COOP, 19min., USA
Directed by Moriah Doepken
After sustaining a bad injury, a stubborn retired sheriff must learn to talk with his estranged son as they build a fence together, or risk losing the relationship.

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

I love Western films and one day had the idea of “What happens to the sheriff of the town after he’s retired and the town no longer needs him?” And working with the brilliant writer Jeffrey Hein, we expanded this idea into what you see now. We both loved the idea of a man stuck in the past and whose toxic masculinity could be the basis of a lot of problems for him in a more modern world.

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I loved seeing people take all sorts of interpretations away with them after watching it, because what x, y, and z may represent to me comes across totally differently for each viewer, which is so cool. And I want there to be discourse on if the characters made the right choice or what the coop itself represents!

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EP. 1452: Filmmaker Moriah Doepken (COOP)

Matthew Toffolo

REUNITED, 12min,. Canada
Directed by Marie Queenan
Two exes reconnect over an evening. One wants to get back together, but the other has a secret that could separate them forever.

https://www.instagram.com/reunitedshort/

Get to know the filmmaker:
—- I made this film months after a break up, and I was thinking about how I missed them and wanted to get back together, even though I didn’t. The film is about how sometimes even though it’s so beautiful, some love is not the right love.

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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EP. 1100 - Filmmaker Marie Queenan (REUNITED)

Matthew Toffolo

DAVID, 10min,. Canada
Directed by Matthew Forbes
Based on a true story, “David” follows the life of an openly gay HIV/AIDS activist at the peak of that nightmare pandemic, dividing his time between fighting for justice in an openly homophobic society and helping a total stranger as the virus takes his life away. Tight, compact and full of passion, “David” shows a contrast of terrible, deadly hatred and the incredible compassion that can blossom despite the hatred, if we let it.

https://davidshort.film/

Get to know the filmmaker:

A had a friend named David Shannon. I knew him to be a charming, funny, sweet writer/journalist. When he passed in 2018 (aged only 56), it was only at his wake did someone mention in passing that during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 80s and 90s, he provided care and companionship to patients who had been ostracized by family and friends after being forced out of the closet by their diagnosis.

David had never spoken of this; it was only near the end of his life that he mentioned it to his brother. I felt this was a story that deserved to be told. Research was difficult, as he had told no one about it, so I crafted a short script that distilled the experience into a compact 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.

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

August 20, 2023 - Filmmaker Matthew Forbes (DAVID)

Matthew Toffolo

The Confessions of Frannie Langton, 1 hour TV Series

Directed by Andrea Harkin

Written by Sara Collins

A beautiful and haunting tale about one woman's fight to tell her story, The Confessions of Frannie Langton leads you through laudanum-laced dressing rooms and dark-as-night back alleys, into the enthralling heart of Georgian London.

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

April 9, 2023 - Screenwriter/Novelist Sara Collins (THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON)

Matthew Toffolo