GONE TOO SOON, 8min., Australia, Drama
Directed by Christelle Le Baccon
The journey of a bereaved mother.

http://superlexlex.com/
https://www.instagram.com/superlexlex

Get to know the filmmaker:

I decided to make and finance this short morning to expose the trust about bereavement with the hope to make a full documentary about grief and it stigma and to break the taboo attached to it especially often the loss of a child .

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 18, 2023 - Filmmaker Christelle Le Baccon (GONE TOO SOON)

Matthew Toffolo

LET THE MUSIC PLAY was the winner of BEST FEATURE FILM at the November 2021 DOCUMENTARY Film Festival.

Get to know the filmmaker:

We had originally had another project planned and that was totally squashed because of Covid-19. As someone working in the music industry, I was in touch with a lot of artists, promoters, etc. because we were all kind of comparing notes on how things were going. No one had work and everyone was trying to figure out their next move. Since these conversations were already happening around me and I understood the depths of crisis that we were already in, I wondered if people would be willing to speak on the record. Not just that, but I really wondered how many would be willing to be on camera as is, without the usual frills because Covid lockdown meant that we HAD to rely on things like Zoom. I knew the trickle-down effect in the music industry- how closures meant no work for parking attendants, merch companies, bartenders, etc. and I also knew that most people didn’t really understand the scope of the impact. Sure, the Foo Fighters would be just fine but the lady who takes your tickets and guides you to your seat was out of work for an entire year. Really explaining the crushing impact kept us motivated the entire time because someone needed to speak for the live music industry as a whole.

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 25, 2023 - Filmmaker Cate Meighan (LET THE MUSIC PLAY)

Matthew Toffolo

THE USELESS GLASSBLOWER, 15min., Germany
Directed by Holger E. Metzger
A fascinating short documentary on a traditional glassmaker deep in the southern German Black Forest, and his thoughts and feelings about what this 7000-year-old craft has taught him about life.

Get to know the filmmaker and doc subject Dirk Bürklin

l HOLGER: I spent 30 years in China (that is, my whole adult life so far) and only returned to live in Germany again (my home country which I left during my youth) a year ago. Apart from a plethora of culture-shock-inducing elements, I find today’s Germany to be hopelessly behind a much more future-oriented Asia, and with the speed and depth of digitalization representing only one issue among many. I also observed a sort of ideological clash between a “preservation” mindset, with people on the one side of the divide wanting to preserve (or return to) those “golden times” of yesterday, a rose-tinted “Made in Germany” heritage in thought, craft and economic might. Those times are long gone, of course, and thus on the other side you have another set of (younger) people who reject the past, who are eager to think differently and actively create a different tomorrow, a future that is digital, futuristic and completely different from yesterday or even today. I have known Dirk for a while and admired his craft, he operates a glass furnace close to where I live now, somewhere deep in the southern part of Germany’s black forest. He’s a guy who doesn’t see the need for owning a smart phone (imagine that, in 2023…), who has been engaging in traditional glassmaking for all his adult life, who uses a glassmaking recipe that is 7000 years old (the epitome of “yesterday”) and who, in a profession that hardly anyone would see as a “future vocation” in our increasingly automated, perfectionist and AI-supported modern times, has some very interesting and inspiring thoughts to share with a world that seems increasingly paralyzed by a sense of uncertainty. That’s why I approached him about doing this documentary, to start with exploring his thoughts and feelings and experience, to then allow a narrative to take its natural shape while at the same time visually exploring his unique glassmaking process.

l DIRK: When Holger asked me to do a film project about me and my glassmaking, I thought it would be a funny and interesting experience, and I was expectant as to what would happen. I never imagined that anyone would want to hear what I had to say, but apparently, I was wrong. 

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 23, 2023 - Filmmaker Holger E. Metzger & Subject Dirk Bürklin (THE USELESS GLASSBLOWER)

Matthew Toffolo

WILDsound welcomes back documentarian filmmaker Ethan Knecht to the podcast. Today’s we’re chatting with him about his short film JESUS’ ABS.

Ethan Knecht is an educator and a personal essay filmmaker. He lives in Pleasantville, NY with his wife and two daughters. His previous films have screened at The Hudson Valley Film Festival, Peekskill Film Festival, YoFi Festival, Rooftop Films, Northside Film Festival, Atlanta Underground Film Festival, , etc.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4238586/

https://www.instagram.com/knechtions/

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 16, 2023 - Filmmaker Ethan Knecht (JESUS' ABS)

Matthew Toffolo

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.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

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

Matthew Toffolo

CANCER/EVOLUTION Episode 1: The Dustbin of History, 60min., USA
Directed by Maggie Jones, Brad Jones
The newest hope for cancer is actually one of the oldest.
Buried for a century, the metabolic theory of cancer is overturning entrenched dogma and reshaping the future of cancer treatment.
Episode 1 of this 5-part docuseries addresses the history of the metabolic theory of cancer through the story of Nobel laureate Otto Warburg, a gay, Jewish scientist under aegis of the Nazis.

https://cancerevolution.film/
https://facebook.com/cancerevolutiondoc
https://twitter.com/cancerevolves
https://www.instagram.com/cancerevolutiondoc/

From co-director Maggie Jones:

The month of my 40th birthday, I was diagnosed with terminal, stage 4 lung cancer that had spread to my eye, liver, four tumors in my brain, and more than a dozen lymph nodes throughout my chest, neck and abdomen. My prognosis of six to eight months with conventional treatment seemed optimistic. My doctors were focused on making me comfortable. I was dying.

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 28, 2023 - Interview with Filmmaker Brad Jones (CANCER/EVOLUTION Episode 1)

Matthew Toffolo

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 17, 2023 - Filmmaker Raval Alviarez (LE SELECT)

Matthew Toffolo

TRACKS, 11min., Netherlands, Documentary
Directed by Maclovia G Martel
A visual Journey of remembrance in Amsterdam.

From filmmaker Maclovia G. Martel:

The producers of the film Michael Potter and Margaret McCarhty lived on the canal in Amsterdam where this particular Stumbling Stone project to honor Holocaust victims took place. We felt a tremendous amount of satisfaction connecting with the audience and really appreciating that we were successful communicating a powerful and meaningful message in 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

February 17, 2023 - Director Maclovia G. Martel & Producer Michael Potter (TRACKS)

Matthew Toffolo

KEEP COOL: FORTIFYING BRITISH COLUMBIA, 30min.,
Directed by Ed Akselrud
In 2017 and 2018 British Columbia experienced devastating wildfires that reshaped the province. From the ashes, a surprisingly complex “war machine” arose to reforest the scarred land. Keep Cool: Fortifying British Columbia explores this machine, the key players involved, and the significance of government-designated Old Grown Management Areas in the province’s north.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23793080/
https://instagram.com/edakselrud
https://twitter.com/edaxmedia

Get to know the filmmaker:
At the risk of sounding cheesy, it was definitely the people we met and interviewed. The project was originally meant to be a 3-5 minute video, but when we arrived we were taken to so many sites and locations and introduced to so many people involved by our partner Zanzibar that I felt that this needed to be a bigger project. There are so many moving parts in forestry and we got to interact with so many (though not all) of them. So the planned runtime expanded from those 5 minutes, to 12-15, then to 20, and finally somehow landed at 30 minutes. Going in, I had no idea how much there was to this story and how many different people and characters were involved in this herculean effort, so I felt compelled to try and illustrate their work at the scale I thought it deserved.

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

February 14, 2023 - Filmmaker Ed Akselrud (KEEP COOL: FORTIFYING BRITISH COLUMBIA)

Matthew Toffolo

NAFKOT – YEARNING, 70min., Israel, Documentary
Directed by Malka Shabtay
An Israeli anthropologist traveling to meet a hidden Jewish community in north Ethiopia. Together they telling their special story of survival Abera, a young artist joins to discover what has been hidden from him

Get to know the filmmaker:

I worked with the community two years before we did the film. i did my research to understand their story..and after two years they were ready to share their story with the world. The biggest obstacle is to do a film with a hidden community, oppressed and full of fear. to get their trust and collaboration and belief that the film will help in their struggle. Only when i turned 60 years old, after writing 15 books I felt I wanted to learn filmmaking, so I went to film school and studied for almost two years.

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

February 11, 2023 - Filmmaker Malka Shabtay (NAFKOT – YEARNING)

Matthew Toffolo

SHIRINGA: AMAZON WHITE GOLD, 9min., Canada
Directed by Oscar Akamine, Joseph Neyra
Jorge Escompani is a “Shiringa” master, “Shiringa” is a tree which produces natural latex. This is considered a tradition that preserves great passion and environmental awareness. The extraction of latex from the Shiringa three led to the death of thousands of indigenous people due to slavery during “the fever of latex” in the 19th century.

Get to know the filmmaker:
My friend Joseph Neyra, who told me about this place in Iberia, Peru. Where was the “maestro” Jorge Escompani, who was one of the few artisan extractors of natural latex. And between the two of us we decided to make this documentary in the midst of a pandemic, traveling by plane to the jungle and then in a small bus with the windows almost closed at more than 28 degrees Celsius for 4-5 hours. The motivation, although it sounds crazy, was to venture, witness, and record something that is so deep that it is almost magical. I have always had this feeling that the best secrets are found in the depths of any person, in this case in the depths of my country.

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 9, 2023 - Filmmaker Oscar Akamine (SHIRINGA: AMAZON WHITE GOLD)

Matthew Toffolo

WIN(D) OVER CANCER, 9min., USA
Directed by Andrew Jowett
Last summer the world was closed, but our waters were open. This crew took the opportunity to make a difference – More Kids On Sailboats, a 501(c)(3) organization is proud to present our first short film – WIN(D) OVER CANCER.

https://morekidsonsailboats.org/
https://www.instagram.com/more_kids_on_sailboats/

Get to know the producer Brett Langolf:
The motivation was the desire to do SOMETHING! My wife, Katie, and I were sitting in the dining room both working (pandemic online elementary school teacher and me trying to run a Creative Advertising department remotely) and we started talking. We had just received our 501(c)(3) status for our non-profit More Kids On Sailboats. We decided to find a path to do something with kids and activate them in these crazy times. Andrew was involved in the new non-profit and was one of our new Board Members. In the real world, he and I had been doing TV Commercials, Sailing Shorts, etc but it was the pandemic and this work had taken a pause. Getting a group together outdoors was basically our only option. So we plotted the course, and we got this crew together….we were not sure what would unfold or what may or might not happen. So we hit record and let the story come to us.

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 7, 2023 - Producer Brett Langolf (WIN(D) OVER CANCER)

Matthew Toffolo

THE BOUNDARY WATERS TRAVERSE, 12min., USA, Documentary
Directed Erik Nelson
The Running for the Boundary Waters project is designed to highlight the issue of potential sulfide-ore copper mining proposals in the watershed of, and directly adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to the running community. Trail runners and environmental advocate Alex Falconer ran the Border Route and Kekekabic trail, creating the boundary waters traverse, a 110 mile run, in 38 hrs 15 mins and 3 seconds. This shows his journey.

https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org/
https://www.instagram.com/savethebwca/

Get to know the filmmaker:
I’ve always been a big fan of the Boundary Waters, having paddled and camped there many times over the years. When the opportunity came to put our filmmaking skills to use and help spread the word of Alex’s run and the fight to protect such a special place, we had 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

January 5, 2023 - Filmmaker Erik Nelson (THE BOUNDARY WATERS TRAVERSE)

Matthew Toffolo

MONEY TALKS: THE LIMITS OF FINANCIAL INFLUENCE IN POLITICS, 10min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Thomas Chen Hui Gilchrist
The history and importance of governmental regulation of money in United States politics.

Get to know teenage filmmaker!

Storytelling is my passion. When choosing topics for films, I often ask myself what story my audience needs to hear. Often, the most impactful stories are those buried behind the headline and as soon as I started research into money in politics, I knew I had to uncover this amazing story.

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 4, 2023 - Filmmaker Thomas Gilchrist (MONEY TALKS: THE LIMITS OF FINANCIAL INFLUENCE IN POLI

Matthew Toffolo

OUR VOICE NOW, 56min., Documentary
Directed by John Redlinger
An in-depth examination of youth incarceration and probation in Los Angeles County. The film highlights organizations such as The Arts for Healing and Justice Network and the Antirecidivism Coalition, as well as testimonials from real victims of the justice system.

From John Redlinger:

My producing partner and I were approached by one of the organizations highlighted in the documentary, AHJN, to create a short film in response to a propaganda piece put out by LA’s probation department. In truth, this issue was not on our radar… but after we watched the probation video (which was utter nonsense) and spent some time researching the current state of affairs, we were moved to action.

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 2, 2023 - Filmmaker John Redlinger (OUR VOICE NOW)

Matthew Toffolo

DISCO SAUCE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF PENNA ALLA VODKA, 35min,. USA
Directed by Roberto Serrini
Penne Alla Vodka is America’s dirty little secret. You can have it hungover from the diner, or for 40 bucks a plate at the finest restaurants. While it’s secret origin might surprise you, it’s sordid history will baffle you, which is why two best friends decided to deep dive into this disco sauce and discover it’s secret powers that polarize the culinary world like no other dish.

From filmmaker Roberto Serrini:

My previous documentary with Peter was called “Italy In Bocca” (www.italyinbocca.com if you want to get hungry) and it really put us on the map. We had a few show runners and production companies calling us asking if we were interested in developing the concept into a series. Because we felt like the food film scene was so saturated with these high stake shows we wanted to do something really different that focused on why we love food: because of the way it brings people together. So we wanted to see if we could take a recipe like Penne Alla Vodka, something seemingly inconsequential, and blow it completely out of proportion like they do on all these other cooking shows, really deep diving to the point that you can’t believe anyone went to that kind of trouble to make a simple bowl of pasta. I think it worked.

Interview conducted 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

December 13, 2022 - Filmmaker Roberto Serrini (DISCO SAUCE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF PENNA ALLA VODKA)

Matthew Toffolo

COOKING INSIDE: FROM PRISON TO HOME, 23min., USA
Directed by Brent Lambert-Zaffino
Two men who were formerly incarcerated together recreate a prison meal exactly as they made it inside. Cooking Inside explores America’s cruel and broken prison system through the humanity of food.

https://southerndocumentaryfund.org/cooking-inside-from-prison-to-home/
https://instagram.com/brentlzfilms

From director Brent Lambert-Zaffino:

Adrian, our producer and one of the subjects of the documentary said, “I want to be able to talk about my time inside without depressing everybody.” Telling that story through the crazy MacGuyver-like methods he had to utilize to have a decent meal kind of sprouted from there.

Interview conducted 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

December 11, 2022 - Filmmaker Brent Lambert-Zaffino & Subject Adrian Drepaul (COOKING INSIDE)

Matthew Toffolo

GURGLE: PULLING WATER, 57min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Richard Van Kleeck
A documentary featuring courage, teamwork, adventure, and life lessons explored through the lens of the sport of rowing. Featuring Tori Murden McClure, the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic; archeologist, author, and rower John Hale; the amazing story of Oksana Masters, the world’s most decorated paralympic athlete; and a host of other interesting characters that inhabit the world of rowing. Directed by Richard Van Kleeck.

From Richard Van Kleeck:

I have always been intrigued by the sport of rowing and knew that there is a wide diversity of very interesting people involved in this sport. Little did I know how many incredible people I would meet while making this film.

Interview conducted 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

December 5, 2022 - Filmmaker Richard Van Kleeck (GURGLE: PULLING WATER)

Matthew Toffolo

MODUS OPERANDI: BRISBANE’S RIPPER SUSPECT, 8min., Australia, Documentary
Directed by David Hodkinson, Alice Walker
A student film that explores a myth of over 130 years. Did ‘Jack The Ripper’ flee to Australia and lay to rest in Brisbane’s Toowong Cemetery?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15522038/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
https://www.instagram.com/dghfilms

Get to know the filmmakers:

Alice: I think what motivated me to make this film was that I wasn’t always connected to this project – I joined it because I found myself getting invested in the story researching it in my spare time and I thought “oh, this is actually a very cool and unique story that I would love to help actually turn into reality and portray it on a screen.” I also knew I could do it in a really unique way with David, and I really wanted to be able to go in there with his whole crew that had already been established with the story and kind of show them my perspective on it, and introduce our audiences to new angles and nuances about the story and it’s origins.

David: I always feel that Brisbane gets left out of Australian stories compared to Sydney and Melbourne. I wanted to tell something unique to Brisbane and what could tie it to the rest of the world and this ‘myth’ pops up occasionally in our media as a joke. Well that was enough for me to say ‘Hey! Let’s explore it and see for ourselves’. Boy did we see for ourselves with endless rabbit holes and over a century of history to research. I was compelled from the very start and never looked back.

Interview conducted 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

December 4, 2022 - Filmmakers David Hodkinson, Alice Walker (MODUS OPERANDI)

Matthew Toffolo

AN ELIXIR FOR THE EXTINCTION OF EXPERIENCE, 11min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Clay Antonatos
The threats of the climate crisis are more and more becoming a reality, posing immense challenges to human and ecosystem health, yet it continuously proves difficult to make any meaningful change. We can’t see meaningfully due to a result of our collective “extinction of experience” with nature driven by urbanization, industrialization, and digitization of our worlds.

From Clay Antonatos :

On a very superficial level, I made elixir to fulfill the thesis requirement for my undergraduate Environmental Studies degree without having to write 75+ pages… making a film sounded much better to me than having to spend the year sitting inside and writing! On a deeper level, though, I made elixir as a way to make myself and my audience more attuned to the natural world that surrounds us. I am a firm believer that a lot of our climate and ecological crises can be attributed to a lack of attention to, care for, and knowledge of the natural world. elixir was a way for me to begin to chip away at the artificial disconnect between humans and nature through an approachable medium (video) in a manner that emphasized personal outdoor experience over the often exclusionary realms of academia and scientific study.

Interview conducted 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

December 1, 2022 - Filmmaker Clay Antonatos (AN ELIXIR FOR THE EXTINCTION OF EXPERIENCE)

Matthew Toffolo