What would happen if Satan was a rebellious adolescent acting up after arguing with his dad, the big G? Riverpool is an experimental walkmovie that explores this exact premise.

The film runs for about 69 minutes and captures the life of a teen Satan (or Lucifer, depending on what your preference) as she runs away from her home and touches down to Earth. She refuses to return "home" until her dad accepts her for who she is, so she is left wandering until now.

Riverpool was created and produced by The Hill Productions. The group has been a constant presence online in the filmmaking scene since they have worked on a handful of indie film projects like Dozer (2009) and Pentagon (2008), among others. Riverpool is one of their more current releases.

Riverpool (2010) trailer 02 from Davor Radic on Vimeo.

The premise for the film is an interesting one and the fact that the group decided to shoot it as a walkmovie, it captures the essence perfectly. The film is written and directed by Davor Radic and stars Annika Johansson. The nice thing about this film is that it features an open soundtrack which fans or viewers can compile their own playlist for the movie. You can find several soundtrack options on their Facebook page.

Related Links:
The Hill Productions Official Website
The Hill Productions on Facebook
Riverpool on Internet Archive
The Hill Productions on Myspace

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Three people wake up in a hotel room, not knowing who they are, how they got there and why. Point of Departure is an interesting film from German based independent film outfit, Retsina Films.

The film follows the three main characters in trying to figure out where they are and who they are. The intrigue of how they lived their lives and why they ended up in an unknown place is part of the intrigue that surrounds the film. Point of Departure is one out of several low-budget independent films produced by Berlin/Germany based film making group, Retsina Films. The company has produced several shorts including The Immortals which follows three people who are leading double lives.

As for Point of Departure, the film that follows three people who wake up in a hotel bed together. None of them seem to know each other or even have the faintest idea why how they got there. They struggle to find a way out but it seems something always comes up blocking them and diverting them. In the end, each characters is enlightened with a new perspective of who they are and are never the same again.

Although the cast is relatively unknown and the budget is small, the film presents an intriguing concept. The film stars Mit Klara Höfels, Luisa Buzasi, Henriette Heinze, Matthias Merkle, Mario Aperdannier, Manuel Edler & Adrian Scholz; and it is released under a creative commons license.

Related Links:
Point of Departure on LegalTorrents
Point of Departure on Retsina Website
Retsina Official Website

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany License.

If you have been looking for way to try out film making but you simply don't have the resources and time to put together and entire set, gather a cast, and find the ideal location, then you might want to give Stray Cinema a try. What is Stray Cinema?

It's an open source film that lets you use the raw footage and allow you to piece together each one to create your very own movie. Essentially, the challenge is to create your own version, maybe even better than the director's take of the film.

The program will let you edit the raw footage so you can make the film entirely your own. Straycinema.com also holds contests and conducts screenings based on the participants' works. So if you have been looking for something to help you give film making a try, Stray Cinema could be your best bet.

Stray Cinema is actually more than just an open source film. It provides various people, especially enthusiasts, a chance to create their own version of the film. The idea for the film started out in 2005 when the first film was shot in London. It was created by a number of people who had no previous experience when it came to film making, they only had related experience. With the use of a digital camera, the main concept centered in providing people access to creating their own version of the movie. Since 2005, new raw footage has been shot in many different countries; the most recent of which was shot in Barcelona, Spain.

What's great with Stray Cinema is that you can also incorporate free music to the edited parts of the film. Over 65 bands have made their music available for people to use on the website. If you will be trying out editing for the first time, you can get tutorials from the site.

Stray Cinema is a great concept and certainly helpful to those looking to try their hand at editing a film. Moreover, you can also join in on the contest and see whether your cut will make it. All the contest details can be found on their website.

Related Links:
Stray Cinema Official Website
Stray Cinema on Wikipedia
Stray Cinema on Read Write Web

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Solid Snake finally gets some face time on the big screen. Okay, so this might not exactly be "the" Metal Gear movie that everyone is dying to see, but for a fan made film, this one certainly hits all the right notes.

Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy is a low budget film created by a group of young Italian students and filmmakers. They dub themselves as the Hive Division and the group took on a massive undertaking by adapting Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid videogame into a full blown 70-minute film. For a film with no budget, the effects are awesome and for a split second it will even make you wonder whether it's necessary to have a Hollywood version at all.

Initially started as a "hobby," production for Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy had been completely scratched once upon a time. It was salvaged and created into a 30 minute prologue which came out back in 2005. However, for  those who decided that making a film about Solid Snake was more than just a hobby,  they started and created a completely new Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy movie. It comes with a new plot, basically stripped of the fluff and nothing but essentials. The result is the first of a planned trilogy running for about 60-70 minutes each. That's definitely a lot of Solid Snake that fans can look forward to.

As expected with any fan-made, low budget film, the acting isn't spot on, BUT the storyline is pretty original and the quality of the work is really worth raving out. Watching the entire film gives you a similar feel when playing the games, the actor playing Snake definitely knows his stuff and was capable of bringing to life one of the most celebrated faces in the videogame world.

The CG work on the film is believable and the action sequences are up to par with the games. Essentially, Metal Gear fans will either love this film or they will hate it. Certainly, Hive Division has plenty of love for this film and apparently, Mr. Kojima also has some love for it.

The verdict is that, yes, it could use better actors and better acting. However, as a fan film made through blood, sweat and I'm sure plenty of hard work, this film does justice to the Metal Gear franchise. Hollywood could definitely take some cue from Hive Division.

Note from the creators: Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy is a no budget film made by Hive Division, a collective of Italian students and young filmmakers. It’s a non-profit project, based on the videogame saga Metal Gear Solid, created by Hideo Kojima and published by Konami.

Related Links:
MGS-Philanthropy Official Website
MGS-Philanthropy on Facebook
MGS-Philanthropy on Myspace
MGS-Philanthropy Review on TrueGameHeadz
MGS-Philanthropy on GameZine

The Yes Men are a culture jamming activist-duo consisting of Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno. Through actions of tactical media, The Yes Men primarily raise awareness about problematic social issues; most frequently, attention is brought to situations in which a person or group benefits from the detriment of others.

In their films, they practice a concept they have coined as "identity correction", in which they impersonate entities that they dislike. The Yes Men operate under the mission statement of telling the truth and exposing lies. From their offices in Milwaukee, they create and maintain fake websites similar to ones they intend to spoof, which have successfully lead to numerous interview, conference, and TV talk show invitations.

They express the idea that corporations and governmental organizations often act in dehumanizing ways toward the public. Elaborate props are sometimes part of the ruse (e.g. Survivaball), as shown in their 2003 DVD release The Yes Men. The Yes Men have collaborated with other groups of similar interest, including Improv Everywhere and Steve Lambert.

From The Yes Men
"We have been impersonating people in power in to make political points for over a decade. The Yes Men Fix the World is our second feature film. It's won a bucket of awards and accolades, but we're still broke. We are hoping that people who share it will donate some money so that we can do even more outrageous actions.

One final note: making films takes lots of hard work. And money. We busted our asses to make this film and still owe our friends barrels of cash they loaned us. By supporting us and joining the Yes Men Labs, you not only get a membership card and an entry into the prize draw, you also help us to pay all those people back and fund future projects. We're sharing by P2P because we made this film to be watched, and with your help we'll able to carry on with what we love doing."

"Great fun! It takes some nerve, not to mention diabolical intelligence... to pull off the elaborate pranks devised by the Yes Men." — New York Times

Related Links
The Yes Men Website
The Yes Men on Wikipedia
Support their next release
Vodo.net

Moonboy is a short film by Adam Calfee. It is about a young boy who has gotten all fed up with what the television has to offer. “There has got to be more to life than this,” he seems to be thinking, while channel surfing and catching one lame TV commercial after another. What does he do? He aims for the moon!

The creative design of Moonboy is simply awe-inspiring. The film boasts of amazing colors to contrast the deceptively simple illustrations. It also makes good use of subtle elements like shadows and natural facial expressions that make each frame very creative and playful in spite of the darkness in the young boy’s thoughts. I particularly like how the moon looks so magnificent and real, although the stars could use a little more playfulness. For instance, the night sky could have looked even more astounding with the hint of a nebula. But overall, the short film is already a visual feast as it is.

The background music, inspired by Moonlight Sonata, was composed by Reid Wellock specifically for Moonboy, lending a perfect melancholic mood for what is going through a fed up boy’s impressionable mind. Additional animation was done by Gus Trauth, CGI by Jordan Held. The story of Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince comes to mind when the boy is seen standing on the moon. That quick connection evokes a deeper appreciation for the film, because there is so much behind its simplicity that one just cannot help but feel in the end. Now I’m off to embed this video on my Facebook for my playmates to see.

Related Links:
Adam Calfee on YouTube
Moonboy on Vimeo

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Monk learns a thing or two from a tiny little green critter. Way of the Mantis is a beautiful animation short that showcases the story of a Chinese monk that learns a valuable lesson from a tiny friend. The entire film is rendered in a traditional brushpainted style which sets the mood perfectly.

The film was done as a thesis animation by Joe Daniels and Jedidiah Mitchell. It is definitely a nice little animation film to watch;  all 6 minutes of it would be worth your time.

The film is very interesting since the animation is made to look like it was an old Chinese painting. The primary character is a hotheaded monk that can't seen to sit still or have the patience to learn things the traditional way. During his training, he realizes a crucial lesson from a tiny little praying mantis.

The Way of the Mantis was initially done as a thesis project by Joe Daniels and Jedidiah Mitchell for their study in RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology Film/Animation School.) The short animation features really clean work and has a really good sound to go with it. The action scenes are pretty well animated and quite believable. Moreover, you get to experience the truthfulness and see the evolution of the young monk into a mature student.

Related Links:
Way of the Mantis on Internet Archive
Joe Daniels on Vimeo
Way of the Mantis Blog

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Generic License.

Nanotechnology gets out hand and becomes viral. Infest Wisely is a seven episode lo-fi science fiction independent film that revolves around the hazards of using nanotechnology. The film has seven different episodes coming from seven different directors although each episode was written by creator Jim Munroe. Each piece revolves in its own story, but are somehow all intertwined within the main plot of the movie.

The movie is released under a creative commons license. According to Munroe, "It was free to make, so it's free to watch."

Infest Wisely tries to answer what would happen to society if these little handy nano techs get out of hand. It's a film where cats that are "infected" can essentially talk with a fluent British accent and where people's eyes can turn into an instant digital camera. The movie is essentially set in a place where identity theft via "bodily fluids" are common and where chewable nanotechnology is a possibility. Moreover, some of these parasites actually have the capability to control a person's mind; making the storyline more interesting.

Although you can watch each episode as it is, you might find that parts of it might not make sense since the movie is designed to be watched in its entirety.

In the end, the movie is a smart and an enthralling find in the world of indie film making. For those who will watch the film for the first time, the hand held video camera style and the excessively low budget might be a turn off. However, once you finish the film in its entirety, you'll appreciate the smart storyline and the ingenuous ways each of the episodes are tied together. You might forget that you are watching a no-budget film.

The seven directors that contributed to each episode are as follows: Jon Sasaki's ("Obsolete"), Kirby Ferguson ("Orientated"), Craig Macnaughton ("Early Adopter"), Chris McCawley ("Spawning Rebellion"), Jim Munroe ("Sublime Algorithm"), Rose Bianchini ("General Chaos"),  and Benny Zenga ("Leveller").

Related Links:
Infest Wisely Official Website
Infest Wisely on IMDB
Infest Wisely on Underwire
Infest Wisely on Chud.com
Infest Wisely on Blogto

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Generic License.

A graduation film by a group of students led by writer Stian Hafstad, “Small Penis” briefly chronicles the story of Daniel who has huge insecurities about the size of his penis and joins a support group that's a bit out of ordinary.

Produced with a budget of US$400-500 and filmed in only five days in Bergen, Norway, this amusing short film is very well written, shot and composed of surprisingly good, convincing actors. For a film title, “Small Penis” gives a lot, despite its size. Different folks will have different reactions, naturally. Some will be quickly amused, others displeased, and others, stoked.

To elaborate, those who are quickly amused probably felt this film has a hilarious. They are right. Those who are displeased probably thought “Small Penis” is just another meaningless film guised as art by those who had nothing better to do. They should watch this. Those who are stoked probably assumed this is a product of playful and creative minds who take their sense of humor seriously. They couldn’t be more right on the money, at least when the first half of “Small Penis” is concerned.

The characters belong to a support group that would remind you of the usual AA meeting scenes in the movies. While these men’s feelings may be inconceivable for a woman like me, the amusing way in which the story is told did humor me every minute of it, until they started singing and dancing. The music is actually good and catchy (written by Erlend Myrstad), it is just the amount of time spent on singing and dancing that I have some issues with. It would have been better if the film further explored the thoughts and relationships of Daniel, instead of showing a song-and-dance and bloopers sequence. Bloopers are always welcome for me, but a short film has to be packed and every minute must be maximized. In the end, it seemed the creators just wanted to have fun and I see nothing really wrong with that.

The film was shot on Sony XDcam, 1920x1080, 25p, and edited in Final Cut. I've recommended this film to my friends (and I wasn’t embarrassed at all).

Related Links:
"Small Penis" on Vimeo
Download "You are not Your Penis" (mp3)
"Small Penis" on YouTube

To download the video, click on the link above & log in to Vimeo. The download link is below the page fold on the right hand side.

Pioneer One is an original series debuting exclusively online through VODO, in partnership with FrostWire, uTorrent, Limewire, The Pirate Bay and other valued members of our unique DISCO (Distribution Coalition).

Show creators Josh Bernard and Bracey Smith are following their success with The Lionshare to bring a high quality product to audiences without traditional television -- a “TV series without the TV.”

This is also the first VODO release with a commercial sponsor supporting the show: viewers can try their hand as filmmakers, win prizes AND help make sure future episodes of Pioneer One can be made by signing up at mofilm.com/vodo.

In this pilot episode
An object from space spreads radiation over North America. Fearing terrorism,U.S. Homeland Security agents are dispatched to investigate and contain the damage. What they discover is a forgotten relic of the old Soviet space program, whose return to Earth will have implications for the entire world.

Bernhard and Smith's previous collaboration, The Lionshare, found a large and receptive audience online. Building on that success, this pilot was shot for just $6000, raised through the micro-lending platform Kickstarter. Bernhard and Smith are hoping the response to the pilot will interest backers and audience members in funding the rest of the season.

This production was possible, the creators say, due the willingness of talented, professional people working for free. "From actors to composers, they did this because they believed in the project and wanted to see it happen.

The production was a journey in and of itself."" Video blogs that were posted to the web throughout the making of the pilot: http://vimeo.com/channels/pioneerone

This pilot is the first episode of a 7-episode first season. It sets the stage for a narrative arc which unfolds over a further four seasons. This is just the beginning of a larger planned story.

What is VODO?

'VODO could be a valuable tool for indie filmmakers who recognize that obscurity is a much bigger threat to their efforts than piracy.' - Mike Masnick, Techdirt.

Founded by Jamie King, one of the figures behind the well-known filesharing documentary STEAL THIS FILM (www.stealthisfilm.com), VODO brings filmmakers together with the distribution power of the filesharing community. It offers fresh, quality films on a free-to-share basis, promoted and distributed through a 'coalition' of filesharing partners that includes big names like uTorrent, Limewire, The Pirate Bay, Mininova, Miro, TorrentFreak, Isohunt, OneDDL, VeeHD, Plube and Frostwire, amongst many others.

Contact: Jamie King; jamie@vodo.net / Nils Hellberg: nils@vodo.net
Visit: vodo.net for more info
Call: + 49 30 657 99496