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.

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.

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February 4, 2023 - Filmmaker Angelique Kalani Axelrode (L’APPRENANTE)

L’APPRENANTE (THE LEARNER), 7min., France, Drama
Directed by Angelique Kalani Axelrode
L’Apprenante is an American college student in the process of “finding herself abroad” in Paris. She takes French classes to immerse herself in the culture, even though her accent is tragique. In one particular class, she struggles to recount her weekend where she goes to a Parisian party and meets La Femme; a girl she is immediately drawn to. As she navigates the discomfort of learning a new language, she also navigates the discomfort of discovering her queerness. Her inability to get out of her head inhibits her not only from improving her French, but also from being vulnerable with La Femme. Will she ever be able to commit to the accent and make a move? Impossible n’est pas français.n

https://www.tiktok.com/@lapprenantefilm

Get to know the filmmaker:

I made this film as a way to process some things I was personally grappling with. Like many queer people, I knew I wasn’t straight long before I said or did anything about it. My queerness lived in my head where I would replay interactions I had with people almost obsessively- oh were we flirting? Was she hitting on me? Why did I run away? If only I had said this. Or maybe if I hadn’t been so drunk. Or maybe if I had been a bit more drunk… Imaginary scenarios where I finally mustered up the courage to be intimate with someone else were only temporarily satisfying. I had to learn to get out of my head and actually act on my queer impulses. “L’Apprenante” is about this awkward process. The idea for this film came to me while I was living in Paris at the beginning of 2022 and feeling a sense of freedom I haven’t experienced since studying abroad in college. I was rediscovering myself and relearning what it means to be vulnerable, realizing I had very little vocabulary to work with. It felt like learning an entirely new language- one, like French, that sounds nothing like it is written.

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 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.

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February 2, 2023 - Filmmaker Katharina Keil (WAVES)

WAVES, 2min., Australia, Comedy
Directed by Katharina Keil
Two friends Sam and Ethel play a fun game to reconnect at their local beach.

Get to know filmmaker Katharina Keil:

* The motivation to make this film was an application for the Australian Director’s Guild. They had an initiative and as my last short film was 18 years ago, I felt I needed to show my improved skills as director and decided to do a short film for the initiative.

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 1, 2023 - Filmmaker Alex Sjobeck (SILHOUETTE)

SILHOUETTE, 9min., USA, Dance
Directed by Alex Sjobeck, Rulon Wood, Marla Hansen
Silhouette is short dance film portraying the ubiquitous theme that members of society have to masquerade in order to blend in, anxiously minimizing aspects of their own identity in order to avoid judgment.

Get to know filmmaker Alex Sjobeck:
I composed the piece “Silhouette” prior to the creation of the film. It was a composition with such a deep meaning that I had to find a way to portray the theme through multimedia. Jazz and dance have a long history of being associated together, more in the past than in modern times. I wanted to help bring this relationship to modern times and believed this would also be the perfect way to portray the meaning of the composition in a new, more apparent way. I was very happy that dance choreographer Marla Hansen and cinematographer Rulon Wood were willing and passionate about taking on this project together.

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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January 31, 2023 - Filmmaker Joshua Ashish Dawson (SPA SYBARITE)

SPA SYBARITE, 3min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Joshua Ashish Dawson
The World health organization states that “Although it is unequivocal that climate change affects human health, it remains challenging to accurately estimate the scale and impact of many climate-sensitive health risks. In the short- to medium-term, the health impacts of climate change will be determined mainly by the vulnerability of populations, their resilience to the current rate of climate change, and the extent and pace of adaptation.”

https://instagram.com/joshuaadawson

Get to know the filmmaker:

The thoughts that led to writing this film have been very organic. It started when a few years ago I worked in an architecture firm as a designer. The firm mostly designed high-end hotels and I was very intrigued by the conversations that I would have with clients regarding how the designs of these projects were driven by its marketing. Most of which aimed to target the wealthiest people.

This sparked an idea in my head to think about how the marketing surrounding wellness ebbs and flows with the current preoccupations of its target demographic and isn’t held to the same level of scientific scrutiny as the pharmaceutical industry.

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

January 30, 2023 - Filmmaker Ford Mckeown Larose (CREATURA)

CREATURA, 13min., Canada
Directed by Ford Mckeown Larose, Phethsari Pathammavong
If the world were to recreate itself in an empty space, how would new forms of life appropriate this environment? How would they evolve? Through lights and movements, Creatura explores the concept of genesis and evolution in a post-apocalyptic universe.

https://www.facebook.com/ForwardMovements
https://www.instagram.com/fwdmovements

Get to know the filmmaker:
The film was inspired by the third season’s opening video of Westworld created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. I was really inspired by the story, the aesthetic and the message and wanted to find a way to recreate that feeling. CREATURA is the story I was able to create through that feeling?

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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January 29, 2023 - Filmmaker Patrick Guthrie & Mayor Mike Dunafon (RUGBYTOWN)

RUGBYTOWN Ep. 1, 28min., USA
Directed Patrick Guthrie
Having failed to reach their dreams of starring in the NFL, the players in RugbyTown tell their own stories of crossing over to become professional athletes in a new sport as they help the USA win the Rugby World Cup.

https://rugbyfactory.tv/
https://www.facebook.com/rugbyfactory.tv/

https://www.instagram.com/rugbyfactory.tv/

Get to know filmmaker Patrick Guthrie:

RugbyTown focuses on new opportunities for elite athletes who were rejected by the NFL, by offering them a new path to being a professional athlete and representing the United States internationally in a new sport. The show features the players transformation as they learn, fail and succeed, both on and off the field. Season 1 & Season 2 both consist of ten (10) half-hour episodes, cleared worldwide.

Season 1 @ 2 are available in UHD 4K. The music used was scored for the RugbyTown series, with original music that is cleared worldwide.

RugbyTown has been licensed for distribution in Oceana on ESPN, in South Africa on SuperSport, in the UK on BT Sport, in LATAM on DirecTV, plus other territories globally.

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

January 28, 2023 - Filmmaker Harry Waldman (ENTER THE ROOM)

ENTER THE ROOM, 15min., USA
Directed by Harry Waldman
A young adult (Brian) is visited by his brother, Jeremy, who needs a place to stay as he settles into his new city. The two polar opposite personalities begin to clash as Jeremy’s presence poses a threat to Brian’s way of life. Brian’s uptight personality and unreasonable living standards rub off on Jeremy, creating an incredible amount of tension. Bad blood, stemming from a traumatic past event reveals the shocking truth of the brothers’ current situations, as Brian struggles to differentiate between reality and his worst nightmares.

http://www.edgewaterfilmproductions.com/
https://www.facebook.com/EntertheRoommovie/

https://www.instagram.com/hwaldman18/

Get to know the filmmaker:
-My relationship with my roommate during the first semester of my freshman year of college is what gave me the idea for “Enter the Room”. Almost all of the various things that Brian was getting on Jeremy’s case about during the narrative were actual things that my roommate accused me of. (And there were other things he said/did to me that I wasn’t able to fit into the film)

Living with him was a very unpleasant experience for me, and I felt that I needed to get it off my chest by telling this story. In addition to Brian being based on my college roommate, I added a disturbing and tragic backstory about him and decided that he and Jeremy being brothers would make for a more interesting narrative. While I am not nearly as uptight as my college roommate was, I can be a bit neurotic, so I took “pieces of myself” which I injected into Brian in order to make him more layered. In general, I believe that creating complex characters often requires giving them flaws that can make them unlikeable at times, and I always do my best to try to walk in the shoes of the anti-hero or villain in order to portray them in a more genuine manner.

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

January 27, 2023 - Filmmaker Margot Piorkowski (MARCYLINE – THE CLEARING MUSIC VIDEO)

MARCYLINE – THE CLEARING MUSIC VIDEO, 4min., USA, Music
Directed by Margot Piorkowski
In this experimental music video for Marcyline’s debut single, moody visuals contrast the dark lyricism, portraying the fear of a dark presence following him.

https://www.margotpiorkowski.com/work/films

Get to know the filmmaker:
– I’ve always loved the fun process of making music videos, and the wonderful worlds you can create through music. Therefore when Chris Paraggio (aka Marcyline) came up with his new song The Clearing, I thought it’d be a very interesting film to create through his dark and experimental lyricism.

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

January 26, 2023 - Filmmaker Jekyns Pelaez ([Aphrodite])

[Aphrodite], 12min., USA
Directed by Jekyns Pelaez
A goddess decides to visit us.

Get to know the filmmaker:

The thesis for my Master’s Degree was based on an adaptation of Oedipus Rex, which ended up being a fulfilling, yet difficult project. Nonetheless, it gave me the idea of pursuing a dance film with yet another Greek story. With the experience I have in dance, I figured the story of Aphrodite would be very interesting to put as dance in film because she is a figure with characteristics that lend themselves with this kind of format. My wife, who is the dancer in the film, was very receptive to my idea and agreed to embark in this project with me. I wanted to explore the idea of beauty of the etherial from an internal point of view instead of the public point of view. I wanted Aphrodite to explore whether or not she felt beautiful.

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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January 25, 2023 - Filmmaker Lance Hopper (STAR WARS: FALLEN KNIGHTS)

STAR WARS: FALLEN KNIGHTS, 15min., USA, Fantasy
Directed by Lance Hopper
Kidnapped! Jedi Knights Pem’Aiara and Tala Vane have been abducted by the evil Galactic Empire. Taking place 3 years after the Great Jedi Purge, our heroes must face brutal truths about their beliefs while being interrogated by the insidious Commander Strand. After being beaten by a Purge Trooper, all looks hopeless for these brave Jedi as they prepare to meet The Emperor himself…

http://www.patreon.com/SWFK
https://www.instagram.com/swfallenknights

Get to know the filmmaker:

My motivation to make this film was based around my start in filmmaking, as Star Wars was the first film franchise I saw and really latched onto as a young lad. I felt as though certain elements of the Disney Star Wars universe had lost the grimey and dirty feel of the original trilogy, and I wanted to bring that back a little, with the added inclusion of making the Empire scary, as they once were.

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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January 24, 2023 - Filmmaker Guy Noland (STAGE MANAGED)

STAGE MANAGED, 28min., USA, Comedy
Directed by Guy Noland
A suburban community theater must successfully produce a knock-off version of “My Fair Lady” in order to keep their doors open.

http://www.viralentertain.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I grew up in the theater and made the transition to filmmaking in college, but always held onto my love for the stage. When the pandemic hit, everything shut down in Hollywood and all of my friends were out of work, so I thought, “Hey, let’s put something together to keep everyone working!” Then I had to come up with something that we could do on a shoestring budget, easy, not a lot of locations, and would hit a niche audience. That’s when I came up with the idea of Stage Managed.

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

January 23, 2023 - Filmmaker Minnie Nguyen & Actor/Writer Phil Nguyen (SLEEPLESS IN SAIGON)

SLEEPLESS IN SAIGON, 9min., USA, Drama
Directed by Minnie Nguyen
Saigon, Vietnam – 1972 – Two men who come from two backgrounds fall in love at first sight – a love story between a Vietnamese tailor and an American customer.

http://www.wdaentertainment.com/work

Filmmaker Minnie Nguyen:

Our friends were getting married and one of the grooms wanted to create a love letter to his husband, imagining what their lives would be like if they were to meet in the 70s in Saigon. I thought it would be a meaningful project for the LGBTQ+ community by demonstrating more diversity within the community, as well as showcasing Vietnamese culture/etiquette to the world.

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

January 22, 2023 - Filmmaker Danielle Durchslag (ANATEVKA)

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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook


January 21, 2023 - Filmmaker M. Kaplan (Liar-In-Chief: A Chronicle of the Trump Presidency)

Liar-In-Chief: A Chronicle of the Trump Presidency Through the Eyes of An Outraged Graphic Artist, 82min., USA, Documentary
Directed by M Kaplan
A multi-award winning, often biting satirical documentary, using original still photo montages and short videos created by the director, chronicling the horrors of Trump’s presidency.

https://twitter.com/GQPFascists

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

January 20, 2023 - Filmmaker Zoe Kim (PHONE CALL)

PHONE CALL, 5min, USA, Comedy
Directed by Zoe Kim
Why everyone with a Korean mom needs to go to therapy.

http://www.thezoekim.com/
https://www.instagram.com/thezoekim

Get to know the filmmaker:
Few months ago when I was having lunch with a friend, they said “I want to make movies but I don’t have money, I don’t have equipment, I don’t know how, I don’t know where to start…” Filmmaking can be a daunting challenge for those of us who didn’t get any formal education in it or know of anyone around us who does it. Everything I know about filmmaking has been self-taught through constant trial and error and the generous help of Youtube content creators sharing their tips and tricks online for free.

I decided to make PHONE CALL to show them that you can start the journey of filmmaking with whatever you’ve got – even if that’s just you and your smartphone. I had no budget, no other equipment, no fancy tricks or skills to shoot something amazing, but I hope that this microfilm of mine can serve as evidence that anybody can create something and have it be included at festivals.

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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January 19, 2023 - Filmmaker Ron Chiu (HERE FROM AFAR: HONGKONGERS IN LIVERPOOL)

HERE FROM AFAR: HONGKONGERS IN LIVERPOOL, 30min., UK
Directed by Ron Chiu
This documentary is about Hongkongers in Liverpool, sharing their stories of being a Liverpool FC supporter

https://facebook.com/LeiKeeHK

Get to know the filmmaker:

First, I have been a Liverpool fans more than 15 years and I feel always curious why some LFC fans from Hong Kong can be so loyal to such a far away England football club, no matter it wins or loses, the spirit of “you will never walk alone ” is touching me.

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

January 18, 2023 - Filmmaker Kristyna Archer (A HARMONY OF TOUCH: THE HIGH-FIVE, HANDSHAKE, AND HUG)

A HARMONY OF TOUCH: THE HIGH-FIVE, HANDSHAKE, AND HUG, 3min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Kristyna Archer
Human connection thru physical touch are as critical to our survival as a species as is the air that we breathe. Standing the test of time, these visceral, bodily, mortal connections remind us we are still alive. Synchronicity being the master. Firmness being the gauge. Vulnerability being the superpower. Without them, we are powerless. I leave you with, the undeniable forces of nature found in the hive five, handshake, and hug.

Get to know the filmmaker:

The music was the biggest challenge, I had something in my head, yet it really needed a complex music composition that could not be sourced and needed to be composed which I didn’t originally budget for. Because originally I wanted a playfulness, and awkwardness really to come through all the way like 2 beings from another universe learning and experimenting with these forms of communication, yet upon watching the hug sequence after we shot, I realized it was not possible to take the emotion & intimacy out of those moments, so I need a track that transformed from playful lighthearted to deeply intimate. The visuals were more complex and truly has a turning point I wanted recognized in the track, that I wasn’t expecting before.

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

January 17, 2022 - Filmmaker Jannik Ehret (HER SWEATER)

HER SWEATER, 25min., USA, Relationships
Directed by Jannik Ehret
After Desmond spends a surreal post-graveyard shift day with his enchanting co-worker Freya, he has to choose between following his heart and his own advice.

https://www.instagram.com/madronepictures

Get to know the filmmaker:

The first draft of the script was verbatim a real life experience. Making the short was my way of processing the frustrations of things not working out the way I wanted them to. Despite this, the experience felt like a gift. Getting to be in a real life Richard Linklater movie. Even if it was only for a day. Showing the real Freya the final product was terrifying. I made the short for myself but having her approve the final product was emotional. I’ll treasure the screenshot of her response forever. We’re still friends to this day.

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