WILDsound Podcast
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.

Posts in how to make a film
EP. 1144 - Filmmaker Greg Kase (VITAL INSTRUMENTS)

VITAL INSTRUMENTS, 17min., USA
Directed by Greg Kase
In this dark fever dream, a botched pawn shop robbery sends desperate brothers Walter and Pete, and their newly employed getaway driver Cutty, hobbling to a safe house that was supposed to be abandoned. Instead, they find shackled women in critical need of their help. Things complicate after their captor is mortally wounded in a shootout, and the predicament as to why they are prisoners in the first place becomes highly questionable—especially after the first one they reluctantly release immediately (and violently) kills herself, and the rest of them start chanting in ancient tongues.

https://vitalinstruments.wixsite.com/movie
https://www.facebook.com/Vital.Instruments.Movie/
https://www.instagram.com/vital_instruments_movie/

Get to know the filmmaking team:

The concept of the crooks vs occult was a marriage of two genres we all deeply enjoyed, Heist and Spooky Occult Horror. As a group of horror film fans, we had never seen a movie do this in the same way this concept was blossoming in our minds. The exploration of a clash between outcasts of society, a sort of stand off on the fringes. Like most filmmakers, we started describing scenes that we would like to see and dialogue we would want to hear until it culminated in the understanding that if we wanted to see it, we had to make it.

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.

EP. 1076 - Filmmaker David Sackerman (BIG EXIT)

BIG EXIT, 11min,. USA
Directed by David Sackerman
Josh is a lonely, awkward individual who is ignored by his coworkers and disrespected by his boss, but when he gets some bad news, he comes up with a scheme to get the last laugh.

https://www.facebook.com/bigexitshortfilm2021
https://twitter.com/big_exit_film
https://www.instagram.com/big_exit_shortfilm_2021/

Get to know the filmmaker:

This started out as an assignment at Columbia College Chicago in which we were tasked to write a ten-page screenplay based on a true story. Our teacher suggested a “weird news stories” aggregator, which we all looked at, and the top headline was about a man from New Zealand who had just hired an “emotional support clown” for his layoff meeting! I added certain elements like his boss’s unlikeable personality and Josh’s meekness and desire to connect with others. As an autistic person I’ve had a lot of experience wanting to fit in but struggling no matter what I do, and one of the ways I overcame that was comedy. It’s a great tool for fighting sadness and for spitting in the face of an oppressive system!

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.

EP. 1066 - Filmmaker Dylan Edgardo Galicia León & Actress Ana Paulina Barrera (LET YOU GO)

LET YOU GO, 11min,. Mexico
Directed by Dylan Edgardo Galicia León
Andrea, a girl who’s in a lesbian relationship, begins to have visions of an old love that her heart has not overcome, the guilt she feels for her new relationship causes the memory of this past love to make her question her feelings and her own reality.

Get to know the filmmaker:

-What motivated me was that I recently graduated from film school this year in Mexico, so I just felt ready to do my own things now, with no restrictions, the time was right to make my first short 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.

EP. 1059 - Filmmaker Ryan Walker Page (WAWA BY THE OCEAN)

WAWA BY THE OCEAN, 5min., USA
Directed by Ryan Walker Page
A dance narrative that explores inner and outer landscapes—emphasizing the overlap of pain, sensuality, and joy.

Get to know the filmmaker:

I stumbled upon this song and it flung all the doors open for me. It connected me to my Quaker roots, my mother’s intense emotions, and the rare visual of Los Angeles when it is hydrated. It cared for me during a grueling medical procedure and I would use it for dance classes. After a few months of listening, I decided to reach out to the artist in the hopes of creating a video. To my delight, Mary said yes and just so happened to be my neighbor in LA!! All of these beginning signs have me a powerful green light to keep going.

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.

Ep. 1025 - Actor/Filmmaker Alessia Fionda (GIVE US A SMILE)

GIVE US A SMILE, 13min., USA
Directed by Alessia Fionda
A humorous retelling of the sitting of the Mona Lisa featuring the master himself, Leonardo da Vinci and his not so talented pupil, Alessio.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20850030/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
https://instagram.com/alessiafionda

Get to know the filmmaker:

I was motivated to make this film because the script I had written encompassed everything I love. Women’s issues both past and present, art history and of course my favorite, comedy. The Mona Lisa is the most recognizable and discussed piece of art in existence, yet there is little to no information regarding the subject of the painting, Lisa del Giocondo. I wanted to add a colorful reinterpretation of what could have happened during the sitting. Also, I deeply wanted to play the character of Mona Lisa and challenge myself from an acting perspective.

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.

Nov. 10, 2023 - Bess Noakes-Kettel (RUNT)

RUNT, 4min., UK

Directed by Bess Noakes-Kettel, Brendan Void

We follow the journey of a young woman and her conflicting emotions and sense of impending demise as she interacts with four other ‘masked’ and seemingly predatory creatures in the wilderness. Expressing themselves through interactive dance and movement as they move through beach and woodland areas, our protagonist appears bare faced and ‘unmasked’: both brave and vulnerable in aesthetic contrast to the other ensemble members who appear in human form and demonstrate human athletic prowess and attributes, but retain anonymity behind their wolf masks.

https://www.ragged-pictures.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ragged_pictures/

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.

Oct. 11, 2023 - Filmmaker Claire Yland Li (UNTIED KNOTS)

UNTIED KNOTS, 5min., Cambodia, Romance
Directed by Claire Yland Li
A girl who constantly fantasizes about sexual intimacy and romantic encounter doesn’t know what to do when the opportunity actually comes.

Get to know the filmmaker:
This story starts as a story about summer and youth; two girls who are bored and decide to run away together, but when their parents call, they go home willingly. But then, as I was re-writing the script, I wanted to write something about loneliness and a need to connect. I’ve been a bit of a nihilistic and believe that nothing other than the connections you made matters in the end.

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.

Sept. 27, 2023 - Filmmaker Olivier Hero Dressen (BLACK BOX)

BLACK BOX, 8min., China, Drama
Directed by Olivier Hero Dressen
“The Black Box” is a romantic drama film that tells the story of Thibaut, a Frenchman, and Sai, a Chinese girl, who fall in love during the peak of the Covid-19 crisis. Despite the harsh quarantine restrictions, they decide to meet and spend time together, with Thibaut having to endure 28 days of quarantine to do so. The film explores their relationship, which is narrated through dream, reality, and Sai’s fantasies. At one point, Sai describes herself as a black box, the memory of their relationship and the moments that never happened. The film also touches on their shared fascination with planes and airports, with Thibaut collecting photos of X-rays with his suitcase and Sai being fascinated by plane black boxes. The film ultimately explores the fragility and indestructibility of relationships, memory, and love.

https://www.studiosupremefilms.com/the-black-box
https://www.facebook.com/studiosupreme/
https://www.instagram.com/studiosupreme_prod

Get to know the filmmaker:

“The Black Box” was motivated by a desire to explore the complexities of love and relationships, particularly during challenging times like the COVID-19 crisis.

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.

Sept. 23, 2023 - Filmmaker Morteza Rafiei (FREEDOMTOWN: NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE)

FREEDOMTOWN: NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE, 15min., USA
Directed by Morteza Rafiei
Freedom Town: Not So Black And White takes viewers on a journey to explore the tension between activism and police forces around George Floyed’s death amidst the 2020 pandemic chaos. Through two filmmaker lenses, we follow an activist and former cop over 2 years as they navigate their respective worlds.

Get to know the filmmaker:
As a Middle Eastern individual and my creative partner is African American, we embarked on creating a movie that sheds light on our country’s challenges during the pandemic and the impact of George Floyd’s tragic death. Coming from the Middle East, where I sought freedom upon arriving in this country, witnessing how the police treated their own citizens was truly bewildering. It was astonishing to see the similarities between some of the protests in America and those I had experienced in Iran. With our film, we aimed to delve deeper into the reasons behind the mistreatment of African Americans while also giving voice to the perspective of the police.

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.

Sept. 19, 2023 - Filmmaker Colin Harabedian (KEEP MOVING)

KEEP MOVING, 17min., USA
Directed by Colin Harabedian
a journey through grief

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU-VlgKN8Bh2UQbAPnpo6xw

Get to know the filmmaker:

I think there are quite a few different motivations for this film. In September of 2021, my aunt passed away very suddenly. It shocked our family and was a very strange time for all of us. We had not all been together since pre-pandemic, so we hadn’t gotten to be very close in quite sometime. It was a very strange way to get the family back together, but all acted as a way for us to reconned and restrengthen us as a group. It was also at this time I was rehearsing for a show, and had to be away from a while to attend the funeral. It reminded me how a lot of the deaths I have experienced have overlapped with times in my dance career, and how we as artists have to cope while also having to perform and manage our emotions. All of this reminded me of the 5 stages of grief, and how we experience loss. I thought about how to express this idea, and rather than do a very direct interpretation of this idea with one person going through the stages, I wanted to make the story bigger, feel real, and have multiple characters focusing on a specific emotional aspect of grieving and implement the idea that we are all going through something and that universal experience can connect us as people. While it can be very abstract and symbolic, I also wanted it to be grounded enough that there anyone can understand it and resonate with it in their own way. To me this film is an ode to why I love dance, and the power that it has as a storytelling device.

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.

Sept. 8, 2023 - Filmmaker Alain Alfaro (DON’T WAIT UP FOR ME)

DON’T WAIT UP FOR ME, 18min., USA
Directed by Alain Alfaro
A lonely and troubled writer jeopardizes his own life when he hires a hitman on himself.

Get to know the filmmaker:
A passion for filmmaking and a need to tell a personal story through a genre lens (led me to make this film). My mission as a filmmaker is to show Latinos in complex roles that is beyond what we’re used to seeing, but also grounded in truth.

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.

August 26, 2023 - Filmmaker Siham Kortas (FAIRY FINGERS (DOIGTS DE FEE))

FAIRY FINGERS (DOIGTS DE FEE), 22min,. Canada
Directed by Siham Kortas
Fairy Fingers is a documentary that tells the story of my son, who, despite his difference was able to grow up, take on challenges and realize his potential. It’s a story about how I, as a parent, went from a feeling of helplessness to one of pride and fascination.

https://www.facebook.com/doigtsdefeeparsihamkortas
https://mobile.twitter.com/sihamkortas?lang=en

Get to know the filmmaker:

When my son Paul told me in May 2021 that my daughter-in-law Lilie was pregnant, I immediately thought it was time to tell his wonderful story of hope, confidence and perseverance.
I had to produce a short film to tell his story, our story, with the idea of giving courage and hope to other families who also live with differences.

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 15, 2023 - Filmmaker Lenora Lee (AND THE COMMUNITY WILL RISE)

AND THE COMMUNITY WILL RISE, 63min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Lenora Lee

http://www.lenoraleedance.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LenoraLeeDance
https://www.twitter.com/LenoraLeeDance
https://www.instagram.com/LenoraLeeDance

Get to know the filmmaker:

Lenora Lee Dance, Asian Improv aRts, and Chinatown Community Development Center had been working on a collaborative project featuring CCDC’s residents already in 2018. Given the impactful results, we wanted to further this working relationship, and decided to embark on this new project “And the Community Will Rise”.

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.

March 22, 2023 - Filmmaker Eric Maierson & Animator Tala Schlossberg (POLISH/ENGLISH PHRASEBOOK)

POLISH/ENGLISH PHRASEBOOK, 1min., USA, Comedy
Directd by Eric Maierson
My father finds the only page he needs in the phrasebook.

https://www.ericmaierson.com/
https://www.instagram.com/captaingboy/
https://twitter.com/gboy

From filmmaker Eric Maierson:
This short was made in part as a response to feeling isolated because of COVID. I wanted to collaborate but wanted to do so in a safe manner. I “found” the poem on a trip to Poland in 1995. So between the time I copied it into my notebook and made the film, I literally doubled my age.

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 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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

November 22, 2022 - Filmmaker Brian Rios (LILI)

LILI, 15min., Puerto Rico, Drama/Thriller
Directed by Brian Rios
A father and daughter must cross the border in order to find a better life, but the daughter cannot speak.

From filmmaker Brian Rios:

My main motivation was to humanize and make people feel empathy for the immigrants coming into America, especially the children that were being separated from their parents. I wanted to make a short film that could get to the emotional core of an audience member no matter what their personal politics are.

Interview by Matthew Toffolo


Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. 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

October 17, 2022 - Filmmaker Kelli Neal (I’M A GIRL)

“A young girl's relationship with her father becomes tense when she begins to experience life as a woman.”

Interview with director Kelli Neal on the making of the film at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center.



Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. 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

October 16, 2022 - Filmmaker Andrew Englisch (GONE WITH THE WING)

“From renowned adventure filmmakers Safari Productions and cinematographer Hamish Pattison comes Andrew Englisch’s world first attempt to cross treacherous Bass Strait on his Wing Foil. A stunning, intimate and raw portrait of Andrew’s journey to raise himself out of the depths of depression and be the first person to cross one of the most dangerous stretches of water on the planet, despite only learning to wing foil 12 months earlier and before his 55th birthday.”

https://gonewiththewing.com.au/
https://instagram.com/englisch

Director Statement

I am a pirate. I travel to the world's most dangerous, beautiful and scary places and bring back the loot. A bounty of film, photos and stories. When not scouring the world for interesting stories I work to improve awareness around mental health.

Playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. 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

August 22, 2022 - Filmmaker/Adventurer Blake Thornton (CHASE THAT FEELING)

CHASE THAT FEELING in the winning feature film from the Action/Adventure Film Festival.

Project Links

Chase That Feeling is an adventure travel feature film about two best mates who travel the world to chase that feeling.

From a young age these two childhood friends, Blake ‘BT’ Thornton and Matt ‘Gilso’ Gilsenan, had surfing as a common interest, and as the years went on their skills improved and they started to push each other further out of their comfort zones.

When Gilso & BT are not adventuring, they’re your everyday Aussie blokes slogging it out as a carpenter and a lifeguard. Saving enough money to fund their next trip, they drop the tools for a snowboard and swap a rescue board for a surfboard. They pack up and pile into a van to hit the open road in search of new destinations and to chase swell and snow across the globe. They find freedom in empty waves, back country mountains and at fourteen thousand feet above the earth.

They explore the rugged wilderness of Alaska, Iceland, Canada, Tahiti, New Zealand and some hidden gems in their home country Australia. They surf the infamous reef break Teahupo’o in Tahiti and tackle some of the highest peaks in snowboarding; Haines, Alaska.

This is a story about friendship, tragedy and triumph. Going through painful experiences force them to shift focus, as they become even more driven to make the most out of life. These ambitious guys set themselves big challenges and show up with grit and determination. When faced with powerful swell, unforgiving mountains, the threat of avalanches, brutal cold, wild terrain, injury, loss and extreme elements at the mercy of mother nature – they never forget to have fun. A movie about making memories, where experiences are more precious than things.


Film playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. 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

May 4, 2022 - Filmmaker Cylia Marti Chasman (THE GLOOMY VERACITY OF SEPARATION)

THE GLOOMY VERACITY OF SEPARATION was the winner of BEST FILM at the March 2022 STUDENT Feedback Film Festival.

Project Links

“A short silent film, expressing a man experiencing the after math of the separation of a passionate, volatile and emotional relationship through visuals and memories.”

Conversation with filmmaker Cylia Marti Chasman on the making of the film.

Film also showing on the WILDsound TV app. 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