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 Film of the Day
Sept. 10, 2023 - Filmmaker David Maddox (BABY PROOF)

BABY PROOF, 6min., USA
Directed by David Maddox, David Blood
A troublemaking toddler tests the limits of child safety.

Get to know the filmmaker:

The co-writer/co-director, David Blood, pitched the concept to me after coming up with it while sitting in a hotel room. At that point, I had an 11 month old baby who was crawling, but I wasn’t sure for how long. So I said, “Let’s shoot it. But we have to do it right now!”

It also just seemed like a way to point out something ridiculous about society is an unusual way, which I always love doing. In this case, how America is so concerned about product safety, but when it comes to guns, we’ve just given up. A topic which sadly never stops being relevant.

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. 9, 2023 - Filmmaker Roman Stranai (FIRST SLOVAK PRIDE)

FIRST SLOVAK PRIDE, 29min,. Slovakia
Directed by Roman Stranai

What is PRIDE? How it came about in Slovakia? Was the 2010 PRIDE parade in Bratislava the first one in Slovakia? Activists from the 2010 PRIDE team as well as Hana Fabry, Jaroslav Gyurik, which where present in queer activism in the early 90s talk about important events which led to the creation of the first PRIDE parade in Slovakia.

https://www.romanstranai.com/project/prvy-slovensky-pride

Get to know the filmmaker:
I shoot and document Pride parades in Slovakia since 2013 and almost every year I shoot and edit a short video for the Pride festival. For some time I played with the idea of creating something more meaningful than just simple edits of the Pride parades to music, so when Richard Fekete, one of the organizers of the first Pride in Slovakia came to me with an idea of interviewing the team behind the first one in Slovakia in 2010, it sparked in me the need to learn more about the history of queer activism in the country. When I eventually persuaded the activists which were present in creation of queer activism in the early 90s, it was a great opportunity to merge the history of the queer movement with the creation of the first Pride and subsequent Prides using my own footage I gathered over the 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.

Sept. 9, 2023 - Filmmaker/Writer Bradley Hawkins (CALF ROPE)

CALF ROPE, 29min,. USA, Drama

Directed by Bradley Hawkins

During the summer of '66, a former rodeo champion and cattle auctioneer from Oklahoma bonds tightly with his young grandson from suburban Pennsylvania while teaching him a few tricks from his previous trades. Shot entirely in rural Pennsylvania, Calf Rope captures the intense love that grandparents often share with their grandchildren and the legacy that lives on long after they have gone.

Also a feature screenplay…….

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.

September 7, 2023 - Filmmaker Tanin J. Risdon (THE RED LADY FROM FOLEY STREET)

THE RED LADY FROM FOLEY STREET, 10min., Canada
Directed by Tanin J. Risdon
In a new spin on urban legend slashers, we meet Beth, a teenage outcast, who, at the end of her birthday party learns that her boyfriend Jesse is cheating on her, leading her to exact her revenge on him and all of the people involved with the help of an urban legend of Beth’s own creation.

https://www.instagram.com/foleystreetfilm/

Get to know the filmmaker:
The DOP Max Humphreys and I just began watching slashers films and got really into the idea of making one ourselves. The next step was to look for writers and we got lucky enough to have Haya Abdul-Hadi and Pablo Lopez take interest in it and come up with the idea for The Red Lady from Foley Street.

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.

September 7, 2023 - Filmmaker David Larson (HAKKI RISING)

HAKKI RISING, 30min,. USA
Directed by David Larson
An immigrant from Turkey comes to America seeking a better life and after struggling through homelessness, finds success in the world of acrobatic pizza tossing.

Get to know the filmmaker:
I love telling stories of human resilience and capturing people doing what they are passionate about. It makes for compelling storytelling and I was moved by Hakki’s story of becoming a successful entrepreneur and his rise through the pizza industry. Once I contacted him and started getting to know him, his positivity seemed so infectious and I felt like I had to bring his story to life.

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.

September 6, 2023 - Filmmaker Sean Edward Neukom (TRIGGERLAND)

TRIGGERLAND, 59min., USA
Directed by Sean Edward Neukom
The filmization of Beo String Quartet’s album, triggerLand. The movie, of the same title, is a fairytale-esque gun creation myth. Alvin, a construction worker, discovers a new material. This new material leads to the invention of the first gun. As the use of the gun is explored and expanded, a young girl is accidentally killed when a firearm falls from a table. Alvin is left to contemplate his course of action.

http://www.beostringquartet.com/#beohome
https://www.facebook.com/beostringquartet/
https://www.instagram.com/beostringquartet/?hl=en

Get to know the filmmaker:
— In 2023, Beo (my string quartet) had a string of album releases through our own label. One album was triggerLand. The music and story evoked such strong imagery. Rather than produce music videos, it seemed like a natural step to produce a feature film instead.

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.

September 6, 2023 - Filmmaker/Choreographers Olaf Kollmannsperger, Filipa Cavaco (MERCY)

MERCY, 7min., Germany
Directed by Olaf Kollmannsperger, Filipa Cavaco
“Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.” -The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

https://olafk.art/
https://www.instagram.com/kollmanns/

Get to know filmmaker Olaf Kollmannsperger:

After being at the new National Gallery of Berlin I knew I had to make a dance film at this location.
The combination of Max Richter music with David Dawson Choreography and the breath taking location was my motivation.

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.

September 5, 2023 - Filmmaker Adam Joel (THE LAST DROP)

THE LAST DROP, 41min., USA
Directed by Adam Joel
A young woman links minds with her boyfriend using a device that lets couples relive shared memories— but when she spots overlooked signs of abuse, she must escape before he can manipulate her memories in his favor.

https://www.thelastdropfilm.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:


I never learned about “emotional abuse” until after I had already experienced it. That really hurt me! As I connected with other survivors, I realized we all had that in common— we only learned about the early signs of abuse in hindsight. That’s how I was inspired to make The Last Drop— a sci-fi journey inspired by the memories of real-life survivors (like me!)

Abuse thrives in silence. That’s why I’m using this film to launch an international impact campaign to change the way we learn about abuse, heal from it, and legislate it. More specifically, we’re starting conversations about the lesser known forms of abuse— like gaslighting, digital abuse, emotional abuse, and more.

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.

September 5, 2023 - Filmmaker Oldrich Werner (THE SILHOUETTE)

THE SILHOUETTE, 14min,. Malta
Directed by Oldrich Werner
Mila is just your average college student, studying abroad for the semester in a beautiful new country. But little does she know, her trip is about to take a terrifying turn. Haunted by a traumatic experience from her past, Mila struggles to cope with the psychological aftermath. But her handsome boyfriend is there to support her, even as he battles his own demons. As Mila tries to settle into her new surroundings, she can’t shake the feeling that someone, or something, is watching her.

https://www.thesilhouettemovie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Silhouette/100090883093121/
https://twitter.com/silhouette_2023
https://www.instagram.com/thesilhouettemovie/

Get to know the filmmaker:


As a graduate thesis for the Master of Arts in Film Studies at the University of Malta, we could choose between a long dissertation and a short film with a shorter dissertation, so I was motivated by the degree and most importantly by the idea of making film itself. As this was my first film that I wrote, produced and directed myself, it felt natural that my first thing should be horror, as that’s been my favorite genre since childhood. I had previously worked on several short films of others in various roles, but this was my first own thing, so I wanted to prove myself I can do this. Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to do so without help from my cast and crew, so big shout out to them!

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.

September 4, 2023 - Filmmaker Arie Forma (THROUGH ROSE COLORED LENSES)

THROUGH ROSE COLORED LENSES, 5min., USA
Directed by Arie Forma
In the midst of a toxic triangle with the love of his life, and her abusive boyfriend, Shawn Anderson, a college student blinded by love, is seeing his world fall apart.

Get to know the filmmaker:

I was motivated to make this film after living through the events of this film. This film is a culmination of the years of lessons, mistakes and wearing of my pair of “Rose Colored Lenses”. This is a very personal story that I felt needs to be told. Plus, I felt very alone going through this trauma, and felt no one could understand the pain heartbreak and toxic love has on your heart and soul. So, I wanted to reach out to those who may have felt this pain, to let them know they aren’t alone, and that others can relate to this.

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.

September 3, 2023 - Filmmaker Kelly Diaz (DOM BANGS A ROCKETTE)

DOM BANGS A ROCKETTE, 19min., USA
Directed by Kelly Diaz
After picking up his nephew from elementary school in the Valley, East Coast transplant and aspiring adult film actor Ray, loses track of the kid, leading to the “New York style” kidnapping of an innocent man.

Get to know the filmmaker:

Tom wrote the screenplay for ‘Dom Bangs a Rockette’ a few years before we shot it, a few years before we even moved to LA. It was a project we kept putting off – life events just seemed to pop up in the way. Then March of 2020, I was in my second year of grad school at UCLA when everything shut down. Tom and I sat at home for a few months, like everyone else, and then we thought, “Maybe this is the perfect time to make this movie. Our schedules are certainly open.” And we found that a lot of our friends, who were also grad students and filmmakers, felt the same way. We all wanted to keep working, to get back on set again. And I think making a comedy at that time was perfect. We all had enough stress; it was nice to escape into work, to throw ourselves into a project we cared about and then… laugh.

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.

September 3, 2023 - Filmmaker Robin M. Gee (WHAT’S BRED IN THE BLOOD AND BONE)

WHAT’S BRED IN THE BLOOD AND BONE, 5min., USA
Directed by Robin M Gee
Inspired by the work of Ida Bell Wells, whose writing documented the episodic period of lynching’s in the 1890’s, What’s Bred in the Blood and Bone is a study of space and place, girded by the collective experiences of brown bodies. “Blood” explores “blood memory” as body memory and the ways in which our collective experiences bind and fortify us as African Americans.

https://instagram.com/what’s_bred_in_the_blood

Get to know the filmmaker:

A program began at my university celebrating the suffragette movement. I found the participation of black women in the movement problematic and wrote a grant which I received. This I began to explore more deeply ida b wells as a participant and read The Red Record. It all flowed 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.

September 2, 2023 - Filmmaker Jamie Robertson (B&E)

B&E, 12min., Canada
Directed by Jamie Robertson
When his ex-con brother, Chris, enlists his help on a break-in, Duncan Fitzpatrick doesn’t know what to do. He’d agreed to run away with his brother, but only under the belief that he had turned over a new leaf. Now stuck, waiting in the car for his brother’s return, Duncan grows restless as his brother breaks into a mysterious suburban home. There’s only one problem with Chris’s plan; someone else is in the house. As the hour grows late, Duncan enters the house, only to discover how truly lost his brother has become.

https://fmtvfilms.wixsite.com/breakingandentering
https://twitter.com/BnE_ShortFilm
https://www.instagram.com/bneshortfilm/

Get to know the filmmaker:

The biggest motivation for this film was really just proving it was something I could do. Humber gave me an excellent opportunity, greenlighting this film with myself as Director and I didn’t want to take that opportunity for granted. Entering the independent filmmaking landscape, it may be some time before I am afforded the budget and resources these capstone films received and so I really wanted to make the most of it and show the world what I’m currently capable of, and what I’m going for with my films. Throughout my time at school, I’d met a lot of great people and filmmakers as well and so, not squandering an opportunity to work with all of them provided excellent additional motivation that I think was felt throughout our year and really brought the lot of us together.

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.

September 1, 2023 - Filmmaker Daniel Gold (IN THE BACKGROUND)

IN THE BACKGROUND, 4min,. USA
Directed by Daniel Gold
This film glimpses the subconscious archetypes surrounding the ideas of consciousness, duality, and reincarnation.

http://aftereverpictures.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:
– I wanted to make this film for many years and it just came very organically. It was a vision of mine that I wanted to see for myself and was intrinsically motivated to finish 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.

September 1, 2023 - Filmmaker Darieus Legg (STOKER MACHINE)

STOKER MACHINE, 12min., USA
Directed by Darieus Legg
Stoker Machine is a must-see animated surf documentary. Chad Campbell, an expert surfer discovers a mysterious surfboard on the big island of Hawaii. The retro board provides only a phone number and an email address as clues to its origin, leading Chad to accidentally uncover a central-coast California surf legend. The man they call, “Stoker”.

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

Get to know the filmmaker:
My motivation to make this film was born out of a deep need to contribute something to the world beyond corporate DEI “content”. I wanted to make a personal film on my own terms with no censorship. I made a feature film in my home state of Hawaii twelve years ago and it was a traumatic experience for me. I spent the next eleven years working in Hollywood learning from experts and avoiding the elephant in the room – doing personal artwork. The pandemic happened and it gave me the space and time to be quiet and listen to what the Universe was asking me to do. Luckily I was paying attention when my neighbor Chad Campbell came home with this mysterious surfboard, the Stoker Machine. I knew immediately this was the story I had to tell.

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 31, 2023 - Filmmaker Eli Canter (ARTBOY)

ARTBOY, 14min., USA
Directed by Eli Canter
On Halloween night, a shy high school artist navigates social validation and the bittersweet lines between friendship and heartbreak.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9780775/?ref_=pro_nm_visitcons
https://www.instagram.com/artboyshort/

Get to know the filmmaker:

Artboy was my Boston University senior thesis film. I wanted to create a film where the main character dealt with his emotional life through drawing and imagination, but I also wanted to include 2D animated sequences that could help to capture his internal world. I wanted to capture the feeling of how everything feels like such a big deal in high school and the bittersweet lines of friendship and heartbreak at that 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.

August 30, 2023 - Filmmakers Dominique Caron, Sonia Betiana Frickx (¡Quédate en casa!)

¡Quédate en casa!, 33min., Mexico
Directed by Dominique Caron
As the world battles with an evolving global pandemic, a bohemian paradise coastal town is put into lockdown. Alvaro, a local resident panicked by the virus threat, volunteers as a vigilante to fend off any possible transgressions to the lockdown regulations. However, his fragile authority is challenged when a group of free spirited party-goers refuse to abide.

Get to know the filmmaker:

Self producing a film is always a challenge, especially with no money. One of the greatest challenges is to find dedicated collaborateur that will be willing to work on your project. I was in a small Mexican town when the first covid 19 lockdown happened. I immediately thought it was an amazing opportunity to make a film because everything was closed and all the people had a lot of time available. It was therefore easier to produce a film with almost no budget in a collaborative way.

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 30, 2023 - Documentary Host Jeff Fuchs (IT’S A BEAUTIFUL WORLD)

IT’S A BEAUTIFUL WORLD, 47min., Canada
Directed by Victor Kushmaniuk
Join Global Heroes and adventurer Jeff Fuchs on a thrilling expedition deep into the heart of Colombia’s lush and vibrant Amazon rainforest.

https://www.globalheroes.com/its-a-beautiful-world/
https://www.facebook.com/globalheroesmag/
https://twitter.com/Global_Heroes_m
https://www.instagram.com/global_heroes/

Get to know the documentary host Jeff Fuchs:

A great desire to peer into places and lives that revolve around the idea of restoration – in whatever form it takes. Restoration through meals, through intention, and through simple communing…and to perhaps remind that it is often in the smallest of deeds that our spheres of life can progress.

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 29, 2023 - Filmmaker Rebecca Demeter (HAPPINESS IS AN ILLUSION)

HAPPINESS IS AN ILLUSION, 13min., USA, Drama
Directed by Rebecca Demeter
A woman tries to figure out modern relationships, but realizes she might have missed the most important relationship she could ever have.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=660045165
https://www.instagram.com/rebecca.demeter/

Get to know the filmmaker:

– As a 30 something single woman living in a big city, I was frustrated by dating apps and that everywhere I looked, people were constantly staring at their phones. I decided to combine the two, and to put a sci-fi/satirical spin on the 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.