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.
DUNES, 10min., France
Directed by Virginie Kahn
It could be a Harlem theater in the fifties. Two strangers share the same emotion while watching a movie. The cinema exit door opens onto an imaginary desert where they will meet,
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AN INTERMISSION, 13min,. France
Directed by William Georges-Garcia
After receiving a letter and questioning everything he took for granted, Rufus prepares to leave everything behind when a chance meeting with Amelia, his childhood love, forces both of them to come to terms with the end of their young adult lives.
https://www.instagram.com/anintermissionfilm/
Get to know the filmmaker:
This is my first short film, so it was very important to me to be able to work on a project that allowed me to work with the actors as much as possible. I’ve always been a fan of dialogue-heavy, character-driven films, so when I started writing this script it seemed like the perfect opportunity to collaborate closely with my actors, working on the intention of each line the way one would with a play.
About the story itself, one of the things that interested me the most was this idea of “what you want” versus “what’s expected you”. The inevitable conflict of it. Sometimes you do everything you’re supposed to do in life and it still doesn’t turn out right, so you have to decide to prioritize pleasing other people or pleasing yourself, knowing that it’s often a lose-lose situation. We all play different roles in life and it’s difficult to find a more appearance-based society than 19th century England. I thought that if I could frame this dilemma with a love story– two people that found “an intermission” from their respective roles when they were with each other— that maybe that could be interesting.
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.
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.
Watch the Winning Short Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIrYBXEqQaM
A short, short film about finding magic and the trauma of sudden loss when that magic goes away.
Get to know the writer:
This is a short film that I feel reaches out to people who are struggling with the pain of losing a child. It’s such a common occurrence but so rarely presented accurately in media. I want to touch on the joy and then the sudden, heartbreaking moment when you learn you’ve lost the miracle–the magic–you were so immersed in. A silent loss, which is depicted in the film, is when you have no idea that the fetus inside you has failed to thrive, which is different from a physical loss. It’s a different thing to process and it’s incredibly difficult.
I hope the film will reach out to people and show them they are not alone in their grief. And I hope it will give medical professionals or others involved in ob/gyn services a tool to offer those who are grieving.
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.
WHAT I NEED, 13min., Romance
Directed by Jake Skrok
Two lifelong friends try to reconnect a year after breaking up. But on their snack run for one who is now pregnant and married they find there are still feelings between them.
https://www.instagram.com/whatineed_short
Get to know the filmmaker:
The origin of this story came from a break-up I had in 2019. It had a moment when we tried to reconnect a few months later, and there was still a scary connection there. So I found myself feeling many things I felt out of control and I wanted to explore a character making a choice I was struggling to accept 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.
VIRTUALLY SINGLE, 15min., USA, Romance
Directed by Amy Gardner, Lorien Haynes
It’s lockdown. Emboldened by red wine, a fortysomething woman braves her first Zoom date with a guy in snowy Montana. A short play devised through improvisation, VIRTUALLY SINGLE explores the tragicomic challenges of dating during the pandemic.
https://www.finitefilmsandtv.com/projects/virtually-single/
https://m.facebook.com/100063726603408/
https://twitter.com/finitefilmsldn
https://www.instagram.com/finitefilms/
Get to know filmmaker Lorian Haynes:
Amy Gardner and I have been working together since my film project – Everything I Ever Wanted To Tell My Daughter About Men – [23 shorts, directed by 21 women, making one feature to support survivors of abuse] and subsequent to that on Good Grief; a virtual interpretation of one of my plays, which Amy approached me to do at the beginning of the pandemic. Our aim was to help sustain theatre during this time and it was doing Good Grief that made us aware of how important it was to develop creative work, despite the extreme restrictions Covid presented.
As friends, we talked a lot about isolation and how on earth people were supposed to find love and break through loneliness during Covid. I had just returned to the UK from living in LA for 15 years and was living in a 10ft square room in my mother’s house – going slightly mad. And it was from these conversations that the idea of a woman’s first ever zoom date emerged and we started trying to work out the challenge of how to do it. What was it? Was it a short? Was it a series? How did we make it with zero budget and no way of leaving the house?
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.
A LINE OF VERSE was the winner of BEST PERFORMANCES at the March 2022 ROMANCE & RELATIONSHIPS Festival.
https://www.oxfordcommafilms.com/
https://www.facebook.com/OxfordCommaFilms/
https://twitter.com/oxfordcommaflms
https://www.instagram.com/oxfordcommav/
Director Biography - Vanessa Powers
Vanessa M. H. Powers is a theater director, filmmaker, artist, coffee enthusiast, and occasional human being. She can often be found trying to be in too many places at once. She is always working on a host of projects with her film company, the Oxford Comma Film Cooperative. She is also gearing up for another season of directing with St. Matthew Community Theatre in Columbia Heights (crosses fingers for 2022.) In addition, she does video freelance work as an AD, Editor, DIT, and Script Supervisor. In her (clearly abundant) free time, she can be found trying to be a human - spending time with her supportive family, friends, and snort-tastic bulldogs.
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.
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‘The Legend of the Mermaid Tree’ is a romance period piece bridging the past to the present on St. Simons Island. Joshua, a goal driven analyst, finally gets the opportunity for a promotion, but has to return to the island after hearing of his grandfather’s untimely death. As he packs his grandfather’s belongings, he comes across a journal and a map that details a love story with a mysterious woman, Colleen. After seeking help from a local waitress, Joshua will have to reevaluate his desire in life. A goal or a home.
Interview with writer, plus best scene screenplay reading - audio version.
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.
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“A homeless man, hoping to see his estranged son for Christmas is forced to steal a priceless copy of the Blind Faith album signed by Eric Clapton and The Beatles from a beautiful black blind woman, who ends up changing his life.”
Director Statement
Blind Faith was inspired by a homeless man I met in 2020 in Los Angeles who almost gave up hope, but the love of a woman who had faith in him gave him a second chance. His moral strength inspired me not to give up on my dreams as a filmmaker, so I used what was left in my savings to produce this film. He reminded me that behind each nameless, homeless person we pass on the street is a human being with dreams. He met a beautiful blind woman who helped heal his wounded soul. Their romance inspired this tagline -- Love Without a First Sight.
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.
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HELOISE + ABELARD is the winning feature screenplay from the Romance & Relationship Film Festival. Conversation with screenwriter Gayla Kraetsch Hartsough, followed by the audio version best scene reading of the script.
Based on a true story. Heloise d’ Argenteuil (15, a brilliant young scholar) has a forbidden love affair with her tutor, the popular Professor Peter Abelard (35). Their love is against the searing backdrop of political and religious turmoil and costs the lovers everything they have. Today their love story has changed feminist theories, French literature, and the myth of the love story for all time.
Project Links
Writer Biography - Gayla Kraetsch Hartsough, Ph.D., Screenwriter and Producer
Gayla, a screenwriter and producer, has written several award-winning feature and short film screenplays. She tackles societal issues, based on her experiences as an entrepreneur and public policy consultant, and her international travels to more than 60 countries. Through her scripts and films, she exploits the power of TV and film to influence public thinking on social issues. Her writing builds on her vast life experiences, enabling her to create powerful and credible characters in challenging situations.
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.
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TO HAVE & TO HOLD was the winner of BEST PERFORMANCES at the May 2022 Romance & Relationships Film Festival.
Interview with director Daniel Gaymon. producer/writer Ali Keller. Actor Lisa Purrone, about the making of the film from idea to distribution.
Project Links
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.
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PETITION FOR ALIEN SPOUSE was the winner of BEST PERFORMANCES at the October 2021 ROMANCE Film Festival. Playing all day for FREE this Sunday. You can bookmark the page and WATCH HERE.
“It’s the year 2044. Humanity now shares Earth with the Quortans, an alien species of intergalactic space travelers. Alex and Sonia are a loving human-Quortan couple. Their relationship is put to the test when they face a series of personal questions at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office.”
Conversation with filmmaker Sumin You on the making of this film in her final year at Northwestern.
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MEET YOU THROUGH THE LIGHT is an excellent student short film from Taiwan that played at the October 2021 ROMANCE Film Festival. Playing all day for FREE this Sunday. You can bookmark the page and WATCH HERE.
“A shy boy who is really into photography meets a mystery girl through his camera. The girl is also taking pictures around the street. Is he going to step forward and talk to her? Or keep hiding behind and watch her?”
Conversation with filmmaker Jackie Chang on the process making the film.
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