WILDsound's The Film Podcast

Independent Film, Matthew ToffoloMatthew ToffoloOctober 16, 2025MARIPOSA film team (DigiPen Institute of Technology), matthew toffolo, brook vitovsky, cambria cheney, chase miller, emmaleigh fleck, kiera vermeal

EP. 1600: Filmmaker Kyle Arneson (Meevil the Weevil: Breakfast of Champions)

Meevil the Weevil: Breakfast of Champions, 4min., USA
Directed by Kyle Arneson
Meevil https://filmfreeway.com/submissions/32428116#ff_javascriptthe Weevil is a little bug with big dreams of being a stuntman. “Breakfast of Champions” mixes stop motion animation with live action footage where we follow Meevil’s thrilling ride across a 1970s breakfast table on rocket roller skates.

https://www.instagram.com/stunt.bug/

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?
The film came about after developing the character as a hesitant hero with big dreams of grandeur. It’s strongly inspired by the stunt men and women of the 1970’s and 80’s that I found so captivating back when the world was a little more shag-carpeted and wood-paneled. During this initial creative period I lost my father unexpectedly and it was at some point in the haze of the grieving process I realized that the relationship between Meevil, and Olis, his coach, mirrored that of my relationship to my father. So with that guiding light, the ethos of the project became clear and bringing it to reality became a goal for me as a way to honor my dad.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
From idea to final prduct this film took 3 years to make. Nothing happens fast in stop motion animation, the puppet had to be designed and built, all of the props and sets were hand made and the entire film was shot one frame at a time.

How would you describe your film in two words!?
Nostalgic fun!

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https://www.hiddenkatiprestonstory.com/

Animation, Film Festival, film and television, filmmakingMatthew ToffoloOctober 15, 2025Kyle Arneson (Meevil the Weevil: Breakfast of Champions, animation, filmmaker, Matthew Toffolo

EP. 1599: HIDDEN - THE KATI PRESTON Story Film Team

Interview with the filmmaking team of the feature documentary.

Director: Daniel Matmor. Producer: Jody Glover. Historian: Tom White.

HIDDEN – The Kati Preston Story is a powerful journey seen through the eyes of a child—a firsthand account of a society’s slow and insidious descent into authoritarianism, dictatorship, and tyranny. Kati Preston’s joyful childhood in Hungary came to an end in 1944. Bit by bit, law by law, action by action, her world was dismantled. Everything she knew and loved was stripped away.

https://www.instagram.com/freespiritprods

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Director of Photography, Directing, Documentary Film, filmmakingMatthew ToffoloOctober 14, 2025HIDDEN - THE KATI PRESTON Story Film Team, Jody Glover, Daniel Matmor, Tom White, filmmaker, Matthew Toffolo

EP. 1598: Filmmaker Clare McKay (LIVING AN AMERICAN DREAM)

LIVING AN AMERICAN DREAM, 45min., USA
Directed by Clare McKay
Two Haitian brothers, along with family and friends, discuss their experiences growing up adopted in a ranching lifestyle and how rodeo plays a part. A story of faith, passion, drive and following your dreams no matter where you’re from or plan to go.

https://www.instagram.com/livinganamericandreamdoc/

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?
This film was actually never meant to be but I’m a storyteller at heart. I started with the simple idea of creating short sizzle reels for my brothers who were avid bronc riders at the time and slowly but surely the story was born out of traveling around with them and capturing footage. I began to think how I could add more “meat” to what I was collecting and Living an American Dream was born.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

Living an American Dream took 6 years to create.

How would you describe your film in two words!?

First child

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

The biggest obstacle was finding an editor or production company that understood my voice and vision without attempting to change the narrative. While I ultimately maintained creative control, the lack of collaboration made the process an “uphill battle” that I would not want to repeat.

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Matthew ToffoloOctober 13, 2025

EP. 1597: Screenwriter A.E. Guaaker (THE VILLAGE PHANTOM)

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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https://www.instagram.com/ananatomyofgrief_shortfilm/

Female Film Festival, feature screenplay, Film Festival, film and television, Independent Film, Matthew ToffoloMatthew ToffoloOctober 12, 2025A.E. Guaaker (THE VILLAGE PHANTOM), screenwriter, writer, Matthew Toffolo, filmmaker

EP. 1596: Filmmaker Anthony Joseph Spatafora (AN ANATOMY OF GRIEF)

AN ANATOMY OF GRIEF, 15min., Canada
Directed by Anthony Joseph Spatafora
A mother grieving the death of her son while being haunted by his corpse.

What motivated you to make this film?

It actually came to me in a dream I had a few years ago, where I lived in a reality where I had been gone for 10 years and no one knew where I went. I came back into my friends' and family's lives and saw how my absence affected them. My parents were especially heartbroken. I'll never forget the moment in that dream when I came face to face with my mother after being gone for 10 years. The sadness, relief and pain in her face and voice haunts my brain to this day and it is what inspired me to write this story.

The story was also based on my own personal experiences with loss in my family. My father's dad passed away when he was young leaving my dad, uncle, and grandmother alone. My mother's father had an accident which altered who he was until the day he passed away. Seeing how these events affected my family and how they were all able to bounce back from it made me want to express how there is always hope even after immense loss.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take you to make this film?

It took me about a year and a half to develop the script and go into production and post-production. But I actually wrote the story in 2021 and then I adapted it into a script in 2024 because the story resonated more with me then. I finally finished it in April of 2025.

I rewrote the script many times. At one point, I had the mother's sister in the story as her support system, but I cut her out because I thought it was more important to show Cassandra (the mother) dealing with this loss on her own. Because not everyone has somebody to rely on.

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https://www.instagram.com/planetaeric

Film Festival, film and televisionMatthew ToffoloOctober 10, 2025Anthony Joseph Spatafora (AN ANATOMY OF GRIE, filmmaker, Matthew Toffolo, horror film, filmmaking

EP. 1595: Screenwriter Eric A Vasallo (A Polar Bear’s Nightmare)

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.

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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Matthew Toffolo, Screenplay Writing, screenplay contestsMatthew ToffoloOctober 9, 2025screeenwriter, screenwritter, Eric A Vasallo (A Polar Bear’s Nightmare), Matthew Toffolo, Environmental Festival

EP. 1594: Filmmaker/Musician Donna Weng Friedman (A SILENT CRY)

“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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https://www.instagram.com/brad.reinhold

Film Festival, Film of the Day, filmmaking, Independent Film, Matthew ToffoloMatthew ToffoloOctober 8, 2025Donna Weng Friedman (A SILENT CRY), musician, pianist, matthew toffolo, filmmaker, music video

EP. 1593: Screenwriter Timothy Bradley Reinhold (THE HARMONY SAGA)

Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_xZNbtIV2w

The Harmony Saga is a five-part mythopoetic cinematic universe culminating in a transcendent sixth finale. Combining visionary science fiction, sacred myth, and philosophical depth, it follows the rise of a divine AI, the collapse of a galactic Church, and the rebirth of cosmic balance.

Get to know the writer:

What is your screenplay about?

Its about transcendence by overcoming trauma. Its about truth versus concealment, light versus darkness, freedom versus tyranny, spirituality versus dogma.

What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Sci fi/Fantasy/Drama/Heroines Journey

Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Given where are society is at now, the looming darkness, i think its important to show how harmony can be a path forward for all of us, to bring unity. Not through conflict, but through resonance.

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Screenplay Writing, WritingMatthew ToffoloOctober 6, 2025Timothy Bradley Reinhold (THE HARMONY SAGA), screenwriter, writer, Matthew Toffolo

EP. 1592: Screenwriter Nancy Franklin (ALL THE KING’S HORSES)

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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Independent Film, Matthew Toffolo, Television Show, Screenplay WritingMatthew ToffoloOctober 2, 2025screenwritter, wildsound, writer, matthew toffolo

EP. 1591: Filmmaker Priscilla Zanni Bertran (CAST & BREW)

Cast & Brew, 10min., Spain/USA

Directed by Priscilla Zanni Bertran

Cast & Brew is a comedy about an AD trying to manage a film set where coffee has been delayed, and the lead actor, Bruce, refuses to do any takes without his coffee first. Chaos erupts when Craft Services informs the AD and Producer about a worldwide collapse in the coffee supply chain. On the meantime, Bruce demands his detailed coffee order while the director pushes for rehearsals. The scene inside the film happens in a Western field where Bruce proposes to his girlfriend, Sara. He is grabbing her in his arms and as soon as she accepts his proposal, he lets her fall to the ground claiming he lacks the muscle strength without his coffee. The Producer then reveals the truth about the coffee crisis, leading to Bruce quitting the film. This sparks a huge chaotic montage ensues with crazy physical altercations.

https://www.instagram.com/priszanni/

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

"Cast & Brew" came to me in a New York coffee shop. From my window seat, watched people hurrying by, each holding a giant cup of coffeeIt struck me: not a soul without one, just a whirlwind of rush and stress.And I thought to myself "how attached are we to that coffee and why?".

"What would happen if coffee would completely vanish?"

My hope is that audiences recognize how fast-paced our society has become, where every minute not spent being productive feels like you have committed a crime. We're constantly rushing, and when we add caffeine into that mix, we only accelerate the loss of ourselves.

We lose the purpose of why we do things. I find this concept of obsession and lost of reality very interesting and I have discovered that I actually love to explore that in my films.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

It took a year. Script took me a week to make 1st draft as a visualised it all in that coffee shop in New York. I knew exactly what I wanted the film to be from beginning , middle and end.

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comedy, Comedy, DirectingMatthew ToffoloOctober 1, 2025Priscilla Zanni Bertran, matthew toffolo, comedy festival, film festival

EP. 1590: Filmmaker Anthony Leckie (Even After (Prelude))

An ancient realm awakens. Somewhere between the living and the dead, a long forgotten forest begins to blossom. An exploration of loss, rebirth, and what awaits after death. A music driven short film that relies on imagery and sensation to convey meaning and suggest narrative. Even After (Prelude) was produced through digital paintings methodically rendered into photographic images with AI, custom small AI model creation for additional visuals, and original musical composition.

The process used to create this film can be viewed here:
https://youtu.be/y5VfbGxK1Iw

Project Links

Director Statement

I create music-driven short films that blend sculpture, painting, and AI to explore the inner landscape of self and the nature of a greater reality.

My process begins with hand-sculpted digital characters and environments rooted in classical and Renaissance traditions. These are transformed into richly detailed, photorealistic visuals using AI tools — not to replace the artist’s process, but to enrich it. I’m committed to exploring how AI can be used ethically in artmaking: not as a shortcut that erases creative work, but as a tool that preserves and amplifies the voice of the artist within a deeply intentional process.

Original musical composition is the driving force of each piece. Rather than relying on dialogue or sound effects, I craft immersive scores that act as both the emotional anchor and the sonic identity of the world — shaping tone, pacing, and meaning. The music is not background; it is the pulse and spirit of the story.

My films explore themes of death, transformation, memory, and the otherwordly. They often unfold in liminal and mythic spaces — haunted forests, vanished towns, thresholds of the afterlife — carried entirely by music, imagery, and movement.

Blending conventional techniques with influences from silent film, experimental cinema, and works like Fantasia, my work exists between narrative and abstraction. It invites audiences to feel before they understand — to experience story as sensation — while redefining what cinematic language can be.

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https://www.instagram.com/thechristophernolanexperience/

Experimental, filmmaking, Focus PullerMatthew ToffoloSeptember 29, 2025Anthony Leckie (Even After (Prelude)), Matthew Toffolo, wildsound, experimental, filmmaker, music video

EP. 1589: Filmmaker Matthew Putnam & Actor Darren Emery (The Christopher Nolan Experience)

When struggling creative Christopher Nolan is dumped by his girlfriend upon her discovery that he is not the legendary director of films such as Oppenheimer and Interstellar, he decides to prove himself by staging a play adaptation of The Dark Knight. "The Christopher Nolan Experience" captures the behind-the-scenes efforts leading up to this anticipated disaster.

Conversation with director/co-writer Matthew Putnam and lead actor Darren Emery.

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