A showcase of the best new films from around the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Feature Film: IRABŪ of the Kudaka Island, Okinawa
Best Short Film: Beg Yuh A Call
Best Micro-Short: Cloistergeist
Best Direction: Cast & Brew
Best Student Film: Mariposa
Best Story: What They Say About Carmen
IRABŪ of the Kudaka Island, Okinawa, 102min., Japan
Directed by Kazuo Okada
Kudaka Island in Okinawa is home to just over 200 people and holds a sacred cultural legacy centered on the grand IZAIHŌ festival, celebrated once every 12 years for more than six centuries. The island is renowned for its traditional production of IRABŪ, smoked Erabu sea kraits, revered as a divine gift from the gods and once presented at banquets for distinguished guests of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
https://tokyocinema.jp/irabu-E.html
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/intro-audience-feedback-irabu
Cloistergeist, 3min., France
Directed by Paige Hering
A monk’s quiet monastery life is upended by a playful ghost, and just when he’s about to exorcise the spirit, he discovers the ghost has a secret soft side.
https://www.instagram.com/cloistergeist.film/
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-cloistergeist
Cast & Brew, 10min., Spain/USA
Directed by Priscilla Zanni Bertran
Cast & Brew is a comedy about an AD trying to manage a film set where coffee has been delayed, and the lead actor, Bruce, refuses to do any takes without his coffee first. Chaos erupts when Craft Services informs the AD and Producer about a worldwide collapse in the coffee supply chain. On the meantime, Bruce demands his detailed coffee order while the director pushes for rehearsals. The scene inside the film happens in a Western field where Bruce proposes to his girlfriend, Sara. He is grabbing her in his arms and as soon as she accepts his proposal, he lets her fall to the ground claiming he lacks the muscle strength without his coffee. The Producer then reveals the truth about the coffee crisis, leading to Bruce quitting the film. This sparks a huge chaotic montage ensues with crazy physical altercations.
https://www.instagram.com/priszanni/
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-castnbrew
Mariposa, 5min,. USA
Directed by Brook Vitovsky
Mariposa’s world begins to unravel around her when she finds a mysterious butterfly.
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-mariposa
Beg Yuh A Call, 8min., Jamaica
Directed by Mikey T Campbell
Omar is adjusting to life overseas. A call from back home changes everything.
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-beg-yuh-a-call
What They Say About Carmen, 2min., Portugal
Directed by Eve Ferretti, Pedro Mota Teixeira
“What They Say About Carmen” brings to light the story of a 10-year-old girl who was born without arms, narrated by a voice that uses a “borrowed” discourse, typical of those who “say that…” This narrative, coming from someone who never knew Carmen, adopts a memorial tone that contrasts with the animated image, revealing the true essence of the protagonist. This confrontation between the visual narrative and the verbal discourse invites us to dive deeper into Carmen’s life.
https://spiceshipstudios.com/project/index.php?p=14
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-what-they-say-about-carmen
Chicago FEEDBACK Film Festival 