This audience favourite is an exciting juried program that presents a selection of short films submitted by regional, national and international filmmakers. All official selections in this line up are eligible for awards in their respective category (High School, Simcoe County, and Open Category) as well as the People's Choice Award which will be voted on the night of the screening. Best of luck to all the filmmakers!
Showcase Screening Program
Saturday, October 14, 2023
7:00 pm – Showcase Screening
Screening location: Galaxy Cinemas Barrie, 72 Commerce Park Dr., Barrie, ON L4N 8W8
Filmmakers Party & Awards
Awards will be announced at the Filmmakers Party following the screening
Filmmakers Party location: The Canadian Brewhouse, 125 Park Pl Blvd, Barrie, ON L4N 6P1
*Entrance to the Filmmakers Party and Awards is included with your film ticket.
Content advisory: some films contain violence, coarse language and scenes that may not be suitable for sensitive viewers.
1. Second Life
Directed by: Darrin Rose
Producer: Courtney Hicks
Cast: Ava Julien, Suresh John, Natalie Dale, Arwen Humphreys, Nigel Downer
SciFi Comedy/Drama, 9:17 (Canada)
Simcoe County Category
A heartbroken robot replacement wife discovers she's lived a violent second life she didn't know about.
2. The Tea Party
Directed by: Arianna Grace Goarley, Noah Hollinshead
Cast: Azari Ollivierre, Geoeigh Wheby, Lyrik Alkema, Andrea Matei, Anna Goldsmith,
Fantasy, 3:20 min., (Canada)
High School Category – Innisdale Secondary School
Alice becomes anxious when her friends arrive early to her tea party. As her anxiety peaks, it triggers the characteristics of her ADHD to take on the form of characters from Alice in Wonderland. Will Alice be able to find the coping skills to make her tea party a success?
3. Final Meeting
Written and directed by Jim Garrison
Starring: Shannon Cooney, Natalie Peters, Amadea Kevala,
7 min. (Canada)
Open Category
A desperate mother meets up with her addicted daughter to try and mend their troubled relationship and gets more than she bargained for.
4. The Forgetting Device
Directed by Chris Remerowski
Cast: Jarod Joseph, Anand Rajaram
Thriller/Mystery/SciFi, 9 min. (Canada)
Open Category
A man begins to suspect that something strange and sinister is responsible for his recent memory loss.
"The Forgetting Device" stars Jarod Joseph one of the stars of the hit CW series "The 100". The film also features Anand Rajaram, from the hit PBS series "Odd Squad". "The Forgetting Device" features an unforgettable original score composed by the CSA winning duo of Rob Carli and Kristjan Bergey ("Murdoch Mysteries" and "Frankie Drake Mysteries").
5. Summoned
Directed by Soma Kido-Belanger
Produced by Vincent Zhou
Cast: Vincent Zhou, Soma Kido-Belanger, Phoenix Hsuen, Shane Freeman
SciFi, 4:54 (Canada)
High School Category – Earl Haig Secondary School
A scientist, Igor Benedict, finds a glowing violaceous asteroid. He extracts a serum from the rock, and will do anything to uncover its true powers.
6. Breathless Memories
Directed by Vincent Zhou
Cast: Deryck Berry, Luca Marzura,
Experimental/Drama, 4:47 (Canada)
High School Category - Earl Haig Secondary School
Chuck, a young man finds an element from his past he thought was long forgotten. He goes on a journey of discovery to find peace.
7. Solo Un Ensayo
Directed by Hugo Sanz Rodero
Drama, 9 min. (Spain)
Spanish with English Subtitles
Open Category
Two sisters, seven and eleven years old, are hiding inside a closet in a house. The little sister thinks they are rehearsing for a game but the older one knows that a terrible threat lurks outside.
8. Hold Your Hand
Directed by Will Noble
Cast: Mitchell Jaramillo, Eric Amaral, Katherine Halievski
Drama, 9:50 (Canada)
Simcoe County Category
After a violent encounter with a stranger two young men are at odds about how to justify the incident to the police given the nature of their relationship.
9. Wichless
Directed by Soma Kido-Belanger
Cast: Mimi Berman, Tyler Yeung, Allen Belyal, Vincent Zhou
1:24 (Canada)
High School Category – Earl Haig Secondary School
A student is sitting alone at lunch when suddenly a girl walking by catches his eye.
10. Out of the Bag
Directed by: Ashley Ayeri, Weigeyuan Margaret Chen, Nick Tardiff
Animation, 3:13 (USA)
Open Category
Bank robber Roy runs out of a bank vault where a getaway van is waiting for him, operated by his girlfriend Roxie. While he loads the van, a stray cat sneaks in their bags, mesmerized by the paper bill floating through the air. The two criminals prematurely celebrate when suddenly they see the stray cat calling 911…
11. The Pageant
Directed by Maia Cassie
Cast: Jo Hughes, Gracie Williams, Jillian Telfer
Thriller/Horror, 5:32 (Canada)
High School Category - Queen Margaret's School
After three vain high schoolers enroll in a beauty pageant, their competitiveness and pursuit of beauty turns fatal.
12. Hunting Bears
Directed by Jason Ruddy
Cast: Nathaniel Parker, Joel Beckett, Pamela McNay
Drama, 10 min. (UK)
Open Category
Kenny and Andy are brothers. Kenny suffers from Alzheimer's and has been in Andy's care for the last couple of years. When Andy can no longer face the responsibility, a trip down memory lane seems to be the only answer to his problems.
13. A Blue Star Apart
Directed by Justin Church, Joe Morin
Cast: Justin Church, Ryan Walker,
4:31 (Canada)
Simcoe County Category
Aiden, a depressed miner from Praxor-5, prepares for an intergalactic journey to help his ageing father on Earth.