3500+ Films - 2.5 million words – 1 million viewers! Founder and Curator Carmela selects some of our most entertaining, powerful and inspiring Action films at We Are Moving Stories. These include short and feature length drama and documentary about women’s stories, genre and superheroes both fictional and real.

Total length of this section: 20 films.

<WOMEN’S STORIES>

Prey - A backwoods hunter realizes she may be the prey of another hunter when she stumbles upon bloodied articles of clothing during her daily trap checkings. Escaping the forest is the key to her survival. Length:3.13 minutes. Cinematographer/Writer/Director/Producer Nick Vera:

If you like thrillers or just want to to be entertained with folks running around with guns, I think this would be a film for you. I believe it’s up to the audience to decide what they want to watch.

The Archer - High school archery champion Lauren has just landed in Paradise Trails, a brutal juvenile correctional facility in the wilderness, after hospitalizing a boy in self-defense. But when Lauren learns how deep corruption runs at Paradise Trails under the pernicious rule of warden and bow-hunter Bob, she plots her escape, with the aid of rebellious inmate Rebecca. Length:86 minutes. Director Valerie Weiss:

It is rare to see an action movie with a female protagonist and even more rare to see such moving, authentic and grounded performances in one. My goal was to make the drama as intense as the action so you would really empathize with these characters.

Protectress - During battle, a healer duels with her mortal enemy in an unsettling form, facing an impossible choose that will forever forge her destiny as a warrior. Writer/Producer Joanna Ke and Director America Young:

“JOANNA: Thank you so much! There are a few reasons why I created “Protectress”. As a professional script reader and actress, I consistently see underdeveloped and vapid female characters. I strongly believe that the world needs more stories with female heroes and more portrayals of feminine leadership. I created a character and a world that addressed those things, and I also wrote the role I always wanted to play, a warrior woman. When I was growing up, I never got to see someone like me, a half-Asian woman, as the lead heroine, so I wanted to change that.”

Tirachinas - A wild North American love tale that follows three couples as they explore some of humans' most animalistic desires. Length: 15 minutes. Writer/Director Pedro Patricio:

Themes: desecration, family feuds, playing with savageness, infantilization, fictional love affairs, solitude.

I wrote Tirachinas because I wanted to talk about our current violent times, the lack of communication in our society, forbidden love affairs, broken promises and the unexplainable turns of destiny.

Fargate - This short British action comedy is a story of two women on a mission - one to pay her overdraft, the other to stop a bank robbery. The adventure begins. Length: 18 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer/Actor Sally Cancello:

Coming from a family of six children and many cousins, I think that family is very important to me and is one of the main themes in this film. When you come from a big family, it’s easier for there to be crossed purposes and also a franticness to even getting the simplest jobs done, which can also be seen in the film. Love and togetherness are also strong themes, which come from my own family and are also a big part of northern culture.

Demon Hunter - The War for Your Soul has Begun. Length: 85 minutes. Writer/Director Zoe Kavanagh:

If you’re a member of the audience, I would say if you’re into the sub genre of Action Horror, then this film is for you. There’s not a huge amount of Action Horror films out there and particularly female led, so maybe it will fill a void for you. If you like dark superhero stories and comic books where the protagonist has a troubled past and it’s that journey you want to go on then you may like it.

<GENRE>

Are You My Mommy - An action star in mortal danger is rescued by an unlikely saviour with ulterior motives. Length: 14.30 minutes. Writer/Producer Paula Jean Hixson:

Front and center in this film are the personal and universal themes of being a woman, approaching 50, being larger than a size 4, and being de-valued and under-represented in film, television, and media.

AFREEN - A film on ISIS, Afreen is a timely film about the roots of terror and the price of revenge. Length: 1 hour 48 minutes. Director Aashish Chanana:

eligious and spiritual conflict. Imperialism. War crimes. Propaganda from all sides. Cult indoctrination. The dangers of terrorism. The dark side of multiculturalism. The existential dread over an uncertain future.

Does ANY of the above bother YOU? If it does YOU are my audience.

Interwoven through the foreground and background of these adventures is a timely, realistic, true-life narrative of violent Islamic terror in the Western world, tying the film’s characters to familiar, world-changing events, and threatening to culminate in a major attack that only AFREEN has the power to stop.

JC - Love. Marriage. Death. "JC" is the daring new vision of William Shakespeare's political thriller "Julius Caesar". JC is about the dynamic and powerful Portia racing to uncover her husband Brutus's secret plot to assassinate his friend Caesar. The film mixes documentary footage, with narrative photography and cutting-edge organic visual effects realized by two-time Academy Award-Winner Jon Meier. Led by powerhouse performances by stage and screen luminaries Francesca Manzi and Charles Porter, "JC" drills deep into the complexities of marriage, friendship and politics, duty to country. Adapted for the screen, directed, edited, produced and co-DPed by multiple award-wining writer/director Matt Boatright-Simon, this action-packed, sexually charged retelling of the Bard's timeless classic couldn't be more timely. Length: 15 minutes. Interview with Writer/Director Matt Boatright-Simon and Producer/Actor Francesca Manzi.

<SUPERHEROES: FICTION>

Balloon - Exploring gender through the lens of the superhero myth, Balloon questions how we raise boys when our concept of masculinity has become narrow. Length: 16.46 minutes. Writer/Director Jeremy Merrifield:

The whole film deals with the “mask of masculinity.” On a personal level, that’s Sam’s struggle and what it was like for me growing up. Paul Scheer’s character jests, “Thought you’d escape, huh?” Well, no. No one escapes society’s expectations of gender, and boys are no exception. The real problem is that we measure our boys is by what we expect them not to be. Don’t be a “loser”, a “pussy,” a “faggot.” But, we’re hopeful. Sam has superpowers—maybe he will be the exception?

The Adventures of Penny Patterson - High school senior Penny Patterson faces growing obstacles to winning the science fair after Steve, her lab partner and boyfriend, becomes a superhero overnight. Length: 19 minutes. Writer/Director Stephanie Donnelly:

At its core, this film is about a girl stuck in an unhealthy relationship. As someone who hasn’t always fit in, Penny needs to find her own identity and discover who she is outside of her boyfriend. I think her character journey is both universal and personal. Steve was inspired by many of my friend’s ex-boyfriends. As a result, women can often relate to Penny’s interactions with him..

Invincible Boy - A wildly imaginative boy's mission to become a superhero is challenged when his optimistic view of the world begins to crumble. Length: 20 minutes. Writer/Director Julian Park:

The audience should definitely watch the film if they want to have a good time. If you want to get a taste of the playfulness you had as a kid, if you want to remind yourself of that invincible feeling of youth and thinking anything was possible, if you want to be uplifted and have a smile on your face, then you should watch this film.

Won’t Somebody Think of the Children?! Two third grade girls are writing a comic book together about feminist superheroine Sergeant Laser--but as they push to make their deadline, their friendship is tested. Length: 14.03 minutes. Writer/Director Giorgi Plys-Garzotto:

Without being immodest, I can say that it’s a feminist story, hopefully a funny one, with female friendship as the central theme. It also touches on the often-toxic dynamics of the art world and cautions against heterosexual relationships, particularly how much they often demand from women, usually at the cost of their own personal passions.

Superheroes - Surrounded by family violence, ten-year old James uses the power of his imagination as a sanctuary for himself, his brother and mother from a disturbing reality. Length: 7 minutes. Writer/Director Chris Busuttil and Producer Jessica Pearce:

Chris: I believe Superheroes has a unique approach to other films in this genre. Superheroes delves deep into the imagination of a young boy and gives the audience a visual representation of how it is used as a coping mechanism in a house dominated by family violence.

Superpowerless - A superhero loses his powers after turning forty and must adjust to a new life. Length: 80 minutes. Director Duane Andersen:

If you love superhero movies, you’ll love how we subvert the genre of superhero films, making a personal story grounded in reality... about a superhero. If you hate superhero movies, you’ll love how we subvert the genre of superhero films, making a personal story grounded in reality... about a superhero.

Bakerman - Man cannot live off bread alone…Length: 83 minutes. Writer/Director David Noel Bourke:

... We really liked BAKERMAN and the sinister twist you give to the superhero tropes lingering in pop culture right now and was amazed by Mikkel Vandsholt’s performance oscillating between touching introspection and vulnerability and these violent outbursts that are both shocking and eerily relatable.” – Munich International Film Festival

<SUPERHEROES: DOCUMENTARY>

Superheroes & Me - Assembling superhero stars, comic creators, and costume-clad fans, the documentary Superheroes & Me unmasks how superheroes can bring people together and provide hope in difficult times. Length: 7 minutes. Director Liam Burke:

The documentary Superheroes & Me unmasks how these iconic heroes shape people’s lives. The project was developed over several years. It features film and TV stars like Rose McIver (iZombie), Marc McClure (Superman: The Movie), and Eka Darville (Jessica Jones), as well as best-selling comic book creators such as the first woman to draw the Wonder Woman comic, Trina Robbins, and the creator of Harley Quinn, Paul Dini. Most importantly Superheroes & Me draws on over one hundred interviews with superhero fans who demonstrate the important role of superheroes in their daily lives..

Batman and Me - A look at the role of an obsessive collector in an increasingly pop culture-centric world. Length: 1 hour 24 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Michael Wayne:

I was attracted to the story of someone who had been through the madness of pop culture geekdom and emerged with words of warning - but had a sense of humour about it. I don’t believe total immersion in and self-identification with pop culture is always something to be celebrated, and Darren’s experience seemed to illustrate that point.

Squee! Identifying As A Fangirl - Squee! Documenting Where No One Has Documented Before. The Squee Project is a web series that explores topics of womanhood, feminism, representation, creativity and production, body image, race, sexuality and more in pop culture. Length: 10.51 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Hansi Oppenheimer:

Did you know that many fannish women in their 70’s often have a “death pact” with a friend so that when they die, their friends can get rid of all their fanfic before the families discover it? We are lucky to have access to all the fanfic and fanart online now, but what of the stories of their creators? As a woman in fandom, I was aware that many of us are shamed for our passion — in a way that sports fans don’t often experience. I felt that creating a web series about women in fandom would help the community by creating a dialogue about all aspects of our experiences as pop culture fans. It has been such a joy collaborating with other women and discovering the camaraderie and support within the fandom community.

Nocturnal Warriors - An unlikely group of superheroes take on the gas industry in the Australian desert after their habitat is threatened by fracking. Length: 5.08 minutes. Co-director Alex Kelly:

Bilbies are active at night and so they are of course up to their super hero tricks after dark. We wanted people to have fun and have a laugh as a way to share some of the more concerning facts about fracking.