WILDsound: The Film Podcast

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 challenges and realities of the lifestyle, including long hours, weather impacts, and the importance of trust and community. The conversation covered the logistics, costs, safety regulations, and economic factors affecting carnivals, as well as the demographic makeup of the workforce and the role of offshore workers. Daryl highlighted the positive reception of the film from both the carnival community and audiences and shared insights into the personal stories and daily routines of those who work in the industry. The discussion also touched on the film’s potential for shorter vignettes and Daryl’s upcoming projects. —- Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod —— Love for you to try the Indy Film Festival AP. • Daily new film festival of the best new films from around the world. New archived festival to watch anytime. • Library of over 500+ award-winning films to watch anytime. Go to https://www.wildsound.ca and sign up for the free 3-day trial. Check out the daily film festival (and previous ones from last month) at https://www.wildsound.ca/browse Always an amazing lineup of films. Inspiring for storytellers.

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 creation as her Capstone Thesis Project at Virginia Commonwealth University, detailing the process of writing the poetic script, using her sister as the actor, and filming in familiar childhood locations. The discussion also touched on the pressures faced by children of immigrant parents, the challenges of competitive sports, and Sucheta's future plans in filmmaking and art direction. —- Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod —— Love for you to try the Indy Film Festival AP. • Daily new film festival of the best new films from around the world. New archived festival to watch anytime. • Library of over 500+ award-winning films to watch anytime. Go to https://www.wildsound.ca and sign up for the free 3-day trial. Check out the daily film festival (and previous ones from last month) at https://www.wildsound.ca/browse Always an amazing lineup of films. Inspiring for storytellers.

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 short film titled "As It Should Be," and her preference for live performances and analog formats like vinyl. The discussion touched on the themes of her work, such as hopeful optimism and the concept of "What If It All Works Out?" Joya reflected on her personal life, including her marriage and young daughter, and how these experiences have influenced her creative urgency and direction. —- Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod —— Love for you to try the Indy Film Festival AP. • Daily new film festival of the best new films from around the world. New archived festival to watch anytime. • Library of over 500+ award-winning films to watch anytime. Go to https://www.wildsound.ca and sign up for the free 3-day trial. Check out the daily film festival (and previous ones from last month) at https://www.wildsound.ca/browse Always an amazing lineup of films. Inspiring for storytellers.

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 relationships and symbolic bird imagery, as well as her political commentary story "King Harold and the Hairless" which was inspired by current political situations and draws parallels to "A Christmas Carol." Sabine shared that her writing career began during COVID-19 when she gained extra time from reduced commuting. She has three daughters who serve as her harshest critics while offering writing advice like "write as if nobody's ever going to read your stuff." —- Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod —— Love for you to try the Indy Film Festival AP. • Daily new film festival of the best new films from around the world. New archived festival to watch anytime. • Library of over 500+ award-winning films to watch anytime. Go to https://www.wildsound.ca and sign up for the free 3-day trial. Check out the daily film festival (and previous ones from last month) at https://www.wildsound.ca/browse Always an amazing lineup of films. Inspiring for storytellers.

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 Zucanescope DV2009 camera to create a grainy, authentic look and featured challenging scenes with many extras in a club setting. This was Maël's second short film, and he discussed his upcoming third film "Sad Pride Generation" and plans for a future feature film about a queer love story between two men on vacation, emphasizing his commitment to telling LGBTQ+ stories despite industry pressure to make them more mainstream. —- Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod —— Love for you to try the Indy Film Festival AP. • Daily new film festival of the best new films from around the world. New archived festival to watch anytime. • Library of over 500+ award-winning films to watch anytime. Go to https://www.wildsound.ca and sign up for the free 3-day trial. Check out the daily film festival (and previous ones from last month) at https://www.wildsound.ca/browse Always an amazing lineup of films. Inspiring for storytellers.