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.

July 6, 2023 - Screenwriter Elliot Stanton (DEADLINE TO DEATH)

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

Get to know the writer:

Here is the synopsis –

Author CJ Billings is under pressure from his publisher to finish a novel. He has an idea that a few days away in the setting of the finale will give him the inspiration he so desperately needs.

After arriving in Bude, Cornwall, a fan of his recognises him and invites him back to her cottage for a bite to eat and to sign her CJ Billings novels. Margaret is an older woman who lives alone. An unfinished painting in her house curiously provides the inspiration CJ was looking for. The harsh, depressing, stormy harbour scene gives CJ the ending for his protagonist.

CJ visits the following day again, and Margaret admits to him that her younger life was far from idyllic, and she escaped to Cornwall for reasons she keeps to herself. Margaret begins to feel tired, and CJ promises to visit again the following day before returning home to London.

When CJ knocks on Margaret’s door the following morning, he is met by a neighbour, Emily, who informs him that Margaret has died. She gives him one of his books that Margaret had marked ‘For Chris’.

On his return home, a shell-shocked CJ finds a letter within the pages of the book. It is a confession by Margaret, albeit that is not her real name. She moved from London to escape justice after murdering a baby in her care when she was a nanny. The confessional story bears an uncanny resemblance to the conclusion of CJ’s book. The conundrum he has is a moral one. Does he submit his manuscript knowing that a real-life murderer inspired the inspiration for ending, or does he delete the whole computer file, preserving his morality but possibly ruining his career? The story ends with CJ’s finger hovering over the ‘delete’ button.

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.

July 5, 2023 - Filmmaker Andrew Mercado (OUTRAGEOUS: THE QUEER HISTORY OF AUSTALIAN TV)

OUTRAGEOUS: THE QUEER HISTORY OF AUSTALIAN TV, 60min., Australia
Directed by Andrew Mercado
Every LGBT milestone happened on Australian TV in the 1970s, years before the rest of the world. And nobody ever saw it, because the nudity, adult stories and queer themes from these TV series could never have been tolerated on commercial TV anywhere outside of Australia. This documentary event, which includes a specially edited episode of Number 96 to highlight several queer stories, will finally set the record straight.

https://www.instagram.com/outrageousdoco/

Get to know the filmmaker:

On the 50th anniversary of Stonewall in 2019, I kept seeing articles that detailed the biggest LGBT moments in pop culture history ever since , and Australian TV never got a mention. I started rolling that idea around in my head, and by the time of the first COVID lockdown, I was deep into it. Originally I wrote it as a book, but quickly realised it would work best as a 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.

July 4, 2023 - Filmmaker Joel Eggimann (LEAP OF FAITH)

LEAP OF FAITH, 28min., Austria
Directed by Joel Eggimann
A bucket list goal so big that others might think you’re crazy. The stunning journey of Joel Eggimann attempting to do a flip across the gap of a remarkable pinnacle on the Lofoten Islands in Norway.

https://instagram.com/joel_eggimann

Get to know the filmmaker:

I have a bucket list with 100 things that I want to do before I die. Doing a flip across Svolvaergeita was one of those items. The plan first was to make a 10-minute YouTube video but as soon as we got the we noticed that this story deserves a lot more attention and should be shared in a longer documentary to give the audience more context about the process.

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.

July 3, 2023 - Filmmaker Aparna Sharma (STILL LIGHT)

STILL LIGHT, 3min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Aparna Sharma
Still Light is an experimental short made of photographic stills. The film explores the relation of light to perception. It is entirely shot and edited on a mobile phone.

Get to know the filmmaker:

Over a few years I had been spontaneously making pictures using my mobile phone while on long walks. I had a sense making these images that I was interested to see how light impacts our perception of a space. I kept making these images and storing them on a mobile phone. During the pandemic I had to travel to India for an emergency. This was before the vaccines had come out. So I had to undertake a 10 days quarantine in a hotel. I was locked up in a room and to bring some semblance to that time I started to look at these pictures I had been making. Impulsively I felt like selecting and editing them into some form and that’s how the film really started and came about.

When I was taking pictures, I had no idea that it would result in a 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.

July 2, 2023 - Filmmaker Carlos E. Lesmes (PLAY/REPEAT)

PLAY/REPEAT, 8min., Estonia, Dance
Directed by Carlos E. Lesmes
There is a couple. Two bodies. Two beings. 1+1. Sometimes it feels like only one. This film piece wants to explore aspects of a relationship through movement, through the bodies of the performers. The unfathomable distance between two people. Broke but never broken.

Get to know the filmmaker:

The film was born out of real life. It came as the result of a complicated relationship and the desire to express it and live it bodily, but it was shaped together with Real, Alis and Arolin. We worked together about the concept and a wish to explore the notion of loneliness and companionship that exists in a relationship. We all brought our stories and experiences to try and make something that could be expressive in a film form, without it needing text. We wanted the bodies and the images to speak.

This was an exploration process, of getting to know each other and trying something new. Exploring the types of materials and places around us to really connect with our past and present experiences.

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.

July 1, 2023 - Filmmaker Nathaniel Henry (GOING DOWN)

GOING DOWN, 1min., USA, Action
Directed by Nathaniel Henry
Two guys can’t keep their cool on elevator, and it starts going down.

Get to know the filmmaker:

My actors are both experienced in martial arts and I also wanted to get into more exciting action filmmaking so we came up with this idea and made it happen. We really just wanted to make something fun and exciting to watch.

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.

June 30, 2023 - Filmmaker Andréa Gema Heunis (THE LAST SEED)

THE LAST SEED, 118min., South Africa, Documentary
Directed by Andréa Gema Heunis
The Last Seed focuses on broad themes relating to the state of food and agriculture in Africa in the 21st century. Placing the struggle over the control of seed at the centre, it explains the processes that have led to this moment in human history and what it would take to interact with the planet in a way that does not threaten the very basis of life on earth.

https://www.instagram.com/rosaluxglobal/
https://www.facebook.com/rosaluxglobal

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.

June 29, 2023 - Filmmaker Adam J. Vaughn (THE LAST ZOMBIE)

THE LAST ZOMBIE, 16min., USA
Directed by Adam J. Vaughn
At the conclusion of a zombie apocalypse, a lone zombie wanders the planet, isolated and threatened by every human in sight. When Nova, the last zombie, comes across a little girl who knows no fear, the two form an unlikely – and tragically short lived – friendship.

Get to know the filmmaker:
During my studies at Stevenson university, I conceived, scripted, shot, and finalized many student film ideas, many of which went on to be award-winning films. “The Last Zombie” was a project from my studies that I had scripted, revised, but never actually filmed while in school. Partnering with Charm City Filmmakers, I was able to complete “Last Zombie,” inspired by the influences of such things like “The Walking Dead,” “Warm Bodies,” as well as the famous ‘Maria and the Monster’ scene from the 1920’s Universal film, “Frankenstein.”

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.

June 28, 2023 - Filmmaker Robert Jauregui (INCORRIGIBLE)

INCORRIGIBLE, 11min., USA
Directed by Robert Jauregui
Noah has a unique set of skills that has always frustrated her best friend Alex. After yet another one of Noah’s episodes, the duo must decide on the best course of action. A farce ensues, which leads both down a path to which there is no turning back.

https://www.instagram.com/incorrigiblethefilm2022/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I wanted to make a different kind of film. Something that would turn a very serious subject (in this case, a serial killer) and turn it on its head. Have fun with it, and make it a dark 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.

June 27, 2023 - Filmmaker Rommel Villa (PIEDRA DURA)

PIEDRA DURA, 20min,. USA, Drama

Directed by Rommel Villa

An altar boy is disciplined after being caught watching gay porn at church

Rommel also has his short film, TEDDY MATE, play at our festival back in 2019.

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.

June 26, 2023 - Filmmaker Greg Womble (LOVE WITHOUT PAROLE)

LOVE WITHOUT PAROLE, 27min., USA, Documentary

Directed by Greg Womble

Michael falls deeply in love and matrimony follows. But married life can be tough when you’re serving a life-without-parole sentence in a notorious Alabama prison. The union soon dies, but the love doesn't. When Michael is miraculously freed after serving 36 years for relatively minor crimes, will the romance be reignited?

https://www.womcom.net/love-without-parole

https://www.facebook.com/Love-Without-Parole-a-short-film-by-Greg-Womble-Elaine-Witt-108611718616646

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.

June 25, 2023 - Filmmaker Tyler Carlin (CHEESY AND THE BEARS)

CHEESY AND THE BEARS, 3min., USA, Animation
Directed by Tyler Carlin
A 3D Original Animated Musical Adventure. Daring Adventurer, Cheesy, treks deep into an ancient forest after discovering the legend of The Bears in a Magical Book. The Book allows communication with these majestic and wise creatures. During their first encounter, we see them take an epic journey through the vast forest. Along the way, they come across other magical forest animals who join their quest. Cheesy knows The Bears posses the knowledge of how to live forever and travel throughout the Galaxy, and he has been preparing for this moment since he was a young boy…

https://www.youtube.com/@cheesyandthebears
https://www.facebook.com/cheesyandthebears
https://www.instagram.com/cheesyandthebears

Get to know the filmmaker:

I actually wrote the song when I was 19, and it lived in my brain for 18 years! I played it for friends and family over the years on piano until this past year my childhood friend, Dave- who’s also my music producer said, “Your songs would work really well as a kids show!” We brought in our other childhood friend, Josh, and our team was off to the races.

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.

June 24, 2023 - Filmmaker Greg Boose (LITTLE JUDAS)

LITTLE JUDAS, 6min,. USA
Directed by Greg Boose
Young and mischievous Judas Iscariot dreams of ruling the streets of Nazareth while reluctantly befriending his strange and annoying new neighbor, Jesus of Galilee. The kids attend the first day Josaphat’s School of Shepherding, learning how to handle bear attacks and first crushes.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26671036/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I went to Catholic school for 12 years and had a lot of biblical characters always bouncing around in my head. Judas Iscariot always stood out to me because we knew so little about him: He was a greedy backstabber who betrayed Jesus. I wondered, “How did Judas end up like that? What was his childhood like?” So, a few years back, I wrote an animated pilot about Judas Iscariot being an asshole punk teenager on the streets of Nazareth, and Jesus and his weird family move in next door. The two of them attend shepherding school together and form an unlikely friendship by the end. The pilot script got pretty far in some screenplay contests, but ultimately nothing happened with it.

Hadas Goshen, executive producer of “Little Judas,” read the script in 2022 and got really excited and wanted to help me create it. She reached out to the brilliant animator Bradley Oliver Wilkinson, and soon the project was in motion: We would create one scene from the pilot as an example of what we can do 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.

June 23, 2023 - Screenwriter Dan Fabrizio (ENDURE)

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

65 years from now, humanity is at the edge of extinction.
Countless countries have crumbled under the weight of a rapidly collapsing global economy. Many of the largest cities of our time have been wiped out by great wildfires or swallowed by rising seas. An unending heat stroke chokes all living things that remain; vast droughts, punishing plagues and forced migrations have ignited global conflict on an unprecedented scale. As our descendants fight for dwindling resources, children born during this time enter a shadow world of our own…inheriting a new Dark Age. But deep in the darkness, a lone ember of hope burns…

Get to know the screenwriter:

Endure is ultimately about humanity’s final fight for survival on an uninhabitable Earth. At the story’s center is a protagonist who we watch come-of-age on a planet and in an American society that is quickly decaying and collapsing in on itself. He’s the product of two parents who, on the surface couldn’t be any different – his mother is a champion of idealism and enduring hope while his father is a pragmatic isolationist who’s been forever traumatized by the atrocities he’s witnessed as soldier. But they have one very strong bond in common – and that is their deep love for their son – who they struggle to raise as society seems to be falling apart around them. Our hero ultimately grows up to embody both the best and worst aspects of his parents’ personalities as he follows in his father’s footsteps and becomes a loyal and lethal soldier. In the name of his country, he’ll commit his own atrocities – but later be given a chance at ultimate redemption as humanity’s last hope for survival.

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.

June 22, 2023 - Screenwriter Jeff Sommer-Zervos (IN SILENCE)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8DK5KJ2MqU

The story follows Jamie Rommen, a man suffering in silence with grief, loneliness, and depression. The loss of his family weighs on him heavily a year later; still reliving the events of their death, alone in the new world of COVID quarantine. He’s out of work. Bills are piling up. His life falling apart.


From the writer:

In Silence is about a guy who struggles internally with depression and PTSD, stemming from a lifetime of mental and emotional abuse, exacerbated by the loss of his family over a short period of time. The purpose of the story is to show how the devastating effects of depressing and PTSD, both forms of brain trauma, can spiral out of control if not addressed. A lesser theme of the film shows the pitfall of the male mindset that says “I’m a man, I don’t need help”, “I can do it on my own”, which is a bunch of archaic non-sense that needs to go away. It’s OK to cry, guys. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. This story is inspired by my own experiences, so take my word for it. I am Jamie Rommen.

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.

June 21, 2023 - Filmmakers Brock Gregory Newman & Joshua James DeVargas (LVCI)

LVCI, 3min., USA, Fashion
Directed by Brock Gregory Newman
A woman wanders the desert in search of a connection to her spiritual self and is transported to a darker realm where she makes contact with another side of herself.

https://www.kentsunamishep.com/lvci
http://instagram.com/undergroundtsu

Get to know the filmmaker:

Quite a bland answer but I was invited by my close friend and long-time collaborator Josh DeVargas to join an already existing photoshoot. The video was originally meant to be a supplementary piece to the photos but quickly grew into its own 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.

June 20, 2023 - Filmmaker Aimiende Negbenebor Sela (AS THE COOKIE CRUMBLES)

AS THE COOKIE CRUMBLES, 37min., USA, Music Web Series
Directed by Aimiende Negbenebor Sela
When a young hopeful is suddenly dumped after he proposes to his on again off again girlfriend with a fledgling screenwriter by day rideshare driver by night bearing witness to the humiliation, he lands himself in a debate with a widow over whose loss is more painful. Through the darkness of their shared grief, however, the heartbroken man and the grief-stricken widow find grace and the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel.

http://www.selafilms.com/
https://www.facebook.com/selafilms
https://twitter.com/selafilmsllc
https://instagram.com/selafilms

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.

June 19, 2023 - Writer/Actor Gabriel Oliva (GAY CAMP)

GAY CAMP, 10min,. USA, Comedy
Directed by Mark Marchillo
In a world where most of the population is gay, children who exhibit “straight” tendencies are sent to camps in order to convert them back to their natural homosexual lifestyle. Camp Sohomo will convert your child in record time.

Get to know Writer/Star Gabriel Oliva:
-The day after the 2016 US Presidential election I was in total shock and felt powerless. So the best I could do was do some within my control: make film. So I wrote this to see what the world would be like if the power dynamics of the world were completely flip-flopped.

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.

June 18, 2023 - Filmmaker Pat Mitchell (APPLES, ORANGES, LEMONS & LIMES)

APPLES, ORANGES, LEMONS & LIMES, 45min,. USA, Relationship

Directed by Pat Mitchell

A timid young man chronically suffers from social anxiety. At a party, an unlikely encounter inspires a night of drinking, joy and romance.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15035104/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I remember thinking about two people walking down a street drunk and wanted to put a hypothetical story behind it.

We also tend to have a stigma against young adults drinking. I think lots of movies portray younger generation drinkers as irresponsible and reckless. I thought it would be nice to show it as a celebration once again and put some delight into that rather than the darker takes on the topic. I was a young drinker and didn't have much recklessness going around. I wanted to bring those feelings I had on screen.

I also like psychological thrillers and the state of mind characters play. I thought of a character with social anxiety. I have it and many people in the world. its a very relatable subject. I managed to write a straightforward story around that. I made things more complicated before but I didn't want to lose the crowd with my own ambitions in this film. I kept it very light but thoughtful.

It didn't become a romance film until I challenged myself to write one. I usually write about a past love, a lost love or tortured love. It was my first time writing about the beginning of a relationship. I loved it more than I thought I would. I am so glad for the amazing response. I was afraid if i wasn't a zany young adult mania-filled party film people may be thrown off.

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.

June 17, 2023 - Filmmaker Hester Schell (CLIMATE CHANGE: CAPE LOOKOUT)

CLIMATE CHANGE: CAPE LOOKOUT, 5min., Documentary
Directed by Hester Schell
Created for the 7th Generation Pano Mural Project’s 5 minute film festival, July 2022. Assignment: Pick a section of the USA west coast to examine the effects of climate change on the region. Under 5 minutes. My film was chosen to screen at the festival last summer. I chose Cape Lookout to Cape Mears, Oregon, USA.

http://hesterschellcreative.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hester.schell

Get to know the filmmaker:

I want to convey a sense of urgency and inspire people to take more action on the climate emergency. Whether driving less, or lobbying against insatiable corporate greed hell bent on profits over life, or having fewer children, or finding commercial uses for recycled plastics. How about we stop making more of it! The oil industry is drowning us in plastic which is killing wildlife.

And…

The Ocean Film Festival. An email landed in my inbox around 10 days before the deadline last summer, 2022. The criteria really spoke to me: pick a favorite place along the West Coast, examine the effects of climate change, and keep it under 5 minutes.

Climate change is an existential threat to all of us. It may sound cliché but we only have one planet and we are running out of time to slow this down.

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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