Telling stories through film and conversation.
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WILDsound's The Film Podcast

In each episode, the C.E.O. of WILDsound, Matthew Toffolo, chats about all things storytelling and film. Conversations with talented individual from all around the world.

Posts in Matthew Toffolo
March 4, 2023 - Screenwriter Patrick Norman (THE HIGHWAYMAN)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFl77xk6Qzg

A deep and all-consuming romance set in eighteenth-century England between a highwayman and a landlord’s daughter tests their love, loyalty, and willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Logline: He met her on life’s darkest road, and her soul became his moon.

Get to know the screenwriter:

It’s an adventure, romance set in 18th century England about a lonely highwayman who happens upon a beautiful woman along the coast of Wales. After a couple close encounters, they connect and realize that they are one, and develop an unbreakable, intense soul connection. It’s a story about undying love and that special bond that rises to a twin flame or soulmate level. It’s a story about finally uniting with the one you were meant to be with, losing them, and realizing that you can’t live without them.

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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March 1, 2023 - Filmmaker Julianne Martin (THE SPACE BETWEEN US)

THE SPACE BETWEEN US, 3min., USA, Comedy Animation
Directed by Julianne Martin
A lonely spaceman’s desperate desire for company seems bound to come true when a mysterious ship arrives at his space station.

Get to know the filmmaker:

I originally wrote and boarded this project in September-November of 2020 as a way to cope with my own emotional distress during the Covid-19 lockdown. We were over half a year into quarantine, and I kept feeling as though I was remote from everyone and living on the moon. I also felt really unmoored by such prolonged isolation and fear, and was very weary of only connecting with broader society through screens. The era also felt really tumultuous and dangerous– the news was full of people protesting mask mandates, there was palpable tension and dread in the air leading up to the US 2020 election, and it felt like society was really fraying at the seams. This project really helped me process conflicting feelings of wanting to be with other people again while also feeling very scared, angry and threatened.

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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February 28, 2023 - Actor/Producer Steven Byrket (Révérence)

REVERENCE, 19min., USA, Dance/Drama
Directed by Rachel Hemsley
“He danced for fame. She danced through pain. For old times’ sake and to new beginnings…in a fleeting moment.” – Set in the world of dance, RÉVÉRENCE is a story of relationships which resonates with audiences of all backgrounds, including the LGBTQ+ community. The story is told through the eyes of two dancers who began on the same path, yet went completely different directions in their careers and their destiny. Through the tragedy and the person who pulled them apart, a new tragic misfortune causes them to reunite, gifting them each a new clarity – even if it is just for one fleeting moment in a dance studio.

Get to know star/producer Steven Byrket:

Kim and I wanted to do a project together that would include dance and tell a good story. She knew the writer and reached out to him, he said yes, we had one short zoom meeting and the script was born. A story that was relatable, has a true to life message, would motivate and inspire people of all ages and walks of life to keep pursuing their passions and dreams no matter what their situation is.

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

February 27, 2023 - Screenwriter Nate Raven (AZALEA)

Watch the Screenplay Reading of AZALEA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAXG15Ucgmk

A gay couple struggles with the challenges of adoption, while a single woman who runs her own business navigates the complexities of an accidental pregnancy.

https://www.instagram.com/nateraven1/

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

February 26, 2023 - Filmmaker Philip G. Anderson (ALWAYS PRESENT)

ALWAYS PRESENT, 30min., USA, Musical Dance
Directed by Philip G. Anderson
An artist explores their relationship with fear in the creative process.

https://www.philipganderson.com/
https://www.instagram.com/philipgandersonmusic/
https://www.facebook.com/philipgandersonmusic/
https://twitter.com/panderson91

Get to know the filmmaker:

The things that I imagine motivate all artists, a desire to create, to explore and express artistic ideas, to tell a story. The project’s focus is to illuminate an artist’s relationship with fear in the creative process, how it influences them in conscious and subconscious ways, and how to acknowledge and accept that fear as an always present part of the process. I sought to illustrate that through contemporary dance, music, and film.

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

February 25, 2023 - Filmmaker Max Hayes (GREENFINGERS)

GREENFINGERS, 16min., UK, Documentary
Directed by Max Hayes
Following fateful scientific reports, protestors pose the argument for a better future against the vested interest of industry. Small to large, individual to collective, where do I fit into this?

Get to know the filmmaker:

I knew throughout my Middlesex University Film BA that I wanted my final year project to be a documentary. Climate activism is a subject that I’m existentially tied to but I didn’t think I was well connected enough to make a film on it. When I fully considered how I wanted to use my time in education I decided to go for it, commit to researching environmentalism and hope that the experience could make a story.

I found that media coverage is set up to make activists defend their actions; whilst this is an important question to ask, I found this necessitates the activists to be combative towards the interviewer and I wanted to use my film to show their genuine humanity that may not be captured on the news.

I’ve studied Berthold Brecht and believe that addressing the audience directly and taking them out of the illusion of a film is important to communicate a political message. Barbara Kruger and Shepard Fairey’s bold work appealed to me as something that is both political, visually captivating and could be used to break my project up into chapters. They all motivated me to add a more experimental artistic side to the documentary.

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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February 24, 2023 - Filmmaker Minhan Liang (NO COUNTRY FOR DUMB MAN)

NO COUNTRY FOR DUMB MAN, 4min., USA, Comedy
Directed by Minhan Liang
An assassin got exposed after meeting a sexy girl.

https://instagram.com/minhan4real

Get to know the filmmaker:

I always love the films of Quentin Tarantino. He makes me feel like film is an art form to satisfy the creator’s fantasy, therefore it can be full of violence, sex and absurdity. And I always want to achieve things that I can’t do in real life in my film, so I made “No Country for Dumb Man”. This is also my very first attempt to involve guns and blood in my short film since there’s technical difficulties to involves these elements in a low budget short. Not only this, I grew up watching Stephen Chow’s comedies, his good sense of rhythm and unique ways to tell stories really inspire me to create such a dark comedy film.

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

February 21, 2023 - FOREVER BOUND film team (Rob Bell, Elisa Messi, Flavio Carlotti)

FOREVER BOUND, 7min., Italian, Fashion
Directed by Rob Bell
For Forever Bound, we wanted to explore the theme of fate’s adversarial role in a relationship, how destiny, if you believe in such a thing, plays an important role in how our lives turn out. It’s an exciting challenge solving the puzzle of how we are able to communicate such a personal, and yet universally experienced, stage in life. Our aim is that through both action and costume we will be able to artistically portray the inception of a separating thought, consequent tensions, and ultimately the final relief and acceptance of such a painful truth.

https://www.instagram.com/1190productions/

Conversation with

Director Rob Bell.

Writer/Producer Elisa Messi.

Composer/Producer: Flavio Carlotti


From Elisa Messi:

During the pandemic, the desire to take a different professional direction was born. After much reflection, we started to combine the best of our professional experiences to create something that could represent and satisfy us. The desire to be able to express a message through fashion and music, using video as a medium, fascinated us right from the start. Thus was born the idea of telling a story that spoke on several levels. Expressing emotions through clothes and jewellery, defining emotions through colours. Thinking of music as a fourth character on stage, capable of guiding and suggesting through sounds despite the insubstantiality of the body. This fascinated us so much that we created Forever Bound.

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

February 20, 2023 - Filmmaker Akos Kovacs (LEFT ON OUR OWN)

LEFT ON OUR OWN, 27min., Hungary, Drama/Art
Directed by Akos Kovacs
An elderly taxi driver, who happens to be a tireless storyteller, is a man of contradictions: a hopeless romantic and a crude observer of life who has lived through individual hardship and witnessed the despair of others. He doesn’t hold back while roaming the streets of Budapest: the route to the destination leads through the labyrinth of his own memories and emotions, which his words conjure. Friends and strangers, cheap décor, lonely buildings, a life-long correspondence that encapsulates a relationship, numbing melodies from an ancient music box all swirl and blend in this film’s poetic vision. Sensitive writing and emotional cinematography draws the attention to small details, to personal hopes and everyday tragedies. A hypnotic, haunting and tranquil soundtrack gives eerily gentle force to the old man’s tales.

https://www.facebook.com/magunkmaradtunk

Get to know the filmmaker:

I’ve been something of a film aficionado all my life. I was 16 when I attended a so called ‘youth film club’ where all the classic Italian Cinecittá greats were screened, you know, Fellini, Pasolini, Antonioni, the works. Talk about love at first sight. I was thrilled, mesmerized, enchanted and, most of all, intellectually intrigued. My parents were shocked to learn I was not willing to follow the family tradition of attending law school. I respect such Hungarian filmmakers as George Cukor, István Szabó, Lajos Koltai or Vilmos Zsigmond who became Hollywood legends, and love the great Hungarian trailblazing directors who never got their much deserved international break, but are geniuses nonetheless, like Zoltán Huszárik or Károly Makk. They paved the way for aspiring filmmakers like myself. I’m also a big Tarkovski fan, as you might have guessed by our short film’s first scenes that are a dedicated hommage to the opening sequence of Stalker. I’m also an avid reader of literature, be it John Updike or Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I couldn’t write anything if not for the books that left their marks on me. Without my love for the great Czech author Bohumil Hrabal my taxi driver character surely couldn’t have been born.

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

February 18, 2023 - Musician Jonathan Bareford (CLEAR music video)

CLEAR, 5min., USA, Music Video
Directed by Jedidiah Roberson
Clear is about the clarity that our environment is in danger and understanding what side you are on. It’s proof that anyone can be changed to respect nature’s beauty, you just have to see it for yourself. It’s the urgency that something has to be done now, and that it cannot wait. That we all have that rebel in us that wants to do what’s right.

https://www.jonobareford.com/home
https://www.facebook.com/jonobareford
https://www.instagram.com/jonobareford/

Get to know Jonathan Bareford:

I’ve always been inspired by the landscapes of ice caves and glaciers. It reminded me of red rock slot canyons but in the form of ice. When I finished my last music video, I wanted to dive deeper into the story of trying to save the environment but this time about how overwhelming environmental preservation can feel when half of the world isn’t interested in helping. That made me want to take on a good vs evil action style to this video in sort of a vintage NASA aesthetic. Something that would feel more relatable like an old action movie and inspire people to really think about the concept and our environment.

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

February 16, 2023 - Filmmaker Sharon Mayo (THE STAMP)

THE STAMP, 10min., USA, Comedy
Directed by Sharon Mayo
A satire on how to complete a task within government bureaucracy.

https://linktr.ee/anniewaits18
https://instagram.com/the.stamp.shortfilm

Get to know the filmmaker:

used to be a government contractor and one day, the person who did a specific task was out for the day. I thought I was doing everyone a favor when I decided to do it myself so I can finish my assignment early. Apparently not. I was told that I was threatening other people’s job for going above and beyond, so I wanted to examine that under a comedic lens.

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

February 15, 2023 - Filmmaker Vanessa Powers (50 ML)

50 ML, 8min., USA, Drama
Directed by Vanessa Powers
A young man struggles with his sobriety while he and his wife host a holiday dinner with her dysfunctional family.

https://www.oxfordcommafilms.com/
https://www.facebook.com/OxfordCommaFilms/

https://www.instagram.com/oxfordcommav/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I have had this idea in my head for a while. My dad is 35 years sober, and so alcoholism and sobriety have ALWAYS been part of my understanding of the world. Even when I was a little kid, my parents never lied to me about it. In that spirit, there was a time my dad ran to the liquor store to pick up wine for a family event, and had the experience of being drawn to the tiny bottles at the counter. He was sober enough with enough skills to walk away, but I wondered what might happen to someone younger and earlier in their sobriety journey. In addition, my good friend, Casey Hoekstra, who plays the lead in the film, is a professional actor. We worked together on a couple film projects when we were younger, but we had reconnected and discussed working on another project together for a while. I knew I wanted someone of his talent to play the lead, since the film was so complicated in nature. He had this small gap in his schedule, and so once he was available, it was a done deal.

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

February 12, 2023 - Filmmaker Tanin Risdon (TEGG SANDWICH)

TEGG SANDWICH, 9min., Canada, Comedy
Directed by Tanin Risdon
A short comedy about an over-confident HR Rep who is tasked with putting an end to the largest problem in the office: A bizarre, outcast employee and their foul smelling lunches.

https://www.instagram.com/taninjr/

Get to know the filmmaker:
My friend Ian Boyd wrote the script (as well as produced it) and a few people had told me he was looking for a director so I had him send me the script. After reading it I knew I had to be involved because I thought it was hilarious. I immediately had so many ideas to contribute to Ian’s brilliant writing so I was just so happy he gave me the opportunity to direct it.

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

February 11, 2023 - Filmmaker Malka Shabtay (NAFKOT – YEARNING)

NAFKOT – YEARNING, 70min., Israel, Documentary
Directed by Malka Shabtay
An Israeli anthropologist traveling to meet a hidden Jewish community in north Ethiopia. Together they telling their special story of survival Abera, a young artist joins to discover what has been hidden from him

Get to know the filmmaker:

I worked with the community two years before we did the film. i did my research to understand their story..and after two years they were ready to share their story with the world. The biggest obstacle is to do a film with a hidden community, oppressed and full of fear. to get their trust and collaboration and belief that the film will help in their struggle. Only when i turned 60 years old, after writing 15 books I felt I wanted to learn filmmaking, so I went to film school and studied for almost two years.

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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February 10, 2023 - Director Ashley Brajaé & Producer Askia E Drew (OUR CROWN AND GLORY)

OUR CROWN & GLORY, 29min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Ashley Brajaé
A group of friends explores their hair journey and what it means to embrace black hair joy!

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated me to do this film is the fact that hair is such a big part of the black culture, but with that it’s also been ridiculed, misunderstood, then imitated for “trend” without knowing the tragic and beautiful history of our hair. It was important for me to give the story told embracing our black hair joy and how we are all connected with it (men and women) . Lastly to show how we finally embraced and loved our true self.

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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February 9, 2023 - Filmmaker Duy Viet Hai Tong (LONG KISS GOODBYE)

LONG KISS GOODBYE, 8min., Canada, Relationships
Directed by Duy Viet Hai Tong
A window into the last day of a relationship.

Get to know the filmmaker:

I made this film during a period where not a lot of things were happening around me. I was just trying to find my feet in a new environment. I had just graduated from university and moved to Canada. So, I think there was a personal component to making the film because it was for me to reflect on such a long journey from when I was a kid to just being done with the education environment and moving to another phase in life.

The relationship aspect of it came down to reflecting on past experiences and combining them with other things I know of. That’s where the European arthouse influence came in and I thought what a great tribute it would be to have a romance film in that style set in the modern day. We did ditch the excessive smoking though.

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

February 8, 2023 - Filmmaker Victoria Lacoste (RENAISSANCE)

RENAISSANCE, 6min., France, Experimental

Directed by Victoria Lacoste, Penelope Caillet

The sensuality of being alone.

https://www.edelweissfilmproductions.com/

https://www.instagram.com/edelweissproductions/

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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February 6, 2023 - Filmmaker Matthew Catanzano (SPIRITS)

SPIRITS, 9min., USA, Comedy/Horror
Directed by Matthew Catanzano
Some haunts are haunted.

http://thehappyghostproductions.com/
https://instagram.com/MattCatanzano

Get to know the filmmaker:
My two great loves are horror and comedy. I have many MANY sketches online and I wanted to add a more straight-forward horror short to the list. Especially since it more accurately reflects the feature scripts I write. I really wanted to make a short that was scary first, had a lot of lore/rules, and showcased what I could do with no budget.

And subject matter-wise, Ghosts scare the hell out of me. I’m a big fan of creatures and monsters, but it’s ghosts that actually keep me up at night. And I really love the idea of haunted places that are also regular businesses that have to operate day-to-day. haha.

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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February 5, 2023 - Filmmaker Azure Kwok (MONODIALOGUE)

MONODIALOGUE, 5min, USA, Drama
Directed by Azure Kwok
A surreal encounter with Adam reveals everything about Addison’s past, present, and future.

https://www.theythemfilms.com/
https://instagram.com/theythemproductions

Get to know the filmmaker:

Monodialogue was initially just a shower thought. I wrote it into a stage play at first and I wasn’t exactly happy with how it turned out. I was living in Seattle at the time and was surrounded by a group of talented and ambitious friends who are all eager to work and learn in the filmmaking field. So I adapted it into a screenplay and brought them all onto this project. They loved the idea and were incredibly supportive of me. Honestly, my friends were my biggest motivation behind making this film. We wanted to make something together that we’re proud of, and Monodialogue happened to be the thing.

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

February 3, 2023 - Filmmaker Nell Dashiell (GPS)

GPS, 10min., USA, Comedy/Drama
Directed by Nell Dashiell
Kim and Jamie – an upscale, young urban couple – have just arrived home after an evening out with friends when Kim hears a noise. Fearing that a burglar may be prowling around downstairs, Kim dispatches Jamie to investigate. As it happens, Kim is on the right track: Rob, an amateur cat burglar, is hiding in a coat closet – and, as Kim gives Jamie instructions as to where she has carefully hidden their valuables, Rob is given just the detailed info he needs to accomplish his mission.

http://gpsshortmovie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/GPSshortmovie

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?
• I had what I thought was a cute idea and I was dying to actually make a film.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
• The short answer is bound to be deceptive. Here’s the long answer: technically it took three years – but I had a slew of major interruptions including a day job, a family and a pandemic. If you subtract the interruptions, the actual script took about four hours over two separate days, and the actual filming took 48 hours. Editing took forever.

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