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 and television
EP. 1079 - Filmmaker Jay Beckett (DADDY)

DADDY, 20min., USA
Directed by Jay Beckett
Rodrigo is an unstable, and materialistic queer man who falls madly in love with his sugar daddy. Rodrigo’s best friend finds out that he is married to a woman and has a new born son. His world collapses along with his mind. Heartbroken and mentally disturbed, he goes on a quest to seek revenge.

https://www.2ndactfilms.com/daddy
https://www.instagram.com/daddy_theshortfilm/

Get to know the filmmaker:
Well, this was my thesis film at LA Film School. I’ve done dramas and documentaries in the past, but never a thriller. So it was a perfect time to explore the horror/thriller genre specially about queer people.


You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at
www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1076 - Filmmaker David Sackerman (BIG EXIT)

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

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

Get to know the filmmaker:

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

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1075 - Filmmaker Yuxuan Zhang (THE LOST NIGHT)

THE LOST NIGHT, 6min., Japan
Directed by YUXUAN ZHANG
One night, at a crowded street, a woman meet these illusions. Everyone passed, but only she couldn’t. This is a dream made with light and shadow. But is it just a ephemeral dream?

https://misazyuhin.wixsite.com/misanimations
https://twitter.com/misa41478318
https://www.instagram.com/_misa_3333/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

Get to know the filmmaker:
This is my graduation film work and I wanted to find some experimental methods to make it.Finally I used the light and shadow style of drawing things by not drawing them. And the story comes from my real experience , the first time I had to face the decision of death.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1074 - Filmmaker Richard Bazley (CENSURE)

CENSURE – 39min, UK
Directed by Richard Bazley

When introvert, Aaron, finds himself struggling under the weight of a revelation, he dreams of escaping to the only place he can breathe. But escape has a cost, and he must ask himself if it is a price he is willing to pay.

https://rmbazley.wixsite.com/censure
https://www.facebook.com/Censure-105527732039739
https://twitter.com/BazleyFilms
https://www.instagram.com/bazleyfilms/

Get to know the filmmaker:
Getting any film made is hard so if you do make a film you really want to have to make it! You need a reason! I had a pretty successful career as an Animator, Ex Disney, Ex-Warner Bros. After the death of 2D Classical Animation in Hollywood I found myself reinventing myself. I wanted to tell whole stories, not just animating a few seconds in a $150 Million Dollar Film for a Multi MIllion Dollar Corporation. I wanted to tell stories that meant something to me. As soon as you get into big budgets you are restricted in so many ways. What the Execs want, what the clients want but what about the “Director’s” vision? That is what you get with a short film on a micro budget! It is pure and it is honest. I wanted to tell stories that meant something to me and “Censure” is the first of many.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1073 - Filmmaker Andrew Fitzgerald (AN ANGRY BOY)

AN ANGRY BOY, 99min,. USA
Directed by Andrew Fitzgerald
Owen was kidnapped by a ruthless predator when he was younger and his repressed memories are starting to flood back. As he struggles to piece together the haunting mystery of his past, he realizes what he must do – hunt him down and make him pay.

https://www.facebook.com/anangryboy/

Get to know the filmmaker:
This was the type of movie that I felt hadn;t been made but was something I would definitely want to see. It’s a mix of some funny moments and really gory kills but not over the top and in your face but more justified to help make their impact stronger on the audience. We set out to make something people could enjoy and hopefully be surprised 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.

EP. 1072 - Filmmakers Vitor Lopes & Stephen Brown (LAST CALL)

LAST CALL, 12min., USA
Directed by Vitor Lopes, Stephen Brown
A bartendress embroiled in a small-town romance is on the skeleton crew of a late-night dive bar when she encounters a mysterious patron who implores her to clean up an act of violence he has committed.

Get to know filmmaker Stephen Brown:
I was thrilled to read Vitor’s screenplay, and we saw an opportunity to film the short film in our hometown of Fayetteville, Georgia. It was encouraging to meet the cast virtually and to work with old friends and new ones to make the film safely during autumn of the first year of the pandemic.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1071 - Filmmaker Miguel Soares Moreira (THE BOOK OF NAUGHTY KIDS)

THE BOOK OF NAUGHTY KIDS, 17min., Brazil
Directed by Miguel Soares Moreira
Amanda, a curious 10-year-old, wonders about the existence of Santa Claus. After some trouble at school caused by her classmates Marcel and Lana, she wishes they would disappear from her life. On Christmas Eve, she discovers that Santa might not be so good after all. Who is the naughty or the nice kid?

https://www.crossfilmes.com/
https://instagram.com/olivrodcm

Get to know the filmmaker:

Probably the love of original horror stories related to brazilian’s urban legends, which unfortunatelly are not very well explored.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1070 - Filmmaker Julia Hayden Fung (STRANGER)

STRANGER, 5min., USA
Directed by Julia Hayden Fung
This film shows the experience of lost relationships through the eyes of a young girl. “Stranger” is a story of love, longing, and the regret through passing of time.

https://www.instagram.com/jhf.ilms/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I kind of just set out to create something I would be proud of and to start building my portfolio before college. I wanted to explore a few locations and the lighting I could get at certain points of the day, so I finished a short synopsis I had been playing around with and asked a couple of my theatre friends if they wanted to see where this took 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.

EP. 1069 - Filmmaker Ian Ebright (PINWHEEL HORIZON)

PINWHEEL HORIZON, 14min., USA
Directed by Ian Ebright
On a barren planet, three elite warriors learn their final confrontation- a gang of 40- is waiting for them nearby.

Get to know the filmmaker:

After a personal loss, I became interested in exploring the topic through characters with different reactions to the same event.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1063 - Screenwriter Casey Seline (A-Okay)

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgpA0h30_HQ

Merritt and Hylan are returning to their high school for their ten year reunion. Friends and roommates, the two complete each other in being completely different; Hylan — a confident, sexually active and adventurous extrovert, and Merritt — a shy, hopeless romantic who is struggling with her sexual identity. Unlike Hylan, Merritt does not enjoy sex or physical intimacy and believes she may be asexual.


Get to know the writer:

A-OKAY is about Merritt, a hopeless romantic, grappling with the fact that she’s asexual… or somewhere on the asexual spectrum. Still longing for romantic fulfillment, she sets out to define the boundaries of her sexual identity.

In this pilot episode, Merritt goes to her ten-year reunion, planning to reconnect with her high school flame, Rohan. She’s accompanied by her best friend/roommate (and probable nymphomaniac) Hylan, who has plans of her own for revenge against an old high school bully.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1060 - Filmmaker Shyamala Moorty (HOW DO YOU FALL OUT OF LOVE WITH COUNTRY MUSIC?)

HOW DO YOU FALL OUT OF LOVE WITH COUNTRY MUSIC?, 13min., USA
Directed by Shyamala Moorty
She just wants to sing country and western on stage, but it’s not easy for a South Asian-American in the deep south where every audience is a hostile one. “How Do You Fall Out of Love with County Music” is a humorous and moving short film about cultural alienation and the possibilities for human connection through music. Set on stage in a honky-tonk bar, Amy Singh courageously bares her soul to the audience and reveals deep truths about racism and belonging in our country today.

https://shyamalamoorty.com/how-do-you-fall-out-of-love-with-country-music/
https://www.instagram.com/shydance/

Get to know the filmmaker:
As a director, I was matched with a writer and an actor during the pandemic by Theater West for a new play reading. The script by Maximillian Gill was immediately compelling, I could feel the tension just in reading it, and the actor, Vidushi Chadha, claimed the stage so powerfully -even on zoom. The script was in-progress and the three of us had such great chemistry as a team working through the changes and staging together. When we were done, Vidushi suggested the film, and I had just finished directing my first short (a narrative dance called Fight the Fear) and was enthusiastic to try my hand at a monologue!

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

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

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

Get to know the filmmaker:

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

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1056 - Filmmaker Lijie Xie (MOTHERLAND)

MOTHERLAND, 19min., USA
Directed by Lijie Xie
When a Chinese mother visits her son in Manhattan to celebrate news of his engagement, she’s taken aback to discover that her son is actually planning to marry another man. As she watches the couple prepare to come out to her, she must grapple with her emotions and decide how to react to the news.

Get to know the filmmaker:

I spent a whole year during COVID, 24/7, with my family, particularly with my mom who traveled from China to assist my sister in moving and got stuck with us in Michigan. Throughout that year, I discovered how incredibly adaptive and supportive my mom is, demonstrating a remarkable capacity for learning and a strong will to understand her children. These characteristics really inspired this film and its central character.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1053 - Filmmaker Giacomo Segers (THE GREAT NO-MAN’S LAND)

THE GREAT NO-MAN’S LAND, 6min,. Belgium
Directed by Giacomo Segers
A fantasy creature by the name of Chloro undertakes a journey across the Great No-Man’s Land; a ruined fantasy world destroyed by mechanized conflict. He does this in order to return to his home and reunite with his family.

Get to know the filmmaker:

I’m a worldbuilder at heart. I love to enrich myself in the setting of a story, and I have a strong fondness for movies, games, and literature set in the wonderful realm of fantasy and science fiction. The illustrations that I make are usually things that make up the part of a bigger whole. The creatures and characters that I draw usually have a little blurb of background information that I imagine for them. I even have a few documents that I’ve typed down with descriptions. I also adore the proces of mapmaking, and I’ve sketched and have drawn out a lot of maps throughout my life.

The last couple of years, I have started working on a fantasy setting of my own; one where I mix fantasy elements with the aesthetics of the First World War. Of course, this was nothing professional or well thought out, and the chance that this would ever reach an audience or go further than just my artwork was very minimal. However, once I started my education at the Luca-school of Arts, I realised that I might be able to do something more with my setting than just drawings inside of a sketchbook. So when I started my Masters project, I already had the perfect world for it to be set in.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1052 - Filmmaker Dele Ajayi (ACRONIUS)

ACRONIUS, 2min., UK
Directd by Dele Ajayi
After decades of turmoil, the Kingdom of Sonuria is finally at peace. This new era, established by the good King Acronius, has been noted for its prosperity.

https://www.fluid-lab.com/portfolio/acronius
https://www.instagram.com/fluid.lab/

Get to know the filmmaker:

The project started very small, from the cog tunnel at the end of the film. I saw a similar short sequence in someone’s showreel and felt I should do something similar but I felt the tunnel had to lead somewhere to something. Eventually the idea grew and grew until we have what we see here.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1050 - Filmmaker AJ Moss (THE LAST ASHLYN)

THE LAST ASHLYN, 9min,. USA
Directed by AJ Moss
A young girl in an ancient, fantasy world attempts to stop her mother and father, the last of her family, from dueling to the death over honor and spite.

Get to know the filmmaker:

For a decade I have slowly added to this fantasy world as both a hobby and in hopes that one day it might become something more. I wanted to tell something very contained and personal so I chose this small story that took place early on in the world when the world was at a very low point filled with war and division. It reflects a lot of the division I see in our world today.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1048 - Screenwriter Paul Hickman (THE ASSASSIN'S APPRENTICE 1 & 2)

THE ASSASSIN'S APPRENTICE 2: SILBADORES OF THE CANARY ISLANDS, 25min., USA

Directed by Russ Emanuel

Kaylee, an apprentice assassin for TAA Corp., is taking a long-deserved vacation in the Canary Islands, when her Freerunner drone arrives to project a holographic image of Rick, her handler. Rick explains to Kaylee that her vacation has been cut short, and that she is being urgently summoned by Roy, the head of TAA Corp.’s Canary Island Bureau headquarters, for a new mission. Kaylee follows the Freerunner drone to the TAA Corp.’s Canary Island headquarters, where Roy explains that F.A.D., a rival group of counter-assassins, are on the island to eliminate TAA Corp.’s drone trainers, known as “Silbadores.” Kaylee drives her ninja motorcycle at breakneck speeds along beautiful coastal roads to TAA Corp.’s drone training grounds where she saves the Silbadores from deadly Swarmbots unleashed by the F.A.D. counter-assassins. A final showdown with the F.A.D. counter-assassins Sork and Karla ends with a surprising result.

https://www.taamovie.com/

https://www.facebook.com/taamovie/

https://twitter.com/russellemanuel

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1043 - Filmmaker Brent Peterson & Actor Virginia Asbury (STAR WARS: RENDEZVOUS)

STAR WARS: RENDEZVOUS, 20min., USA
Directed by Brent L Peterson
A pair of do-gooders attempt to protect a young, force-sensitive girl from bounty hunters on their way to rendezvous with a mysterious contact with the power to protect her much better than they can.

https://antigravityfilms.com/projects

Get to know the filmmaker:

Many motivations. I’ve been a Star Wars fan since I was a little kid and after seeing so many Star Wars fan films on YouTube, thought it was a great option to dive into the universe on my own terms. To make a Star Wars film that I had always wanted to see. I also felt like it would be a good venue to further my career, by showing that I could do with an established and beloved IP. But without a doubt, the most personal reason to make this film was because of my seven-year-old son, who was a huge Star Wars fan. He passed away due to brain cancer a few years ago, and I felt like I needed to make this film for him. Star Wars: Rendezvous is dedicated to him.

You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it’s only $3.99 per month.

EP. 1038 - Filmmakers Madina Baimakhanova & Thomas Calvin Schultz (THE PENCIL)

THE PENCIL, 10min., USA
Directed by Thomas Calvin Schultz
Sara, a struggling artist who discovers a unique pencil that can solve all her problems. But her dreams turn into a nightmare when a malevolent demonic creature from Kazakh legends gets unleashed.

https://thepencilshortfilm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thepencilshortfilm
https://www.instagram.com/thepencilshortfilm/

Get to know writer/director Madina Baimakhanova & director Thomas Calvin Schultz:

My wife and I always wanted to do a project together, and in fact it was one of the very first conversations we had when we had first met each other. When the opportunity arose we decided it would be a great time to have a short family/friends project in Kazakhstan where we would be traveling for a 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.

EP. 1035 - Filmmaker Harper Brock (MISSING IN THE MIDWEST)

MISSING IN THE MIDWEST, 18min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Harper Brock
Filmmaker Harper Brock journeys back to her roots to learn what happened to her cousin Joelle Lockwood whose 2014 abduction case shocked southwestern Indiana.

http://missinginthemidwestdocumentary.com/
https://www.instagram.com/missinginmidwest/

Get to know the filmmaker;
My family, both my parents and extended family in Indiana really pushed for me to do this project as my student thesis at SCAD. I don’t think I could have done it without their support.

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.