Matthew Toffolo Podcasts

Nesia, 15min., Canada Directed by Mikel Guillen An avant-garde film about trauma and how a little girl connects through dance with her surviving Hungarian grandmother who was a Auschwitz survivor. http://mikelguillen.com/ https://www.facebook.com/mikelguillenfilm/ https://www.instagram.com/mikelgb/?hl=en Get to know the filmmaker: I am very interes…

CHECKED BAGS, 2min., USA Directed by Mark Cline A combat veteran is traveling by a civilian airline. The airline now requires all passengers to check their emotional baggage before boarding any flight. After checking his bags, the man experiences the serenity of becoming unburdened by the guilt and trauma that he carries inside all the time. https:…

MISFORTUNE, 7min,. USA, Drama Directed by Linda Kudzmas Adapted from a Polish folktale, ‘Misfortune’ tells the story of two sisters; Marta the elder, and Zofia the younger. Marta is very rich, and lives in luxury. Zofia is very poor because Misfortune lives on her stove. Misfortune plagues Zofia, causing disasters that constantly keep her strugglin…

PISS ON PATRIARCHY, 10min., Germany, Drama Directed by Lena Fakler Marie is driving on the highway and needs to pee urgently. But the toilet at the rest stop is broken. And an increasingly absurd odyssey through this toxic male biotope begins for Marie – and ends in blood. https://www.la-gente-agentur.de/portfolio/lena-fakler/ Get to know the filmm…

BLUE BURROW, 14min., USA Directed by Leah O’Donnell Blue Burrow is a short movement based film fully immersed in the sun, sand, and water of Lake Huron. The shore is the meeting place for characters of different species, while the world underwater comes to represent the subconscious. Perspectives shift from fish to human to sun, and metaphors about…

NINA, 7min., USA Directed by Jessica Mei Gershen Over continuous text messages through time, the connection between two women in a long distance and long lasting love may or may not ever be again.http://jessicameigershen.com/ Get to know the filmmaker: There’s a lot of truth behind this story. So it was very cathartic to make… I wanted to tell a st…

JOINTS, 12min., USA, Horror/Comedy Directed by Hadrian Lynn Get to know the filmmaker: I was and still am obsessed with the zombie genre, and have always wanted to do a zombie film. When the opportunity rose to make a 10-15 minute short film, I gladly took it and created this film! Other than my love of zombie movies, some other sources and motivat…

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 nav…

FRENCHIE, 6min,. USA, Documentary Directed by Franklin S Riley This is a short documentary of Darryl Francis. Darryl is a ex-convict turned screenwriter after spending 20 years in prison for a murder he didn’t do. His story comes with twist and turns and ends with triumph. https://www.instagram.com/theknueworld You can sign up for the 7 day free tr…

FLOWERS DIE FIRST, 17min,. USA Directed by Gwyn Newcomb Romance ensues when an orange packing girl, in 1940s California, receives a response to a letter she sent to deployed soldiers. Now she must chose between duty to her family or to herself. https://flowersdiefirst.wixsite.com/flowersdiefirst https://www.instagram.com/flowersdiefirst/ Interview …

VELA, 15min., Canada, Drama/Horror Directed by Esteban Powell Young Xime hopes to restore her family by arranging a Día de Los Muertos altar – meanwhile a looming presence closes in. https://www.instagram.com/vela_shortfilm/ Get to know the filmmaker: What motivated me to make this film was my personal experience with grief, and contextualizing it …

The Great Basin! Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Desert, 15min., USA Directed by Eric Weeks The Great Basin! Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Desert is a film, book and print project that addresses climate change, the severe drought in the Western United States, gun culture, the military’s use of the basin and range o…

ANGEL NEGRO, 8min,. USA, Drama Directed by Eduardo ZamoraIn “Angel Negro,” Eduardo Zamora plays a skilled hitman who specializes in taking out troublesome husbands at the request of their wives. Based in Los Angeles, California, Angel is a highly sought-after assassin who operates in the shadows and has built a reputation for his discretion and eff…

FROM MY EYES, 98min., USA Directed by Darrick Landreneau When a freshman embarks on a journey to film everyday of college, he discovers that growing up might be harder than he ever imagined.https://instagram.com/frommyeyes/ Get to know the filmmaker: Honestly it was a mixture of my love for film and a God idea. I’d been suffering from a real lack o…

KEEP MOVING, 17min., USA Directed by Colin Harabedian A journey through grief https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU-VlgKN8Bh2UQbAPnpo6xw Get to know the filmmaker: I think there are quite a few different motivations for this film. In September of 2021, my aunt passed away very suddenly. It shocked our family and was a very strange time for all of us.…

BEAT, 23min., UK Directed by Christopher Karallis Beat looks into the world of Saul Eisenberg, musician and performer who turns the discarded junk of our city into instruments that make unique and beautiful sounds. Get to know the filmmaker: I came across Saul when we moved back to London after eighteen years living in the USA. We were temporarily …

I AM JUDIT, 83min., USA Directed by Christiane Arbesu From award-winning documentary filmmaker Christiane Arbesu comes I AM JUDIT; a poignant depiction of Holocaust survivor Judy Sleed and her present day family. A fixture in the East Hampton community, Judy, at the age of 90, is finally lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding her harrowing childho…

THE SLOW DEATH, 22min,. Canada Directed by Chris Hird-Saunders A disturbed woman reanimates her recently deceased father’s corpse in a twisted, ambitious experiment intended to save humanity from the ongoing climate crisis. Get to know the filmmaker: I was mostly driven to make another film out of the need to keep creating stuff. Covid in particula…

PLACES BEEN, 3min,. USA Directed by Cameron Bortolussi Get to know the filmmaker: I really wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to see how quickly I could make a film, a half decent one at least, from start to finish. For an extra bit of challenge, I added in the task of putting VFX in it, too. I have always been a creative person, but I really wan…

WHITE NOISE, 16min,. Australia Directed by Bryce McLellan Zoe Marlowe is the Pathfinder, tasked with finding humanity a new home after the loss of Earth to climate change. With her trusty A.I. she explores planet after planet, looking for the perfect combination of conditions that mark a habitable world. But her A.I. is more than she appears to be,…

UNCANNY VALLEY: SAUVAGE, 21min., USA Directed by Anthony A DiMaria Uncanny Valley is a series focusing on the culinary scene in Phoenix, Arizona. Sauvage is the second episode in the series, introducing the audience to owner and natural wine connoisseur, Chris Lingua. Learn about natural wine – what it is and how it is made – and discover the chall…

Pamela PerryGoulardt has had multiple scripts performed at the WILDsound Festival, with 5 scripts being turned into “Script Movies”. Those films have gone onto winning multiple awards at various festivals. You can watch Pamela’s script movies and screenplay readings here: https://www.wildsound.ca/search?q=Pamela%20PerryGoulardt You can sign up for …

MI NINA/MY LITTLE GIRL, 7min., USA, Experimental Directed by Emanuel Loarca Laura takes us by the hand on a moving journey through time with her mother. You experience how love overcomes suffering and builds lasting memories that give meaning to life and strengthen the soul. Interview with Director/Producer Emanuel Loarca & Writer/Producer Laura Is…

HE WON’T BELONG, 22min., USA, Drama Directed by Dominic Mercurio In the midst of a storm on a desolate strip of California’s lost coast, Theo spots a young shivering stranger named Connor on the side of the road and brings him back to his home for shelter. While they wait for the storm to pass, they begin to uncover each others past wounds. http://…

DOJO, 15min., USA Directed by Armin Alic Shane Lucas, an ex-Yakuza member and 4th degree black belt in Judo, is hunted down at his local dojo in Los Angeles 1985 by his long-time rival, Elias Da Rosa and his crew members from the same crime family. Shane is threatened to come back to the Yakuza or would suffer the consequence of not. https://www.fa…

LIFE ALTERING GENDER REVEAL, 8min,. USA Directed by Craig Wildenradt The lives of unsuspecting party guests are forever changed after they learn of their friends’ baby’s gender. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27895666/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk Get to know the filmmaker: The vast majority of the time, when I write comedy I’m usually poking fun at things that …

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTQp7y86L-U In 1960, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has recently been evacuated by Belgian forces in the face of violent uprisings, leaving new Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba’s, 35, shaky government to ward off both America and Russia, who contend for the rich natural resources of …

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCaY3hEnALM When a jaded housewife realizes that her house is keeping her and her husband stuck in a repeating scene from the 1950s, she fights to awaken her husband from a mysterious trance so they can outsmart the house and escape before they forget who they really are and get stuck in…

HIGHWAY, 11min,. USA Directed by Douglas Alan Cunningham Betrayed by her husband, Amanda, a former Army Ranger, drives hours to meet a revenge lover but is followed by a mysterious and menacing truck on lonely desert roads. https://www.facebook.com/highwayashortfilm https://www.instagram.com/highway_the_movie/ Get to know the filmmaker: I’ve always…

APPARITION GLIMMER, 5min., USA Directed by Devin Christian Meanwhile winding down at her home. Yeilda finds her lost foster sister at her doorstep. Their past has caught up to them. Frantically trying to figure out what to do. The connection between them has brought them together again like nothing never happened. https://instagram.com/devin_christ…

SHE IS MY FEAR AND FEAR IS A BONE, 4min., USA, Experimental Directed by Kylie Heewon Park An experimental short film inspired by a spontaneous collective score written by multiple people. The director asked random people around her to contribute a sentence or two to build a narrative. Using their sentences and words as inspirations, she reinterpret…

BRINK, 27min., Canada Directed by David VanDyke Out of work and desperate for money, a struggling family man plots an elaborate scheme to secure a cash grab that would exceed his drug-fueled ambitions. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16899900/?ref_=nm_knf_i3 https://www.facebook.com/brinkofficialpage Get to know the filmmaker: I’ve always loved crime …

STATIC, 5min., USA, Music Video Directed by Jamin Mears “Static”, the first part of a trilogy, tells the story of Qira and Dr Calvin Pilgrim trying to reconnect as the EPOCH Corporation is hunting them down. Can they complete their quest before time runs out? https://facebook.com/farewellfortune https://twitter.com/farewellrocks https://instagram.c…

BABY PROOF, 6min., USA Directed by David Maddox, David Blood A troublemaking toddler tests the limits of child safety. Get to know the filmmaker: The co-writer/co-director, David Blood, pitched the concept to me after coming up with it while sitting in a hotel room. At that point, I had an 11 month old baby who was crawling, but I wasn’t sure for h…

FIRST SLOVAK PRIDE, 29min,. Slovakia Directed by Roman Stranai What is PRIDE? How it came about in Slovakia? Was the 2010 PRIDE parade in Bratislava the first one in Slovakia? Activists from the 2010 PRIDE team as well as Hana Fabry, Jaroslav Gyurik, which where present in queer activism in the early 90s talk about important events which led to the…

CALF ROPE, 29min,. USA, Drama Directed by Bradley Hawkins During the summer of '66, a former rodeo champion and cattle auctioneer from Oklahoma bonds tightly with his young grandson from suburban Pennsylvania while teaching him a few tricks from his previous trades. Shot entirely in rural Pennsylvania, Calf Rope captures the intense love that grand…

TWAIN: CANCELLED, 89min., USA Directed by Jon Silver An aspiring stand-up comic struggles with stage fright, a demeaning bartender job, and caring for her rebellious nephew; until she is mysteriously visited by a trouble-making Mark Twain. https://kernelproductions.com/ Talk with director Jon Silver and writer/producer Grant Troyer Get to know writ…

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 tha…

THE RED LADY FROM FOLEY STREET, 10min., Canada Directed by Tanin J. Risdon In a new spin on urban legend slashers, we meet Beth, a teenage outcast, who, at the end of her birthday party learns that her boyfriend Jesse is cheating on her, leading her to exact her revenge on him and all of the people involved with the help of an urban legend of Beth’…

HAKKI RISING, 30min,. USA Directed by David Larson An immigrant from Turkey comes to America seeking a better life and after struggling through homelessness, finds success in the world of acrobatic pizza tossing. Get to know the filmmaker: I love telling stories of human resilience and capturing people doing what they are passionate about. It makes…

TRIGGERLAND, 59min., USA Directed by Sean Edward Neukom The filmization of Beo String Quartet’s album, triggerLand. The movie, of the same title, is a fairytale-esque gun creation myth. Alvin, a construction worker, discovers a new material. This new material leads to the invention of the first gun. As the use of the gun is explored and expanded, a…

MERCY, 7min., Germany Directed by Olaf Kollmannsperger, Filipa Cavaco Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further th…

THE LAST DROP, 41min., USA Directed by Adam Joel A young woman links minds with her boyfriend using a device that lets couples relive shared memories— but when she spots overlooked signs of abuse, she must escape before he can manipulate her memories in his favor. https://www.thelastdropfilm.com/ Get to know the filmmaker: I never learned about “em…

THE SILHOUETTE, 14min,. Malta Directed by Oldrich Werner Mila is just your average college student, studying abroad for the semester in a beautiful new country. But little does she know, her trip is about to take a terrifying turn. Haunted by a traumatic experience from her past, Mila struggles to cope with the psychological aftermath. But her hand…

THE LOST JEWS OF PAKISTAN, 12min., USA Directed by Alexander Nilsen Imagine a scenario where a teenage boy’s compassion shines through for a religious community that was forgotten, transforming a neglected graveyard into a place of beauty and solace. That’s the heartwarming story we captured in our documentary: The Lost Jews of Pakistan. It’s a tal…

THROUGH ROSE COLORED LENSES, 5min., USA Directed by Arie Forma In the midst of a toxic triangle with the love of his life, and her abusive boyfriend, Shawn Anderson, a college student blinded by love, is seeing his world fall apart. Get to know the filmmaker: I was motivated to make this film after living through the events of this film. This film …

DOM BANGS A ROCKETTE, 19min., USA Directed by Kelly Diaz After picking up his nephew from elementary school in the Valley, East Coast transplant and aspiring adult film actor Ray, loses track of the kid, leading to the “New York style” kidnapping of an innocent man. Get to know the filmmaker: Tom wrote the screenplay for ‘Dom Bangs a Rockette’ a fe…

WHAT’S BRED IN THE BLOOD AND BONE, 5min., USA Directed by Robin M Gee Inspired by the work of Ida Bell Wells, whose writing documented the episodic period of lynching’s in the 1890’s, What’s Bred in the Blood and Bone is a study of space and place, girded by the collective experiences of brown bodies. “Blood” explores “blood memory” as body memory …

B&E, 12min., Canada Directed by Jamie Robertson When his ex-con brother, Chris, enlists his help on a break-in, Duncan Fitzpatrick doesn’t know what to do. He’d agreed to run away with his brother, but only under the belief that he had turned over a new leaf. Now stuck, waiting in the car for his brother’s return, Duncan grows restless as his broth…

Watch the Screenplay Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROlDE5fCtEc In the comedy-drama DOG PARK, the deliberate poisoning of a dog forces three lonely people’s lives to collide. Get to know the writer: In DOG PARK, the deliberate poisoning of a dog forces three lonely people’s lives to collide. MARGARET, 65, is a disciplined retiree who wake…