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 Directing
April 12, 2023 - Filmmaker James Abrams (A TIGER IN THE SUBWAY)

A TIGER IN THE SUBWAY, 9min,. USA, Thriller/Drama
Directed by James Abrams
An agoraphobic painter reflects on an old white lie his mother told him as a child.

https://www.caramelhippostudios.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CaramelHippoStudios
https://www.twitter.com/NA
https://www.instagram.com/caramel_hippo_studios

Get to know the filmmaker:
Like a lot of people, I was doing a lot of writing and sitting on my hands during the 2020 COVID pandemic. Today, some of these ideas are developed screenplays while others remain unfinished, but at the time I was searching for an opportunity to create a short film. In the summer of 2020, I began dating my current partner, who is a talented painter. I wanted to find a way to collaborate and her paintings suddenly made the many vague ideas I had been circling around throughout the pandemic all come together. A Tiger in the Subway is not thematically about COVID at all, but a story about an agoraphobic painter 1000% comes directly from my COVID 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.

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April 11, 2023 - Director Duy Huynh & Producer Andrew Kelly (HOW TO THRIVE)

HOW TO THRIVE, 96min., Australia, Documentary
Directed by Duy Huynh
Is there a secret formula to happiness? Positive psychotherapist Marie McLeod takes 7 people on a transformative journey to learn the secret formula to happiness The film’s premise is; if we offer the science of happiness to people experiencing struggle; what difference would it make? Is happiness a learnable skill and can we teach people skills to live a happy, healthy and meaningful life? With unprecedented access; the result is an intimate, heartfelt and hopeful film that offers a rare glimpse into the lives of 7 people who make incredible transforms as a result of learning ‘How to Thrive?’

http://www.howtothrivefilm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HowToThriveFilm/
https://www.instagram.com/howtothrivefilm/



Get to know producer Andrew Kelly & director Duy Huynh:

Duy Huynh, Director: As a first generation Vietnamese refugee, I have my own connection to early life adversity. Some of my earliest memories of life was being lifted into a tiny fishing trawler with over a hundred others below deck; violence at sea, loss of life, inhumane refugee camps and of course watching the consequences of this experience on family and friends.

Despite the impacts from these memories I found my way through and have always considered myself one of the lucky ones. For some of my contemporaries this experience created a lasting legacy of mental health challenges and I’ve always wished I could do more to help. What separates those of us who can undergo adversity and come through the other side ok, versus those for which adversity creates ongoing struggle. I thought if we could understand this better and package it up in a helpful way, then it would be a worthwhile mission.

This film is about some of what I’ve learnt from the sciences of thriving. Turns out there’s quite a lot of research available about how to live a happier, healthier and more meaningful life. These learnable skills are so essential in a world where loneliness and mental health challenges are steeply on the rise.

My vision is for a world where these ‘thriving skills’ are available to all of us, and film is an incredible medium to not only create this awareness but inspire action. Personal action, political action and systemic change to the way we think about mental health.

Andrew Kelly, Producer: I’d been working in the corporate film production world for some time and decided it was time to take my skills and use them for social impact. Duy presented wellbeing science and positive psychology to me and I knew this was an under-represented area we could really make a difference in. A chance meeting with our now lead presenter and Positive Psychotherapist sealed the deal for me. I knew we could make this work.

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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April 7, 2023 - Filmmaker Mae Edwards (I.M.L.A. ~ A Musical Graphic Novel)

I.M.L.A. ~ A Musical Graphic Novel, 83min., USA, Graphic Novel
Directed by Mae Edwards
A story about Queer Femmes of Color on their Hero’s Journey through Tinsel Town, as told in a musical video-ized graphic novel.

http://maeedwards.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imlanovel/

Get to know the filmmaker:

It was a tumultuous time politically in the United States, where statements were made by politicians suggesting rounding up and hanging the LGBTQ+ community . As an adult, I knew it was a misdirected attempt for power and control, unlikely to take hold. But my friends who were therapists and caregivers mentioned to me repeatedly how suicide prevention centers showed a quadruple spike of calls from young LGBTQ+ people, who were wracked with fear over those comments.

I created this musical graphic novel as encouragement to young people, for them to see themselves as heroes and for them to know we see the injustice and won’t stand for it… for them to feel love and support from our community and our allies.

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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April 6, 2023 - Filmmaker Karla Santa Anna (LIGHT)

LIGHT, 5min., USA
Directed by Karla Santa Anna
In a world where a huge garbage island floats across our seas, fruit has very suspicious ancestry, and immigrant children are literally abandoned in the middle of nowhere, if one day the ocean rains upward…we would totally believe it. That’s how the world feels: very upside down.



Get to know the filmmaker:

One day I was thinking about the world and how upside down it feels, so that inspired me to write a very dystopic poem. Then I thought it would be cool to illustrate it with Midjourney (Art AI platform). Eventually I put sound effects,started editing, and even got to use a MOBY song that I really love. It all ended up as an experimental short, so as you see it was never a plan. I guess I allowed creativity to unfold and just let it happen as it went by.

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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April 5, 2023 - Filmmaker Patrick Jensen Hansted (TOPLESS)

TOPLESS, 19min., UK, Drama/Romance
Directed by Patrick Jensen Hansted
After a few years, being in his late 20s without experience building relationships, Anthony finds himself in a vicious cycle of heartbreak as he continues searching for true love.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27044983/
https://www.instagram.com/toplessfilm/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I had several motives on my agenda. Firstly, I wanted to break the stigma of student filmmaking as it is often perceived as amateurish acting/ writing bland production design/”stick-it-on-a-tripod-and-don’t-move” cinematography. So I reached out to some of the best peers in their own respective fields in filmmaking and begged them to join and make something bigger than all of us.

Secondly, I wanted to tell my experience of being in the LGBTQ+ community. Especially that hookup culture when all you are looking for is love. My mom being super respectful and caring meant that I always had her back and till this day she’s the person I call for advice and gossip.

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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April 4, 2023 - Producer/Actor Alyssa Briteramos (ELEMENTS: BEAUTIFUL UNTRUE THINGS)

ELEMENTS: BEAUTIFUL UNTRUE THINGS, 8min., Sweden
Directed by Amelia Finngåård
Elements is a solo choreography that is the intersection of nature, fashion, Venusian imagery, and movement. Elements is an exploration of dance/movement and the elements of nature, earth, sun, water and air. The natural influences and sounds of these elements merge with the art form of punking/whacking and fashion in the background of Västra Götaland’s scenic nature.

https://vimeo.com/768220860
https://instagram.com/beautiful_untrue_tingz

Get to know producer/star Alyssa Briteramos:
I wanted to begin to explore dance on film as another medium to express my ideas and archive my work. It was also a way to reconnect the specific style of dance I represent back to the medium that its inspired from, 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.

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April 3, 2023 - Filmmaker Mike Krohn (IN YOUR DREAMS)

IN YOUR DREAMS, 3min., USA
Directed by Mike Krohn
In the future, a sentient robot finds that his dreams intrude on his waking life.

https://tinyurl.com/InYourDreamsFilm

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

The Pandemic had shut down production. I wanted to make a film, so I decided to use Virtual Production techniques in Unreal Engine to make one on my computer. I wanted to show how cinematic and beautiful a film using Virtual Production can be, while moving the audience emotionally. I also wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to make a film featuring robots, space travel and exotic alien planets. I love that stuff, but you don’t get to do it much because they are very expensive to do in live action. Virtual Production makes them possible even on the limited budget of a 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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

April 2, 2023 - Filmmaker Nathalia Rojas (TED THE SHARK)

TED THE SHARK, 12min,. Colombia, Animation
Directed by Nathalia Rojas, Hector Acosta
Created by Nathalia Rojas
Ted is a six-year-old hammer shark with a big secret: His mind is connected to a human girl. This uniqueness often makes Ted alienated from his world (a feeling many of us are familiar with) however, little does he know how special this connection is.

http://www.tedtheshark.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tedeltiburon

Get to know creator Nathalia Rojas:

I was motivated by a desire to provide a fun and engaging tool for both children and adults to better understand and cope with complex emotions that can be difficult to express.

April 1, 2023 - Filmmaker Caitlin Presberg (IT’S NOT ABOUT THE LEMONS)

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE LEMONS, 13min., USA, Drama/Family
Directed by Caitlin Presberg
A young woman comes home after the death of her abusive father to reconnect with the sister she left behind.

https://www.instagram.com/itsnotaboutthelemons/

Get to know the filmmaker:
I made this film as my thesis. I wanted to tell a story about the healing and strength that occurs after a trauma. As a survivor myself this story was very close to home, and it allowed me to come to terms with a lot of things in my life. I found that a child has more strength than a hundred men, but we often overlook that.

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

March 29, 2023 - Filmmaker Joseph Samuel Meyerson (OUTPATIENT)

OUTPATIENT, 26min., USA, Drama
Directed by Joseph Samuel Meyerson
Two young men attend weekly meetings in the basement of a church to satisfy the conditions of their parole.

https://instagram.com/outpatientfilm

Get to know the filmmaker:

It was an idea I’d had kicking around my head for some time. But I wanted to make something, and I’d written this much longer screenplay that was just totally unfeasible to shoot — we’re talking 200-person party scenes, car meets, ambulances, cop cars, high schools, three-minute tracking shots — so I found myself returning to the “three guys in a room” concept and just kind of wrote it from there.

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

March 24, 2023 - Filmmaker Margie Kelk (ALUCINAR)

ALUCINAR, 5min., Canada, Animation
Directed by Margie Kelk, Lynne Slater
In a cold, lonely world, where buildings are like icebergs and people drift past each other on ice floes, Guy imagines belonging to a colony of penguins. From his window, he sees May, who also dreams of penguins. Inspired by the courage of penguins plunging off an ice floe into the unknown, he jumps off his own doorstep. Traversing dark waters, he searches the city’s streets looking for May. Connecting through their love of penguins, Guy and May are transformed. Overcoming their isolation, they face their world together.

https://margiekelk.com/
https://www.facebook.com/margie.kelk
https://twitter.com/margiekelk
https://www.instagram.com/mskelk

Get to know the filmmaker:
Lynne Slater, with whom I have been collaborating to produce short stop-motion films for the past five years, saw the little ceramic heads I had been making in my art practice and wanted to create a film with them. Two trips to Antarctica drew me into the world of penguins, and I sent Lynne videos my son had taken of the penguins while visiting South Georgia and other islands in Antarctica. Lynne and I also talked about the loneliness people had experienced during the shut-down of Toronto at the time of covid. Together these factors inspired us to create a story where lonely people find solace and identity in a world of penguins which inspires them, in turn, to share life’s experiences with each other.


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

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

March 21, 2023 - Filmmaker Dante Lundin (#1)

#1, 8min., USA
Directed by Dante Lundin
A broke comic shop owner and an obsessive collector fight over a rare issue one comic book.

https://sites.google.com/view/number1film/home
https://www.instagram.com/no.1film/

Get to know the filmmaker:

The inspirations for the film came together to create a story I felt passionate about. As a comic fan myself, I understand both arguments the characters in #1 make. It’s something that’s never been brought to screen in this way, and I felt I had to be the one to do 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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

March 20, 2023 - Filmmakers Alexandra Tebano, Dale Johnson (SCARLETT O)

SCARLETT O., 6min., USA, Horror
Directed by Alexandra Tebano, Dale Johnson
A tortured woman is stuck in the purgatory in her own mind forced to relive the same excruciating moment over and over again.

Get to know the filmmakers:

Alexandra: I had found this script again, after years of sitting with it, and it still resonated so much with me. I had realized a lot of the same thought patterns and neurosis was still there, and I felt compelled to make it as the ultimate purge of these emotions and feelings. It felt that if I could really make it this time, I could.

Dale: My main motivation as executive producer was to support Alexandra who wrote it, acted in it, co-directed it and co-produced 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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

March 19, 2023 - Scientist Lara Brindisi (FIELDS OF DEVOTION)

FIELDS OF DEVOTION, 29min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Dena Katzen Seidel, Micah Seidel
Across America, small family farms are racing against climate change. Unpredictable weather and new diseases are destroying the very crops they depend upon. In New Jersey, when a devastating disease wipes out farmers’ fields, growers turn to scientists for help. Fields of Devotion follows the unique relationship between farmers and scientists as they work together over a decade to develop disease and climate resistant food crops.

Told from the perspective of the farmers and scientists in the field, Fields of Devotion shares the detailed science steps for developing disease resistant food crops and that farmers need. This is a story of hard work, collaboration and innovative solutions for a rapidly changing world.

Conversation with one of the subjects of the film, Lara Brindisi, on being a part of the 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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

March 18, 2023 - Filmmaker/Innovator Dave Lojek (KINOKABARET)

Join the big open filmmaking kino-community. They gather international talents and enable them to make short films at workshops for the cinema premieres under extreme time pressure with available resources in a collaborative spirit to overcome perfectionism. Interviewer Dave Lojek is the main cog and organizer of this event.

The Kino-Movement was founded in Montreal, Canada, in 1999 by 20 film students and thrives under this motto: "Do well with nothing, do better with little, and do it right now!"

http://kinokabaret.org/

Dave Lojek is the manager of KinoBerlino (with 104 KinoKabarets under his belt so far) and award-winning director.


WILDsound has showcased multiple films from Dave to date, including PROVERBIAL LUCK, which is playing on the WILDsound APP right now.


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

March 17, 2023 - Filmmaker Raval Alviarez (LE SELECT)

LE SELECT, 10min., Canada
Directed by Raval Alviarez
Le Sélect Bistro opened its doors on Queen St. W. in 1977. It became a community center that many residents of the city would flock to night after night in search of an experience unlike any other. Owners Frédéric and Jean-Jacques helped propel the careers of Canada’s most talented culinary workers such as Matty Matheson. Working closely together, the owners and their 80+ employees sought to deliver a soul to the heart of the city of Toronto. By touching the lives of every customer, the bistro became a landmark for the city. Unfortunately, Toronto quickly began its rise of urbanization. And 45 years later, they were forced to sell the restaurant and abandon their most cherished memories..

https://www.blogto.com/film/2022/12/someone-made-movie-about-one-torontos-most-famous-restaurants/
https://www.instagram.com/ravalalviarez/

From filmmaker Raval Alviarez:

“Food is so much more than just what we eat, and restaurants are so much more than places to eat—they’re community centres. And our city of Toronto is at a very important crossroads right now when it comes to protecting and preserving those businesses. When making a documentary, I was taught that we ought to make something that audiences need to hear and see right now. And I believed that the residents of our city deserved to see what we risk losing when these small businesses are forced out of our communities.”


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

March 16, 2023 - "The Captain's Mistress" short film team

THE CAPTAIN’S MISTRESS, 4min., USA, Comedy
Directed by Debra Pralle
Staging her Connect Four championship comeback, a 30 something sugar addicted has-been faces her greatest challenge – a pre-teen bubble gum chewing alpha girl who takes no prisoners.

Conversation with: Director Debra Pralle. Writers Corey Alder & Shea Gilchrist-Smith

Quote from director Debra Pralle:

Corey and Shea approached me with this hilarious, absurd spoof of the Queen’s Gambit trailer and I just couldn’t resist the challenge or opportunity. As an educator as well it seemed a perfect opportunity for my film students to work as well.


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

March 13, 2023 - Filmmaker Anjana Ghonasgi ((UN) SEEN)

(UN) SEEN, 7min., India, Dance
Directed by Anjana Ghonasgi, Pratik Iyer
‘Tethered between her own worlds of captivity and escapism, Maya finds herself.’

http://www.anjanaghonasgi.com/

https://www.instagram.com/anjana.ghonasgi

Get to know the filmmaker:
– (UN)SEEN is a deeply personal story. My creative expression has always been about connecting with myself. There are certain stories & experiences that can only be expressed through a visual medium and not told in words. This film was my way of doing just that.

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


March 10, 2023 - PROVENANCE: A LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER creative team

PROVENANCE: A LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER, 9min., Dance
A short dance film about a transnational adoptee’s personal experiences struggling with identity, belonging, and inclusion growing up in the Midwest of America. Directed and choreographed by Li Chiao-Ping, dancer Elisabeth Roskopf’s exquisite movement and personal story reclaiming her heritage are captured beautifully by cinematographer and editor Christal Wagner.

http://www.lcpdance.org/
https://www.facebook.com/lcpdance
https://www.instagram.com/lcpdance

Interview with: Director Li Chiao-Ping. Cinematographer Christal Wagner. Dancer Elisabeth Roskopf

From director Li Chiao-Ping:

Elisabeth’s personal story made it a compelling project, as well as the passion and enthusiasm of both my collaborators, Elisabeth Roskopf and Christal Wagner. From meetings and rehearsals to its first screening, it took about 2.5 months (to complete the film). However, since Elisabeth is a dancer in my company, we have been working together for the past 5 years and the subject of her being a transnational adoptee has come up in other choreographic projects.

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