In each episode, our host Matthew Toffolo talks storytelling and film. Conversations with film professionals and great storytelling moments.
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Matthew Espin Podcasts
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Director Statement on HANDYMAN Handyman was born from a reflection on what it means to help others and still feel misunderstood. It’s a film about strength, not the kind that dominates, but the kind that endures and gives. Children play a central role in that vision; they see people as they are, without judgment, and remind us what empathy really m…
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Turmoil – Chapter One, 6min., Lebanon Directed by Sary Andre El Asmar A young woman lives between two worlds: Europe, where she’s built a life, and Lebanon, the home she can’t stop longing for. Torn between memory and desire, she drifts back and forth, riding the emotional rollercoaster of exile, identity, and belonging. Get to know the filmmaker: …
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Lana Tong, a tour guide who migrated to Hong Kong less than a decade ago, guides audiences through a post-pandemic Hong Kong undergoing rapid shifts in its political and socio-cultural landscape. Her journey is disrupted by two disembodied voices—native narrators steeped in Hong Kong’s 80s to 00s ethos. Offering corrections rooted in a native persp…
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Conversation with Abigail Espinal about her winning short screenplay MANTEL, and her winning film from the Under 5 Minute Festival, QUEER STUDY. Queer Study, 4min., USA A hopeless romantic tries to figure out if her best friend is gay in the worst ways possible. https://www.instagram.com/abigailespinal1/ ---- Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitt…
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Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c35q4I1NZss When an unnamed virus begins to kill off human males, a family takes refuge on a sailboat in hopes they can escape the virus. Get to know the writer: What is your screenplay about? This story, like all of the stories I seem to write, is about my daily agony knowing one day I …
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In a near-future world ravaged by the memory-wiping virus X9, brilliant young scientist Andrea Santiago discovers a suppressed cure hidden by the powerful Biotech Pharmaceuticals. Having once been recruited into the system she now seeks to dismantle, Andrea grapples with betrayal, moral compromise, and the overwhelming cost of truth. https://www.in…
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Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttk712qLnB0 When a bitter nobody becomes convinced that Tom Hanks is the cosmic reason his life sucks, he drags a new friend on a chaotic cross-country mission to confront destiny-and maybe punch America’s dad in the face. Conversation with Evan Neill on screenwriting, and the art of sto…
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Conversation with Co-Director/Co-Writer of the multiple award winning film “Memoria Obscura”, David Christopher Nelson, on the making of the film and filmmaking in general. Synopsis of film: In a world where memory erasure is a legitimate industry, the underground black market known as Memoria Obscura serves as a hub for stolen and repurposed memor…
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EP. 1635: Creative team of CHOICES: Director Aline Jewell. Stars: Katharina Gerlich, Alex Crockford
An actor faces the dilemma of going back to her roots in Austria in pursuit of her vocation and belonging or staying in the UK for love. ‘To be or not to be’ is the question within the question: 'Is love as important as belonging?' https://www.instagram.com/alinejewell/ Conversation with director/actor Aline Jewell. Star Katarina Gerlich and co-sta…
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An insecure Korean-American woman struggles with old resentments against her beautiful best friend, exposing the impossible beauty standards that caused them. https://www.instagram.com/iwishiwere_pretty/ Conversation with actor/director Hanah Chang & Producer Quand C. Robinson Director Statement I Wish I Were Pretty is not just the title, but also …
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EP. 1633: Creative team of JUMPING AT SHADOWS: ARMAGEDDON (Locky Boaretto, Loki Acciarito, Tom Simpson)
Director Locky Boaretto, Co-Writer Loki Acciarito, & Actor Tom Simpson join the podcast to talk about their “Jumping at Shadows” series. In a world secretly at war with an ancient alien race, a teenage girl discovers a crash landed alien, and uncovers shocking truths about her estranged father… After teaming up with a pair of rebel brothers, she un…
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Terrific conversation with screenwriter/actress Bella Martinez, chatting about her multiple award winning film “Once More, Like Rain Man”. Beautifully directed by Sue Ann Pien, and also starring Matt Jones & Joe Mantegna. Synopsis: ‘It’s up to you to make a future that has you in it…’ We follow Zoe (Martinez) and her dad, Gerry (Jones) in a ‘day in…
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Watch the best scene reading: https://youtu.be/anulab1E4xw Three interconnected teams - firefighters, police officers, and 911 dispatchers - face relentless emergenies in Indianapolis, balancing personal struggles with the split-second decisions that determine life or death. —— Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.…
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Watch the Best Scene Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_fYb7My2Qk A young man attends the final session of his compensated work therapy program. The therapist remains ever oblivious as his lies begins to swallow the room whole. —— Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.f…
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In Indiana in 1842, an unhappily married woman accuses a young, immigrant priest of raping her in the confessional. His vow to keep the Seal of Confession prevents him from speaking in his own defense. A climate of xenophobia and anti-Catholicism fuels a sensational trial and violent, shameful events that ultimately prove redemptive. Based on a tru…
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The conventions of documentary, musical theater, and magical realism are combined and subverted to address issues of personal, national, and artistic identity through the eyes of a composer desperate to pull off one final backer’s audition whilst hounded by a disdainful documentarian named Charon. Feature Film: Musical, Meta-modernist, Documentary,…
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Herve Marcotte is back on the podcast chatting about his next experimental feature documentary. Without getting TOO flaky, Herve and Matthew take a deep dive into the meaning of life and the human psyche. Along the Threat of the Other synopsis: After my first long documentary, “Encounter with remarkable souls”, with focus on the meaning of life, I …
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Al Chang is back on the podcast, chatting about his recent award-winning film CINDY. https://www.instagram.com/4lcfilm "An aspiring rapper takes a vague driving gig hoping for a quiet night to himself. Instead, he meets Cindy, a bubbly and unpredictable passenger who drags him into an absurd and unexpectedly heartfelt adventure."CINDY" is a quirky …
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Watch script reading: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/in-the-house-that-elle-built Elizabeth has her hands full with her two foster kids, a roommate and a new love interest that she's not sure can handle her lifestyle. https://www.instagram.com/lbe.hackney/ —— Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wild…
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After being kidnapped and forced into a brutal assimilation camp where the English language is used as control, two teenage girls from different countries must find a way to escape, before they are stripped of their identity. Conversation with director Felipe Marinheiro https://www.instagram.com/marinheirofelipe/ & actor/producer Carolina Liz https…
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Simone is the last Greater Bamboo Lemur in Ranomafana, a protected rainforest in south-east Madagascar. After a happy start in life, surrounded by family, Simone finds herself alone, as members of her family disappear one by one. Three years on, and she’s still alone - a social animal, a primate, just like us; how has this isolation affected her me…
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“The Planet That Doesn’t Exist” is an 8-minute Animation film from Israel, based on the Graphic Novel by Navy Bird Revital Bronshtein. Navy Bird passed away at the age of 24 last year, caught in the midst of a terrorist attack. Her mother, Liora Bronshtein, brought a team of artists to make this film. You can watch the film here: https://youtu.be/2…
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Vapor Trails, 11min., USA Directed by Matt Jenkins Mandy has just given Jethro an ultimatum, quick vaping or else. His friend Chuck thinks its going to be easy to quit. https://www.instagram.com/misfits_of_film/ Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod…
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Watch best scene reading: https://youtu.be/lFYy7OmYfPo Waking in a future with floating cities topping thousands of stories, run by radioactive intelligence, where imagination blends with machine, an amnesiac finds her destiny. —— Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.…
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Change - Kramon - Music Video. The unconscious self and conscious self meet. http://meredithadelaide.com/ http://instagram.com/meredithadelaide Interview with star/director Meredith Adelaide on the making of the video. Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.com/wildsoun…
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Black People Don’t Tango, 13min., USA Directed by Robert Xavier Clark An African American man learns to tango after a trip to Argentina. Based on a true story. What motivated you to make this film? This short film Black People Don't Tango is adapted from a feature-length film script that I developed in 2019. That feature script is further adapted f…
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Heal avec Delphine, 30min., USA Directed by Delphine Breyne Heal avec Delphine is a deeply personal docuseries that follows individuals navigating life after cancer, trauma, alopecia, and other challenges. Each episode invites viewers into a powerful journey of reconnection and renewal—beginning with an intimate look at the person’s world, followed…
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Detectives & Dragons, 8min., Canada Directed by Lucas Candelino, Benjamin Kostecki, Evan McDowell A know-it-all detective is tasked with incriminating a murder suspect through a fantasy role-playing game by recreating the scenario of the killing. Tensions escalate when he goes off-script. https://instagram.com/candelino.jpeg https://www.wildsound.c…
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ALL EYES ON YOU, min., UK Directed by Ted Clarke Paranoid couple Adam and Claire move to the peaceful countryside for a fresh start, but quickly become unsettled by a series of sinister interactions with their new neighbours, putting their trust - and relationship - to the test… Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www…
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The Way Back Home is a two-minute poetic film that unfolds underwater, where a woman’s expressive movements accompany a powerful monologue on identity, womanhood, and self-ownership — written, directed, and narrated by the filmmaker herself. As the performer drifts through silence and resistance, the voice rises against the weight of judgment and e…
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What's Locked Behind That Door?, 4min., USA Directed by John Gardner In the visually arresting music video for Lunavox’s “What’s Locked Behind That Door?”, a series of metaphorical doors open onto the full spectrum of human emotion, drawing viewers into a surreal journey through fear, desire, and obsession. These portals also frame the chilling des…
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Versipellis, 26min., UK Directed by James Rigby In this spine-chilling horror film, a young girl, Sophia, faces the dilemma of choosing whom to trust when an imposter infiltrates her home. https://www.instagram.com/versipellis_film Get to know the filmmaker: What motivated you to make this film? I wanted to challenge myself by making my first horro…
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FOR LUCIE, 12min,. UK Directed by Amy Louise Pemberton When a devastating family secret comes to light, Nick and Liz must confront painful truths that will change their lives forever. https://www.instagram.com/missamypembs/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Pemberton Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.c…
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Differently Water, 8min., Italy Directed by Daniele Catini Two Arab women meet underwater to express their love. The sea becomes an accomplice to a secret in which their eyes reveal that desire hidden from a world that cannot understand .https://www.instagram.com/daniele_catini21 https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-differently-water S…
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The Cupcake Chronicles Vol. 2: The Cupcake Shop Ghost Is the cupcake shop haunted? Or are those strange noises coming from the stomachs of hungry customers? Either way, everyone ends up satisfied. Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod…
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The Call is a powerful documentary that breaks the silence around firefighter mental health, offering an unflinching look at the trauma, PTSD, and suicide crisis facing first responders. Through raw interviews, real-life stories, and behind-the-scenes access to firehouses in New Mexico, the film explores the emotional toll of a profession associate…
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The Inga Tree Model 2025, 10min., Honduras Directed by Adam Wakeling The Inga Alley-Cropping pilot is in year 13 in rural, northern Honduras and has impressive results for carbon sequestered and avoided--876,000 tons in 12 years--trained and assisted by an all-Honduran team, 500 smallholder families have planted over 3 million native, nitrogen-fixi…
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Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ATnlU8JqBA The vicious attack that almost killed her erased all that she was. But not what she did. Elyse Tysoni s shocked to learn her taped confessions remove any hope of escaping her nightmare. Desperate for a lifeline, her only option is to be studied by Doctor Steve Bennett, a psyc…
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Tale & Bones – Dark Princess, 3min., USA Directed by Daniella Meggoe, Benson Jackson Dark Princess is a psychological short highlighting the unique relationship between a grandmother and her grandchild. The innocent yet menacing ques are overlooked as something mysteriously dark is brewing. http://www.sistastalk.org/talebones https://instagram.com/…
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Resonance in the Castle, 17min., USA Directed by Brandon Katcher A mysterious castle breathes with light and color, drawing all who enter into its shifting embrace. Stained glass spills vivid hues across ancient stone, golden reflections dance over strange artifacts, and ethereal performances flare up like living paintings. Surreal, electric, and u…
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Watch the best scene reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORLXdXShdAk Desperate to escape her abusive, Christian Nationalist family, a teenage girl finds an unlikely ally when a female werewolf from a pack dead set on killing her family lands in her home, and the attraction they develop for each other forces them into a fight for their very sur…
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Dividing Line, 28min., Georgia Directed by Mevlud Sabashvili A woman finds the strength to leave an abusive relationship. A woman does not find the strength to leave an abusive relationship. https://www.facebook.com/mevludi.sabashvili Get to know the filmmaker: What motivated you to make this film? – I was motivated by format first. I had the idea …
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Mariposa, 5min,. USA Directed by Brook Vitovsky Mariposa’s world begins to unravel around her when she finds a mysterious butterfly. Conversation with director: Brook Vitovsky. producer: Cambria Cheney. composer: Chase Miller. artist/writer: EmmaLeigh Fleck. artist: Kiera Vermeal Get to know the filmmaker: What motivated you to make this film? Grow…
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Meevil the Weevil: Breakfast of Champions, 4min., USA Directed by Kyle Arneson Meevil the Weevil is a little bug with big dreams of being a stuntman. “Breakfast of Champions” mixes stop motion animation with live action footage where we follow Meevil’s thrilling ride across a 1970s breakfast table on rocket roller skates. https://www.instagram.com/…
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Interview with the filmmaking team of the feature documentary. Director: Daniel Matmor. Producer: Jody Glover. Historian: Tom White. HIDDEN – The Kati Preston Story is a powerful journey seen through the eyes of a child—a firsthand account of a society’s slow and insidious descent into authoritarianism, dictatorship, and tyranny. Kati Preston’s joy…
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LIVING AN AMERICAN DREAM, 45min., USA Directed by Clare McKay Two Haitian brothers, along with family and friends, discuss their experiences growing up adopted in a ranching lifestyle and how rodeo plays a part. A story of faith, passion, drive and following your dreams no matter where you’re from or plan to go. https://www.instagram.com/livinganam…
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Watch the Best Scene Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew4yxfT2YUA Fiona Haegerbergh, a journalist for The Metro Standard, arrives in a rural Norwegian town to investigate rising drug use. Officially, she’s there to produce a webcast— but Fiona has her own agenda: uncovering the truth behind the recent suspicious death of a local drug dealer…
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AN ANATOMY OF GRIEF, 15min., Canada Directed by Anthony Joseph Spatafora A mother grieving the death of her son while being haunted by his corpse. https://www.instagram.com/ananatomyofgrief_shortfilm/ What motivated you to make this film? It actually came to me in a dream I had a few years ago, where I lived in a reality where I had been gone for 1…
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Watch the Best Scene Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl_qNRmmZSs A grizzly bear and a polar bear mate as a result of climate change and in an attempt to find food for their “grolar bear” cub the male polar bear must leave the safety of their ice cave to hunt and find sustenance for his new family in a harsh and increasingly difficult envir…
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“A Silent Cry” is a two-and-a-half-minute microfilm set in the Himalayan Mountains—one of the world’s most vital and fragile ecosystems. The film uses evocative visuals and music to highlight the urgent need to sustain and protect this unique environment, which is essential for countless species and provides life-sustaining resources for millions o…
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