A weary traveler enlists the help of Desert Mermaids that help guide soften his passing into the next phase of his life, which is being a cactus.
Narrator: Mandy May Cheetham
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Camera Op: Mary Cox
After an unfortunate incident, depressed 16-year-old Amanda Gerhardt’s concerned parents move the entire family to Florida, desperately hoping that “the most magical town in the world” will get Amanda’s life back on track. But little does she realize that it’s not just marketing. The town truly is magic.
CAST LIST:
Eliot: Geoff Mays
Amanda: Elizabeth Morriss
Narrator: Kat Smiley
Linda: Katelyn Vanier
Martin: Ted Powers
Beau: Jolly Amoako
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Camera Op: Mary Cox
XIGHTFALL is a Futuristic Intelligence Agency that protects the universe from all species. When suspicious events transpire throughout the agency, Eli, a young black Xightfall Officer, takes matters into his own hands to uncover the true intentions of the Xightfall Program.
CAST LIST:
Clarice – Katelyn Varadi
Tito – Geoff Mays
Narration – Salma Dharsee
Eli – Omar Aufi
Tom – Sean Ballantyne
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Camera Op: Mary Cox
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Two telescopes are constructed side by side at NASA and grow close, only to be ripped apart when their construction is completed.
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Val Cole
Cap: Zena Driver
Obs: Alicia Payne
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Camera Op: Mary Cox
AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS:
BEST FILM: TRUMPETS IN THE SKY
BEST PERFORMANCES: THE SUPER RECOGNIZER
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: METTA VIA
BEST MUSIC: AFTER WE LEFT OUR HOMES
Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Videos:
The theme of the May 2018 FANTASY/SCI-FI FEEDBACK Film Festival was “Being Controlled”. Every single film was about a world or characters being controlled by an outside force.
There was a different vibe at this festival because we changed the start time from 7pm to 9pm just as a test to see if we would get a new audience. It was definitely a success as we got more hard core Sci-Fi fans, which lead to some great discussions with the films as you can watch in the feedback videos.
The trick though is to not have an audience that is 100% Sci-Fi fans. To have the casual viewer watch this genre so there is a different perspective. The hard core fan of any hobby (sports, comic books etc..) can be either too apologetic or too critical of the product that is given to them. There seems to be nothing in between a love or a hate of something. They sometimes feel that they are the most important members of the audience. They are the vocal minority that’s for sure as an average fan of Batman for example isn’t going to set up a blog to talk about it.
I always look at things from a 20%/60%/20% perspective on any mmainstream entertainment product:
20% – People who won’t watch it no matter what. Example would be the Super Bowl or the new Avengers movie.
60% – The average crowd. They might watch or might not. It’s all up to how they feel that day, how much an advertisement influences them, and/or what their family/friends are up to. If they are watching, then they will too.
20% – The hard core fan. They are watching most of the pre-game show of the Super Bowl, and have pre-bought their Avengers tickets and will be writing about their thoughts afterwards.
For me, you have to remove the two 20%s from the equation. They don’t matter as their minds are already made up. So the art of getting your film viewed and liked is from the 60% base. Football or Comic Book films can’t be what they are today if only the hard core 20% is watching. They are popular because they have trickled into the 60% and have gotten many of them to watch.
You can also use the same analogy for politics. In the United States you’re going to have 20% who will never vote. 20% who are going to vote Red or Blue no matter what. And 60% who will either vote or not vote, and it depends on what party they vote for election to election.
So in conclusion, the 9pm start time did work but we missed the average fan by doing it.
See you at the festivals.
– Matthew Toffolo
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Year 2056. A quantum machine named “Phobetor” controls society. Above other measures, dreaming is forbidden and there is absolute control of the allowed limit of sleep to 3-hours per day. Those who rebel by entering REM or a self-induced dream state, most are arrested and punished as traitors. Their penalty, essentially entering their own mind prisons where each individual’s Nightmare is personalized.
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Carina Cojeen
Hypnos: Katelyn Varadi
Daniel: Charles Gordon
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Get to know the writers:
1. What is your screenplay about?
In the world of 2056, in which dreaming is outlawed by an authoritarian state and sleep strictly controlled by the machine “Phobetor”,
a scientist enlists the help of an ancient Greek goddess to destroy it.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Sc-Fi, Fantasy
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Athanasia: The intention of the film is to be an exciting story with various references and interpretations of elements deriving from Greek mythology,
using pioneering scientific theories that will be entwined together and presented under a new and original prism. I want to try at a very symbolic level to make a statement about the world today but make a film that has a feel good factor, bringing hope and making light of some of the darker worries that are brewing in this time of socioeconomic crisis and uncertainty.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
A dystopian nightmare with a happy end.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Athanasia: The English Patient
Alexandra: Lord of the Rings
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Two years.
7. How many stories have you written?
Athanasia: This is the first script Alexandra and myself have written together,
but we plan on writing more female-led fantasy stories!
8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
Athanasia: The National – Start a war & Empire line.
Alexandra: Faith No More – Epic
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Alexandra: Well… we built a huge world that simply didn’t fit in the short screenplay formatbut it would be more difficult for us to make a fantasy feature film in Greece(due to budget reasons), so we had to edit and adapt a few times
trying to find the right balance between world-building and character development.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Athanasia: Watching films, listening to music & dancing
Alexandra: Watching films, listening to music, going to live Jazz and Blues concerts
11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platform site?
So far so good! It’s been super helpful.
Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Camera Op: Mary Cox
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Special Forces Order: Over-the-hill futuristic-SEALS recruit and train thrown-away Teens to save an entire planet from slavery. Only way to fight these savages is with Savage-24s through a Black Powder Challenge. One Bad Riot; One Bad-Ass Ranger.
CAST LIST:
Sam: Angelica Alejandro
White: Gabriel Darku
Narrator: Carina Cojeen
Biker Boss: Brandon Knox
Chao: Charles Gordon
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
Top-ranking SFO soldier is asked to find their Leader’s kidnapped daughter. A former SFO soldier is suspected. To do this, our hero must resign his commission and go undercover. He recruits two former disavowed SFO veterans then Six Teens who began training at the SFO Monastery, but would not follow orders and were sentenced to a juvenile-delinquent prison-planet. To find the missing girl, these nine must save an entire planet from slavery using only vintage black-powder Savage-24’s against the planet’s savages.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Action/Adventure with a moral underpinning.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
No other film has ever re-created the three-day ZULU battle-scene let alone in a futuristic setting.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Kick-Ass.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
ZULU.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Since 1995.
7. How many stories have you written?
I have been studying under Yale Screenwriting Professor Marc Lapadula for four years. I have 12 Final Draft Full Feature stories of every genre and another 10 Rough Drafts along with 2 TV-Pilot Sit-Coms. I have two award-winning Short Scripts, one of which is now earning laurels as a SAG black-and-white film and the other is filming later this year.
8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
I have seen the original Star Wars so many times, I hum its soundtrack in my sleep.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
It was always envisioned as a two-part story, so the key became to find a way to merge them.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Acting, I have been in over 100 TV and film productions.
11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platform site?
Hands down, FilmFreeway is the writer’s friend. I now use no other platform for submittals.
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Camera Op: Mary Cox
THE FLOWER GATE, 15min., Israel, Fantasy
RENDEZ-VOUS, 2min., Canada, Fantasy
PHARMA LAB TRAINING VIDEO: 1, 9min., USA, Fantasy
TRUMPETS IN THE SKY, 12min., Belguim, Sci-Fi
METTA VIA, 12min., Canada, Sci-Fi
THE SUPER RECOGNISER, 11min., UK, Sci-Fi
SOLUK (BREATH), 5min., Turkey, Sci-Fi
AFTER WE HAVE LEFT OUR HOMES, 8min., UK, Sci-Fi