![]() Romén Rivero |
Even though I couldn’t attend the event it was such an honour to have been awarded Best Cinematography for my short Noctámbulos (Night Owls)! Great organization and communication. I really love the audience feedback video! ![]() |
Month: November 2019
THRILLER Best Scene: CHOSEN REALITY, by James Samuel
CAST LIST:
Christopher: James Chapman
Prince: Brandon Knox
Kristen: Jessica Bowmer
Narrator: Hugh Ritchie
Amber: Kristen Pepper
Brittany: Regan Brown
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Producer/Director: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Festival Moderators: Matthew Toffolo, Rachel Elder
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editors: Kimberly Villarruel, Ryan Haines, John Johnson
Festival Directors: Rachel Elder, Natasha Levy
Camera Operators: Ryan Haines, Temitope Akinterinwa, Efren Zapata, Zack Arch
THRILLER Best Scene Reading: High Striker, by Gerald Rigdon
Guided by dreams and driven by fate, Amos Konklin, sledgehammer in hand, escapes the clutches of a kidnapper, amnesia, and prison to carry out his own brand of justice.
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Hugh Ritchie
Seymour: Russell Batcher
Amos: James Chapman
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Producer/Director: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Festival Moderators: Matthew Toffolo, Rachel Elder
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editors: Kimberly Villarruel, Ryan Haines, John Johnson
Festival Directors: Rachel Elder, Natasha Levy
Camera Operators: Ryan Haines, Temitope Akinterinwa, Efren Zapata, Zack Arch
THRILLER Best Scene Reading: The Dirty Blonde, by Sven Anarki
A gritty Noir detective wakes up in modern day San Francisco where he is given a second chance to solve the case that killed his partner in 1945.
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Hugh Ritchie
Sid: James Chapman
Angela: Regan Brown
Frank: Brandon Knox
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Producer/Director: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Festival Moderators: Matthew Toffolo, Rachel Elder
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editors: Kimberly Villarruel, Ryan Haines, John Johnson
Festival Directors: Rachel Elder, Natasha Levy
Camera Operators: Ryan Haines, Temitope Akinterinwa, Efren Zapata, Zack Arch
THRILLER Best Scene Reading: MISCREATION, by Mark Donnell
A genetic mutation used by the CIA must choose the fate of a fellow Dugway experiment as they join forces to find a cure.
CAST LIST:
Janet: Angelica Alejandro
Dr. Robinson: Peter Nelson
Narrator: Elizabeth Morriss
Lt. Coza: Kaleb Alexander
Dr. Brown: Peter Mark Rapheal
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Producer/Director: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Festival Moderators: Matthew Toffolo, Rachel Elder
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editors: Kimberly Villarruel, Ryan Haines, John Johnson
Festival Directors: Rachel Elder, Natasha Levy
Camera Operators: Ryan Haines, Temitope Akinterinwa, Efren Zapata, Zack Arch
Director – Hamish Robertson (HIDEOUS)
Though I have worked on various short films at college and university, I was aware that making an ambitious short, such as Hideous, would be a considerable jump. Despite the films relatively modest setting of a flower shop, there were still inevitable complications in finding legal areas of Glasgow to film in, undertaking the correct legal procedures to safely film with firearms, managing large groups of extras and even securing the perfect florist that would, not only meet the criteria aesthetically, but also shelter a cast and crew of over ten people. Everyone is praying that you’ll be able to manage it all without having a mental breakdown, including yourself. It’s funny how you want your film to be this completely mind blowing experience for audiences, and on set it becomes that, but for all the wrong reasons. You learn very quickly that you have to get your shot in the can and move on to the next one and that there is no time to linger on perfectionist details. You just pray that it won’t turn out garbage and sometimes you’re pleasantly surprised. I had a completely exhilarating experience on this project and with each film I remember why I love the medium so much.
Short Film: HIDEOUS, 16min., UK, Thriller
When cheerful flower shop employee, Marla, awkwardly comes into contact with a mysterious man dressed all in black, she learns that her husband, Pete, was savagely murdered earlier that day. He then gives her an opportunity to take revenge. But will she accept?
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“⭐⭐⭐⭐ review of Hideous “
UK Film Review
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“3.5/4 review of Hideous”
Diamond in the Rough Films
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“⭐⭐⭐⭐ review of Hideous”
Indie Shorts Magazine
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“⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review of Hideous”
Screen Critix
Director Biography – Paola Bernardini, Wayland Bell (SOLITAIRE)
Paola is an Italian Director and Producer based in New York. She holds a BFA in Film from the School of Visual Arts. During her stay in New York she obtained experience in film, commercial and theater productions.
Paola was awarded numerous awards including one from the New York Women in Film and Television, screened at over 20 film festivals and received an international distribution deal for her Italian short film “Citta’ dei Sogni” (City of Dreams)
She is fluent in Italian, French and English and will continue her filmmaking journey around the world.
To make a film it takes a team, this film had a team of two. The reason Solitaire was created by only two people was our craving to tell a story in a way that would challenge us as filmmakers.
This is the first time anyone has shot a film at the Italian Embassy in Brazil. The opportunity was too good to pass up, so Wayland Bell and myself packed our bags and went to Brazil.
The story was created in the moment, inspired by the Embassy and shot without a crew.
The Embassy is famous for its renowned engineer Pier Luigi Nervi. In his time, he was the rockstar of architecture, creating works all over the world, such as the Papal Audience Hall in the Vatican and the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The structure Nervi had created is a magical but also dark and lonely place, we wanted it to overwhelm the story, therefore becoming a character itself. What would happen to someone who lived completely isolated in this empty mansion? We took that idea and exaggerated it.
Solitaire is dark comedy about a young woman that has shut herself in her mansion from all human interaction. She welcomes into her house a young man who wishes to work on her property as a groundskeeper. This man is the perfect excuse for her to have some companionship. She quickly becomes overly attached to him and the story takes a surreal magical turn when he tries to leave the estate.
I wanted the film to have a suspenseful tone, full of funny and awkward moments. I hope the viewer enjoys these fun moments in a film about friendship and loneliness.
– Paola Bernardini