METHOD OF HEALING, 7min., USA
Directed by Jordan Lee Douglas Sims
After his daughter’s suicide, a mourning father goes to a new therapist. However, things are not as they appear.

https://www.amanwithfriends.com/methodofhealing

Get to know the filmmaker:
I’ve always loved surprising people. That’s always been one of my favorite parts of watching films: the surprise and the awe. I also wanted to challenge myself with this story (this was the largest budget and production for one of my shorts). The challenge of making a conversation between two people sitting in a room exciting and engaging, the challenge of shooting a fight scene, the challenge of putting an actor in a bunch of prosthetic make-up, and the challenge to put this all together into a cohesive narrative.

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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August 19, 2023 - Filmmaker Jordan Lee Douglas Sims (METHOD OF HEALING)

Matthew Toffolo

AMPLIFYING FEEDBACK LOOP, 2min., USA, Animation
Directed by Vanessa Sweet
Unfolding visual poetry loops and transforms, advocating for the need for sustainable futures and community action.

https://www.vanessasweet.com/amplifying-feedback-loop-in-prod
https://instagram.com/veebsweet

Get to know the filmmaker:

Climate Change is an increasingly intense and impactful problem we are all currently facing. I felt particularly strongly to gear my work towards advocacy and activism after living for six years in Alaska, three of which was in Shishmaref, Alaska. There, I listened to the living memory of the folks who live there. Shishmaref’s community if 99.8% Shishmaref Iñupiat– and the island they live on is eroding at astronomical rates. The sea ice isn’t freezing when it should, and is melting too soon. Permafrost is thawing, and animals are rapidly changing their migration paths.

I was witness to this change first hand– and while I knew these to be true, not facing it at extremes can soften our urgency on an issue. I ended up moving away from Shishmaref for my current teaching position– but that doesn’t mean people and this planet aren’t in need. It is important to make work , for me, that speaks out and encourages postive change for the future. Shishmaref film-maker Dennis Davis is recording these changes to the island via his drones, I would highly encourage everyone to seek out his work and watch it to learn more– to get a sense of what is happening in Alaska as well as the southern US, and to hear from that community.

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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August 4, 2023 - Filmmaker Vanessa Sweet (AMPLIFYING FEEDBACK LOOP)

Matthew Toffolo

VIOLAR, 26min,. USA, Horror
Directed by Sarah Goras
A young pregnant wife encounters her abusive past and unleashes a sinister presence that puts those around her in danger.

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

Get to know the filmmaker:

Originally, it was supposed to be a proof of concept for a feature screenplay but was not working in the short form so I decided to change some elements including the themes. At the time, I was experiencing difficulties with men in my life and trauma from the past so I decided to incorporate those moments in the film. I’ve never gone so personal in a film before so I felt vulnerable but liberated to have a voice about those moments. For example, at a gas station, a man shouted at me to smile, just a day after my mom passed. I literally broke down in tears. Even the sexual experiences I had faced with my first serious boyfriend and my ex-husband. After making the film, so much healing took place and what had been taken from now became something I could share that others had related to. And what better way to express pain and trauma than through horror!! It really gave me powerful metaphors for my 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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August 1, 2023 - Filmmaker Sarah Goras (VIOLAR)

Matthew Toffolo

ASHES, 10min., Canada
Directed by Charles-Antoine Thériault
Over time, nature wilfully and circumstantially adapts to its environment, but when the cyclical clash between evolution and cataclysm occurs, nature’s fight to reclaim its place often leaves scars that endure for many seasons. “Ashes” recounts the tale of a Heron and the 62 Lakes under his watchful eye, of the creation of these watery masses that now encompass the region of Saint-Hippolyte – a tragic tale of self-sacrifice that has become an eternal legend.

Get to know the filmmaker:
The city of Saint-Hippolyte had a project about the 62 lakes in the region, and when I was asked to create something for it, I saw an opportunity to go beyond a traditional visual video. I wanted to offer something more to the people of Saint-Hippolyte and create their own legend. So, I developed a myth around the creation of the unique 62 lakes and proposed to the city’s cultural director to make a movie about it. And here it is!

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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July 17, 2023 - Filmmaker Charles-Antoine Thériault (ASHES)

Matthew Toffolo

PLAY/REPEAT, 8min., Estonia, Dance
Directed by Carlos E. Lesmes
There is a couple. Two bodies. Two beings. 1+1. Sometimes it feels like only one. This film piece wants to explore aspects of a relationship through movement, through the bodies of the performers. The unfathomable distance between two people. Broke but never broken.

Get to know the filmmaker:

The film was born out of real life. It came as the result of a complicated relationship and the desire to express it and live it bodily, but it was shaped together with Real, Alis and Arolin. We worked together about the concept and a wish to explore the notion of loneliness and companionship that exists in a relationship. We all brought our stories and experiences to try and make something that could be expressive in a film form, without it needing text. We wanted the bodies and the images to speak.

This was an exploration process, of getting to know each other and trying something new. Exploring the types of materials and places around us to really connect with our past and present 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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July 2, 2023 - Filmmaker Carlos E. Lesmes (PLAY/REPEAT)

Matthew Toffolo

HEY ALEXA, 10min., USA, Fantasy
Written by Produced by Xochi Blymyer
Alexa is helpful, she’s funny, she’s kind, she’s a friend, who is she? A day in her life…with us.

http://gottagrinpictures.com/
https://www.twitter.com/xochib
https://www.instagram.com/Xochib

Get to know the writer/producer:

I had always been curious when Alexa and all the other AI helpers were created – what would she look like and how does she actually get all this information. From the first time we all discovered she would tell you where to bury the dead body (that changed later!) to telling us good night like a friend.

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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June 14, 2023 - Writer/Producer Xochi Blymyer (HEY ALEXA)

Matthew Toffolo

NIGHT FALLS, 19min., Belgium, Music
Directed by Stéphane Orlando
Veronika Harcsa is accompanied by the Cave Cantores to embody the inner struggle of a singer living between two worlds, the classical of her illustrious cellist father and the jazz where she sees a possible key to more artistic freedom. Four lines from William Blake’s poem « Night » guide the narrative through different pieces of a puzzle of real and invented memories. This jumble of past, present and future crystallises into a powerful musical bad trip with catastrophic consequences.

https://stephaneorlando.com/portfolio/opera/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I’m a huge fan of directors like Pawel Pawlikovski, David Lynch, Federico Fellini, Quentin Tarantino or Akira Kurosawa. It’s a cinema where image, sound, acting and movie sets serve the narrative in a complementary way, with always a strong concept that is the engine of the whole. I wanted to work in that direction. As I’m the composer of my own films, it’s easier: I’m always in perfect agreement with myself 🙂

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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June 8, 2023 - Filmmaker Stéphane Orlando (NIGHT FALLS)

Matthew Toffolo

DRIFTING OF A LEAF, 2min., USA, Animation
Directed by Wenpei Li
If you could have another life, do you hope to become a tree? A little leaf becomes a bird flying in the world. Is it a leaf or a bird? It does not know where its root is. Maybe the root is all this world.

http://wenpeili.com/
https://twitter.com/wplyeyeye
https://www.instagram.com/wenpei.art/

Get to know the filmmaker:

“Drifting of A Leaf” was one part of my MFA thesis project. The idea for this thesis came from Italo Calvino’s book, “Our Ancestors.” There were three short stories in this book, one of which was about a tree. Since I was a kid, I hoped I could become a tree or a bird if I had another life. So, I wanted to make an animation about trees.

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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May 26, 2023 - Filmmaker Weinpei Li (DRIFTING ON A LEAF)

Matthew Toffolo

STATIONHEADS, 17min., Hungary, Crime/Thriller
Directed by Stu Gamble
Three educated (and bored) twenty-somethings are working a dead-end job in a gas station. Their futures are grim. When a group of bank robbers turn up fresh from a heist and fresh out of fuel, things get a bit more interesting.

https://www.facebook.com/StationHeads
https://twitter.com/StationHeads
https://www.instagram.com/stationheads/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I’ve often wondered what happens in the most obscure places of our cities. The places that stay open 24 hours a day, the places in the middle of nowhere, the people that happen to pass through or inhabit such places. So when I met my production partner and we threw ideas around about making a film we landed on 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.

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May 23, 2023 - Filmmaker Stu Gamble (STATIONHEADS)

Matthew Toffolo

LOCATION 4, 8min., USA, Horror
Directed by Antonio Pinheiro
After getting lost during a late night work session, two location scouts start to get the feeling they aren’t the only two people on the mountain.

https://www.location4movie.com/
https://instagram.com/tonyturquoix

Get to know the filmmaker:

I had just gotten fired from my food runner job, and I realized I didn’t want to run food anymore so I wrote the scariest movie I could with the budget my savings would allow. I think it was mostly scared of becoming irrelevant. As for the horror aspect, it really stemmed just from experience hiking and camping, mixed with the balance of work life and mental stability. I noticed I was doing too much career work and not enough time tending to my relationship with friends and family and kind of expressed that through writing.

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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May 19, 2023 - Filmmaker Antonio Pinheiro (LOCATION 4)

Matthew Toffolo

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.

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

Matthew Toffolo

THE THINGS I FEEL, 12min., Australia
Directed by Jean Ngooi
As an android nanny, Hadley takes care of a young, inquisitive boy named Charlie. When a malfunction causes her to develop sentience, they embark on an adventure to find a real-life animal, a scarcity in their world. On their trip, Hadley faces what it means to feel things for the first time.

https://sites.google.com/view/thethingsifeel/home?authuser=1
https://www.facebook.com/thethingsifeel.film
http://instagram.com/thethingsifeel.film/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I really love sci-fi films that bring to light questions revolving around humanity and its boundaries so I wanted to challenge myself to tell a story that would do just that but also be achievable as student filmmakers. I believe the limitations that we had in regards with being a student film helped me shape aspects of the story and really focus it on the main two characters.

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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May 12, 2023 - Filmmaker Jean Ngooi (THE THINGS I FEEL)

Matthew Toffolo

JALEBI NIGHTS, 13min., UK, Drama/Romance
Directed by Ganesh Sharma
Jalebi Nights follows the journey of a young heartbroken man, named Krishan. He was about to propose to the love of his life, however her mother intervened. 6 months later, Krishan still can’t get over his ex, so his best friend Harry comes up with a plan to help Krishan move on.

https://www.instagram.com/jalebinightsfilm

Get to know filmmaker Ganesh Sharma:

So I’m a filmmaker of south Asian descent, who was born in the UK and I grew up with a passion for watching films and TV shows from the western world. After all, this is where I was raised. However, from an early age I noticed that there weren’t many Asians being represented in the shows or the films that I watched. Additionally, if an Asian person was shown on screen, 9 times out of 10 they were used for a comedic moment. They were hardly an integral part of the story.

Now as a 31-year-old man, I can see that times have changed, and films have become a lot more diverse. There are certainly a lot more Asian faces on TV, which is great to see! However I believe that only a handful of them are ever provided with a lead role. Therefore, as a writer/director of South Asian origin, I decided that I should take it upon myself to change that.

With ‘Jalebi Nights’, I wanted to create a story that felt fitting of the struggles of South Asian people in my age group, in regards to arranged marriages, family pressure, sexual orientation etc. I also wrote the film in a way that people of all backgrounds could relate to. Additionally, another goal for me was to ensure I was giving Asian actors an opportunity to shine, and I’m happy to say I did! My entire cast is of South Asian origin, and for three of them, this is their first ever film credit.

April 28, 2023 - JALEBI NIGHTS film team (Ganesh Sharma, Makenna Guyler, Rohit Sujanani)

Matthew Toffolo

SEEK, 13min., Japan, Action
Directed by Shane Kosugi, Kansuke Asano
K. Hanzo, an assassin for a covert non-governmental espionage group in Japan called “49” or “SEEK”, is grieving over the loss of his girlfriend from a tragic car accident. His ex-boss, J, contacts him to do one last mission for him; kill his ex-partner who has kidnapped a young agent and stolen some vital information which he plans to sell to the Yakuza. Although the Ninjas are gone…the new breed of assassins live on; so the Ninja lives on.

https://www.instagram.com/shanekosugi/

Get to know Filmmaker Shane Kosugi:

– we all wanted to make an action short that could show the world the beauty of Japan, the wonderful lure of the samurai’s and ninjas and that Japan can still make good story based action films.

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 20, 2023 - Filmmakerr Shane Kosugi (SEEK)

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.

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

Matthew Toffolo

ROLE PLAY, 8min., USA, Horror
Directed by Bill Neil
A one-night stand goes horribly wrong

Get to know the filmmaker:

Dan Asma, the producer, had been working with Alex Henes and Matt Merenda, on some feature ideas as well as some short film scripts. He sent me a few of their scripts to read. Dan and I have been friends/ film aficionados/ co-workers for decades – and he’s always encouraged me to direct. When I read Role Play, the whole set-up and slow-burn vibe really spoke to me. I loved the creepy note passing scene – that’s what sold me. That weird suspense of hooking up with a stranger in a strange place that seems crazy – but you’re horny so you ignore the weird signs.

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 14, 2023 - Filmmaker Bill Neil (ROLE PLAY)

Matthew Toffolo

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

Matthew Toffolo

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.

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

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.

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

Matthew Toffolo

SHRAPNEL: Solitarius Lupus, 8min., USA
Directed by Lael Rogers. Co-Written by Tony Fulgham
We follow a scavenger through a time not too far from our own as they find a way to survive the harsh realities of a world run by economy and conflict.

http://www.laelrogers.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:
NEON Machine asked All is Well, the Seattle film studio I co-founded, to make a film inspired by the world of Shrapnel — a yet-to-be released AAA Extraction FPS game. Writers Tony Fulgham, Peter Edlund, and myself were writing the script as the Shrapnel team was developing their world, so the characters and landscapes really took shape side-by-side.

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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March 9, 2023 - Filmmakers Lael Rogers & Tony Fulgham (SHRAPNEL: Solitarius Lupus)

Matthew Toffolo