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.
Differently Water, 8min., Italy
Directed by Daniele Catini
Two Arab women meet underwater to express their love. The sea becomes an accomplice to a secret in which their eyes reveal that desire hidden from a world that cannot understand
.https://www.instagram.com/daniele_catini21
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-differently-water
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Tale & Bones – Dark Princess, 3min., USA
Directed by Daniella Meggoe, Benson Jackson
Dark Princess is a psychological short highlighting the unique relationship between a grandmother and her grandchild. The innocent yet menacing ques are overlooked as something mysteriously dark is brewing.
http://www.sistastalk.org/talebones
https://instagram.com/Nellamovieproduction
Get to know filmmaker Daniella Meggoe:
What motivated you to make this film?
I love horror and creating. I enjoy being challenged, after creating my first short film in 2021 I decided to a horror film.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
2 years
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Thriller Suspenseful
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Understanding angles and finding the right filming crew
What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Excitement and joy, it’s interesting to see different perspectives on the film.
When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Since I was 8 years old, my vision and creativity is pretty broad. I grew up watching movies from various genres and wondered “how did they do that” how did they make that look so real? I’m an avid story teller so I’m developing my creative side.
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Resonance in the Castle, 17min., USA
Directed by Brandon Katcher
A mysterious castle breathes with light and color, drawing all who enter into its shifting embrace. Stained glass spills vivid hues across ancient stone, golden reflections dance over strange artifacts, and ethereal performances flare up like living paintings. Surreal, electric, and unbound by space or time. Musicians, dancers, and performance artists bring their visions to life, each performance casting a ripple, before fading into the ether. A place of mystery and spectacle, this living museum exists only in the moment it is seen, leaving behind only echoes. Here, the castle is not a place but a state of mind, a dream in motion, inviting us to lose ourselves within its walls.
https://www.lostsummitfilms.com/
Get to know the filmmaker:
What motivated you to make this film?
The opportunity to make Resonance in the Castle came at a key moment in my life, when I felt directionless and depleted. I had just wrapped a grueling, two-year documentary production, and like so many filmmakers, I found myself in that fog of burnout and uncertainty. What’s next? And then, pure coincidence gave me the opportunity to join an artist residency in a century-old castle in Italy. I traveled there with only a few basic ideas, the glimmer of a story. But through collaboration with musicians, dancers, sculptors, and actors from around the world, a film was born through the freedom of creating without expectation.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Not knowing what to expect from the location or the artists involved, I arrived in Italy with only basic ideas and visuals in my head. Once I was able to see the castle in person and meet the artists, those ideas became collaborations, and the scenes took shape. Each artist had a plan for their live performance, which we adapted for each room and scene. The actual filming took place over two days and became an improvisation as I learned to “dance” with each performer. During the week in the castle, we also performed live in front of an audience and filmed a documentary of the event. Once I returned home, the editing process took about two months.
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Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORLXdXShdAk
Desperate to escape her abusive, Christian Nationalist family, a teenage girl finds an unlikely ally when a female werewolf from a pack dead set on killing her family lands in her home, and the attraction they develop for each other forces them into a fight for their very survival.
Get to know the writer:
What is your screenplay about?
Beasties is a coming of age, horror story, about Mara, a late teen girl living on a remote ranch in Montana with her abusive, Christian nationalist family with dreams, but no means, of escaping. Her life changes when Lilly, the daughter of an equally toxic werewolf clan traveling through Montana, ends up saving Mara’s life and consequently lands in Mara’s family’s home during an extreme winter storm. As Lilly’s family descends on the farm to retrieve Lilly, Mara’s family realizes that Lilly and Mara have formed a romantic connection, going against the very roots of their family moral system. With Lilly’s family hell bent on destroying Mara’s, and Mara’s family hell bent on destroying Mara and Lilly, the two girls find themselves in a desperate battle for survival that forces them to each question their own moral compass if they are to win.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Horror and coming of age
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
This movie works with current and relevant themes that are being questioned in our current political climate. The idea of “beasts” is examined in the film superficially as the werewolves, but more authentically of how we have characterized people as beasts within our society based on our morale beliefs. While Mara’s mom tries to initially save Lilly because it is the Christian thing to do, once she realizes that Mara and Lilly have connected romantically, she moves to kill not just Lilly, but also Mara, as her religious beliefs are so compromised by the thought of her daughter being a lesbian. The script also explores the hypocrisy of using our beliefs to defend our actions. In spite of his strong religious beliefs, Mara’s father kills Lilly’s father early in the script because he feels that Lilly’s father is morally beneath him. The script also explores themes of toxic masculinity and the difference in the rules in our society depending on gender. It’s also a fun horror movie set in a remote, barren setting, that has some good old fashioned fun horror scenes.
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Mariposa, 5min,. USA
Directed by Brook Vitovsky
Mariposa’s world begins to unravel around her when she finds a mysterious butterfly.
Conversation with director: Brook Vitovsky. producer: Cambria Cheney. composer: Chase Miller. artist/writer: EmmaLeigh Fleck. artist: Kiera Vermeal
Get to know the filmmaker:
What motivated you to make this film?
Growing up, I, Brook Vitovsky, watched my great-grandmother struggle with dementia. From the time I was a toddler until I was thirteen, I saw how the disease slowly affected her mind and spirit. Witnessing that experience firsthand made me realize how deeply dementia impacts not only those who live with it but also their families. My motivation for making this film comes from a desire to honor that experience — to reach people’s hearts and create a sense of shared understanding and connection.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
My team and I worked on this film for over a year.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Heartfelt and bittersweet
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The biggest challenge we faced was definitely the layout. Matching the perspective from the storyboards to the 3D model in Maya proved difficult, especially when it came to controlling the camera.
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Watch the Best Scene Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew4yxfT2YUA
Fiona Haegerbergh, a journalist for The Metro Standard, arrives in a rural Norwegian town to investigate rising drug use. Officially, she’s there to produce a webcast— but Fiona has her own agenda: uncovering the truth behind the recent suspicious death of a local drug dealer. Fiona’s editor urges her to stay on task, as much is riding on the Metro Standard’s survival—now largely dependent on the recent success of its popular web series.
Get to know the writer:
What is your screenplay about?
My screenplay is about a journalist Fiona Haegerbergh, who travels to a remote Norwegian town to cover rising drug use for her paper’s popular web series, but she’s secretly investigating the suspicious death of a local dealer. She’s met with hostility from townsfolk and a wary sheriff, but she gradually earns his reluctant trust as she digs into the community’s hidden drug network. Her search leads to Jenny, a young mine worker with ties to Fiona’s brother, who may have inherited the operation. When Jenny is suddenly found drowned, Fiona’s investigation takes a darker turn and she is faced with a devastating choice: expose what she’s uncovered and risk her own secret being revealed—or stay silent and let the town’s shadows close in.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Thriller, Mystery
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Because it has a good mystery, loveable characters and an unexpected twist.
How would you describe this script in two words?
Powerful forces
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Watch the Best Scene Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl_qNRmmZSs
A grizzly bear and a polar bear mate as a result of climate change and in an attempt to find food for their “grolar bear” cub the male polar bear must leave the safety of their ice cave to hunt and find sustenance for his new family in a harsh and increasingly difficult environment. He encounters humans and gets himself into a bit of trouble while simply trying to survive and provide for his family.
https://www.instagram.com/planetaeric
Get to know the writer:
It is a story about the Canary in the coal mine of climate change – Grolar bears. Grolar bears are a new hybrid species, a mutation resulting from the union of a polar bear and a grizzly due to habitat overlap caused by climate change.
This is a comical, yet heartfelt story of one father’s mission to feed his young grolar bear cub or face starvation. His nightmare begins when he encounters humans. Will he survive a nightmare lost among humans and get back safely to his family and save his cub? Or will his family be another casualty of our greed and exploitation of our planet’s resources?
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“A Silent Cry” is a two-and-a-half-minute microfilm set in the Himalayan Mountains—one of the world’s most vital and fragile ecosystems. The film uses evocative visuals and music to highlight the urgent need to sustain and protect this unique environment, which is essential for countless species and provides life-sustaining resources for millions of people.
Project Links
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Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgCnQQd1mmY
In a 1960s rural community, a young girl navigates her coming-of-age only to discover family secrets of mental illness, love, and loss that change the course of her life.
Get to know the writer:
What is your screenplay about?
It’s a coming-of-age story about a girl trying to find her place in the turbulent 1960s, a time of women’s rights, civil rights, and gay rights. But what she sees in herself and what others see in her are at odds, and she must navigate mental illness, loss, and the redemptive power of love to find her true self.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Drama and coming-of-age
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
The most compelling aspect of this movie is its strong connection to “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” The story parallels the turbulent ’60s with our political climate today, showing us how far we’ve come and the dangers that await us today if we go back.
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Guillotine, 22min., Romania
Directed by Alexandru Hosu
https://www.instagram.com/hosu_de_biciclete/
——
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Conversation with filmmaker Tom White on the making of CONNECTION - a film he directed remotely.
A government agent is tasked with interrogating a silent prisoner—but the true danger lies in whether the voice in his head is his own… or something else entirely.
Director Statement
I didn’t just direct Connection from my living room — I directed it live, in real time, over an iPad, collaborating with my cast and crew from home.
After being diagnosed with a chronic disability that left me homebound, I feared my days of directing were over. For a long time, I grieved the version of myself who could run a set, work shoulder to shoulder with my DP, and block scenes in person. But this film became the experiment that proved I could still do all of that — just differently.
Remote directing forced me to trust my collaborators more deeply, communicate with absolute clarity, and lean into a process most filmmakers never attempt. The result isn’t just a short film — it’s proof that my voice still has a place, even if the way I use it has changed.
Connection is my reminder that creativity can evolve. That even when life rewrites the rules, we can still tell the stories that matter to us — and maybe tell them in ways no one’s tried before.
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A young woman waits for her lover for a secret trip. However, he does not show up and does not respond to her messages. That’s when strange and inexplicable events begin to happen in her house. She asks for help from her lover, who ignores her. Realizing that she is hopelessly alone, she gives up waiting for salvation and surrenders to her own shadow.
https://www.instagram.com/cardosohelo/?hl=en
Director Statement
"Submerged" is my graduation film from Academia Internacional de Cinema. This short film is an extension of the research I’ve been developing in theatre and literature, proposing a reflection on the tendency to wait, something encouraged in girls from a very young age. The wait for a great love, a hope for something external that will give life meaning. The horror surrounding this waiting evokes the idea of a monstrous femininity: when left alone, the protagonist of "Submerged" unconsciously materializes her shadow, which ultimately consumes her and breaks the cycle of passivity.
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SPLIT FOCUS, 6min., Dance/Experimental
Directed by Cherie Carson. DP/Editor: Micha Dunston
"Split Focus" is a captivating dance film that delves into the intricate relationship between self-perception and external projection. Through mesmerizing shadow play, the film explores images of spirit and internal feelings versus outward appearances, prompting viewers to question which aspect demands more attention— the dancer herself or her shadow. Visually poetic, it offers a compelling examination of how we project ourselves into the world and the duality of inner and outer identities.
http://www.upswingaerialdance.org/
https://www.instagram.com/upswingaeriaDirector Statement
I explore the layers of human identity and emotion through movement and visual storytelling.
My choreography and filmmaking are driven by a desire to illuminate the unseen forces that shape our understanding of ourselves and others. "Split Focus" is a dialogue between the physical body and its shadow, using dance and shadow play as a metaphor for the internal and external worlds we inhabit.
I look to challenge perceptions, create imagery that encourages viewers to reflect on the projections, masks, and truths that define us. With a background rooted in both choreography and award-winning filmmaking, I strive to craft immersive, visually compelling narratives that resonate on a visceral level—highlighting the beauty, complexity, and often unseen depths of the human spirit.
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Watch the best scene reading: https://youtu.be/biuPP3yLUY4
Get to know the writer:
What is your screenplay about?
A gunslinger is hired to rescue and return a young person to their family despite all outlaws, odds, and attire.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Western, Action, Drama
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
I believe, especially now, that understanding, listening, and accepting are something we need to get back to doing. Whatever form/medium necessary to push that, might be helpful.
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MARA, 18min., USA, Horror/Thriller
After years spent recovering from a botched exorcism, Jake prepares to reintegrate into society. However, the mounting pressures of everyday existence trigger a harrowing regression back into madness. Conversation with filmmaker Ben Harl
https://www.instagram.com/scompassstudios/
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Glistening Benevolence, 6min., UK, Music Video
Directed by Matt Cargill
https://instagram.com/familydrone
Sly & The Family Drone Unleash ‘Glistening Benevolence’: Take the trip into slime-drenched folk horror and the cosmic unknown. . .
Neo-jazz wrecking-crew Sly & The Family Drone summon forth a new vision of terror and transcendence with the video premiere of ‘Glistening Benevolence’. Filmed at an undisclosed, shadowy music festival in the heart of Hampshire, the visual journey is a macabre ritual of psychedelic sludge, blending live performance footage with ominous vignettes of slime-coated landscapes, cosmic dread, and unholy rites under the moon.
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The First Night, 7min., Brazil
Directed by Gabriel Milessis Braga
After collapsing at the altar, Elise awakens inside an old church, and something inside her has changed. Guided by a mysterious man who seems to understand her condition, she begins to confront a new, terrifying hunger. The First Night is a gothic meditation on becoming, resistance, and the quiet seduction of darkness in our lifes.
https://www.instagram.com/thegabrielwars/
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BELONG TO YOU, 6min., Iceland
Directed by Ísak Magnússon, Óliver Sólberg
Belong to you follows a swimming pool employee who thinks about his relationship with his coworker on a quiet night.
Get to know the filmmakers:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
We had just graduated from high school, where me and Ísak had worked quite closely together, and we wanted to continue our partnership and continue creating. I had this idea that was originally a poem and from that we started production. The poem was originally just meant for me to vent out my feelings.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
The idea first came about when I wrote the poem in early 2024. From that there was the early drafts of the script, but that came to a halt until me and Ísak picked it up in august 2024. We started production but that also came to a short stop, because we couldn’t find the right actors. Then, by miracle, we found the two perfect ones. We shot the film in one day at a closed swimming pool on november 23rd and finished shooting after only eight hours of filming. Then came post production which took about two months and the film was finished in late february of 2025. So in total the film took about a year to complete, from idea to the big screen.
BELONG TO YOU, 6min., Iceland
Directed by Ísak Magnússon, Óliver Sólberg
Belong to you follows a swimming pool employee who thinks about his relationship with his coworker on a quiet night.
Get to know the filmmakers:
What motivated you to make this film?
We had just graduated from high school, where me and Ísak had worked quite closely together, and we wanted to continue our partnership and continue creating. I had this idea that was originally a poem and from that we started production. The poem was originally just meant for me to vent out my feelings.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
The idea first came about when I wrote the poem in early 2024. From that there was the early drafts of the script, but that came to a halt until me and Ísak picked it up in august 2024. We started production but that also came to a short stop, because we couldn’t find the right actors. Then, by miracle, we found the two perfect ones. We shot the film in one day at a closed swimming pool on november 23rd and finished shooting after only eight hours of filming. Then came post production which took about two months and the film was finished in late february of 2025. So in total the film took about a year to complete, from idea to the big screen.
Folie Glacée, 11min., Canada
Directed by Louis Rémillard
Eli et Vincent se commandent une collation à la crèmerie locale sans s'attendre aux horreurs qui ruineront leurs rendez-vous en amoureux
What motivated you to make this film?
It all started with me and my friend, who's the director of photography on the film, hanging out in Montreal. We both got ourselves ice cream cones and as we were eating them, walking around, the idea of the story kind of came to us as a joke at first. I thought about it for a moment, and I ended up telling myself it would make a fun screenplay. I came up with the idea of the ice cream vendor being ill intended and serving contaminated ice cream and he suggested the idea of the couple being on a date. So I owe it a lot to my friend's encouragement and believing in my story once the screenplay was finally done. We were excited to make something that would be wacky, fun and horror since it is a genre we both liked very much.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
As it is for most passion projects, everyone was either working their full time job or started working on other projects. The crew was mostly composed of my newly graduated classmates so it was a dance of work-fun balance.I think it took about six months of production but since it was all done in free and voluntary time, those six months were spreaded throughout a whole year.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Wacky and bloody!
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
It was definitely having to shoot the film almost entirely at night. Scheduling became complicated because I wanted everyone on deck, comfortable and up to work. Having to rest throughout the day and having to shoot everything before sunrise became particularly challenging for the biological clock. We did everything possible to make the experience as fun as it could be and playing with fake blood, making scary scenes definitely contributed to the good ambiance on set. Although it was challenging, we have good laughs to look back to.
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FLESH WISH, 4min., UK
Directed by Timothy Benjamin Slessor
An experimental horror inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, David Cronenberg and Clive Barker, this music video / short details in an abstract way the summoning of demons through a ritual performed behind the locked doors of a 1970s terraced house.
What motivated you to make this film?
Several factors! Firstly, I wanted to make something visual to accompany the release of my album. Secondly, I wanted to experiment with a lot of different ideas and techniques, but importantly have a finished piece of work to show for it, not just a bunch of tests. Thirdly I wanted to see how I could kind of corrupt and pervert generative ai platforms and work them into my editing and animation / vfx practise and finally I wanted to make something that would surprise and confound my friends and colleagues!
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It was about three to four months of laborious work, mostly in after effects and premiere. I had to create all of the images and heavily distort and rework them and the editing was done frame-by-frame. About 6 months after it was finished I considered going back and tweaking some things but one look at the edit sequence was enough to convince me to leave well alone!
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Quite fleshy.
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The hardest thing was just getting it finished! It was so hard to create enough interesting images and scenes, especially given the extremely fast cut-rate. I kept trimming the track down (ultimately from around 5 mins to about 3'45 I think) just so I could get it done (I had to keep pushing the release of the album back too as a result).
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