WILDsound: The Film Podcast

EP. 1867: Filmmaker/Musician Martin Ryan (TRUTH IS DEAD)

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/10/04

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Martin Ryan, an Australian filmmaker and musician, about his 4-minute music video short film "Truth is Dead" under the umbrella of his music project Nemesis Legion. Martin explained that he created original trap and heavy metal music with political themes warning about authoritarianism and the need for critical thinking, then used AI to generate visual content when his network of traditional filmmakers disappeared during COVID. He spent approximately 400 Australian

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EP. 1866: Filmmaker Avi Setton (THE BIG BREAK)

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/10/04

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Avi Setton on the experience making his first feature film, "The Big Break." Avi discussed the challenges and rewards of writing, directing, and producing the film, which was shot in just six days with a small crew and cast, including several non-actors. He shared insights into the film's conception, inspired by his background in tech and film, and the decision to create a contained story with limited resources. Avi explained the post-production process, the importance of

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EP. 1865: Elvis Maleko (The Aloha Within)

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/10/02

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Elvis Maleko about his first short film "The Aloha Within," which he wrote, directed, and acted in. Elvis explained how he was born on August 20th, 1977 - the same day Elvis Presley died - and was named after the iconic singer by his Hawaiian parents, who were big fans. He discussed his background in entertainment, including performing fire knife dancing for 25 years and being part of a traveling luau show family that performed across the mainland. The film explores the

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EP. 1864: Filmmakers Jeff Poindexter & Ben Snedecor...

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/10/02

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Jeff and Ben, the creative team behind the short film "Burnouts." They discussed the autobiographical nature of the film, which is about two friends in their twenties experiencing an existential crisis. Jeff shared details about the production process, including the challenges of balancing day jobs, shooting in extreme heat, and the importance of their core team. They explained their inspiration from early 2000s comedies and aimed to create a "smart stupid" comedy with a

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EP. 1863: Filmmaker Daryl Granger (THE SHOWMEN)

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/30

Matthew Toffolo chats with Daryl Granger about his feature documentary “The Showmen”, which explores the world of traveling carnivals through the lens of World’s Finest Shows. Daryl explained his filmmaking approach, emphasizing authenticity, minimal pre-planning, and learning from subjects, and described how he immersed himself in the carnival for a year to capture real experiences. He discussed the history and terminology of carnivals, the distinction between “carnies” and “showmen,” and the

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EP. 1862: Filmmaker Sucheta Sunku Gupta (TIGER)

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/30

Matthew Toffolo chats with Sucheta Sunku Gupta about her experimental short film "Tiger," which was played at the Experimental Dance Music Festival. Sucheta described the film as exploring the experience of growing up with "tiger parents," a strict and high-achievement parenting style common in immigrant communities. She discussed the film's themes of balancing discipline with love and the personal connection many viewers from the Indian community felt with the story. Sucheta explained the film's

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EP. 1861: Singer/Songewriter Joya (GOOD STUFF Music...

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/28

Matthew Toffolo chatted with the very talented artist JOYA, an independent singer-songwriter and actress from Hong Kong. Joya discussed her music video "Good Stuff," which was shown at the LGBTQ+ Film Festival and serves as her most explicit coming-out project, depicting the normalcy of a queer relationship. She explained the collaborative process with director Edwin Lai and the intention behind the video to showcase queer joy and intimacy. Joya also shared her upcoming EP release, her work on a

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EP. 1860: Writer Sabine Meyer (DREAM SEEDS & KING...

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/28

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Sabine Meyer, a psychiatrist and writer, about her wrtings and WILDsound converting her short stories into films. Sabine explained how her interest in using dreams for writing inspiration began after listening to a lecture by Robert Butler about accessing the subconscious through dreams, which led her to start recording and developing her vivid dreams into stories. She discussed her collection "Dream Seeds," which consists of vignettes exploring mother-daughter

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EP. 1859: Filmmaker Maël Caradec (boysick)

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/26

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Maël Caradec about his short film "boysick," a 26-minute French film exploring virtual stalking on Grindr following a breakup. Maël explained the film was inspired by his own personal experience with problematic stalking behavior after being ghosted by an ex-boyfriend, and he worked with two different composers for the music—using Marvet's existing songs for the character's singing and a separate composer for the original soundtrack. The film was shot handheld with a

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EP. 1858: Filmmaker Hamish Sturgeon (GOSSAMER)

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/26

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Hamish Sturgeon about his short film "Gossamer," which premiered at the LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Hamish described the film as a drama exploring identity, with thriller and experimental elements, and explained its origins from his own reflections on private identity and the act of making costumes. He discussed the decision to direct and act in the film, the collaborative process with his team, and the importance of the single Hollywood location. Hamish shared insights into

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EP. 1857: Producer Deborah Coltin (Munkács Miracle)

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/24

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Deborah Colton, executive producer of the film "Munkács Miracle," about the extraordinary reunion of Holocaust survivors Magda Bader and Ruth Cohen. Deborah explained how she discovered their shared history and arranged their emotional meeting in Boston at age 95, capturing it on film for educational purposes. She discussed the film's focus on their personal stories, the declining knowledge of the Holocaust among younger generations, and the universal message of

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EP. 1856: Filmmaker Joe James Clark (Gotham's Royale)

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/24

Matthew Toffolo interviewed filmmaker Joe James Clarke about his fan fiction film "Gotham's Royal," which was accepted into the WILDsound Festival. Joe discussed his directorial debut, explaining that he wanted to create something stylized and different from his usual acting work. He described how the film takes Batman back to his 1940s noir roots with a black and white aesthetic, featuring a poker game between Bruce Wayne and various DC villains, including Lex Luthor, the Penguin, and Harvey Dent

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EP. 1855: Creators Helen & Rita Winkler (A More...

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/23

An intimate short documentary about artist Rita Winkler, whose watercolor world reveals a creative process shaped by instinct, rhythm, repetition, and color. Directed by Mark Winklerhttps://www.instagram.com/ritawinklerart Matthew Toffolo interviewed Helen Winkler and her daughter Rita Winkler, where they discussed their short film "More Colorful World" about Rita's artistic journey. Rita began painting watercolor artwork during COVID-19, starting with virtual art classes and eventually producing

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EP. 1854: Filmmaker Jessica Elizabeth Davenport...

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/22

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Jessica Elizabeth Davenport about her multimedia project “Terminal 9," which encompasses a feature-length film, a comic book, and a soundtrack. Jessica explained that Terminal 9 originated from an unrealized architectural project for a new terminal at LAX and evolved into a creative world housing her mythical band Strictly Elizabeth. She detailed how she wrote the comic book and music, using AI technology to finish the soundtrack due to practical constraints. Jessica

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EP. 1853: Screenwriter V Vergun (ONE MORE TIME WITH...

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/20

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Z Vergun about Z's horror screenplay "One More Time With Feeling," which explores themes of gender dysphoria and identity through a horror lens. Z explained their choice of the horror genre, describing how the visceral and tense nature of the experience lent itself well to the story. They shared the personal origins of the screenplay, tracing the idea back to their own experiences and struggles with gender identity. The conversation also touched on the broader social

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EP. 1852: Edward Miskie (BACK TO NORMAL)

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/20

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Edward Miskie about his documentary short film "Back to Normal," which explores the often overlooked experiences of cancer survivors after being declared cancer-free. Edward, a 14-year cancer survivor himself, explained that the film was inspired by the lack of narratives addressing the challenging transition period survivors face. He shared his personal journey of feeling displaced and the importance of connecting with others who shared similar feelings. Edward discussed

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EP. 1851: Filmmaker Brett Langolf (GENERATION: CURE )

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/18

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Brett Langolf about his documentary film "Generation: Cure." Brett explained how the film began as a planned short documentary about a man running 65 miles in 65 hours to raise awareness for cystic fibrosis but evolved into a deeper story about the family's journey after their niece Gabby passed away from the disease. The film was shot on very short notice with minimal funding, and Brett shared how they captured spontaneous moments like Chad's emotional story on Gabby's

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EP. 1850: Filmmakers Bruce Lazarus & Robert Martens...

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/18

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Bruce and Robert, the filmmaking team behind "They Came in Peace." They discussed their collaboration on their fourth animated film together. The directors explained how they reunited after a 40-year separation in junior high school and began working together on animation projects, with Bruce handling music composition and Robert managing the visual animation using Photoshop. They discussed the evolution of their latest film from a 3-minute black-and-white short to a

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EP. 1849: Filmmaker Winston James (THE FINAL MISSION)

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/17

Matthew Toffolo interviewed filmmaker Winston James about his crime thriller short film that was accepted into the Thriller/Suspense Festival. Winston shared his journey into filmmaking, starting as a schoolteacher who got his first film experience by helping a first-time director on set, which inspired him to pursue filmmaking professionally. He explained that the film took two years to complete due to budget constraints, requiring him to shoot the standoff scene separately from the original

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EP. 1848: Filmmaker Felipe Benitez & Stacy Whittle...

WILDsound: The Film Podcast ·

2026/09/17

Matthew Toffolo interviewed the creative team behind "The City's Green Room," a 3-minute environmental film that played at the Environmental Film Festival that features world-renowned opera singer Rolando Villazón. Stacy, the writer & director, explained how they created a series called "Stories of Trees" to educate audiences about the importance of urban plant life through compelling storytelling combined with music. Felipe, the executive producer, described how they've produced 12 films so far,

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