THE BRIDGE, 85min., USA

Directed by Evan Jackson Leong

Fifty years ago, our country grappled with widespread discrimination. In Los Angeles, neighborhood leaders challenged these barriers by establishing a community-focused bank, aiming to deliver the American dream to all. The East West Bank Foundation commissioned director Evan Leong to create The Bridge, which explores the struggles, perseverance, and successes of this remarkable journey.

http://www.thebridge-film.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

As a 6th generation Chinese American I've been fortunate to tell the stories of my community. The Bridge is a story about a humble Chinatown bank that not only grew the community but became a global influence furthering our place in society. For me, I'd be happy to tell these stories for the rest of my career. I was not only inspired but blessed to collaborate with the East West Foundation and Dominic Ng.

Subscribe to the podcast:

https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod

https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/

https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

CATS AND HUSBANDS, 7min., USA
Directed by Grace Samson, Barry Samson
We enter the story where two close friends, Fern and Marcie get together at a local coffee shop to celebrate a birthday. Fern has been going through two years of cycles of In Vitro, desperately trying to get pregnant but with no success. Her husband, Nick’s coping mechanism has been dressing up with the family Cat and taking silly pictures. Marcie jokingly suggests that Fern just book a vacation for herself and leave hubby with the cat. All this to help soften the reality that the birthday Fern celebrates today is that of a child she miscarried two years before.

https://instagram.com/catsandhusbands

Get to know filmmaker Grace Samson:
Being a thirty two year old woman, I started to see ads for freezing your eggs. I thought, wow I’m not ready for that yet, but interesting what a pressure it is to have babies as a woman at my age. I wanted to include a woman’s story that others who are in the same position could commiserate with and feel like they are not alone.

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

THE FIVE STAGES, 12min., USA
Directed by Jessica Orcsik
Eva Allen is a recently single, devastated young woman. She enters a black box theatre being filled with well-dressed and put together people, laughing and drinking. A variety act performance is about to begin.

http://www.diversitypictures.org/
https://www.instagram.com/thefivestages_

Get to know producer/actor Hannah Carman:

At the time of making the film, I was studying full time as a student at the American Arts Film and Television Academy in their full-time Actors Conservatory, and had moved at the age of 18 to Los Angeles all the way from Australia. It was an incredible experience, but also a big emotional rollercoaster. Amid going through all these new emotional challenges, I felt motivated to make a film that explored the complexities of more challenging feelings like loss and sorrow. My coproducer Jess Orcsik and I felt that there was no better way to do that than structuring a short film using the five stages of grief.

I also was really set on making a film that incorporated musicality, as I’m a singer and was surrounded by some amazing singers and dancers that loved musicals like I do.

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

TIDES, 8min,. USA
Directed by Andre Silva
Filmed at Masonboro Island, an undeveloped barrier island in southeastern North Carolina, “Tides” contemplates the liminal space between the modern technological world and that more ecological dimension we label as “nature” or “the environment.”

https://www.andresilvaspace.com/
https://www.instagram.com/andresilvaspace/

Get to know the filmmaker:
One of my favorite places to be is one of the uninhabited barrier islands, including the neighboring salt marshes, of Southeast North Carolina early in the morning. When I’m in this environment, I feel like I’m in a liminal space outside of my normal day to day life. I had been waking up before dawn on a weekend day every few weeks to head out to the barrier islands over a 5 year period and noticing the changes in light from pre-dawn to an hour or so after sunrise as well the way different animal sounds populated the environment throughout the morning. I had never intended to create a film about these experiences, but eventually decided to create the film as more of a quick light study (which is the first part of the film). As I continued working on “Tides,” over a 5 month period, I added in the reflective text components (part 2 and 3) resulting in a much more involved project than I had initially intended. Originally, I was just looking to create a 1-2 minute film to allow me to take a break from what would eventually be a 3-year time-intensive animation project titled “Revelation to the Disembodied,” which also happens to be inspired by the coastal environment.

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

DETECTIVE TICKLES, 6min., USA
Directed by Elizabeth Laidlaw
Detective tickles is a film Noir sketch that is in episode 1. It is about a party clown who turns Private eye. The sketch pays homage to film noir tropes, and is filmed in the classic style of black and white. The sketch stands well on its own, but I recommend watching the full pilot to be immersed into the Trash Panda world.

https://www.youtube.com/@trashpandacomedy9305
https://www.instagram.com/thetrashpandacomedy/

Get to know writer Fee Basanavicius, writer Marissa Chastain & director Elizabeth Laidlaw

Elizabeth (Director): have been a noir nut for a long time. A WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION and DOUBLE INDEMNITY are two of my all-time favorites. I use the “anklet” scene of the latter to teach film directing to newbie film students. When Dean handed this script to me I.. well, I basically SAT on him and told him he HAD to let me direct it.

Fee (Writer): My comedy partner Marissa and I are comedians so our goal with all of our Trash Panda Comedy work is to release as many endorphins in people’s brains as we can. With Tickles we wanted to do that by being as silly as possible while playing it as straight/to period as possible. Elizabeth and her expertise helped us achieve just that.

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

• Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

FREEDOMTOWN: NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE, 15min., USA
Directed by Morteza Rafiei
Freedom Town: Not So Black And White takes viewers on a journey to explore the tension between activism and police forces around George Floyed’s death amidst the 2020 pandemic chaos. Through two filmmaker lenses, we follow an activist and former cop over 2 years as they navigate their respective worlds.

Get to know the filmmaker:
As a Middle Eastern individual and my creative partner is African American, we embarked on creating a movie that sheds light on our country’s challenges during the pandemic and the impact of George Floyd’s tragic death. Coming from the Middle East, where I sought freedom upon arriving in this country, witnessing how the police treated their own citizens was truly bewildering. It was astonishing to see the similarities between some of the protests in America and those I had experienced in Iran. With our film, we aimed to delve deeper into the reasons behind the mistreatment of African Americans while also giving voice to the perspective of the police.

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

DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON FRIDAY NIGHT, 103min., USA
Directed by Mike Schmiedeler, Michael O’Brien
From EP Tom Morello – Meet former gravedigger turned doorman at the Park Hyatt in Chicago turned frontman to his own band, Ike Reilly. At 40 years old he landed a recording contract with Universal and in true rock & roll fashion he bought his family a dream home in his hometown of Libertyville, IL. Ike took his band out on the road where they became what The New York Times called “one of the best live bands in America.”

https://www.dontturnyourbackonfridaynight.com/the-film
https://www.instagram.com/mikeschmiedeler/
https://www.facebook.com/mike.schmiedeler/

Get to know the filmmakers:

Michael O’Brien: I introduced Mike to Ike and his music about 12 years ago…I showed him a demo/sizzle Ike and I had made for AMC that sadly was given a pass. Mike became a huge fan of Ike’s music and eventually a good friend. It took a few years of persistent cajoling but Ike finally agreed with Mike’s premise that his is a story that demanded to be told.

Mike Schmiedeler: What he said  I came as a fan. I knew how his music touched me and I also knew his story was so unique that it had to be told. He got his first record contract at age 40 while he was working as a doorman at a hotel. And he had been a gravedigger. Literally. But then he also married his high school sweetheart and had these 4 amazing kids. But then wrote some of the most insightful, provocative lyrics on life, death, money, lust, loss and hope that I’d ever hear. It’s like he exists in worlds he should not simultaneously.

WOOD: EPISODE 1, 5min., UK, Animation/Sci-Fi
Directed by Michael Anthony McDonough
Wood is an animated adventure series that tells the story of a dystopian future in which humanity has been re-purposed.

https://thewooduniverse.com/projects/wood

Tweets by thewooduniverse

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

REALITY CHECK, 24min., Spain, Fantasy/Drama
Directed by Sandro Hernández Ortiz
Reality Check follows Salvador, a young patient suffering from delusional disorder, who during one of his therapy sessions starts experiencing dangerous levels of reality distortion that make him question everything in his life.

https://www.instagram.com/subliminalproductions/

Sandro was also the lead actor in this short. Conversation with the actor/director on the process making the film.

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

ONE NIGHT STAND was voted BEST SHORT FILM at the April 2022 COMEDY Feedback Film Festival.

Project Links

• Website

• Instagram

“A romantically confused woman wakes up with a hangover, a dead guy in her bed and no recollection of how she got there. When her clingy ex-boyfriend shows up and desperately wants to get back together, she recruits him and his doofus friend to help her uncover the events of the night before while discovering what she wants, and doesn’t want, in her love life.”

Conversation with writer/producer Dana Serao & director Mark Serao on the making of the film.

Film also showing on the WILDsound TV app next 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

TEQUILA DREAM was the winner of BEST FILM at the October 2021 STUDENT Film Festival. “After being reluctantly persuaded by his friend, Alex, and finding himself in a club in the heart of Dublin City, Luke’s night changes when he meets Nora, an attractive and witty young woman, who not only proves to be memorable but also steals his heart.”

Playing at the best of EUROPEAN Shorts Festival right NOW

Conversation with director Peter Lavery and producer Joe Andrews on the making of the film.

Subscribe to the podcast via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

I WISH FOR YOU was the winner of BEST SHORT FILM at the June 2021 ENIVORNMENTAL Film Festival. You can watch the festival today (all day for free) HERE

Conversation with Stuart Rideout on the process of directing this important short film written by Michael Morpurgo and starring Jeremy Irons & Maxine Peake

Follow WILDsound Podcasts on all social media channels: @wildsoundpod

Submit to the festival anytime via FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/WILDsoundFilmandWritingFestival

Subscribe via Twitter: https://twitter.com/wildsoundfest

EXIT AT ENTRANCE was the winner of BEST SOUND & MUSIC at the May 2021 COMEDY Film Festival. Playing at the COMEDY Film Festival today. Stream for FREE all day Sunday HERE

“A black comedy about a pregnant woman, Louise, who wants an abortion, meeting a receptionist, whose professional and empathetic lines are a little blurred.”

Conversation with the Denmark filmmaker on the process making this film.

Follow WILDsound Podcasts on all social media channels: @wildsoundpod

Submit to the festival anytime via FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/WILDsoundFilmandWritingFestival

Subscribe via Twitter: https://twitter.com/wildsoundfest

CAMILLA is a short film from ITALY that’s playing at the LGBTQ+ Film Festival this weekend. Sign up to watch the festival for FREE all day Saturday HERE

Conversation with filmmaker Matilde Cellie on the process making this film at the University of Milan film school.

“Camilla” is a 19 years old photographer. She lives her life apathetically. When Camilla meets Beatrice she immediately understands that the latter nurtures a loving interest in her. Unfortunately, Camilla is unable to face this new situation. She will try, through an inner path, to face herself and her fears.

ollow WILDsound Podcasts on all social media channels: @wildsoundpod

Submit to the festival anytime via FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/WILDsoundFilmandWritingFestival

Subscribe via Twitter: https://twitter.com/wildsoundfest

AUDIBLE LOCKDOWN is an audiovisual portrait of the city of Melbourne during the COVID lockdowns in 2020.

Playing at our Dance & Music Festival on Saturday February 27th. You can watch all day Saturday for FREE at home. Get your FREE TICKETS now.

Great chat with composers turned filmmakers Ania Reynolds and Carl Polke on the process of making this film.

Follow WILDsound Podcasts on all social media channels: @wildsoundpod

Submit to the festival anytime via FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/WILDsoundFilmandWritingFestival

Subscribe via Twitter: https://twitter.com/wildsoundfest

Matthew Toffolo digs deep into the life of an indy magazine editor for the AMAZING STORIES magazine.

Learn more about amazing stories here: https://amazingstories.com/

Submit your Fantasy/Sci-Fi story to the magazine: https://submission.amazingstoriesmag.com/

Buy the magazine on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Stories-Gernsback-Originally-Presented/dp/1523276193

See Amazing Stories on IndieGoGo : https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/amazing-stories-special-all-color-issue#/