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.
DUAL, 7min., USA
Directed by Yu Wang
Get to know actor Lukas Akan:
I didn’t make the film, I’ve only acted in it. I was approached with the script from a filmmaker, but I was hesitant in pursuing it. I usually don’t like horror films, but I found the script interesting to play from an acting point of view, and since I haven’t done anything like it before I thought It would be a fun challenge for me as an actor.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
CHANGE MAKERS: The Global Race to Save Our Seas, 14min., USA
Directed by Simone Kisiel
Advancements in the fishing industry have led to devastating consequences, not just for sea life being hunted to extinction, but for communities around the world who depend on the ocean’s bounty to survive.
https://changemakersfilm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MagicDogProductions
https://twitter.com/MagicDogMovieshttps://www.instagram.com/magicdogproductions/
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buP7_6XCNEg
Summary: After Nefret goes missing, it puts Mazim’s place in the war in doubt, but despite his family’s safety, he won’t leave without Nefret, which leads him to face horrifying consequences.
Get to know the writer:
My screenplay is about, thematically, the struggle of reconciliation. The protagonist, Mazim Al-Farouq, chooses to have he and his family (wife and son) remain in their home village of Zareda, despite the encroaching invaders. His extraordinary super power is also his vice as he cannot emotionally live without his steppe eagle, Nefret. In reality, he should leave and put his human family members first, but he refuses to abandon his avian companion. This decision indirectly results in the death of son, Mezut. The remainder of the script explores the fallout from this tragedy.
Mazim and his wife, Layla, along with Mazim’s close friend, Firadh, escape the village upon the invasion, but Mezut falls to the sword by the Sojan warlord. Mazim and Layla must now emotionally reconcile the damage done by their beloved son’s demise. And Mazim, alone, must reconcile the fact that he could have saved his son from death and himself from unbearable guilt. As Layla grows increasingly resentful of Mazim, blaming him for Mezut’s death, the couple grows emotionally apart. However, despite this falling out of love, they must pick themselves up and return to the village to bury their son so that his soul may find peace in the Field of Reeds, for only those buried can find their way out of the Underworld and into Paradise.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
SAUDADE, 6min., USA
Directed by Josie Hull
A dancer faces a ghost of her past and has to come out victorious to find her true self once again.
https://www.instagram.com/josie__hull/
Get to know writer/performers Gica Pucca and Constantin Augustinus Sieve:
GICA: One night I was going through my drawer and I found a love letter from a past relationship. After reading all those words, my heart was divided in two. A part that wanted all those memories again and the other, that knew this was not quite possible. Maybe this is what old love letters do to you. I brought it to Constantin and said “I need to make a movie about this so I can understand this feeling.”
CONSTANTIN: I was curious to see how the emotional and intention of a love letter would express itself visually and physically. I couldn’t stop thinking about a duet between a girl and a ghost.
GICA: And then, we decided to explore how to navigate the rite of passage that follows the end of a love story, and give a name to the love that remains from it.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
AL REVES, 3min., Venezuela,
Directed by Luis Figeuredo
A music video by Human Productions featuring Danny Pryp and Pat Gales. ‘Al Revés’ is an original song performed by Danny Pryp.
http://dannypryp.com/
https://facebook.com/dannypryp
https://instagram.com/dannypryp
Get to know musician Daniel Prypchan:
When we finished my song “Al Revés” I was in love with it. I loved how romantic it was and immediately it came to me images of a desert, the romanticism of a mysterious woman… I was in Venezuela then and thought that “Los Medanos de Coro”, the desert in the state of Falcon, where I spent a lot of my holidays at my family’s farm, would be the perfect location. I had not been back for more than a decade, so this gave me the perfect excuse to go and enjoy the place again.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
TESOCO NUEVO: LAND OF JAGUARS, 37min., Mexico
Directed by Camilla Daldoss, Fernando Costantino Martinez Belmar
In a remote mayan community called Tesoco Nuevo located in the selva of Yucatan – Mexico, people have a special relationship with nature. The forest that this village protect is home of the largest wild cat in America and one of the most endangered: the jaguar. The documentary shows how they all have the important role to preserve it.
https://tesoconuevo.wixsite.com/documentary
https://www.facebook.com/tesoconuevotierradejaguares
https://instagram.com/camilladaldoss_videographer
Get to know filmmaker Camilla Daldoss:
I was filming my first short documentary about Sea Turtle Conservation in Puerto Escondido, when the biologist Fernando Martinez Belmar contacted me to see if I was able to film something in Yucatan about his conservation project with jaguars. I moved to Yucatan pretty excited and ended filming and editing for months and years.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
Watch the Screenplay Reading:
https://youtu.be/QexzCn2nFPc
A down-on-her-luck violinist reluctantly accepts an offer to teach a young boy with severe social anxiety.
Get to know the writer:
Dischordant is a live action/animation hybrid about self-destructive, single Rachel, a forty-year-old violinist whose greatest dream is just to get her job back with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra but fucks it up every time, and David, a selectively mute, neurodivergent eleven-year-old with a dark secret, who just wants to fit in.
Rachel struggles to connect with and unlock her full talent. Her technique is perfect, but her heart? That’s locked away. In the pilot, Rachel loses her job and her beloved cat, and – once again – blows an audition with the Symphony Orchestra. She’s under constant pressure from everyone around her – Gracie, her half-sister who suffers from PTSD, her mum Joan who pesters her at every turn and who develops early onset Alzheimer’s, and her needy BFF Lucy who, through her own insecurities, makes Rachel feel worthless at every turn. So of course, Rachel has her emotional barriers wayyyyy up. Until now she has been unable to break through these barriers, but David is going to change all of that.
Rachel and David form a unique bond of trust, mainly through music which flows through the series almost like a character itself. Music is the only thing that can calm David when he’s going through his “darkening” – like when the neighbour mows his lawn too loudly, or the markers scratch too loudly on the whiteboard at school. David will eventually learn to trust Rachel, and finally reveals to her the dark secret that made him selectively mute. Rachel must now decide whether to breach his trust in the name of justice, or keep his nightmarish secret and let someone get away with murder.
Dischordant is a character driven, no filter dramedy about falling down and getting back up, time and time again. About being rejected over and over and learning how to live with that. It’s sarcastic – the characters use humour as a coping mechanism – but it is always rooted in the reality of the constant fight to get what you want, no matter how many times you have to claw yourself out of that hole. As viewers, we want Rachel to succeed, we want her to fight, because if she doesn’t, what hope do the rest of us have?
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
WEREWOLF MARGARITA, 10min., USA
Directed by Jax Deerman Kinlaw
A young woman is stalked by a werewolf.
Get to know the filmmaker:
I originally wrote Werewolf Margarita as an assignment in a college screenwriting class. The assignment: pick a random song lyric out of a hat and write a 5-10 page screenplay inspired by the song lyric. I got the lyric, “I saw a Werewolf drinking a Pina Colada” and it started from there. When we did a class reading of the script, i got great responses from both my classmates and teachers so I knew I wanted to make it into a film at some point. Once I graduated, I wanted to continue moving forward in the industry ao I picked up my favorite script from filmschool and pressed go!
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
MY ROCKSTAR, 13min,. USA
Directed by Stephanie Williams, Graham Nothrup
"My Rockstar" is a compelling and emotional short film that follows the journey of Amanda (aka “Eva” of the band Eva Under Fire”), a determined young Latina woman who dreams of becoming a rockstar while navigating the challenges of her father's opiate addiction. The story delves into the complexities of familial relationships, self-discovery, and the power of resilience. The film aims to evoke strong emotional responses from the audience while conveying a powerful message about the profound impact of addiction on familial relationships. It explores themes of hope, resilience, and the pursuit of dreams, leaving viewers inspired and moved by Amanda's journey.
Read movie review of the film: https://festivalreviews.org/2024/05/21/short-film-review-my-rockstar-directed-by-stephanie-williams-graham-nothrup/
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
PLEASE CLICK 2, 4min., USA
Directed by Allexxis Youngs
Two friends fight to keep their sanity after encountering a
mysterious video online, there is no escape but to become a part of the video.
Get to know the filmmaker:
Lol, this film was for a screenwriting class. We had to come up with 3 to 5 ideas. Me being a Reddit user and into the deep web stuff. I saw a story that made me think about human interactions with tech/media. And it just clicked, the response I got from my professor and classmates made me keep pushing to make this film. Everyone wanted answers and loved how universal it is through the audience and media format-wise.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
THE YORKIE WEREWOLF, 74min., USA
Directed by Michael DiBiasio-Ornelas
A rebellious teen witch is turned into a tiny werewolf and thrown into the middle of a decades-old war between one small town’s creatures of the night — and the local mafia.
https://www.instagram.com/michaeldibiasio/
https://twitter.com/MichaelDiBiasio
Get to know the filmmaker:
Fun. The goal of this film was to do something absurd, to enjoy the process of that, and to make something that would hopefully make a lot of people laugh. I first got the idea nine years ago, and then forgot about it. It occurred to me again — “what if someone got turned into a werewolf, but instead it was a Yorkie” — and this time I pitched it to someone while looking for my next film to line up. The pitch went well enough that they said “if you write the script, I can try to help you get some financing at a low budget.” Ultimately, that opportunity didn’t pan out but I pretty quickly got a private investor on board based on the strength of the concept.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
THE FISHERMAN, THE ALIEN, THE SEA, 9min,. Italy
Directed by Elisabetta Zavoli
In June 2023, the population of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) boomed unexpectedly in the Goro lagoon, Delta of Po River, Italy. Here, amidst the alarmed but inactive shouting of the entire community, a young fourth-generation fisherman, Alessio Tagliati, leader of a small cooperative of clams farmers that has lost all their production to the blue crabs’ voracity, faces this new environmental challenge by reviving a traditional sustainable fishing technique his grandfather taught him and by following what the sea taught him: being ready to adapt to an environment that continuously change, thus showing a tremendous spirit of resilience in the face of the collapsing of his world.
http://www.elisabettazavoli.com/
https://www.facebook.com/elisabetta.zavoli
https://twitter.com/elizavola
https://www.instagram.com/elizavola/
Get to know the filmmaker:
I’m a freelance documentary photographer and filmmaker. In 2023, I investigated the invasion of alien species Atlantic blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in the Mediterranean Sea thanks to the support of the National Geographic Society – Storytelling Grant. One of the outputs was a short film telling the impacts of the blue crabs invasion.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
A VALLEY REBORN, 11min., USA
Directed by Zach Marks
“A Valley Reborn” is a short documentary that highlights the careful restoration of a portion of the San Miguel River, situated in the historic town of Telluride, Colorado. Led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with the United States Forest Service (USFS), this project aims to remediate the adverse effects of a century of mining activity, which left the riverbed laden with heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. This film captures the entire restoration process, from initial assessment to final cleanup. The film features interviews with experts, community members, and stakeholders involved in the project. By addressing environmental challenges and promoting sustainable practices, we can safeguard water quality, preserve ecosystems, and educate future generations.
Get to know the filmmaker:
I wanted to make this film after visiting Telluride in the summer of 2020. guided by my good friend, Carlo Pine, I was enthralled by the beauty of the valley and I wanted to do everything possible to spend as much time there. Then in 2022 when the EPA announced the plan to start this restoration project I quickly began to research and plan for A Valley Reborn. Learning about the passion the community had for this land, it was an easy choice to move to Telluride for the summer and start filming. Camping outside of town and filming this project was an unforgettable experience for my team and I.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
DIRECT ACTION, 13min., UK
Directed by Tor Kristoffersen
A teenage environmentalist leads a protest
against a coal mine, setting her on a collision course
with her father, the police and courts.
https://www.instagram.com/torkistoffersen/
Get to know the filmmaker:
A few things – the first is obviously the climate crisis, which is pretty much the backdrop (in some way) for all the scripts I write – having this unprecedented and existential issue staring us in the face, which we’re not really dealing with has always motivated me to try and tackle it in some small way and I think fictional stories are a very important way of doing that. In England we’ve got a government which after making some good noises about Net Zero has started giving the green light for more coal mines and oil fields, while at the same time introducing some draconian laws making peaceful protest virtually illegal and giving some pretty hefty sentences to climate protesters which is pretty alarming. Most climate protesters don’t want to go out and start marching down streets (you can trust me on that) but they’re pretty well informed on the science – indeed the ones I know are some of the most educated people in our society such as doctors and scientists so it’s quite alarming when we start locking these people up for trying to raise awareness of the subject. I totally appreciate that their tactics can divide the room but the reason they’re doing this is because we’re ignoring the problem.
The other main issue I was interested in was how a lot of young females were being dealt with (particularly by the press in the UK) for taking part in these protests — basically how they were being branded as ‘fanatical’ and that reminded me of the suffragette movement. We look back on that with selective amnesia in the UK, Emily Pankhurst and the woman who fought for their rights are now rightly celebrated but at the time they were horribly vilified and they had to use some pretty hard core tactics which are never mentioned. A lot of women were imprisoned for simply wanting rights and I found there to be an interesting parallel here. So out of that (and a few women I have met) Emily Phliips was born – I then really liked the idea that her mum had played a role in activism but her dad saw work opportunities in the mine – this enabled me to bring the other side I wanted to explore as well – which is the struggle a lot of people have with paying the bills and how lack of political leadership makes the transition away from fossil fuels very real and economically scary for a lot of people. These are themes I was able to explore more in the feature but they’re touched on very lightly here.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
THE TWO SPINSTERS, 9min., Italy
Directed by Ugo Lanzotti, Roberta Pia De Angelis
Two ladies have been living together for many years. One of them, Maria, has to face an old family hostility for having chosen to live love…
https://www.instagram.com/roberta_de_angelis
Get to know filmmaker Roberta Pia De Angelis:
This film was born as a final project at our university last year. What we wanted to tell was a homosexual story but in a different way. What motivated us to write this story, as it has been written, was to show how love has no age or gender. However, as in most cases, it is not always easy to follow your heart and feelings, especially when the people you loved most during your life did not support you in your choices.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
THE SWEATER, 9min., Canada
Directed by Maziyar Khatam
Pressured into giving away his clothes, an emasculated young man obsessively attempts to reclaim his cherished sweater before it vanishes into the donation abyss.
https://www.instagram.com/funnybonepictures
Get to know the filmmaker:
This idea has been bouncing around in my head since 2017: a guy donates his sweater at his girlfriend’s request, but his male friends make him feel inferior, so he decides to steal it back at all costs to prove his manhood. Firstly, it’s a comedy, but it was also important for the story to feel personal, delving into masculinity, self-worth, and the struggle for validation.
At the time, executing this film didn’t seem feasible from a budgetary perspective, especially with one of the key scenes being set at a donation center/thrift store. Our team had no finances to shut down an entire store, hire background extras, and shoot such a scene.
Years later, we had been discussing another idea that would utilize a more guerrilla shooting style. It occurred to us that we could shoot The Sweater this way as a proof of concept for our other more expansive project.
So we used hidden cameras and snuck into locations, which gave the film a voyeuristic and personal feel. The result was a bizarre hybrid of real people and actors fusing into a single narrative.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
LIKE MOTHER, 8min., Canada
Directed by Lisa Drupsteen
A young woman navigates her romantic life while trying her best to dodge her mother’s demons. Will she have the strength to break the cycle of manipulation? Or simply fall victim to the old adage: “Like Mother, Like Daughter”…
https://www.instagram.com/lisa_drupsteen
Get to know the filmmaker:
A short story I wrote while a student at The Second City Film School (formally the Harold Ramis Film School) featured a zany, narcissistic mother who named pets after loved ones. My peers were eager to learn more about this eccentric lady. I knew I had to explore the concept more deeply and bring it to life on the screen one day.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
CONSERVING MOUNTAINS, 10min., USA
Directed by Kaitlyn Leach
An educational short documentary discussing some of the wildlife conservation efforts happening around the state of West Virginia. Throughout the film you will listen to a local DNR Assistant Chief, Wildlife Biologist, and Park Rangers talk about West Virginia’s varying wildlife. The specialists will further talk about the local wildlife’s importance to our ecosystems, and the conservation projects they work on to help ensure their protection and educate the public about them.
https://www.wildkat-media.com/conserving-mountains
https://www.instagram.com/wildkat_media/
Get to know the filmmaker:
I was motivated to make this film because I grew up in West Virginia and I wanted to share the beauty I grew up knowing with others. All together it took me five months to complete this film. The idea was pitched and approved in April. Everything was booked and planned out in May then the film was shot in June. Editing, foley production and music production all took place in July and August.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKxzQH6JMdY
In this episode of Doctor Who, The Doctor and her friends are caught in the middle of a museum heist, but the perpetrator is a familiar face to the Thirteenth Doctor. But who is she?
Get to know the writer:
My screenplay is about The Thirteenth Doctor and The “Fam” are caught in the middle of a museum heist on the planet Prodigal. The Doctor seems to recognize the perpetrator, but she is unsure from where. This screenplay is mostly about the mystery of the criminal and the secrets of Prodigal.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
STRUGGLE, 5min., Armenia
Directed by David Babasiev
In the remote mountains a family facing intense challenges as the mother and their prized cow approach childbirth simultaneously.
Get to know the filmmaker:
I’ve always wanted to showcase the reality of the struggle that many face. This film is a reflection of that desire, aiming to shed light on the raw, often unseen challenges people endure. How people are capable of facing two challenges at the same time and going through that.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod
