 Maaya Modha |
Thank you Family Festival!!! We are London-based film-makers and we made our first short film ‘Tea & Coffee’ last year which we submitted to the Festival and this was an absolutely amazing experience! They not only accepted our short in to the Festival for Drama and Family, but also informed us that Tea & Coffee had been accepted for the Feedback Festival, where we get a chance to hear live audience feedback after a screening of our short. This was all incredibly well organised, with regular communication from the respective Festival teams and we were delighted to receive a video of the live audience feedback yesterday, as we could not travel to Toronto for this. Thank you so much, this has been such a wonderful and life-changing experience!  |
feedback film festival
DECEMBER 2018 FAMILY Stories, Screenplays, and Short Films
A FilmFreeway preferred festival:
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MAXWELL’S DEMON, 21min., Brazil, Drama/Family |
LOLA, 25min., USA, Drama, Coming of Age |
 NOVEL Transcript Reading: CATLIPS INCORPORATEDDecember 2018 Reading by Sharon Bennett Gandy |
 FAMILY BEST scene Screenplay: FAMILY TREE by Andrea N. CarrDecember 2018 |
 FEATURE Screenplay: WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST by Tara C. HallDecember 2018 |
 TV BEST SCENE Screenplay: SQUAD by Louric RankineDecember 2018 |
 DIVERSITY SHORT Screenplay: NORTH STAR by PJ PalmerDecember 2018 |
 LGBT BEST scene Screenplay: VIN & JILL by Gracious VallariousDecember 2018 |
 BEST scene Screenplay: JONNY QUEST by Alan RosenfeldDecember 2018 |
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Producer/Director: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Festival Moderators: Kierston Drier, Shepsut Wilson
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Festival Directors: Mary Cox, Rachel Elder, Natasha Levy
Camera Operators: Hugh Ritchie, Isabal Cupryn, Aser Santos Jr., Zack Arch
NOVEMBER 2018 FAMILY Stories, Screenplays, and Short Films
A FilmFreeway preferred festival:
 NOVEL TRANSCRIPT: DO MY EYES DECEIVE ME by Wilson JacksonNovember 2018 |
 WINNING FEATURE FILM: FEAR by Peter JangNovember 2018 |
MORGEN, 10min., USA, Documentary
BETWEEN US, 10min, USA, Drama/Family|
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PELICAN, 5min., USA, LGBT
CROWNING CHANGE – THE ERIN O’FLAHERTY STORY, 17min., USA, LGBT
 LGBT BEST SCENE: Girl in the Navy Blue Sweater by Laura CarrioneNovember 2018 |
 LGBT BEST SCENE: Star Like Mercury by Ryan DavenportNovember 2018 |
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Producer/Director: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Festival Moderators: Kierston Drier, Shepsut Wilson
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Festival Directors: Mary Cox, Rachel Elder, Natasha Levy
Camera Operators: Hugh Ritchie, Isabal Cupryn, Aser Santos Jr., Zack Arch
SEPTEMBER 2018 FAMILY Stories, Screenplays, and Short Films
A FilmFreeway preferred festival:
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NOVAA – MELODY OF NEED, 3min., Germany Animation/Music Video
SUSHI MAN, 3min., USA, Animation/Romance FEMALE BEST SCENE Screenplay: TREED by Staci GreasonSeptember 2018 |  FEMALE BEST SCENE Screenplay: SANDS OF THE MIRAGE by Aissa MartellSeptember 2018 |
 LGBT BEST SCENE Screenplay: CLOUDY SKIES OF CONNECTICUT by Lissette CamachoSeptember 2018 |  LGBT BEST SCENE Screenplay: ADULTHOOD by Sam Morgan MacNeilSeptember 2018 |
 LGBT BEST SCENE Screenplay: CAKE by Christianne CharlesSeptember 2018 |  LGBT BEST SCENE Screenplay: TAKE ME TO EUROHEAVEN by Fatih MelekSeptember 2018 |
 LGBT BEST SCENE Screenplay: THE UNVARNISHED TALES OF THE GREEN FAIRY by Jacob CullenSeptember 2018 |  LGBT BEST SCENE Screenplay: ACCEPTANCE IS by Belle AngelSeptember 2018 |
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Producer/Director: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Festival Moderators: Kierston Drier, Shepsut Wilson
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Festival Directors: Mary Cox, Rachel Elder, Natasha Levy
Camera Operators: Hugh Ritchie, Isabal Cupryn, Aser Santos Jr., Zack Arch
FAMILY Festival Testimonial – September 23 2018
 Audrey Arkins |
This was BY FAR our best Festival experience. The US venue is Regal Cinemas in DTLA at LA Live/Staples center. Great seats, great screens, great food with beer/wine. Accepted films get at least 20!!! comped tix and additional guests may reserve for free or by donation. Our short, American Boy, won Best Film for this event but all films got an edited compilation of audience feedback (here’s ours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69lHptHCrjE ). We got excellent web coverage from the festival before and after. This is truly an outstanding Festival. I haven’t reviewed others because I try not to be negative, but they were useless in comparison. This festival made up for all of that. I originally applied because of the term “family” in the title. My film is about kids, but gang murder, so not exactly family fare either. But I hadn’t been able to bring the cast and their friends to other festivals because of R-rated content which concerned their parents. This festival split the program so the kids could leave at the intermission. |
A FilmFreeway preferred festival:
WATCH Winning Family Screenplay and Story Readings:
WATCH Audience FEEDBACK Film Festival Videos:
AUGUST 2018 FAMILY Stories, Screenplays, and Short Films
A FilmFreeway preferred festival:
 Novel Reading: EMPTY SEATS by Wanda Adams Fischer
|  BEST SCENE Screenplay: INSIDE THE WORLD OF ZOE SANDER by Suzanne LutasAugust 2018 |
 FIREFLIES, 3min., UK, Drama
|  GIRL IN YELLOW, 3min., USA, Drama/Family |
 BROTHERS, 5min., USA, Drama/Family |
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Producer/Director: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Festival Moderators: Kierston Drier, Shepsut Wilson
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Festival Directors: Mary Cox, Rachel Elder, Natasha Levy
Camera Operators: John Johnson, Isabal Cupryn, Aser Santos Jr., Zack Arch
Family Festival Testimonial – August 18 2018
Mehmet Tigli (HIGH CALORIE)
I felt very very happy. Thanks a lot for most valuable feedback from the audience.
A FilmFreeway preferred festival:
Watch the Audience FEEDBACK of the Short Film:
6. How did you come up with the idea for this short film?
JULY 2018 FAMILY Stories, Screenplays, and Short Films
A FilmFreeway preferred festival:
MUM, 13min., India, Drama
DOWN TIME, 15min., France, Drama
JUST SAYING, 14min., UK, Drama/Dark Comedy
GRANDFATHERHOOD, 27min., Russia, Drama/Family
HIGH CALORIE, 17min., Turkey, Family/Drama 
SWEETER, 13min., USA, Family/Drama
PRIEST TO PRIEST, 9min., USA, Family/Drama
THE LEGEND OF RASPUTIN, 13min., Canada, Family/Animation
JOYA MIA, 5min., USA, Family/Drama
SWEET YOYO, 18min., Canada, Family/Drama
WHO I AM, 17min, UK, LGBT/Drama
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Producer/Director: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Festival Moderators: Kierston Drier, Shepsut Wilson
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Festival Directors: Mary Cox, Rachel Elder, Natasha Levy
Camera Operators: John Johnson, Isabal Cupryn, Aser Santos Jr., Zack Arch
Family Festival Testimonial – July 23 2018
 Emily Eaglin |
The festival not only screened my film, but hosted an engaging discussion post-screening. As if that was not ENOUGH already, they edited together this video of highlights from the discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJgIJ54KsP4 that I absolutely LOVED. Incredible, thank you SO SO much for going the extra mile. 🙂 I really appreciated all of your hard work & critical thought. |
SWEETER, 13min., USA, Family/Drama
Directed by Emily Eaglin
A precocious six-year-old switches places with her young mother for a day to discover the true meaning of working twice as hard for half as much.
CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!
HIGHLIGHTS: July 2018 FAMILY FEEDBACK Film Festival
AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS:
BEST FILM: The Legend of Rasputin
BEST PERFORMANCE: Sweet Yoyo
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Priest To Priest
BEST MUSIC: High Calorie
Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Videos:
The theme of the July 2018 FAMILY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto was “Heath is Wealth”. Every single film was about how being healthy is the beginning and the end for any life.
There was a terrorist threat called in to the Toronto Police department the day of this festival event. Someone said that “For sure a bomb will be going off near the CN Tower.” So that story caught fire and there was basically a police office stationed at every corner of the city at night.
Selfishly, I was worried about our attendance. People did email the festival during the day that they will not attend, plus one of our volunteers declind to come as well. Nevertheless we still had a solid attendance filled with a great crowd.
My point to the Festival Directors Mary Cox & Kierston Drier was that because this “threat” was now in the consciousness of the city, there will 100% not be a threat because the element of surprise isn’t there. So onwards we went to another successful night. And of course no bomb went off. The police officers earned some much deserved overtime, while many businesses like bars, restaurants, and cinemas simply had a bad financial night.
What a great lineup of Family Films we showcased. Truly proud of this festival night. Can’t wait to showcase more family films.
See you at the festivals.
– Matthew Toffolo
FESTIVAL for FAMILY 