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
EP. 1123 - Screenwriter John C. Fitch III (VIEWING)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/viewing

After a supernatural experience, a street artist at the end of his rope goes to work for a billionaire as a psychic viewer but must fight his way out when he discovers that his shadowy employer is embroiled in a deadly conspiracy. Inspired by true events.

Get to know the writer:

After a supernatural experience, a young street artist at the end of his rope goes to work for a fossil fuel billionaire as a psychic viewer but must fight his way out when he discovers that his employer is embroiled in a deadly conspiracy. Inspired by true events.

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.

EP. 1122 - Screenwriter Anastasia Warmuth (FIREFLY TV Show)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk9nn1nx1xA

Type of Script: TV spec script for the tv show Firefly

The pain caused by the bounty hunter, Jubal Early, in the finale of Season Two still echoes. When the crew of Firefly are infected with a mysterious and deadly airborne virus with dark links to River’s past, Simon must choose between saving the crew and saving his sister.

Get to know the writer:

A spec script of the tv show Firefly. The pain caused by the bounty hunter, Jubal Early, in the finale of Season Two still echoes. When the crew of the spaceship Serenity are infected with a mysterious and deadly airborne virus with dark links to River’s past, Simon must choose between saving the crew and saving his sister.

I was really interested in how the crew in a confined space would react to a deadly disease. Bullets and fist fights can be faced head on, but disease is more insidious and plays on different fears. Infection makes everyone suspect.

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.

EP. 1120 - Petri Puroaho (EnaMOREd)

EnaMOREd, 11min., Finland
Directed by Petri Puroaho
”EnaMOREd” (2023) explores the relationship between reality and dreams. Film shows what is it like to live in parallel world at the same time while coping with the real life events. What we carry in our minds eye can be different than what society assumes from us and even tries to conform us to so called normality when dealing with a persons love-life and relationship.

https://kipikipiweb.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/PetriPuroahoFinland/
https://www.instagram.com/we.sock.pp

Get to know the filmmaker:

Awareness, therapeutic process and time-efficiency. Being myself in a relationship that this film`s theme deals with made it a personal journey, just like my other works of art before. Since the day I started doing music and films, I have always based and rooted all my artistic interpretations and visions from personal experiences or wishes, so I could bring a little bit of hope and enjoyment to the world. I found and got to meet the love of my life just before pandemic started (2019). Then we were torn apart because of restrictions and other things for a long time. So we created a full life online. And last year (2023) we got to meet again. So that time apart was a life-changing experience and made me rethink and re-create my understanding of relationships in a new way. That transformation was so powerful that I felt I wanted to bring a little bit more awareness of that to the world through my film.

And by creating the film it became even almost a therapeutic experience for myself, how to express this phenomenon that I had experienced and lived through (and still living) but this time in film through visuals, music and a story. I also wanted to prove to myself that I could make enough of an impactful story-line with time-efficient length with the film. I wanted to tell so many details and it would have taken hours to explain everything. So I wanted to tackle the theme of the film and get to the heart of it with a few main ideas, and give the audience the chance to fill out the rest of the story in their minds, and the final impact of my film to them would be through their (audience) own reflections.

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.

EP. 1115 - Dmitry Kulak & Rouman Kang (SHATTERED REMEDY)

SHATTERED REMEDY, 16min., USA/China

Directed by Dmitry Kulak

A police officer suffers from severe migraine right before his night shift. He decides to fight it with abnormal amount of medication. However, he does not realize that the side effects will soon cause him to lose his ability to understand reality and differentiate between his own experiences and those of others.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmRa6OCKvGx/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

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.

EP. 1113 - Cousteau Bix Christopher (AUGURY)

AUGURY, 5min., USA
Directed by Cousteau Bix Christopher
What do you see?

Get to know the filmmaker:

I have always been fascinated with film, and I fully committed to being a filmmaker at age 11, a passion that has never faltered for me. With the case of Augury, it had certainly been a while since I created my last short film (during the pandemic). A lot of momentum was derailed due to covid, so I switched gears and while working full-time focused on getting my Bachelor’s degree in Film and Media Studies through ASU Online. Throughout this time, I also did extensive amounts of personal research into cinematography and film production to learn as much as I could.

Once I finally received my Bachelor’s, I decided to put myself to the test. I wanted to make the highest quality production I could with essentially no budget. I believe the total budget for this film was around $200, and it pretty much all went to the prop and craft services. I don’t come from a wealthy family, and never had that “rich uncle” or anyone who would be able to fund my film endeavors, so being self-funded I always leaned heavily into how to “get the best bang for your buck.” I had some gear I collected over the years, and with my trusty Blackmagic Pocket, two video lights, a little LED light mat, and the absolute unbridled passion from my amazing cast and crew, Augury came to be.

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.

EP. 1112 - Claude Edward Fethiere (MR BULLOCH: CHICAGO’S DONUT KING)

MR. BULLOCH: CHICAGO’S DONUT KING, 5min., USA
Directed by Claude Edward Fethiere
This short film celebrates Mr. Buritt Bulloch the successful owner of Old Fashioned Donuts Incorporated, a business which has thrived in the financially blighted Chicago south side neighborhood of Roseland for over 50 years.

Get to know the filmmaker:
I was motivated to make this film because in a world were food is ordered on kiosks, and mass produced by machines, seeing Mr. Bulloch hand make delicious masterpieces every day is a breath of fresh ( baked,raised, and fried ; ) ) air. I wanted to celebrate Mr. Bulloch’s artistry, resilience, wisdom, and charm.

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.

EP. 1111 - Aidan Byrne (THE HUNTER’S EXCHANGE)

THE HUNTER’S EXCHANGE, 10min., Canada
Directed by Aidan Byrne
This 8-minute action film throws an experimental twist on the fight scene genre while taking new directions with popular tropes from fantasy and science fiction films, telling a story about the price of power, with no dialogue.

Get to know the filmmaker:

I had made a minute long lightsaber fight scene years ago, which I had also done all of the VFX for. My brother (and co-star) Mac was looking over my shoulder one day when I was working, experimenting with different lightsaber colour combinations which were unlike anything that had been seen in the Star Wars films. And we both agreed, there was a story in there somewhere. That’s how it started, was finding the story behind this weapon which has been around for decades, that had suddenly been given new life in our eyes.

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.

EP. 1110 - Actor/Producer Lenny Hernandez (PARADISO)

PARADISO, 12min., USA
Directed by Jonna Volz
Paradiso is a glimpse of a day in the life of an unhoused couple looking for shelter for the evening. As they find paradise in a vacant apartment they start dreaming big with possibility, until they are caught.

https://www.instagram.com/paradiso_short_film/

Get to know the actor & producer Lenny Hernandez:
Ultimately, it was an opportunity I wanted to challenge myself to create my own work. As an Actor you rely so heavily on other people to see your value, to give you a chance to showcase your skills and talents. It’s a tough industry to devote yourself to. And while I still love the process of auditioning for TV, Films, and hundreds of commercials, the reality is you only book a fraction of a fraction of paid gigs. So, I decided to take some time to shadow industry people behind the camera to learn the process of filmmaking. It was exactly the hands-on information I needed to learn. There I gathered enough knowledge and confidence to attempt to fully produce my own project in PARADISO.

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.

EP. 1106 - MaryLanae Linen (A PROPER EDUCATION)

A PROPER EDUCATION, 20min,. USA
Directed by MaryLanae Linen
Filmmaker MaryLanae Linen, frustrated by her lack of sex education, sets out to discover if her peers feel the same way. She meets with sex educators, parents, and friends and surveys the streets of Los Angeles to discover that they also lacked an informative and comprehensive sex ed. MaryLanae opens up about her own exploration of sex and reflects on how a lack of knowledge has hurt her. With the encouragement of her mother and peers, MaryLanae redefines her relationship with sex and reimagines a better future where young people can be uplifted and empowered with knowledge regarding boundaries, relationships, and bodily autonomy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuikVtFT7Cc
https://www.instagram.com/propereducation_film/

Get to know the filmmaker:
Growing up I always had a weird and strained relationship with my body and the idea of sex. As a victim of sexuall trauma it was hard for me to see sex as anything other than a bad thing. But as I grew up and met people with similar experiences and questions about sex I felt less alone. I realized that the lack of sex education isn’t just about parents not talking to their kids, it’s about parents not knowing what to say, it’s about the government not providing adequate education. AS seen in the film, there is so much that people don’t know about their own bodies. I wanted this film to open their eyes and make them less afraid of sex and their bodies.

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.

EP. 1103 - Lee Chambers (WICKED PLANS)

WICKED PLANS, 6min., Canada

Directed by Lee Chambers

Style Dayne, the Pizza Guy from Deadpool stars as a foreign extremist from Amadajiya, who accidentally chooses Halloween to enact a moment of terror. To his surprise, he discovers that North American life and culture is truly special, unique and sweet.

http://www.leechambers.com/

http://www.instagram.com/leechambersdotcom

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.

EP. 1102 - Robbi Stevens & Abbie Elliott (THE NIGHTINGALE)

THE NIGHTINGALE, 37min., UK
Directed by Robbi Stevens
Set in London and inspired by real-life events, The Nightingale follows Grace, a second-year university student, on her reckless and dangerous path through the different stages of PTSD. With unflinching honesty, the film explores the lasting impact of sexual assault and the courage it takes to overcome it.

https://raawlondon.org/the-nightingale
https://instagram.com/thenightingalefilm_

Get to know director Robbi Stevens & producer Abbie Elliott:

Robbi: I’ve always wanted to tell stories that asks the audience to contemplate what life is really like for people who have been through injustices like Grace or for anyone who has suffered discrimination. Then around 2019, so many girls and young women I knew were going through different levels of trauma after been sexually assaulted or raped or just having to contend with rape culture. It had become normalised – even decriminalized. It started to feel like an emergency with everyone looking in the other direction and no-one coming to help. Then COVID hit and I sat down and wrote it. It was a call to action! We wanted to shatter the complacency surrounding sexual violence by bringing attention to the lasting impact it has on victims. We refuse to accept a society where violence against women and girls is deemed baseline, and where the burden of preventing assault falls solely on women. Through the raw power of storytelling, we want audiences to witness and truly comprehend the immense struggles victims endure long after the act.

‘The Nightingale’ is not intended to focus on the perpetrator but rather on the strength and resilience of the survivors as they overcome adversity. It is crucial to shift the narrative away from victim-blaming (‘cover your drink, don’t go home alone, stop wearing short skirts) and instead foster a collective responsibility to address this societal problem.

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.

EP. 1101 - Lane Womack, Scott C. Crenshaw, Nickolas Klesmith (ST. GEORGE)

ST. GEORGE, 12min., USA
Directed by Lane Womack, Scott C. Crenshaw, Nickolas Klesmith
A tale of two brothers getting raised by the wrong parents, in this short film part one of a 6 part mini series comes Bodie and Ricki George. Bodie, a cleancut mommas boy gets caught up in his older brother Ricki's troubled past. The two embark on a mission that fails before it started. Bodie gets left with a dead mother, brother in prison and a wife who can't stand him, the only thing standing on the other side of the sun is hope.

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.

EP. 1100 - Filmmaker Marie Queenan (REUNITED)

REUNITED, 12min,. Canada
Directed by Marie Queenan
Two exes reconnect over an evening. One wants to get back together, but the other has a secret that could separate them forever.

https://www.instagram.com/reunitedshort/

Get to know the filmmaker:
—- I made this film months after a break up, and I was thinking about how I missed them and wanted to get back together, even though I didn’t. The film is about how sometimes even though it’s so beautiful, some love is not the right love.

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.

EP. 1099 - Filmmakers Dale Andree, Claudio Marcotulli (MEMORIES OF FUTURE PAST)

MEMORIES OF FUTURE PAST, 9min., USA

Directed by Dale Andree, Claudio Marcotulli

Giving voice to the Everglades through the generational presence of past, present, and future.

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.

EP. 1098 - Filmmaker Anika Jensen (MISSING YOU)

MISSING YOU, 6min., USA
Directed by Anika Jensen
A teenage girl visits a beach where she often went to as a child and reminisces about how things aren’t the way they used to be.

https://filmfreeway.com/anirozai

Get to know the filmmaker:

This might come as a surprise, but the song featured in my film is what came first. I’ve struggled with relatively severe mental health issues this past year and a half and so I wrote a song expressing how I felt about missing the simplicity and innocent joy of childhood. Many people who are in pain use art as a way to express themselves. Honestly, I wasn’t sure whether I would even share the song due to its personal nature. However, in a film class I took over the summer, I was trying to come up with ideas and remembered this song. Even though it’s difficult to be so vulnerable, I knew I could make an impactful story with it. I’m glad I made that decision. Opening up to others always makes me feel less alone and (hopefully) my film will make others who are struggling feel less alone as well.

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.

EP. 1097 - Filmmaker Sasha Marie Speer (SON RISE, SON SHINE)

SON RISE, SON SHINE, 10min., USA
Directed by Sasha Marie Speer
A black man struggles to find his place in the world after not meeting society’s expectations. Son Rise, Son Shine is a short film about the journey of Gerald, a black, gay man, as he interacts with himself and the world from ages 6 to 40. Throughout the film, his 9-year-old self is acting as his inner bully, always telling him that the way he is doesn’t meet who he should be as a black man. That he isn’t good enough. That no one loves him. Through his different ages, we see Gerald struggle, but eventually finally find peace with who he is and his place in the world.

Get to know the filmmaker:

I was approached by real-life Gerald to help him make a film for his 40th birthday. After hours of talking, we decided this would be the most authentic direction to go to reflect his journey to this point in life.

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.

EP. 1096 - Filmmaker Paul Michael Snider (SOLO DUET: WHO'S ON FIRST)

SOLO DUET: WHO'S ON FIRST, 8min,. Canada

Directed by Paul Michael Snider

Through a unique mix of comedy and visual effects, one actor performs the famous Abbott and Costello comedy routine 'Who's On First'

http://www.soloduet.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/findpaulsnider

https://twitter.com/paulsnidermusic

https://www.instagram.com/paulsnidermusic/

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.

EP. 1093 - Filmmaker Maddy Murphy (LOOSEN UP: THE SHORT)

LOOSEN UP: THE SHORT, 8min., USA
Directed by Maddy Murphy, Evan Macedo
18 year old Charlie is eager to get to college where she can finally escape her overbearing parents and put her obsession with self-pleasure to rest using a more socially accepted pleasure. Unfortunately, it’s there that she discovers sex isn’t quite as easy as it looks. Feeling more like a freak than ever before, Charlie must come to terms with an unexpected diagnosis: vaginismus.

https://instagram.com/loosenupofficial?igshid=NTdIMDg3MTY=

Get to know filmmaker Maddy Murphy:
Honestly, my own experience. I have vaginismus and it’s something I’ve struggled with privately for some time. It was a major insecurity of mine, because I didn’t know anyone else who had it as it’s not something people openly talk about. In that insecurity and anxiety, however, I developed a sense of humor, realizing some of my anxious thoughts regarding my vaginismus to be the kind of scenarios that might happen in a sitcom. From there, my ideas developed and we created the “Loosen Up” pilot, later developed into our proof-of-concept short, “Loosen Up: The Short.” Since then, I haven’t had much insecurity about my vaginismus and have found other people I’ve known have started to reach out sharing their own unspoken experiences. It’s an important topic and I’d love to continue raising awareness through the accessible medium of comedy.

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.

EP. 1092 - Filmmaker Jessica Q. Moore (ONCE AND AGAIN)

ONCE AND AGAIN, 5min., USA
Directed by Jessica Q Moore
Tasha, a woman in her mid 40’s, trudges through the end of her day until she sees an old flame on the train platform. The lovers reminisce and rekindle feelings towards each other only to realize that circumstance continues to keep them apart.

Get to know the filmmaker:

You know that feeling when you’re walking around and you think you’ve seen someone that you know, but you’re not sure? The film started as a prompt in Grad school. We picked three elements out of a bag or hat. The three elements were mode of transportation, color, and object. I chose train, yellow, and a scarf, which was perfect for me because I was already thinking of telling a story about lost love. It was actually a film I thought of in two parts, the first part being when the two characters are younger and we see Tasha jilted by rejection of her initial proposal. The second part, is Once and Again, where they see each other decades later.

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.

EP. 1091 - Filmmaker Al Chang (VIRAL)

VIRAL, 11min., USA
Directed by Al Chang
In their pursuit of viral fame, a group of young women’s social media recording session turns perilous when they’re stalked by an internet serial killer.

https://www.instagram.com/4lcfilm

Get to know the filmmaker:

The concept of “viral” content emerged during a casual scroll through Instagram reels, prompting contemplation on the proliferation of videos that are presented as genuine but can be easily debunked upon closer inspection. A prevalent trend is the creation of content primarily for entertainment, with the boundaries between fact and fiction becoming increasingly indistinct. In today’s digital landscape, consumers of these bite-sized clips seem less concerned about the veracity of the content and more focused on its entertainment value, readily sharing and liking material that captures their attention.

The consequence of this trend is a world where individuals are swift to post without thoroughly scrutinizing the authenticity of the content, leading to situations where people may willingly compromise their own well-being or that of others for the sake of garnering likes and shares. It is acknowledged that amidst the plethora of content, there exists informative and high-quality material. However, the challenge lies in such content being overshadowed by the deluge of frivolous and misleading content, unless actively sought out by the audience. The aim of this exploration is not necessarily to convey a specific message but to depict the collective inclination to embrace and propagate content, regardless of its authenticity. The viewer’s interpretation of the accompanying short film is subjective, leaving room for varied reactions, from disturbance to indifference, reflecting the prevailing dynamics of our online engagement.

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.