Festival occurring 6 times a year that showcases the best of short films under 5 minutes from around the world. Films get showcased at the FEEDBACK Film Festival. NEW: Now showcasing Smartphone movies!
There is an episode about this festival in our archives as we talk about the audience and all the great films we showcased at this event.
The theme of the September 2018 FEMALE/UNDER 5 MINUTE FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto was “Power Dynamics”.
Each film was about an individual(s) facing dynamics of power with another individual or external being.
This was a nice split festival of a showcase of Female Directors in the first half, and Under 5 Minute Films in the second half. Two of our most popular events that are showcased in Toronto. So why not start the Fall 2018 season off with a bang!?
This was the last festival for a while for moderator Kierston Drier who has taken a job that she couldn’t pass up that conflicts with the weekly events. Kierston is the ultimate professional who does an outstanding job. She will be missed, but most definitely will be coming back soon.
The theme of the EUROPEAN Short Film Festival was “DETERMINATION”
Every film was about a character who had a purpose to venture beyond the situation they were currently in.
The 2018 season had its 2nd FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto (3rd overall), with a showcased of the best EUROPEAN Short Films from around the world – with 10 of the 12 films being Under 5 minutes in length.
The Under 5 Minute Film Festival has turned out to be one of our most popular events. When I went to Film School back in the day, our guest professor, a well regarded and successful filmmaker, kept telling his students that if you can’t make an engaging 30 second film with a beginning/middle/end, then you have no right making a 1 minute film, much less a longer short or a feature movie. He kept wanting us to go out and make films Under 5 Minutes in length so we truly understood the art of filmmaking and storytelling. This is what all of the great filmmakers have done.
This is what this festival is about. Showcasing amazing stories will little length time. For for the filmmakers to showcase their talent, and work on their art under 5 minutes at a time.
With a showcase of films from all over Europe in various genres from Animation to Comedy to Romance to Thriller – this became one of our most popular events in our history.
Thanks again to the Festival Coordinators Mary Cox & Kierston Drier.
A battered housewife decides that enough is enough, her husband just has to go. By go she means six feet under. If only he would stop foiling her plans!
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Val Cole
Noah: Allan Michael Brunet
Emma: Angelica Alejandro
Get to know the writer:
What is your screenplay about?
A battered housewife who reaches her breaking point with her husband’s abuse and decides to take matters into her own hands.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
I would say, drama/dark comedy.
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
I feel that the best short films are the ones that take one moment in a life and examine it under a microscope. That’s exactly what this screenplay does, we see one moment inside a turbulent marriage but we are able to understand just who these people are and even sympathize with the protagonist. No one wants to be beaten down and no one deserves it either.
How would you describe this script in two words?
Karmic Justice
What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
That’s a hard one, I would have to go with “The Addams Family” (1991). I watch it every Halloween, without fail. I love the balance between macabre and screwball.
How long have you been working on this screenplay?
About a month on the first draft and another week on rewrites.
How many stories have you written?
Tons, loads, oodles, plethora, slathers, etc. Any word that means “a lot”. I write constantly, I don’t think I ever have less then 2-3 stories going at once.
What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
It all depends on my mood. I listen to a little of everything, I never limit myself. I always listen to music when I write. I mostly listen to rock and alternative. Pop when I’m upset, RnB when it rains. My taste in music (as with most things in my life) is extremely eclectic.
What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
This was one of my first scripts ever. I was a strictly prose girl before this, so it was like culture shock when I started writing screenplays. I deep shock and anxiety. It’s wonderful and I love it, but learning to write scripts vs. prose was definitely a challenge at first.
Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
My education, as boring as that may sound. I’ve always had a thirst for knowledge. I love to learn and push and stretch my abilities to the limit. Sometimes beyond. I believe that we never stop growing and learning as a human being.
You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platform site?
FilmFreeway is simply amazing. A friend and fellow writer introduced me to it and it was love at first sight, so to speak. It’s easy to use and very professional. I trust the site completely.
What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
After I finished this screenplay, it quickly became one of my favorites. Then, when I opened my account on FilmFreeway, the Under 5min. Film Festival came up as recommended for me. The timing was so perfect, I had to enter.
List of Under 5 Minute Short Films that were showcased at the festival for the 2nd half of 2017. Click the links and watch the Audience FEEDBACK videos, plus learn more about the films.
The UNDER 5 MINUTE JUNE 2017 FEEDBACK Film Festival gave our audiences simply the best of short movies from this community.
The theme of the festival was “OUTSIDE FORCES”.
Every film showcased was about a character(s) or situation that was getting in the way of success.
The UNDER 5 MINUTE FEEDBACK Film Festival is becoming one of our most popular events. It is definitely a festival that stirs the conversation and gets people talking.
For the June 2017 Festival we showcased the best 16 films from around the world in different styles, genres, and budgets. It still amazes me, after all these years doing the festival, the amount of talent that is out there in the world. And the clever things that people come up with to tell a story in less than 5 minutes. In fact, most films presented at this festival were less than 3 minutes.
There’s a cliche in storytelling that you enter each scene late and leave each scene early. The meaning behind that is you don’t want to waste the audience’s time. The classic example is that you don’t have to show a character driving to their destination, parking their car, getting out, knocking on the door etc… They can simply arrive at the next scene already inside the home having a conversation with the person they need to talk to further the story. Trimming the fat and only showing what is needed!
That’s the art of these 5 Minute Short Films. There is a story in all of these films. Setup. Conflict. Resolution – the three steps of any story. And the art is to tell your story within the context of your plot, themes, characters and uniqueness of your idea.
It’s no secret that all of these 16 films succeeded. When you have a tight race of 12 films vying for title of “BEST FILM” of the night, you know you’ve hit a jackpot of a film festival.
Hope to see you at our next Under 5 Minute Film Festival in December.
The NOVEMBER 2016 FEEDBACK Film Festival was a great success. The sold out crowd loved the films and had plenty to say about each one during the audience feedback portion.
The theme of the festival was “Humanity”.
This was a special festival because we went around the world – showcasing 12 short film from 12 different countries.
NOTE: In over 150 festival events, this was the first time ever that we did not show a film from Canada or the United States.
We started the festival off showcasing five documentary films from Mexico, Lebanon, Hong Kong, Spain, and Mongolia. The Hong Kong film ended up winning “Best Musical Score” at the festival.
We then showcased a relationship film from France that ended up winning “Best Overall Performances” at the festival.
After that, we ventured to the “experimental” realm showing 3 diverse films from Afghanistan, Puerto Rico, and the UK.
The Thriller genre was next as we showed two films from Ireland and Australia in the genre. The Australian film ended up winning “Best Film” at the festival, while the Ireland film won “Best Cinematography”.
And to end the festival, we showcased a a comedy film from Austria that could be the most successful short film in the year 2016. The film has played at over 100 film festivals around the world.
To prepare the festival with assigned moderator Amanda Lomonaco, we had a hard time scaling down the conversation points becaue their simply was “so” much to talk about. These were simply 12 amazing short films. Truly a night to remember!
Click the posters, learn about the films, and watch the Audience Feedback Videos.
Meet Kushia Young. She can’t hear you. But she can draw you a mystical character in under 10 minutes. This profoundly deaf 20-year-old artist from the remote APY Lands is being recognised for her unique contemporary indigenous drawings.