Author: chicagofilmfestival

After an accident leaves his wife in a coma, Marcos faces a heartbreaking decision when a mysterious company offers to preserve her consciousness inside him. How far is he willing to go to avoid losing her?

https://instagram.com/j_h_allely

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Elizabeth Rose Morriss
Marcos: Geoff Mays
Dr. Vega: Sean Ballantyne

When a successful HR professional realizes her soulmate is quickly marrying someone else, she must center her goals around the idea of truly being single forever.

https://instagram.com/cheja_tucker

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Sean Ballantyne
Mariah: Hannah Ehman
Dave: Geoff Mays

Rising tennis talent Sadie Taylor battles self-doubt and a manipulative rival, Carmen Lopez — the entitled daughter of Foxridge Athletic Club’s manager — in a high-stakes tournament where nepotism, betrayal, and psychological warfare threaten to derail both her reputation and her integrity.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Elizabeth Rose Morris
Umpire: Shawn Devlin

Today’s #FilmFreeway Testimonial: WILDsound FEEDBACK Festival (top 100 best-reviewed festival)

https://filmfreeway.com/WILDsoundFilmandWritingFestival

This has been one of the absolute highlights of my festival journey. I would recommend any filmmaker submit here because they do something truly exceptional. If selected, your film is screened for an audience, and you receive thoughtfully edited video audience feedback, which is an incredible gift to filmmakers. It moved me deeply and gave me renewed energy to keep going.

I was also fortunate to take part in both a written and podcast interview with the team, and the experience was genuinely enjoyable. The questions were thoughtful and supportive, allowing me to talk about the film holistically, including the team behind it and how we created it. I have followed WILDsound for years, so submitting felt like a natural choice. An absolute highlight of my festival journey.

#filmfestival #wildsound #festival

A showcase of the best new films from around the world today.

AUDIENCE AWARDS (from audience feedback festival):

Best Feature Film: MY FATHER AND QUADDAFI
Best Short Film: KRISIS
Best Story: FOREVER DAMNED
Best Direction: BLINK
Best Performances: BEST KEPT SECRET
Best Visual Design: IMBROGLIO
Best Human Interest Film: A FAMILIAR CRIMINAL
Best Documentary: JOY O’ DANCE
Best Social Awareness FilM: LINES OF DETERMINATION | The David Wagner Story
Best Music Video: SHADOW

Best Micro-Short Film: PIGMENT

See list of films played:

Lines of Determination | The David Wagner Story, 25min., USA
Directed by Alex de Montbel
David Wagner grew up as a natural athlete, always in motion, playing basketball, surfing, and chasing a dream of becoming a professional player. At 21, a day of surfing in Redondo Beach changed everything when a wave drove his head into the ocean floor, breaking his neck at the C5–C6 level and leaving him paralyzed. In the hospital, as doctors spoke of “permanent” chairs and “permanent” changes, David confronted the loss of his old life with the support of a fiercely loving family that refused to let him give up.

Hey, You!, 9min., USA
Directed by NickyJoe Perez
A young woman in Chicago needs to make a decision through the course of a day in her life.

https://instagram.com/nickyjoe_perez

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-hey-you

Forever Damned, 21min., USA
Directed by Julius Corbin
Two brothers born into slavery were given a choice of freedom but they had to pay the ultimate price… their own mortality. Now cursed as vampires, the brothers must fight for salvation and escape from the shadows.

https://instagram.com/foreverdamned.film

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-forever-damned

BLINK, 16min., USA
Directed by Trude Namara
Liana is trapped in this psychological thriller, an extended metaphor for how friends/communities can be monsters, forcing one to stay in a toxic relationship.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-blink-short-film

BEST KEPT SECRET, 12min., USA
Directed by Sarah Vansandt
Mattress shopping turns into a nightmare for a couple who find themselves trapped in a furniture store after hours, confronting the store’s dark secret.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-best-kept-secret

KRISIS, 11min., Italy
DIrected by Luca Mazzara
“Krisis” is a short movie that follows the emotional journey of a woman facing mental and physical illness and the isolation caused by painful events. Through the contact with nature, she transforms suffering into a new interpretation of life, discovering the inner strength to overcome pain and embrace joy. An ode to human resilience and the healing power of nature.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-krisis

Imbroglio, 15min., UK
Directed by Ian Sciacaluga
“Imbroglio” is set in a timeless and imaginary Italian world and is a loving nod to the arch Hollywood and European film noirs of the forties and fifties.

https://www.instagram.com/iansciac/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-imbroglio

A Familiar Criminal, 8min., USA
Directed by Claudia Parker
A Nepalese man is fleeing the shadow of a string of violent robberies that left a life tragically lost and several injured.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-a-familiar-criminal

Joy O’ Dance, 20min., UK
Directed by Dawn Feather
Where ballet tradition meets Yorkshire spirit. Boys challenge expectations, choreography dazzles, and young performers take their final bow before a new chapter begins.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-joy-o-dance

SHADOW, 5min., Austria
Directed by Timo Vogt

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-shadow

PIGMENT, 1min., USA Directed by Clint Macy
Two dancers navigate an empty space and leave their mark.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-pigment

My Father and Qaddafi, 88min., Libya/USA
Directed by Jihan K
When Jihan was six years old, her father flew to Cairo and never returned. Mansur Rashid Kikhia was the Foreign Minister of Libya, ambassador to the United Nations, and a human rights lawyer. After serving in Qaddafi’s increasingly brutal regime, he defected from the government and became a peaceful opposition leader. Kikhia was obsessively loyal to his country but ultimately, his determination to reason with Qaddafi led to his disappearance from a hotel in Egypt in 1993.

https://www.instagram.com/myfatherandqaddafi

During World War II in Germany, young American soldier Dirk Dawson is singled out as the weak link in his squad. Mocked and humiliated by both his peers and his superiors, Dirk survives a chaotic patrol that ends in injury and a hollow Purple Heart, an act meant to honor him but instead deepens his shame.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Val Cole
Dirk: Shawn Devlin
Conductor: Sean Ballantyne

A showcase of the best new films from around the world today.

AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Short Film: MARYJANE IS ONE WORD
Best Micro-Short Film: THE VOICE OF TIME
Best Comedy Film: SPARE!
Best Animation: HOW WE HAMSTERS DIE
Best Music Video: SHAMDEMONIUM
Best Story: TRUCCO AND PARRUCCO
Best Performances: LAUREL MOON
Best Direction: WHAT’S WRONG WITH SAWYER SMITH?
Best Horror Film: DOTTED LINE
Best Documentary Film: The Making of Star Among the Cosmic Clouds : from Song to Symphony
Best Visual Design: WAITING FOR NIA
Best Experimental Film: MEIN FUHRER BLUES

SPARE!, 34min., France
Directed by Jules Cales, Balthazar Ullmann
Phil and Barney, two not-so-smart henchmen of a Mafia organization, stumble across a mysterious box full of money while burying a corpse in the woods. Their night turns to chaos when they decide to spend lavishly this unexpected fortune.

https://instagram.com/spare.lefilm

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-spare

How We Hamsters Die, 6min., USA
Directed by Phoebe Burdick, Mio Gribskov
A comedic 2D animated short film that tells the absurdly tragic stories of hamsters from the after-life. Built upon interviews & true stories, the film aims to entertain while promoting responsible pet ownership and proper treatment of hamsters. Prepare to laugh, cry, and gasp in shock as this mixed-media, documentary-style film takes a look into how and why this colorful cast of pet hamsters died.

https://www.instagram.com/howwehamstersdie

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-how-we-hamsters-die

SHAMDEMONIUM, 6min., USA
Directed by Grace Ann Rathbun
SHAMDEMONIUM is a music video style narrative short film that follows young aspiring actor Barb as she leads up to her final moments alive and her time in the After Life.

https://instagram.com/graceannimation

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-shamdemonium

TRUCCO AND PARRUCCO, 17min., Argentina/Italy
Directed by Martín De León
Two Argentinian designers and lifelong friends, Sandra and Martina, are chosen at the last minute to travel to Milan during Fashion Week to present their collection in a competition for emerging Latin brands. Elated, they leave behind a Buenos Aires collapsed by floods, blackouts and a deep economic crisis, and set off for a city of dreams and catwalks.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-trucco-ans-parrucco

Laurel Moon, 20min., USA
Directed by Sarah Sherman
After sharing a walk home with an unexpected companion, a grieving mother leaves all she has left so she can finally live.

https://instagram.com/laurelmoonfilm

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-laurel-moon

What’s Wrong With Sawyer Smith?, 15min., USA
Directed by Mason Seeley, Jacob Canepa

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-whats-wrong-with-sawyer-smith

The Voice of Time, 5min., Italy
Directed by Carlo Guttadauro
The Voice of Time is a cinematic tale inspired by the essence of Opera, entrusted by the Consortium of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO to director Carlo Guttadauro and his studio Anam Cara Comunicazione, with the creative presence of Thomas Guttadauro.

https://instagram.com/anamcara.comunicazione/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-the-voice-of-time

Dotted Line, 10min., USA
Directed by Michael Rognlie, EE Tallent
A reclusive woman is drawn into a waking nightmare when she is stalked by a deranged lunatic, who is convinced that she holds the key to his twisted redemption.

https://www.instagram.com/miromakesmovies

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-dotted-line

The Making of Star Among the Cosmic Clouds : from Song to Symphony, 11min., Sinapore
Directed by Susan May Lee Lim
Journey behind the curtain to witness the creation of “Star Among the Cosmic Clouds,” a powerful new song from the album ALAN: Cosmic Rhapsody. This documentary delves into the creative process, tracing the song’s origins from its soulful roots with composer Joi Barua to its grand transformation into an orchestral pop masterpiece.

https://www.instagram.com/cosmicrhap/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-the-making-of-star-among-the-cosmic-clouds-chicago

Maryjane Is One Word, 13min., USA
Directed by John Liang
A young adopted woman meets her biological mother for the first time.

https://www.instagram.com/lonelydevilfilms

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-maryjane-is-one-word

Waiting For Nia, 16min., USA
Directed by Maurice Simmons
Nia Kim, a 16-year-old girl, is rushed to Brookshire Hospital after a severe car accident. Her divorced parents, Justin and Tanya Kim, anxiously await news of her condition. As they confront their past issues and fears, they find moments of revolution, connection and understanding.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-waiting-for-nia

Mein Fuhrer BLUES, 4min., USA
Directed by Jim Hall
Canary Canard Studios has the Blues…
A song from the heart, for the Soul of America.
It’s time to get in good trouble, necessary trouble.

http://canarycanard.com/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-mein-fuhrer-blues

The Bait is a visceral survival thriller based on a true story. It follows João, a disillusioned real estate executive suffocating under the weight of his domineering family’s expectations. When his carefree friend Patrick invites him on a windsurfing trip to Búzios, João seizes the chance to reconnect with the ocean—and with himself. But a sudden shark attack leaves him critically injured, stranded miles from shore and fighting for his life.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Val Cole

Oswaldhino: Shawn Devlin

Joao: Sean Ballantyne

A showcase of the best new films from around the world today.

AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Feature Film: ROTTEN APPLE
Best Short Film: ALWAYS AND FOREVER
Best Story: CARDBOARD
Best Documentary: HOW WE ROLL

HOW WE ROLL, 16min,. USA
Directed by Anthony Ciancio
What started as a little idea becomes a local phenomenon. Meet the passionate folks who have reinvigorated this ancient game as a means of escape and finding common ground in their community. Meet The Elmwood Park Bocce League.

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-how-we-roll

Always and Forever, 22min., USA
Directed by Johnny Thames
An obsessive, controlling teenager kidnaps her boyfriend to play a bizarre, self destructive game. But things become complicated when the boy demands a stop. The film comments on how trauma if not confronted and resolved will lead to co-dependent and potentially destructive results, while providing enough empathy toward accountability.

https://www.instagram.com/alwaysnforever_film

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-always-and-forever

CARDBOARD, 23min., USA
Directed by Diana Densmore
A neglected young girl builds a cardboard time machine and runs away to the future only to find her adult self in the throes of depression, as the two connect they remind each other of the joy of loving oneself.

https://www.instagram.com/flusshausfilms

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-cardboard

ROTTEN APPLE, 81min., USA
Directed by Justin Hunt
A truly groundbreaking docu-drama, ‘Rotten Apple’ is an alarming exposé on the dark epidemic of grooming and sexual assault in public schools and the eminent ripple effect.

https://instagram.com/whitewhalepictures

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-rotten-apples