WILDsound's The Film Podcast

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

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. 1547: Interview with Screenwriter Nan Schmid (THE LANGUAGE OF THE WOLVES)

After being embedded with the U.S. military in Afghanistan, which ends in tragedy, a journalist heads to rural Maine to fully recover and finds herself on the frontlines of another battle, between a family of wolves and the ruthless land developer who wants them hunted down.

After a comrade dies in a horrific incident on the frontlines in Afghanistan, a war correspondent, forced to take time off, travels to Maine, only to stumble upon a exotic-animal hunting resort that threatens the local wolf population. When two wolf pups come under her care, she risks everything to stop the corruption and return the wolves to their pack.

Get to know the writer:

What is your screenplay about?

This script is about a war reporter experiences the death of a close friend, she thinks she never known a tougher battle until she inherits his dog and they witnesses the murder of a wolf, then a brutal land developer set his sights on them when she informs his his land
belongs to the Penobscot Tribe, now with the two wolf pups they’ve rescued as she wages the biggest battle of her life to save them and absolve herself of her friends death.

What genres does your screenplay fall under?

My screenplay is an action/ adventure/thriller with a kick-ass female lead.

Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

This screenplay is about a woman stepping outside of herself to do something for the greater good in a world she knows nothing about. We have become so detached from nature and what the true meaning of what balance is and how important it is, I know this- you won’t find any true meaning to life buried in your phone. This movie will remind everyone who sees it what it feels like to be connected to something bigger than your
little world when you experience nature through the eyes and hearts of animals.

How would you describe this script in two words?

Redemption. Love.

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https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundp

Matthew Toffolo, screenplay contestsMatthew ToffoloJuly 25, 2025Nan Schmid (THE LANGUAGE OF THE WOLVES), screenwritter, Writer, matthew toffolo

EP. 1544: Screenwriter Ed Vela (THE MORTALITY GAME)

Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLrcCUBi10A

Facing death due to different illnesses, three patients find themselves playing a made up game called The Mortality Game to experience life one last time risking it all.

www.instagram.com/thevelamonster

Get to know the writer:

What is your screenplay about?
It’s about 116 pages! Sorry, I just had to get one “Dad Joke” in, even though I’m NOT a Dad (that I know of). “The Mortality Game’ is in essence a story of life as seen through the lens of impending death. It’s about how we as humans face the “final act” of the stage play of our lives. In the case of my three headed lead: Schubert, Halada and Tugger face it in their own differing, yet quirky ways. Ultimately deciding to take a final road trip across the country while playing a game where they do dangerous things to challenge and defy death, since they have nothing to lose.

What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Character Driven Dramedy for the most part, as it has elements of Comedy and Drama, with a bit of Coming of Age mixed in for good measure.

Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Because the characters are as diverse in age and attitude as they are strong in development and memorability. Because the story, about how we face death is an important one to tell, since that is a situation that none of us can avoid. Because it explores letting go as well as fighting back, finding the joy in the dreaded, and allowing yourself to feel what you feel facing the end, whether it’s understandable or not, expected or not, appropriate or not.

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https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundp

Writing, screenplay contestsMatthew ToffoloJuly 22, 2025Ed Vela (THE MORTALITY GAME), screenwritter, screernwriter, matthew toffolo

EP. 1421: Screenwriter Cecil Harris (WHITE CHOCOLATE)

Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-wbuMLmLCQ

Get to know the writer:

What is your screenplay about?
White Chocolate is about a female detective who, along with her male partner, has to solve the killing of a high school basketball prodigy in Yonkers, New York (near New York City). Detective Erika Gonzalez is a single mom and the daughter of a cop killed in the line of duty. Her son’s father, who proved unfaithful during their relationship, has been recently released from prison. The story focuses on Erika’s resilience in the face of personal and professional challenges, as well as the unwanted attention that comes to an attractive woman who simply wants to do her job.

What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Drama, Crime, Sports.

Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Erika is a character who faces so many challenges in a male-dominated profession and is constantly being tested, which makes her someone worth rooting for. Also, the basketball prodigy represents the hopes and dreams of many in a city not noted for producing famous people. Many in the community live vicariously through him, making his killing difficult for them to process. Fingers are pointed in many different directions. There’s a whodunit element to the story. Those who may be able to identify the killer before the detectives may be intrigued by the lengths to which the killer tries to avoid accountability.

How many stories have you written?
Two screenplays. The other is Iceman, which is about a Black hockey trailblazer in the 1995-96 National Hockey League season.
I’m also the author of four books: Breaking the Ice: The Black Experience in Professional Hockey (Insomniac Press, Toronto), the first book that told the unique stories of Black players in hockey; Call the Yankees My Daddy: Reflections on Baseball, Race, and Family; Charging the Net: A History of Blacks in Tennis from Althea Gibson and Arthur to the Williams Sisters; and Different Strokes: Serena, Venus, and the Unfinished Black Tennis Revolution. My books reside at the intersection of sports and sociology. I used to cover the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes for The News & Observer in Raleigh and the New York Rangers for Newsday in New York. The lead character in Iceman is based on Black NHL players I wrote about in Breaking the Ice.

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https://www.instagram.com/cristencoppen

Writing, Screenplay Writing, screenplay contestsMatthew ToffoloFebruary 8, 2025screeenwriter, screenwritter, writing, Cecil Harris, White Chocolate

EP. 1399: Screenwriters Jamie Latta & Cristen Coppen (TRUTH FALLS)

Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX7enK7_XQU

Amidst holiday chaos, Gaby and Fitz embark on a road trip to a spiritualist commune to confront Gaby’s estranged Aunt Tibby, leading to family revelations, spiritual meltdowns awakenings, and unexpected bonding.

https://www.instagram.com/jamielattaluv

Get to know the writers:

What is your screenplay about? Truth Falls is a holiday film about a family secret slowly and hilariously coming to light during the most wonderful time of the year. When Gaby loses her parents in an accident, she learns that her new-age, enlightened Aunt Tibby has been made the executor of her estate. Gaby and her best friend Fitz are forced to leave their swanky Chicago lifestyle for a spiritualist camp, Truth Falls, in Oklahoma to confront Tibby and demand her inheritance.Gaby gets more than she bargained for when she learns there’s way more to her family story than she was told. Like, WAY more… We learn that Tibby is Gaby’s birth mother. This secret has been buried for decades. This is a Film about what happens when a family secret slowly, painfully, and hilariously comes to light causing spiritual meltdowns and epic holiday awakenings.

. What genres does your screenplay fall under? Christmas Comedy

Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? We wanted to write a movie that dug into what the holidays are really about – Family DRAMA. All great stories are about family. The inspiration for Truth Falls was to have a comedy that stems from your deepest secrets and wounds because those are the best stories people can see themselves in. We love a frothy, fun holiday movie and we thought – hey let’s do both. It can be fun, sad, tragic, and hilarious. Most holiday movies don’t look anything like what people experience. We all have family secrets – what better time to unwrap them than at Christmas? Truth Falls is an anti Hallmark Movie.

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Writing, Screenplay Writing, screenplay contestsMatthew ToffoloJanuary 8, 2025screenwritter, comedy, comedy script, jamie latta, cristen coppen, Matthew toffolo, writer

EP. 1385 - Screenwriter Carlos Galinho (DOWNBURST)

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

Get to know the screenwriter:

What is your screenplay about?
The central topic is a wildfire that grows uncontrollably, generating its own micro-weather followed by a downburst, which spreads destructive and fast winds of fire, while different civil defense officers try to fight it and save lives. It is a multicharacter plot, focusing on different layers of drama. At the same time, it’s also a conspiracy thriller, as a journalist tries to uncover the causes behind it.

What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Action, thriller, drama

Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
First if all, it’s full of action and drama, possibly the main “ingredients” of any Hollywood blockbuster. Then, it’s a genuine, dramatic and heroic story with uncommon elements: wildfires are rarely depicted in movies; and, the story, which may seem incredible and fictional, was actually based on true events that no one could ever predict. So, if I do say so myself, I think it would be a great movie, something between “Band of Brothers” and “Dante’s Peak”.

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Writing, Screenplay WritingMatthew ToffoloDecember 15, 2024Carlos Galinho (DOWNBURST), screenwritter, matthew toffolo, writer

EP. 1288 - Screenwriter Cory David Bortnicker (MY NAME IS JONAS)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWx2x_ogn58

A young gay songwriter in the grip of meth addiction must face his past when he learns he is actually a prophet who must save New York City from Judgement Day.

Get to know the writer:

My Name Is Jonas tells the story of a young gay songwriter in the throes of crystal meth addiction who gets a second chance at life when he meets God and learns that he’s actually a prophet. It’s a modern retelling of the Book of Jonah based on my own experiences as a person in recovery. The pilot episode introduces us to Jonas on his first day in rehab where he tries to convince his counselors that he’s a prophet who has been sent on a mission from God to save New York City from Judgment Day.

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