In my role as Jury Director for the Regina International Film Festival, I write notes on the films in competition. This expands upon my jury notes. The jury, composed of 15 established and talented filmmakers and artists, unanimously declared this an extraordinary film, with several using the word "masterpiece." I would like to see a statue of Captain Stavros Salomon erected on the southern coast of Lesbos, facing southeast, toward Izmir and beyond, toward Syria. Although he is merely a fictional character born from the mind of Brandt Andersen, Constantine Markoulakis's interpretation transcends reality to become the raw material of mythology. Director: Brandt Andersen Writer: Brandt Andersen Stars: Yasmine Al Massri, Yahya Mahayni, Omar Sy I have never seen a better or more moving performance, brimming with heroism and altruism. It is a benchmark performance, like Buster Keaton's in The General, Robert De Niro's in Taxi Driver, or Meryl Streep's in Sophie...
Happy and You Know It focuses on four children's music creators, considering the industry and cultural climate in which they work. When preschool teacher Laurie Berkner realized she couldn't reach her young students, she began writing and performing original songs, often about dinosaurs, from their perspective. Chris Ballew enjoyed success with his 90s alternative band, The Presidents of the United States of America, but after burnout in the music industry, he released numerous albums as Caspar Babypants. Director: Penny Lane Stars: Chris Ballew,Laurie Berkner, Anthony Field Musician Divinity Roxx, Beyoncé's former touring bassist, fused hip-hop with positivity in her own foray into children's music. And for children's artist Johnny Only, releasing his version of the old summer camp theme "Baby Shark" in 2011 became a legally firm signpost on the path that South Korean company Pinkfong took to unleash its own version of "Shark" into the global ...