QUESTIONING THE WINDOW, 19min., Austria
Directed by Vulpecula Collective
In an intensive conversation in her old apartment in Vienna, the world-experienced artist Beta tries to take away young Gamma’s fears, among other things in connection with her native Burgenland-Croatian language – just as her mentor Alpha had once managed to do with her. But unlike Alpha, Beta doesn’t enjoy playing with her partner’s fears.

Get to know filmmakers Valentina Himmelbauer, Myriam Angela, Tess Hermann –

The desire to realize a film project arose in us at the beginning of 2021. As good friends and actresses, we simply wanted to shoot together once again. The coronavirus pandemic, which was still in full swing and had largely brought cultural life to a standstill, also played a role. As a result, there were even fewer offers for us as actresses than usual. So, without further ado, we decided to realize our own project. The shooting location we were given, an old Viennese apartment with a huge window, finally provided the breakthrough and the crucial idea for the script. Our lives between different cultures were another inspiration: Valentina had spent her childhood as a Burgenland-Croatian in south-eastern Austria; Myriam had also grown up bilingual (German/French) and lived in different places and Tess had moved to London for her Master’s degree, which meant that she has been moving between German and English ever since.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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SANKOFA CHICAGO: THE UNTOLD, 102 minutes, USA
Directed by Vanessa Wright
Sankofa Chicago: The Untold is a powerful documentary that is the second part of a three-part series exposing the inadequacies of American History curriculums in Chicago Public Schools, a problem across the US. It highlights the overlooked contributions of Black and Brown people in American history. It explores methods of enhancing the current History and Social Science curriculum and alternative avenues for incorporating this vital history into other academic disciplines. The film stresses the significance of accurate representation and continuous learning, inspiring viewers to question conventional narratives and seek a more comprehensive understanding of American history.

http://www.sankofachicago.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

The motivation behind creating “Sankofa Chicago: The Untold” stems from a twofold source of inspiration. Firstly, the positive feedback received from the previous installment in the series, “Sankofa Chicago,” encouraged the pursuit of this sequel, affirming its potential to resonate with and educate a broad audience. Secondly, I was motivated to create “Sankofa Chicago: The Untold” because my two kids are currently studying social science and history in the Chicago Public School system. I felt a strong need to investigate what they were learning and explore various ways in which they could be exposed to their history, mainly black history and the histories of other ethnic groups.

My motivation stems from a personal passion for uncovering untold histories. Throughout my life, I’ve been intrigued by the idea of delving into the hidden narratives of our past. Sharing these stories can enrich my children’s education and contribute to a more inclusive and comprehensive learning experience for everyone. As a parent, I’m acutely aware that we don’t always have complete insight into what our kids are learning, which further fueled my desire to provide a glimpse into their education, shed light on why it matters, and explore alternatives for teaching history.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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MI NINA/MY LITTLE GIRL, 7min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Emanuel Loarca
Laura takes us by the hand on a moving journey through time with her mother. You experience how love overcomes suffering and builds lasting memories that give meaning to life and strengthen the soul.

Interview with Director/Producer Emanuel Loarca & Writer/Producer Laura Isabel Figueroa

Emanuel Loarca: What motivated me to make this film was the love imprinted on the page, this beautiful poem that celebrated and honored their unique kind love at different stages of their lives and beyond life itself. I wanted to honor that.

Laura Isabel: The vision of the director and producer Emanuel Loarca, who fell immediately in love with the poem I wrote to honor my mother’s resiliency and unconditionally love. I also wanted to raise awareness among potential viewers to care for their mothers and loved ones while they are still alive. Originally, I was planning to record myself reciting the poem and share the video on social media for Mother’s Day, but Emanuel believed it was meant to be a film and I decided to go along with the idea. I’m glad I did!

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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METHOD OF HEALING, 7min., USA
Directed by Jordan Lee Douglas Sims
After his daughter’s suicide, a mourning father goes to a new therapist. However, things are not as they appear.

https://www.amanwithfriends.com/methodofhealing

Get to know the filmmaker:
I’ve always loved surprising people. That’s always been one of my favorite parts of watching films: the surprise and the awe. I also wanted to challenge myself with this story (this was the largest budget and production for one of my shorts). The challenge of making a conversation between two people sitting in a room exciting and engaging, the challenge of shooting a fight scene, the challenge of putting an actor in a bunch of prosthetic make-up, and the challenge to put this all together into a cohesive narrative.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

• Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

ANATEVKA, 4min., USA, Family
Directed by Danielle Durchslag
A group of school children perform a darkly comedic version of the song Anatevka, from Fiddler on the Roof, for their parents, with new lyrics exploring the modern tribulations of Jewish communal anxiety.

https://www.danielledurchslag.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ddurch/

Get to know the filmmaker:

Years ago, I attended a Fiddler on the Roof themed birthday party for a girlfriend’s daughter. Alongside the other adults, I watched a group of young Jewish ladies in pink ballet outfits, singing and dancing all the big hits from the show. One song they did not perform, I noticed, was my personal favorite from the musical, a sorrowful, sarcastic number sung by the ensemble about being forced to flee their beloved, poor, small village, Anatevka, due to the violent antisemitism perpetrated on them by their Christian neighbors. It’s a heavy, sardonic, shrug of a song. Not the tone we typically associate with children’s birthday parties.

Yet Anatevka’s exclusion haunted me, as did the party in general. Why, I kept wondering, with so many powerful examples of Jewish art, does this one story stubbornly persevere, especially in America? My people have not lived in shtetls for a very long time, thankfully, and though hatred of our community certainly and terrifyingly continues, the story of American Jewish life is largely one of safety and success. Yet this tale, of our poverty and victimhood, of being fundamentally unsafe, remains at the center of how we see ourselves and invite others to see us.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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SHIRINGA: AMAZON WHITE GOLD, 9min., Canada
Directed by Oscar Akamine, Joseph Neyra
Jorge Escompani is a “Shiringa” master, “Shiringa” is a tree which produces natural latex. This is considered a tradition that preserves great passion and environmental awareness. The extraction of latex from the Shiringa three led to the death of thousands of indigenous people due to slavery during “the fever of latex” in the 19th century.

Get to know the filmmaker:
My friend Joseph Neyra, who told me about this place in Iberia, Peru. Where was the “maestro” Jorge Escompani, who was one of the few artisan extractors of natural latex. And between the two of us we decided to make this documentary in the midst of a pandemic, traveling by plane to the jungle and then in a small bus with the windows almost closed at more than 28 degrees Celsius for 4-5 hours. The motivation, although it sounds crazy, was to venture, witness, and record something that is so deep that it is almost magical. I have always had this feeling that the best secrets are found in the depths of any person, in this case in the depths of my country.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

ONE ON ONE, 5min., USA, Drama
Directed by Jack Wolf Perry
A fierce acting coach uses intense techniques to get a performance out of his shy new student.

From Jack Wolf Perry:

The full process took about 3 weeks. The filmmaking class had about one week to write, one week of production where each director got one day dedicated to their film, and then a week of editing before we premiered all of our short films together.

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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WE ARE THE APOCALYPSE ! was the winner of BEST DIRECTION at the June 2022 WILDsound Festival.

Project Links

• Website

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Instagram

“An “arts collective” turns to terrorism to enact a grand scheme of social justice, but their plans go awry when they realize they’ve been conned from within. With nothing to lose, they change tack and return to what they know best.”

Director BIO:

Charles is a New York based television producer, writer and director, living in Jackson Heights, Queens. Working mostly in the true crime genre, he has produced programming for ABC, CBS, NBC, Identification Discovery, CNN and the Oxygen Channel. He also has an extensive background in theater and music, which he draws from in his writing.

Playing at the Festival APP today! You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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HYSTERICAL was the winner of BEST FEATURE FILM at the June 2022 Toronto COMEDY Film Festival.

`https://www.emmaspeer.me/hysterical

https://www.instagram.com/hystericalpotatoes

“Hysterical is a film-adaptation of a one-woman theatre performance. The stem-level plot is this: a girl-woman lost her uterus and sorts through her mind-farm-memories to find it. On a deeper level, the show explores intergenerational womanhood and inherited trauma. It weaves together themes of independence, institutionalized mental health, the female body and its policing, fertility, immigration, and growth to present to you, the audience, an unintentional coming-of-age tale for and of us all, just trying to do the best we can with what we have.”

Conversation with the creator and star Emma Spear on the making of the film. From what was supposed to be a one-woman show, turns into a feature film during the Covid era.

WATCH this film next month. Go to the WILDsound TV app. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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TO BECOME BORN played to rave reviews at the February 2022 WILDsound Film Festival.

https://www.ramdassmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ramdassmusic

https://www.instagram.com/ramdassmusic/

“To Become Born” is the first of a series of musical reflections on birth, life, death, grief, and joy that was inspired by Ram’s experiences trying to move forward after the passing of my newborn son in 2014. After experiencing such immense pain after his loss, he faced depression and feelings of hopelessness to the point where grocery shopping was unbearable. Through various therapies, community support, and time, I found that he softened to his experience and did not come out cynically, but rather he found profound beauty in both the triumphs and the tragedies of life. This song is a question of “would I do it again; come back to Earth to be born, knowing how much pain and suffering there is?” His answer is a resounding yes and an encouragement to others to hopefully be able to find some peace amidst their struggles.

Conversation with Ram on making this music video and his other works.

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OUT OF THE FOLDS OF WOMEN was the winner of Best Sound & Music at the November 2021 EXPERIMENTAL Film Festival. You can watch the film & festival now for FREE HERE.

“With direction and choreography by Anabella Lenzu and videography and music by Todd Carroll, “Out of the Folds of Women” tells a personal vision of femininity, and what it means to be a woman, mother, and immigrant today.”

Conversation with Anabella Lenzu on the making of the film during the Covid era.

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GLITCH was the winner of BEST DIRECTION at the October 2021 HORROR Underground Film Festival. You can watch this film and the festival for FREE on Sunday all day HERE.

“During COVID, a single mom takes on a new assignment that has chilling consequences.”

Conversation with filmmaker Sara Caldwell on the making of the film.

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One more time with feeling! Matthew and Kierston do a round up of WILDsound’s Last festival- a documentary night!

It’s that time again ladies and gentlemen! Festival Round Up Time! Coming to you piping hot and fresh, get Kierston and Matthew’s take on this amazing festival, the films and as always the fantastic crowd!

It’s that time again folks! Time to hear Matthew and Kierston talk about the Festival that occurs on Thursday Nights at the Carlton! Tonight we dive into our Female-directed Films and our Under Five minute festival!

It's that time again folks! Festival Friday Round up Time@ check out theWildsound Podcast where Matthew and Kierston talk about all teh films they've 

You know what day it is here at WILDsound? Friday! Which means it's time for the festival Friday Round Up from the Toronto-branch of WILDsound's Festival! Come hang out with Matthew and Kierston as they talk about the Dark Comedy Festival Night from the Carlton Cinema this part Thursday, August 30th, 2018! 

On Fridays, Matthew and Kierston get on their computers at opposite ends of the city and discuss the craziness that was WILDsound's Thursday Night Festival at the Carlton Cinema. Today, it's an exciting leap down the films on the Female-directed film festival night! 

List of films played at the festival: 

MRS. MURPHY’S CONFESSION, 25min., USA, Comedy/Drama
Writer/Producer by Catherine Haun

Unable to connect with her distant husband and eight grown children, Marjorie Murphy tries helping out at Church. She is given responsibility to prepare a group of teen drop-outs for confirmation.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

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BLOSSOM, 6min., Australia, Drama
Directed by Lisa Defazio

Childhood the one chance we get to transition from bud to bloom. Some memories just cannot be erased, they are like permanent markers in our own timeline.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

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PREY, 10min., Canada, Drama
Directed by Vivien Endicott-Douglas

A young woman confronts her past and present romantic partners. Culminating into a meditation on identity, Prey explores how one of the hardest choices one has to make is to simply put themselves first.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

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RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN, 6min., Portugal, Drama
Directed by Peta Milan

When a relationship turns sour, Justine finds her naked photos posted online and is inundated by secondary victimisation.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

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AXioMA, 15min., Italy, Drama
Directed by Elisa Possenti

An accident and the inability to walk belong to the protagonist’s past as axioms, postulates that do not need to be explained. Each and every one of us is somehow touched by disability. As the storylines progresses, the finely interwoven threads of the plot unravel, showing how the main character feels like a burden not only to society, but also to his family, and to himself. Nonetheless, his story proves that anybody can get their chance to start anew.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

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THE PITS, 6min., Canada, Comedy/Romance
Directed by Shetu Modi

At 13, Dhruvi is appalled to learn the Indian food she eats every day makes her armpits smell funny. Her struggle with pungent food and bold spices resurfaces years later, when she’s drawn to a fellow South Asian student in university.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

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FOXY TROT, 14min., USA, Comedy/LGBT

Directed by Lisa Donato

A married couple unexpectedly face their relationship issues when they take ballroom dance lessons in a very heteronormative class.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Every Friday Matthew and Kierston get together and talk about plthe festival they did the Thursday Before. Come hear about the awesome shows and the awesome audience at the August 16th Experimental Film Festival! 

Here is the list of films that played at the festival: 

GLENDALE, 6min, USA, Dance
Directed by Sean Wehrli

A portrait of Detroit and the passion its people share. The same passion fueled by love and joy can be flipped to motivate crime and destruction.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

FOR REST, 16min., Japan, Experimental
Directed by Shinya Isobe

A feast is laid out on a table nestled among the roots of a tree in a forest. In a 16mm time-lapse the food gradually rots. Watching this time pass, our imagination conjures images of various things, including death, and spins its own tales until eventually, as the table becomes a mound of grass and new shoots begin to grow, while being struck and shaken by the mystical nature of time we come to embrace the rebirth of hope.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

SARAVA, 3min., Brazil, Music Video
Directed by Luma Oquendo & Mauricio Pisani

A music video for music SARAVA from Funk Buia & Arcanjo Ras feat. Paula Pretta. Produced by Pitcho Z’Africa Brazil.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

SEPARATE SENTENCES, 15min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Amie Dowling and Austin Forbord

Incarceration is not a single or discrete event, but a dynamic process that unfolds over time and affects families for generations. Separate Sentence (2016) is a 15-minute dance/theater film that draws upon individual experiences and physical memories of a cast comprised of Bay Area artists – some of whom are fathers or sons who have experienced incarceration. The film was shot throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

DUEL CITIZEN, 9min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Marcel Giwargis

An Iranian immigrant confronts his American self.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

SILHOUETTE OF A STORM – BENT TREET, USA, 4min., Dance
Directed by Nick Zoulek

In Silhouette of a Storm-Bent Tree, saxophonist and multimedia artist Nick Zoulek fuses all of his creative endeavors, serving as performer (bass saxophone), composer, producer, director, cine- matographer, and engineer, in order to fulfill his artistic vision.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

THE POET, 6min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Adam Cushman

After the Second World War, an inspired poet takes the stage.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

WAITING, 5min., Canada, Experimental/Comedy
Directed by Hans Grossmann

Waiting for the inevitable is all that’s left for many of the folks at this retirement home, but one of these feisty grandmas has found her passion in the weekly Bingo game! Never winning has become a frustrating problem though, especially with the popular grandma always taking home the winnings! But enough is enough! When the taunting boils over, this little old lady has had more than enough, and decides to throw the first punch – or pie, rather!

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

SOLARIS, 5min., Australia, Music Videov
Directed by Stephanie Peters

The clips journey into the twisted and depraved mind of a psychopath is inspired by none other than the Crawford Family murders whose deaths rocked Australia’s Great Ocean Road community in the 1970’s and to date whose killer has never been found.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

FUERZA, 4min., Australia, Dance

Directed by Grace Moore

Dancer Cameron McCormack takes us on a journey of strength and space in this short ballet film.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

AUGENBLICKE – A BLINK OF AN EYE, 4min., Animation/Drama
Directed by Kiana Naghshineh

Three perceptions of only one truth – hers, his and ours.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Every Friday Matthew and Kierston meet up to discuss the festival from the night before. Every Thursday at the Carlton Cinema in Toronto, WILDsound screens amazing films from around the world. Last night it was our Drama/Crime and Under-Five-Minute night. Let's hear about what the audience was like, and what the films were like as well! 

A showcase of 12 short films from around the world: 

#1 - UNEARTHED, 9min., USA, Drama/Crime
Directed by Daniel Bergeson

A mother must come to terms with her guilt after committing a heinous crime of vengeance. 

#2 - SNIP, 6min., New Zealand, Drama/Crime
Directed by Kenneth Clark 

A new hair style can change your life. 

#3 - KALTRINA, 10min., Drama/Crime
Directed by Evi Stamatiou

Centers around Kaltrina, a nurse from Kosovo who lives and works in NY and the conflicts that occur when a stranger who breaks into her apartment. 

#4 - THE GHOULIES, 5min., Australia, Drama/Crime
Directed by Harrison Lane 

Two brothers have their relationship tested when 11 year old Cooper wants to become a part of his older brother's gang. 

#5 -PERSONA, 2min., UK, Animation/Experimental
Directed by Thomas Donnelly 

Persona is a metaphorical film which uses masks in order to depict the destructive nature of Communism in pre-Soviet Russia

#6 - GIRL IN YELLOW, 3min., USA, Drama/Family
Directed by Christopher Tjajadi 

A switch in perspective reveals that nothing is as it seems. 

#7 - BROTHERS, 5min., USA, Drama/Family
Directed by Randy Kerr 

Set in the Pacific Northwest, three brothers find refuge and redemption from a troubled home through their love of fly fishing for steelhead and the enduring relationships they forge on the river. 

#8 - KCLOC, 3min., India, Documentary/Animation
Directed by Ninaad Kulkarni 

KCLOC is a 3D animated documentary on people's perceptions of time. A selection of brief interviews provide the voices for ten meticulously designed CGI clock characters, in a variety of real-world settings, as they respond to a single question: "What does time mean to you?" 

#9 - THE CORD, 5min., USA, Drama
Directed by Catherine L. Allard 

Adam and his friends enter the house. The mood is going to turn cold. He is about to do something that will change everything. His mind is made up. He is ready to cut the cord. 

#10 - NOT THE SAME RIVER. NOT THE SAME MAN, 4min., Animation/Experimental
Directed by Michelle Brand 

A fisherman takes his boat out on the river. While he and his surroundings are in a constant flow, the viewer observes the passing of time, watching everything go through movement and change. In an ever-flowing cycle, things come to be, change, evolve, and pass on.... 

#11 - IN THROUGH THE NIGHT, 4min., Drama/Experimental
Directed by Josiah Cuneo 

By recalling a childhood story, a world of daydreams and longing unfold against a quiet backdrop of the quotidian. 

#12 - FIREFLIES, 3min., UK, Drama
Directed by Aram Atkinson 

Camping is a magical time for any child, but for this particular young girl and her father, it is an experience they'll never forget. Fireflies is about the dedication and love of a father to his daughter, and the mysterious and magical things that can happen when you let your imagination run wild