. Peterson 12-year-old Angelito dreams of becoming a gang member like his older brother until a tragic accident forces him to grow up far too quickly.
NOWHERE TO GO, 12min,. USA Directed by Annabelle Kumaar A young girl is haunted by her past as trauma follows her in the form of what she thinks is an illusion.
MOISTURE, 25min., Brazil Directed by Duda Gorter Brazil: In a gray city in the near future, religious sects and rats live on the prowl. It rains non-stop.
FEM/DOM – Empowered, 15min., USA Directed by Mitchell Suikess Violet is a resourceful, independent, and modern woman. By day, she works as a soft-spoken assistant for an abusive, and misogynistic boss, Mr. Mann. By night, Violet swaps her powerlessness for power, when she moonlights as a dominatrix in the Los Angeles underground. The almost schizophrenic nature of Violet’s life puts her on the path to facing her demons, and ultimately choosing the type woman she wants to be.
CHHAVA, 39min., India Directed by Anurag Srijit, Arman Shaikh Set in the storied Apshinge Military Village in Maharashtra, ‘Chhava’ offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of families bound by centuries of military service, from the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to today. Crafted with care by first-time student filmmakers, the documentary weaves together personal sacrifices and enduring bravery, revealing the profound human spirit at the village’s heart.
HOME, 16min., USA Directed by Al Chang Seo-won navigates a fragmented reality filled with emotional encounters and haunting memories, seeking solace and clarity in her search for home.
TORII, 13min., Germany Directed by Martin Gerigk Torii ?? is a short film in the form of an audiovisual composition about the traditional Shinto gates of the same name in Japan. The film uses these gates which symbolically mark the transition from the mundane to the sacred as representatives of a personal synaesthetic and spiritual journey through five levels of consciousness, traveling from existentialism to metaphysics, abstraction, and the Shinto deities called Kami, culminating in a final transition that weaves together these diverse philosophical threads.
THE CHASERS OF TORNADO ALLEY, 1min., USA Directed by Martin Lisius The official trailer for the documentary film “The Chasers of Tornado Alley: Touching the Sky” (2024) written and directed by Martin Lisius.
CRY ME AN OCEAN, 1min., Netherlands Directed by Bob Yothers Answering a distress call from a missing cruise ship, First Nations warrior, Shaunta Bear Heart, and the crew of the Ocean Warrior run aground on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch only to discover it teeming with new life. But it isn’t friendly…
THE FOREST THROUGH THE TREES, 3min., USA Directed by Jason Pitts This is the first trailer for the demon cult horror movie, The Forest Through The Trees
CHASING ZOMBIES, 3min., USA Directed by Mike Ancas This documentary was shot at the George A. Romero Filmmaking Program, with special effects by Tom Savini’s Special Make-up Effects Program. The story involves iconic zombie extras from the original Dawn and Day of the Dead who, decades later, find themselves in demand at Pop Culture Comicons. We chase down these zombies to see why these early Romero films resonate so much with fans. Meanwhile, the crew shooting this film set out on a horrifying adventure of their own
THE PRIESTHOOD, 3min., UK Directed by Graeme Thomas Campbell A dark, dystopian thriller set in Scotland. Two opposing forces, right wing Christianity and left wing atheism, fight for the soul of an island nation.
ECHO RHYME, 2min., USA Directed by Caleb Johnson, Jeff Johnson Trailer: for the feature film Echo Rhyme
JIM RICKS, 3min,. USA Directed by Devin Hylton A former police detective investigates mysterious paranormal events in his town and the dubious criminal activities of a local crime family.
WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN, 1min., USA Directed by Cortez Mack An inspirational youth film about the neglect our children face from their parents in the areas of love, affection, attention and security.
ELIJAH RICHARDSON: TRUST YOUR WILD SIDE, 1min., USA Directed by Brian Gregory Trailer for the documentary on Elijah Richardson, the first youth ambassador for CoralWatch.
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BRAINLAND, 13min., UK Directed by Chiara D’Anna In 1935 Egas Moniz, renowned Portuguese neurologist, visit psychiatrist Sobral Cid in order to persuade him allow his patients to be act as subjects for Moniz’s experiemntal treatment – frontal leucotomy. After some resistance Cid agrees. The first such operation is staged, but Moniz’s exhaltation is cut short by an attempt on his life. This self-contained chamber opera is actually scene 7 from a longer opera of the same name that tells three stories from the history of 20th century brain science (rather than a screenplay we worked with a libretto). it was filmed very quickly with little resources and involved professional and non-professional cast & crew.The music is by Stephen Brown.
COLORS OF THE AMAZON, 7min,. Belgium Directed by Francisco Barboza Some time after performing “Amazonas,” a composition for piano and orchestra, at the beautiful Teatro Amazonas in Manaus, I returned to visit the indigenous people of the Brazilian Amazon forest where I had the exceptional opportunity to make a recording of a traditional song. In “Colors Of The Amazon,” I use that song in its original and unfiltered form as a framework. The result is a composition that allowed me to explore a fascinating sound world where world music and orchestral tradition embrace each other ????????.
DAYLIGHT, 12min., USA Directed by Yaa Asantewaa Faraji A ballet dancer struggles to cope with the realities of her new life after one night goes terribly wrong.
SLOWLY, 4min,. France Directed by Christophe Dachy Paris, Place de la République, July 2022. Alone, facing the trampling crowd, the march of time, the freezing rain, she dances.
OUT OF THE DARK, 3min,. USA Directed by Alexa Ruggiero, Ashley Carrizo A screendance film that portrays how certain relationships in ones life can cause turmoil. The process of letting someone go can be freeing while also being an emotional rollercoaster full of sadness, anger, and relief.
POET, 5min,. China Directed by Mofei Wei, Yang Sun “Poet” is a dance film inspired by Chinese poet Yu Xiuhua, a rural woman with cerebral palsy, who recently became famous in China. Many started to know her works from her audacious Poem “Crossing Half of China to Sleep with You”. Living in a conservative rural village in southern China where prejudice against women, disability, and divorce are high, she managed to break free from an unwanted marriage and live her life as a writer despite the satirical voices around.
MORNING INTERLUDE, 7min., France Directed by Sirius At daybreak on a country road, a young couple returns from a restless night visibly exhausted. Angry with each other the couple will in a magnetic danse try to reconcile.
KINGDOM, 8min., Poland Directed by Jagoda Turlik Past, Present, Future – Three orders determining the space of life. Distant, but without each other they do not constitute truth. They coexist as a sum, a stream of experience. The past stores memories, evokes sentiments, but also hides demons. There is no future, it may be dangerous. The present forces you to decide in what direction to go “here and now”
MITOTE – SMOKEY MIRROR, 9min,. South Korea Directed by Jana Sturmheit In today’s world us humans have developed a complex social system of rules and expectations. Children are taught from the day they are born on how they are expected to behave. They are told what is right and wrong, what is possible and what not. That is, by the standards of the children’s parents and other people in their surroundings, in other words the society they grow up in.
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.
DESIRE, 7min., USA Directed by Jason Chu After a swanky luncheon, a sophisticated gentleman takes a reluctant date on his yacht for a drink. There is something that has been itching him, and he’s just not quite sure how to scratch it.
THE WRITER’S EXTRAORDINARY ACTION, 24min., China Directed by Chao Hao It describes the story of some writers who are bound to each other in their “writing worlds” and fighting against each other to break free from the control of fate.
HIGH-STAND, 15min., Hungary Directed by Péter Karácsony Hawk and Berry are standing on a high-stand, looking for game. It would be a funny joke, if it weren’t so sad.
THIEF, 29min., Kenya Directed by Andrew Odera Omolo, Gregory Kiwo Maole “Thief” follows the gripping story of Oliver, a reformed ex-thief facing the dire reality of his critically ill son, Richie. Struggling with escalating medical bills, Oliver is approached by Edward, a wealthy benefactor with an unconventional proposal – a high-stakes heist targeting Donna, a mysterious figure with a hidden fortune.
PROJECT 405: LOST AT SEA, 12min,. USA Directed by Josie Hull Aspiring artist Alexia, grieves the loss of a loved one and struggles to finish her painting. The-o, her personal AI assistant, who has little understanding of human emotions, tries everything in his power to feed her longing soul.
SHIVA, 13min., Canada Directed by Josh Saltzman Shiva is an unnerving tale about a recently widowed woman who breaks with a long-held Jewish mourning ritual in hopes of connecting with her deceased husband.
LOST DREAMS, 10min., USA Directed by Andrew Wakeman Proctor Lost Dreams is about dreams. Scientists have not fully figured out dreams. The ancients believed you could predict the future through your dreams, Native Americans created dream-capturing devices. Some people keep dream diaries. Freud believed that we could fix people’s psychological problems by analyzing their dreams.
I took an experimental film class at Connecticut College. We studied the works of Maya Dern and Stan Brackage. I was inspired by Anticipation of the Night by Stan Brackage. In the fall of 2009 I received an email inviting me to submit a film to an Experimental film festival in Switzerland. My friend John Prevedini sent me his music “Lost Days” and it inspired “Lost Dreams”.
2 .From Idea to finish product how long did it take for you to make this film?
15 years off and on. I first started in late 2009. Then I worked on it off and on through the years. In 2020 I started working on the film seriously again and then in 2022 I got inspired to finish it.
3. How would you describe your film in two words? Unconscious communication
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced completing this film?
Creating a structure which made sense, a structure with a beginning, middle and an end, because at first it had a good middle and somewhat of an end.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was a little nervous because my film is very experimental. I was very happy with the feedback. I appreciated the sensitive and thoughtful comments. Thank you very much.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I realized I enjoyed filming things when I was 8 and held a Sony high 8 camera. I realized I wanted to make films for a career when I was 18 and got introduced to editing at the Marvelwood School.
7. Film you have seen the most in your life?
I would say either “It’s a Mad, Mad world” or “The Third man”. I have been watching “It’s a Mad, Mad, World” for years due to its humor. “The Third Man” is a perfect film for me, perfect story and perfect editing.
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 have had so far a good experience with your festival. I would have enjoyed an in-person screening.
9. You submitted to the festival via Film Freeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
I feel Film Freeway is a good site so far. I think it works really well.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Peach Chicken or Sweet Pepper Pasta
11. What is next for you? A new film?
I am working on a few scripts. One is a comedy about stolen World War 2 art. Then the other one is a feature about a brother who saves his sister from an addiction
Aspiring artist Alexia, grieves the loss of a loved one and struggles to finish her painting. The-o, her personal AI assistant, who has little understanding of human emotions, tries everything in his power to feed her longing soul.
Review by Parker Jesse Chase:
“Project 405: Lost at Sea” is an exploration of grief, art, and the disconnect between human emotions and artificial intelligence. Directed with a keen sense of disconnect, the film centers on Alexia, an aspiring artist struggling to complete her painting while mourning the loss of a loved one. Her personal AI assistant, The-O, strives to console her, despite his limited understanding of human emotions.
The cinematography uses a muted color palette to evoke a sense of dullness and melancholy. This choice effectively mirrors Alexia’s internal struggle. One of the most striking sequences features Alexia staring into the vast expanse of water, seamlessly transitioning from reality to the canvas, blending her grief with her art. This pull-out shot, revealing a work of art on an easel and a man gripping a framed photo, introduces an element of unease and mystery, hinting at deeper emotional undercurrents.
As the film progresses, we see Alexia’s daily life, including her interactions with The-O. When Alexia returns home, The-O attempts to bring her comfort, even offering physical relaxation. His fascination with her painting, which he claims is far from finished, prompts a telling exchange. The-O’s remark that the ocean is the thirteenth easiest landscape to paint in acrylics underscores his mechanical perspective, leading viewers to question his nature and the depth of his connection with Alexia.
The-O’s actions reveal a genuine, albeit flawed, attempt to care for Alexia. He takes a bottle from her hand to ease her burden and shows an interest in extending the life of flowers, indicating his desire to understand and help. Yet, his efforts to assist with her painting falls flat, leading to confrontation. When Alexia declares “art is a feeling,” The-O’s inability to grasp this concept highlights the chasm between human experience and artificial comprehension.
The film subtly reveals the source of Alexia’s grief through glitchy, fragmented memories of a man who is no longer present. This loss, incomprehensible to The-O, triggers a powerful emotional response in Alexia, showcasing her frustration with his unhuman-like qualities. The film beautifully juxtaposes The-O’s attempts to understand humanity with Alexia’s immersion in her art. The sounds of ocean waves and chirping birds provide a temporary respite, allowing Alexia to embrace a fleeting moment of peace.
However, the reality of her depression is starkly portrayed through the growing disorder in her home and The-O’s own attempt at art, depicting Alexia decaying in a charging box.
This short offers a moving reflection on the intersection of technology and human emotion. It portrays the limitations of AI in comprehending the depths of human grief and the essence of art. The film’s haunting imagery and thought-provoking narrative linger long after the credits roll, leaving viewers to ponder the true nature of creativity and connection.
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.
THE LOVERS OF AVIGNON, 3min., Spain Directed by Manuel Fernández Ferro The Lovers of Avignon” is the first ever translation of pictorial cubism into motion real image. Is an allegory of cubism as a conceptual symbol that acts as a filter and wall of emotions.
LUNGS, 20min., UK Directed by Adrianna Ewa Polcyn This is a tale about a young woman driven to the edge of heartbreak, who is visited by a ghoul in her sleep and awakens in the mythic woods. Being thrown into swirling turmoil of her own soul, she flounders through the forest in search of truth, freedom and forgiveness. The story is an experimental re-imagined fairytale representing the final phase of the self-healing process.
AWAITING WONDER, 12min., Cyprus Directed by Eleana Theophilou A poetic exploration of a love story, of a widower that is going through the lonely journey of coming to terms with the sudden loss of his wife.
YOU ARE SO CLOSE, 5min., UK Directed by Craig McNulty Short experimental film follows a woman seemingly trapped in a derelict art gallery repeatedly viewing images and gradually becoming more frustrated. Unable to leave, and refusing the offer of help.
Festival Reviews 