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.
Interview with Priscilla Zanni Bertran (CAST & BREW)
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.
Interview with Filmmaker Mikey T. Campbell (BEG YUH A CALL)
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.
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.
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.
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.
A showcase of the best new films from around the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Short Film: SILENT PLAN Best Experimental Film: YELLOW DRESS Best Micro-Short: GRAVITY BOUND Best Performances: STIGMA Best Story: BREAKROOM Best Direction: BLANCA Best Visual Design: I WISH I WERE PRETTY Best Student Film: THREE S3CONDS
Yellow Dress, 4min., UK Directed by Raph Isadora Seymour What is she doing? Trying to make a garden? Trying to make something…and who or what is trying to stop her? Crude stop-motion makes startling and poetic images and tells a story of resilience and the desire for happiness for both the hero and the villain of the piece.
Gravity Bound, 3min., USA Directed by Frankie Lasley The Man on the Moon is bound to the moon by his job; controlling the tides on Earth with a magical box of gravity. His quiet days are spent longing after a Shooting Star, who is bound to forever orbit him from a distance.
STIGMA, 30min., Tunisia Directed by Dali Mansour During the Covid-19 lockdown, “Stigma” explores the emotional impact on Bochra, a young woman living alone in France. Through webcam exchanges with her parents in Tunisia, Bochra struggles with painful memories and a dark past. Confronted with solitude in her Parisian apartment, she faces shadows of her past, gradually revealing a deeply buried trauma. The film delves into themes of resilience, the importance of family bonds, and the quest for self in an isolated world, leading to a poignant revelation.
BREAKROOM, 15min., USA Directed by Ian Wang A offbeat genre-bending comedy where mundane office tensions often unravel into something far more unsettling.
BLANCA, 7min., USA Directed by Carlos Grana During a coup in 1948, Peru’s First Lady must drive her maid and wounded chauffeur to the hospital down a treacherous road in the Andes.
I Wish I Were Pretty, 20min., USA Directed by Hanah Chang Areum (which means ‘beautiful’ in Korean) is fixated on her physical appearance. She is convinced her monolidded eyes are why she is ‘unpretty,’ especially in comparison with her longtime best friend, Jane (as in plain Jane), who has double-lidded eyes and is so beautiful that she could be mistaken for a K-Pop idol. Areum tries to work through her insecurities with her therapist, Helen. But when a man humiliates Areum in front of Jane, Areum has to decide whether to finally face a long-festering sore spot and see her own value or let her friendship with Jane deteriorate.
Three S3conds, 16min., USA Directed by Diana Shield Arlo, a 17 year old boy struggles to open up and express himself to his counselor. He is haunted by his past actions due to his inability to control his rage and anger issues.
SILENT PLAN, 13min., Turkey Directed by Omer Yildirim A groundbreaking new technology offers hope to the deaf: the ability to hear sounds once again. Four young individuals, chosen to be part of this revolutionary step, eagerly await the moment they will finally hear the voices of their loved ones—voices they have been recording for years. But just days before the official launch, they are quietly removed from the project. No explanation is given; their dreams are taken from them.
A showcase of the best new films from around the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Feature Film: TRAIL MIX Best Performances: SMALL TOWN GIRLS Best Comedy Film: HAMMERSTONE MEETS WOOFSTOCK Best Story: ROUTINE Best Direction: SUPER VILLAIN COFFEE Best Student Film: THE CALLBACK Best Micro-Short: COSMIC RHAPSODY: A JOURNEY OF HOPE
Trail Mix, 50min,. USA Directed by Glenn Robert Sweitzer Trail Mix follows a 2,000-mile journey from Georgia to Maine, uncovering the personal struggles and healing of hikers seeking solace, purpose, and transformation. Directed by Glenn Sweitzer, the film reveals how nature becomes a powerful path back to wholeness.
SMALL TOWN GIRLS, 4min., USA Directed by Layal Hamdeh Feeling confined by their small empty town and unambitious locals, Jasmine and Sarah entertain the idea of moving away to New York.
Hammerstone Meets Woofstock, 20min., Canada Directed by Josh Holliday A film that straddles the line between narrative and documentary, landing squarely on comedy. Steve Hammerstone is a small town radio host and big time buffoon, who’s sent to explore Woofstock: North America’s largest festival for dogs.
Routine, 5min., Canada Directed by Abo Fall Meet Benedicte, a happy young woman living in a beautiful, heavenly garden where she doesn’t have a single worry in the world. She loves to wander around, lay on the grass and simply live in the moment.
Super Villain Coffee, 15min., USA Directed by Leonard Frank Smith “Supervillain Coffee” is a satirical comedy about Maximum “Chaos” Maxwell, a once-feared supervillain now slinging espresso in a hip downtown coffee shop. Max trades doomsday devices for latte art, grumbling about his past while perfecting milk foam with the precision of a mad scientist. His sidekick in this caffeine-fueled redemption arc is Travis “The Trendsetter” Thompson, ex-villain obsessed with livestreaming his barista life for TikTok clout—complete with hashtags like #VillainToVanilla. The shop’s a circus of chaos and coffee until Captain Righteous, Max’s old heroic nemesis, struts in to rub salt in the wound with smug jabs and a lactose-laden latte order that backfires hilariously. Between plunging toilets and dodging Travis’s phone, Max wrestles with his villainous past and barista present—until a rare moment of wisdom from Travis hints at deeper redemption, only for Max to shrug it off with a grunt. It’s a wild brew of absurdity, heart, and sharp laughs—a tale of evil gone mild, one overpriced coffee at a time.
THE CALLBACK, 10min., Canada ISAAC is one of several actors auditioning for the lead in the globally renowned action franchise: MAX STORM. Every actor has been invited into the audition room, which is empty aside from a table with a black covering. Suddenly, they’re greeted by the voice of director DEAN WEST over the intercom. “Do whatever it takes to secure the role.” The tablecloth comes off, revealing a massive collection of deadly melee weapons. Everyone is skeptical, but distrust is already growing. When one of the actors sets his sights on Isaac, snatches an imposing knife off the table, and begins to close in, Isaac is forced to fight to survive.
Cosmic Rhapsody – A Journey of Hope, 3min. Singapore Directed by Susan Mey Lee Lim, Christina Teenz Tan In 2020, the world seemed to be on the brink. A global pandemic raged, wildfires scorched the earth, and anxieties soared. Yet, amidst this turmoil, a spark of hope ignited: NASA astronauts returned to space aboard SpaceX’s CrewDragon, the first mission of its kind in nearly a decade. This inspiring event, against the backdrop of a world in crisis, gave birth to “Cosmic Rhapsody.”
Feature Film: The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia Short Film: Confession Best Story: Career Stall Best Performances: The American Trail Best Micro-Short: Clothe Trouble Best Animation: Meevil the Weevil: Breakfast of Champions Best Direction: The Interrogation Best Experimental Film: Withing the Flow of Existence Best Thriller Film: Bluebottle Theory
See the full lineup of films:
The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia, 86min., USA Directed by Chris Beier A washed-up YouTube star blackmails an old rival in an attempt to reclaim her fame. But when things go awry, she finds herself ensnared by a drug trafficking ring. As Cecilia spirals out of control, she’s forced to confront her true place in society.
Career Stall, 8min., USA Directed by Nima Nourani A businessman’s routine bathroom break turns surreal when he’s trapped in a stall, witnessing a cascade of bizarre events.
The American Trail, 21min., USA Directed by Tomer J. Keysar The American Trail follows two friends who embark on a journey to walk across the United States. It’s not as glamorous as it seems — they’re pitching tents on the side of the highway and trudging through mud for six months.
Clothe Trouble, 2min., Australia Directed by Tony Zhang Clothe Trouble depicts the story of a main character who lacks the motivation to clean the house, becoming increasingly distracted by social media apps while continuously adding dirty clothes to a growing pile. Suddenly, the pile collapses, and a mysterious entity emerges, confronting the protagonist.
Meevil the Weevil: Breakfast of Champions, 4min., USA Directed by Kyle Arneson Meevil https://filmfreeway.com/submissions/32428116#ff_javascriptthe Weevil is a little bug with big dreams of being a stuntman. “Breakfast of Champions” mixes stop motion animation with live action footage where we follow Meevil’s thrilling ride across a 1970s breakfast table on rocket roller skates.
The Interrogation, 5min., USA Directed by Brady Jacquin, Kyle Riggs, Dylan Lighthall A Russian mob interrogation goes awry when an over-eager enforcer tries to pitch in, but can’t get his mind out of the gutter.
Withing the Flow of Existence, 2min,. USA Directed by Truth Tran A short, surreal visual meditation that invites viewers to reflect upon impermanence and interconnectedness, the illusion of self, and our place within the universe’s grand cosmic interplay.
Bluebottle Theory, 10min., UK Directed by John J. Sanders, Luke O. Roberts Ever wanted to take the shot? Drew does. Every bloody day. Bluebottle Theory is a darkly comic noir-style nine-minute thriller with a twist.
Sarah Smythe believes she only needs to follow the cards supplied by her company to make her first knife sale until she finds the perfect customer but they’re too sharp!
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Elizabeth Rose Morris
Mr. Jones: Geoff Mays
McCready: Val Cole
Best Short Film: BAD CHEMISTRY Best Micro-Short: SPIDER-MAN: A Day in the Neighborhood Best Direction: A LIFE BET Best Animation: THE CORMORANT’S SHADOW Best Story: THE LIGHT IN THE DARK Best Performances: THE SESSIONS
See the full lineup of films:
Bad Chemistry, 20min., USA Directed by Michael Rognlie, EE Tallent In Bad Chemistry, a traumatized young woman goes to stay with her deceased boyfriend’s parents, only to discover chilling truths lurking beneath their kindness. This horror short explores grief, psychological torment, and the dark side of family.
The Cormorant’s Shadow, 1min., Switzerland Directed by Barbara Peikert A funny cormorant relaxes on a buoy in the lake and watches an animation that reveals a plan behind it: AI or the urge to take part in the spectacle?
The Light in the Dark, 6min., Taiwan Directed by YuFeng Chiu This story is about climate disaster survivor and his comforter/savior . I lived in Taiwan this small island, there were many typhoons and floods in my memory, earthquakes were also often happened in my dairy life. My works always focus on the survivors, including the comfort women and earthquakes survivors and the poor rains and flood survivors in many places because of the climate changing.
The Sessions, 27min., USA Directed by Vince Eisenson In this crime driven, pilot episode, we met a therapy group for murderers where someone is bound to snap.
Spider-Man: A Day in the Neighborhood, 3min,. USA Directed by Michael Fernandez Peter Parker deals with yet another work-life squall courtesy of his famous Parker luck. While it seems he can’t ever catch a break, he’ll never stop trying, even if that means swinging from a toilet.
Best Short Film: WILD HORSES Best Feature Film: TANGO MALHAR
Wild Horses, 3min,. China Directed by Wenjie Lee, Zhengyang Yin The film “Wild Horses” tells the story of the survival scenes of a group of wild horses in the future. This film is produced by AI generation technology and can be regarded as a science fiction suspense concept film made with the latest AI technology. Although the production of the film is mainly completed through AI generation technology, its story content and film style are not restricted by the technology at all. It is a short film completed in the form of traditional screenwriting and shooting. From conception to completion of production, the cycle of the film took two weeks.
Tango Malhar, 93min,. India Directed by Saya Date In the bustling city of Pune, Malhar, a young rickshaw driver, shoulders the heavy burden of supporting his widowed mother and younger sister, Rani. Despite his unwavering dedication to family, Malhar feels like an outcast among his peers, his responsibilities isolating him from the carefree life of a typical youth. sayadate@gmail.com
Haunted by a fatal mistake, a shattered vice cop reunites with a bright but brooding detective and his mysterious family to tame her frightening new power and protect it from the evil eager to control it.
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Elizabeth Rose Morriss Rachel: Val Cole Brandon: Steve Rizzo
Chicago FEEDBACK Film Festival 